Today’s review is brought to you courtesy of Mosaic Reviews. I received the Etiquette for Beginners Combo pack so that I could provide you all with a review of the product. No other compensation was received, nor is a positive review required.

About The Etiquette Factory

The Etiquette Factory was created by Monica Irvine. She is a certified Etiquette Instructor who specializes in etiquette training for children from preschool through high school. The program she created is a three phase system designed to change the world, one child at a time. She is passionate about giving parents the tools they need to teach proper etiquette to their children.

Mrs. Irvine believes good manners are vital to both the personal and future professional success of a child. I tend to agree with her. How many of us have had to deal with rude people who we then avoid dealing with in the future? We don’t want to raise our children to be that type of person.

Why Etiquette Matters for Christians

The Etiquette Factory is not a specifically Christian company or product. There are no Bible references that I found in my materials. That said, I would like to address why I think etiquette should matter to Christians (like me). I will keep it short.

• “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
• If we want the world to see children as a blessing, we need to be active in training our children to BE a blessing. I’m not saying that a child is a blessing only under certain circumstances. I simply see this as a chance to “bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you“ (See Matthew 5:44 for the full verse).

I’ll move on from that now.

The Etiquette Factory Products

Like I mentioned before, I received the Etiquette for Beginner’s Combo pack (which you can find on their website). Included in this pack are the DVDs, teacher’s manual, etiquette jukebox CD, and four of the “Set Right” placemats. This set retails for $69.95. It is a 12 week program that covers what etiquette is, saying hello, kindness, sharing, magic words, cleaning up, table manners, good hygeine, the “no” word, sincere apologies, being a guest, and the power of words.

Each week there is a DVD lesson which contains a story read by Mary Manners, a song to reinforce the lesson, an activity, and a treat. All of these take less than 20 minutes each day.

Also available are: Etiquette Intermediate, Etiquette Masters, Life Skills Video Online Learning program, Time Timer, Kid Budget, and a variety of posters.

What Did I Think?

My kids thought Mary Manners was funny and they liked the songs. They LOVED the placemats and started implementing the “rules” on them immediately. The placemats are my favorite product from this kit. The DVD stories engaged my kids and they were able to answer the questions that followed easily.

The program is laid out in an easy-to-follow format and I liked that it didn’t take gobs of time each day.

What I did not like is that the cost feels high. The placemats are awesome, but they cost $16 for 4. If you buy the 3 Phase Learning program package, you get all three levels of training, the CD, and four of the placemats. If I were to buy this program, this would be the option I would choose. You would then have etiquette training materials for the school life of your student.

I was not particularly fond of the treats. One was making magic wands when learning the magic words (please, thank you, and you’re welcome). Another has you making a ghost in the graveyard treat that doesn’t really have anything to do with the lesson. Overall, my issue is the amount candy, fruit roll-ups, and pudding involved. I realize these are treats, but my kids really have no lack of treats in their lives.

I enjoyed reviewing The Etiquette Factory. The DVD, CD, and placemats were my favorites. Take a look at the website and see what you think!

You can also find The Etiquette Factory on Facebook and Twitter.