Learning How to Read with All About Reading

I recently got to check out the new All About Reading Level 1 set. We have been using All About Reading Pre-1 and All About Spelling, so I was excited to see what this new level contained (Make sure you read all the way to the bottom for a special announcement!)

What is it?

All About Reading Level 1 contains
1. Teacher's Manual
2. Student Packet (includes Activity Book)
3. Run, Bug, Run! reader  

4. The Runt Pig reader
5. Cobweb the Cat reader 
(you can download samples of each element at the website)

In addition, a Reading Interactive Kit will need to be purchased, but will be used for all reading levels (so it is a one-time purchase). There is a Deluxe kit or a Basic kit to choose from. Items can also be purchased individually.

How it Works:

There is a little prep-work when you first start this program. There are phonogram cards and word cards that need to be torn-apart and filed. Then there are magnet tiles that need to be assembled. I did all of that while watching a Christmas special. It wasn't difficult at all.

All About Reading Level 1 is geared toward beginning readers. Students who know their alphabet and sounds and who are just starting to learn how to put the sounds together to make words can use this level. If you aren't sure if your child is ready for formal reading instruction yet, use this Reading Readiness Checklist to help guide your decision.

When you are ready to start, the Teacher's manual walks you through everything you need to cover in a lesson. It tells you what you need and what to say. It is very easy to follow and understand.

This program is a multisensory program. Children will learn through sight, sound, and touch.In the photo above we learned a hand-motion to go along with short /a/. My daughter is pretending to hold an apple while saying the short /a/ sound.

Then she worked on sounding out words with letter tiles. Don't you love our pizza pan? LOL! I do have a dry-erase board that we use for our magnet letter tiles but I was teaching in the kitchen that day and used what I could find. :)

After we used the tiles, we did the activity page in the student book. I like that the activity was focused and was not just a "time filler" as some worksheets can be. From looking ahead, many of the activity pages have a hands-on component-- match words to pictures, create word flippers, play as a game etc. I would consider these "active worksheets".

Then 20 minutes of reading books with mom! I actually do this throughout the day. Read a book for 10 min. after lunch, and read some books before bed.

What I Thought:

If you are like me, one of the first things I look at is the price. Yes, this program is a little pricey, but I believe it is worth it. Here's why:

* All the materials in this system are top quality. They did not take any shortcuts creating AAR materials. The 3 readers that are included are hard-back readers. The teacher's manual is well-written and easy to follow (no teacher-ese lingo).

* There are no gaps. I don't have to worry that I'm forgetting to teach some component of reading. It is all covered.

• Phonological Awareness
• Phonics and Decoding
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension

* It is multi-sensory. Some children learn better by hearing. Others by seeing. Others by kinesthetic (tactile) learning. This program teaches to all those learning styles. This allows children to process the information in more than one way and remember it better.

*You'll get the "Go Ahead and Use It" one-year guarantee. You have one full year to try out AAR. If you find that any of the curriculums do not meet your needs, simply return the materials at any time within one year of purchase for a full refund of your purchase price, no questions asked.

All About Learning Press is letting me give away 1 All About Reading Level 1 Kit and 1 Deluxe Reading Interactive Kit!

This giveaway runs from 12/9 - 12/13. Enter via Rafflecopter. If you are reading this in a reader and don't see the form, please click over to the site to enter.

Disclosure: I was given a free kit to review. I am also an affiliate. The opinions are my own.

MonkiSee

My family was sent MonkiSee Baby’s First Words and a book to review. MonkiSee is a video series that teaches reading and object recognition to children 3mo – 2yr. old.

The first video in the series, Baby’s First Words, introduces children to 40 different words—from body part names to familiar words like bottle, bath and sleep. Using puppets, music, and poems children are introduced to the various words and concepts. By watching the video multiple times, children will memorize shapes and patterns that make up the words. Children are also able to learn phonics intuitively through this process. Monki See recommend using the video, flashcards, and slideshows daily to get the best possible results.

We also were sent the book, Know Your Monkey to review as well:

 These books are designed to teach babies to read while being read to. These books are specifically arranged to display large text while keeping the illustrations separate, so attention is naturally directed toward the written word.~ MonkiSee website

What We Thought:

I had my 6mo. old, 2yr. old and 4yr. old watch this DVD program.  We did not watch it every day nor did we watch the slide show daily. When we did watch it, my 4yr. old and 2yr. old enjoyed the movie. They enjoy watching programs with singing and puppets, so this was right up their alley. My 6mo. old wasn’t interested in all. She would watch a few scenes here and there and then look for something to chew on. 

I thought that the DVD taught vocabulary more than reading. There weren’t enough written word exposure in the DVD for a child to really connect the written word with the object or action. The slideshow portion of the DVD did a better job at having the words and objects/actions connect. So if you did use this program for teaching reading, you would have to do both portions (movie and slideshow) to see results.

My girls did enjoy having me read them the book too.  We have not used the program long enough to see if it really helps babies and toddlers learn to read. I can say that it is a nice edu-entertainment DVD and book set that does a good job at introducing vocabulary.

Price: $24.95 for the DVD
$11.95 for the book
For more information see the MonkiSee website.

For More MonkiSee Reviews See:

Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Go, Go Kobango

I was able to review an online game site that focuses on reading skills for children ages 4-7. Go Go Kabongo is a program that aims to help children develop the critical thinking and problem solving skills that are necessary for basic reading and reading comprehension.

