It's Finally Here! Anthea's Calligraphy for Kids
The story: It all started during lockdown (thankfully seems like ages ago now) when my son's Cub Scout leader, clearly desperate for content for his weekly Zoom sessions, asked me if I could teach the kids calligraphy. I agreed, but was 100% certain this was going to be a complete disaster. I don't want to stereotype but 8-10 year old boys, with only a few girls? Calligraphy? Really? And how do I keep their attention over dreaded Zoom?
Not wanting to disappoint the best Cub Scout leader one could ask for, I put my apprehensions aside and got on creating a little lesson for the kids to learn to write 'calligraphy style'. But what was everyone going to use to write with? Back then, we could barely leave the house let alone buy calligraphy supplies. The answer? The ubiquitous Crayola Broad Line marker! For sure everyone had a few of those, half dry, in the junk drawer. I created some print-at-home worksheets outlining the basic strokes and each letter and figured I was as ready as I was ever going to be.
The fateful evening finally came and, as it turns out, the kids were absolutely amazing. They were interested and engaged. They asked great questions and without too much instruction from me, worked their way through the materials. I couldn't believe it - THEY LOVED MY CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHEETS!! I came off the Zoom call that night with such a buzz. And the feedback from parents couldn't have been more positive. Not only did their kids really enjoy learning something new but also the process of doing calligraphy. And, the best piece of feedback - the parents were surprised and appreciative that their kids were quiet for more than an hour! Who wouldn't love that?!
At that moment, I knew I was on to something. Online searches revealed that despite the enormous popularity of modern calligraphy and a seemingly infinite number of beginner sets available for grown ups, there was nothing geared towards children. But why wouldn't kids want to learn calligraphy with tools that work for them? And, with the increasing interest in mindfulness, I had proof that kids were engaged in a mindful activity, otherwise they couldn't possibly have been so quiet for so long, right? Feedback from parents given early versions of the workbook, confirmed what I suspected. Kids really got into it and enjoyed learning calligraphy. And parents don't mind a little extra cursive practice and a little less screen time. Sneaky, eh?
'Anthea's Calligraphy for Kids' uses the same principles as I use in my own work as a calligrapher. The workbook shows children the basic strokes and how to put them together to create all the lower and upper case letters. Once they have mastered the letters, we move onto joining them into words. Along with step-by-step instruction, there is lots of space for children to practice their calligraphy throughout. The workbooks are made of quality paper, tough enough to resist markers, and with a spiral binding so they lie perfectly flat.
The kit comes with design ideas to inspire children to create their own calligraphy projects, as well as an alphabet exemplar, lined template, projects materials, and a set of washable Crayola Broad Line markers. It's delivered in a fully recyclable box in which everything can be stored.
If you are looking for a rainy day activity, a unique gift for a child or something to keep the kids busy on holiday, please check out 'Anthea's Calligraphy for Kids' in my online shop. To celebrate the kit's release, don't forget to use the code LAUNCH10 for a 10% discount during the month of May. That's something to smile about.
Well, that wasn't so difficult in the end, if not a little fun. If you haven't already and would like to sign up for future emails, please do so here. Thanks so much for reading to the end and, as always, for supporting my small business.
Lots of love,
Anthea xo
Calligraphy with Crayola Markers @CrouchEndCalligraphy 2022