We Choose Virtues is a character development tool that was created by Heather McMillan when...
"...she realized that she wanted to teach children how to change. Not just a momentary change of actions, but a more lasting change in their attitudes as well. Her observation is that children needed to be inspired by simple, positive and consistent instructions, and parents and teachers needed an effective language with which to communicate these instructions.
It was out of this necessity that Heather created the original list of virtues and their unforgettable catchphrases. She used them at home with their four children, taught them in her own Preschool classroom, introduced them to fellow teachers, parents, and professional counselors." - from website.
How it works is that you introduce the virtues, demonstrate them, memorize the catchphrases, then learn the antonyms, and capture teachable moments in which the virtue is or isn't being used. The parent or teacher cards actually have teaching tips and such on them. (see photo)
We received the brand new Virtue Clues from We Choose Virtues. These are handy little cards in full color, which feature the Virtue Kids, their names, the Virtue catchphrase and antonyms, and on the back, a "You can do it" challenge. The best part is that they come in a nice little plastic pouch, protecting them if you choose to carry them in your purse. Bear and I both delight in that little pouch! It has a Velcro closure that she adores due the butterfly sticker that's there to hide the back of the Velcro.
Bear loves the Virtue Kids! She has those cards out all the time to read them. She loves their rhyming names because they are cute (Cake Jake, Stop Sign Madeline, Hockey Stick Nick...). The names are cleverly thought up. Each name starts with the first letter of the virtue. Cake Jake = I am Content. Stop Sign Madeline = I am Self-controlled. No two virtues start with the same letter so the Virtue Kids' names are meant to help the children remember the virtues better. Worked for Bear. I thought it was clever and it earned the whole program bonus points from me.
Each card is a different color as well. This also helps with keeping the virtues straight. I love all the thought that has gone into this!
Another sound pedagogical component to the cards is that they not only define the virtue (I am Gentle. I speak quietly and touch softly.), but they provide antonyms or non-examples (I am NOT...rough, harsh, or loud, and I don't destroy things or hurt people!). When I took my teacher training years ago, I distinctly remember our social studies professor telling us that abstract ideas need to be defined with both examples and non-examples and that is just what We Choose Virtues has done. More bonus points!
We also received the Kids of VirtueVille Coloring Book. It is available on the We Choose Virtues website for $3.00 as a download only. In it are coloring pages of all the kids. I haven't printed it out, but it would be a nice go-along and I know Bear would love it.
To help us with our experience with the Virtue Clues, Heather sent us PDFs of 2 freebies (a family character assessment and the Kids Memory verses, Bible Heroes and Truths) that are always available as downloads from the store and the Teacher's handbook ($4.95 for the PDF download or $15.00 for the print copy). The Teacher's handbook made a huge difference in how we used the cards (before I came up with what we are doing now with the cards - see near the end of the post), but what I would most love to try are the parenting cards. Those have the activities and teachings to do for each virtue. I love the Virtue Clues for the reasons listed above, but while the Virtue Clues are fun, alone (without the rest of the We Choose Virtues products - specifically the teaching cards) they may not be enough to instill the virtues in my children. Of course, the Virtue Clues are MEANT to be used IN CONJUNCTION with the rest of the We Choose Virtues curriculum. Not having reviewed or used any of the other parts of the curriculum, I can't say whether the Virtue Clues are a necessary part of the curriculum, but we love them and have adapted them so they can be useful without the parenting cards. Have they changed the behaviors in my children? Not completely. I didn't expect them too, not when I still struggle with some of those virtues! However, they have made Bear more aware of what some virtues are and how she should act, or not act, for each virtue.
I am saving up for a light table for the children, so although I really, really want the parenting cards (I wonder how good the teaching tips and activities are?) and may purchase them in the future, I can't right now. Instead, I modified some resources I already had (Parenting with Scripture and the PDF Heather sent of the Memory verses, Bible Heroes and Truths) to make my Virtue Clues more useful for us. In case you are curious as to what exactly we do: We choose a virtue, read the pages from Parenting with Scripture that best fit, then memorize the memory verse from the PDF. I also read the story of whichever Bible hero is assigned to the virtue.
The Virtue Clues are $5.99 for 13 cards in a nice carrying pouch. They were shipped in a padded envelope too!
Read what others thought about We Choose Virtues here.
Disclaimer: I received these cards in exchange for this review. No other compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.
This looks like a great resource to have for kids. Thanks for your review! :O)
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