By our Smarty friends at Fundanoodle
Fundanoodle may look like a pretty silly name at first sight but it truly represents this Charlotte-based education readiness program designed to make learning a fun and interactive experience. Combining the words fun, fundamental and noodle (as in, your head!), Fundanoodle is becoming a household name…at least in homes with school-aged children!
Fundanoodle was originally developed by two pediatric occupational therapists, Michelle Yoder and Amy Bumgarner, out of necessity in their day-to-day practice. Due to a gap in the educational marketplace and without a comprehensive handwriting program that met their client’s needs, they were sending parents from store to store to find different activities that addressed fine and gross motor coordination, hand strength, visual motor and visual perceptual skills. On top of that, they had been drawing out their own writing paper every day!
“Parents were constantly asking us where they could find the paper we used as they were seeing significant improvements in their children’s written expression.” says Yoder. “So, in an effort to better serve preschool and school-aged children, and to ensure long term success in school, Fundanoodle was developed. We specifically designed Fundanoodle to enhance the physical, cognitive and practical needs of both children and parents!”
Fundanoodle products range from handwriting workbooks to multi-activity kits all developed for differential learning at home and in the classroom. The program also serves as the perfect solution to the inadvertent ill effects from the increase in use of touchscreen technology by children. Yoder has seen the effect of using a single finger commonly used with touchscreen devices and how it can delay development. To combat this, Fundanoodle builds strength in the entire hand, which is crucial for handwriting and other everyday activities.
“Our multi-activity kits are designed to enhance crucial skills needed for overall development. As children learn to use tools such as pencils and scissors, we want to start to see them using their thumb and two fingers to perform activities that require precision. Strengthening the intrinsic hand muscles and refining the use of the thumb and two fingers is important for the pre-writing skills and is critical for the development of later writing skills. Fundanoodle’s kits do just that, while sparking learning and imagination, too!”
Fundanoodle has been used successfully by educators and therapists but also gives parents access to affordable, easy-to-use early learning systems that can be used at home. The Fundanoodle modules not only offer self-directed learning opportunities, but they also encourage parents and kids to engage in meaningful learning experiences together.
Organized in developmentally appropriate progression, Fundanoodle activities encourage kids to focus on foundational skills and complete increasingly complex tasks. By creating a fun, relaxed learning environment with short, interesting activities and fun characters kids stay focused and engaged. They’ll have so much fun they won’t realize how much they’re learning!
To learn more about Fundanoodle, visit www.fundanoodle.com.
LAST CALL for these Smarty Giveaways!
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Smarties, we are kicking off our Camp Season with an amazing giveaway as a part of our 2014 Smarty Camp Guide! Our Smarty friends at Camp Highlander are giving away one week of camp – Junior II session, June 15-20 (Sunday – Friday) for campers K-4th grade. This is a value of $1,225 – pick me, pick me! Deadline to enter is Monday, 3/15. Click here to register.
The Disney Junior Live on Tour Giveaway:
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The Harlem Globetrotters Giveaway:
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