Keyboarding for the Christian School

How sad is it that I thought keyboarding was playing a musical instrument?  I don't play the keyboard, I do use a keyboard daily.  And yet, my first thought was not a typing program.

I never did learn to type when I was in school.  I have my own form of typing, and am actually pretty fast, but I usually do free form typing- not the typing from a sheet of paper type.  I'm in trouble with that kind.  But typing, or keyboarding, is not something I had thought of when listing my goals for my kids.  So when I received Keyboarding for the Christian School to review and realized it was a typing program, I did not think it would be a fit for our family.

The two books arrived via e-book.  Another strike against it, as I'm not fond of e-books unless they are reproducibles (in which case the ability to print what you need is wonderful!).  They weren't even software programs. . . sigh.  I was dreading another not-so-positive review. 

I opened up Keyboarding for the Christian School, designed for grades 6 and up, and began skimming through.  Not visually exciting, rather "Christian School-y".  But then as I got further into it I noticed there was more to it than, "Put your fingers here and type up this verse."  It not only teaches the student how to type but it also teaches academic reports and letters (including bibliographies, works cited, etc.).  Hmm. . .I was a little more impressed.

Taking the time to do more than skim, I realized that the lessons are short and simple.  The lack of visual punch may be good for those who would find that distracting.  The fact that it is not software but print (well, once you print it anyway!) is helpful in teaching the student how to do that typing from a sheet of paper thing that I can't do.  Hmm...maybe I should take this course myself.  At some point anyway.  For now, it will be a great course for my daughter before she graduates. 

The first thing that struck me when I opened up Keyboarding for the Christian School, the Elementary Version, was that it was much more visually appealing than the other one.  The ladybug is adorable, the font is bigger and brighter, and the keyboard illustrations are colorful.  I'm a visual learner so these things tend to really pop out at me.  This one made my eyes happier. 

Again, the lessons were short and simple, which I think is great.  As a "non-typer", I would find long lessons overwhelming.  I'm sure a child would feel the same way.  Plus, adding typing into an already crowded homeschool day is much easier if the lessons are short and simple and the student can work on them independently. 

I came away much more impressed than I thought possible.  These simple e-books managed to win me over.  Maybe they'll win you over as well.

Keyboarding for the Christian School is available in e-book form for $15.95.  The Elementary Version is $12.95.  A New Year's special is currently running (as of this post) where you may purchase both for $22. 

*The e-books were provided to me at no cost for review purposes.*