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Review: Basic Cozy Grammar and Punctuation Courses

When Splashes from the River contacted me to review The Basic Cozy Grammar Course and The Basic Cozy Punctuation Course, my first thought was to wonder how grammar and punctuation could fall under the category of being cozy. After watching the first lesson (taught by Marie Rackham on location on the shores of the Campbell River in British Columbia), I understood exactly how grammar can be cozy. Marie’s warm style and the wonderful scenery at her cabin on the river combine to make the grammar and punctuation courses truly cozy. The course combines a daily video lesson with a worksheet to reinforce the lesson. It is a painless way for any parent to teach grammar, and the lessons are bite-sized to keep student frustration or boredom to a minimum. According to Marie, “Grammar does not make you creative; it is a technique that enhances your creativity. If you can’t speak well and write well your windows of opportunity are closed.” One challenging aspect to the program for me was the multi-cultural aspect to the location and Marie’s object lessons. The Pacific Northwest has much Asian influence, and eastern religious objects such as toriis and Buddhas periodically pop up in the lessons. For our family it has given an opportunity to discuss eastern religions compared to our own, but some families may wish to avoid such references.

In addition to being a teacher Marie has many years of disciplined training and practice in music, and her classroom experience taught her the value of music as a calming influence on students. “The Cozy Classroom Collection CD is a selection of classical piano compositions that have been performed, arranged, edited, and recorded to facilitate learning.” Although we have not used the Cozy Classroom Collection in a learning setting yet, we have enjoyed listening to the classical music selections (performed by Marie) in the car on our trips to and from town.

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