What it is:

KaBongo is a colorful online world where children play and learn at the same time. There are three different habitats: Laughter Lake, Galaxy Gardens, and Twister Top. Each habitat has 3 different games that target specific pre-reading or critical thinking skills.

(Click to see more information on the skills)

Each game has a learning purpose, but yet is presented in a fun, interactive way.
You can sign up for GOGO KABONGO! for free—which will give you access to the Laughter Lake habitat. In order to access the other two habitats, a fee of $4.95 each is charged.
What We Thought:

My 4yr. old and my 9yr. old tested this site out for me. It was above my 9yr.old, but she is always up for playing on the computer :) Both girls enjoyed being able to pick various games to play. My 4yr. old did however, get a little stuck on many of the games and then lost interest. My 9yr. old loved playing though. I’m pretty sure that if I let the 4yr. old try again after a couple of months, she would be more ready for the games.

I liked that I was sent progress reports on each child. You can view a sample progress report here. There are additional helpful resources for parents such as printable activities and hands-on activity ideas. Most of all, I liked knowing that my kids were playing and learning at the same time.

Right now if you sign up you can get Laughter Lake and Galaxy Garden habitats for free!  (normally only Laughter Lake is free). You can add the third habitat for only $4.95 .
For More Go,Go Kabongo Reviews See:
Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Aesop's Fables

Earlier this year I was able to review Brill Kids Little Reader program. As an additional way to promote literacy with young children, Brill Kids has come up with an innovative book-design to help young children learn to read. This series is centered around Aesop’s fables and will have 2 Volumes. I was able to review Vol. 1:

Aesop’s Fables Vol 1 includes 5 titles:

The Fox and the Crow
The Lion and the Mouse
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Fox and the Grapes
The Turtle and the Rabbit.

There are several unique components in these books that are specially designed to teach your young child to read:

    * Text and illustration presented on separate pages
    * More spacing between words to make it easier to see words individually
    * A blank flap extension designed to cover the illustrations as you direct your child's attention to the written text.

What We Thought:

I read this books with my 2yr. old and my 4yr. old daughters. The stories were written at their level and had big, colorful illustrations and rhyming text. The girls were intrigued with the flap covering the pictures because it made the book seem more like a hide-and-seek book. I liked the whole concept and the design of the book.  The books are not graded readers, so if you were using this with a beginning reader, there would most likely be several words they would not know.

The set of 5 books costs $37.50 (normally $50). I personally could not afford that price for 5 non-hardback books. Though my girls loved looking through these books, I would say that they are more of a fun product to have rather than an essential homeschool item.  I do like the concept, but cannot say one way or another if  it really helps kids learn to read better than traditional books.  They are a fun way, however, to introduce the world of Aesop’s Fables to young children.

For more information see:
Brill Kids website Aesop's Fables Vol. 1 books: $37.50 

For More Brill Kid Aesop Fable Reviews See: Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Reading Kingdom

I’m always looking for ways to help my children become fluent and strong readers. When I was offered to try Reading Kingdom with my family, I knew that this might be a good fit for my 4yr. old and my 9yr. old struggling reader.

 How it Works:

Reading Kingdom is an online reading program created by Dr. Marion Blank for children ages 4 –10yrs. This unique program focuses on the 6 skills needed for reading: sequencing, motor skills, sounds, meaning, grammar, and comprehension.

Reading Kingdom contains pre-reading levels, which contains keyboard/mouse training and letter sequencing, and 5 levels of reading instruction. Once the program is completed, the student should be at a 3rd grade reading level. Because this program customizes instruction based on student skill surveys, no two instructional programs will be the same.

What We Thought:

 The 4yr. old:  My 4yr. old knew some of her letters, but not all of them before starting this review. She also was used to using a mouse, but did not know how to use the keyboard. When she first started the program, she took a skills inventory test, which placed her at keyboard and mouse training. You might think, “What does keyboard and mouse training have to do with reading?” Well after 2 weeks of doing only that, I wondered too, but then I noticed how well my 4yr. old was starting to navigate around the keyboard! She knew exactly where the letters were and could successfully type short letter combinations (hunt-and-peck style).  This program ties in reading, writing and spelling—so it’s necessary to have functional keyboarding skills.

My 4yr. old  is currently  in the letter sequencing stage of the program, which helps teach the left-right reading concept. I could actually see her learning this concept via the lessons. The lessons are short enough that she can stay focused and I would have never thought to have my preschooler start learning keyboarding.

The 9yr. old: I still have high hopes with this program for her. She was a little discouraged because she had to start out in keyboarding/mouse training  just like her younger sister, but thankfully, didn’t have to stay at that level long. She is still at the point of the program where you can’t really tell it’s a reading program---more letter sequencing and typing short words. My daughter is not a strong reader and has struggled becoming proficient. I think if we consistently use this program with her (should use at least 4-5 times a week), she will move through the program quicker and feel more confident. Right now it seems too babyish because she hasn’t yet moved on to the higher levels, so it has been a little challenging motivating her to use the program.

I plan on continuing this program with both girls alongside our current reading program. They offer a free 30 day trial, so it’s worth checking it out. 

Subscriptions to Reading Kingdom are $19.99/month.  If you have multiple children using the program, the cost per each additional child in your family is $9.99/month.  See the Reading Kingdom Website for additional ordering information.

For More Reading Kingdom Reviews See: Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Cool Tool for Reading

 

What is it?

See-N-Read® Reading Tools help readers see, focus and remember text being read while filtering out distractions on the page. Reduces word- and line-skipping and pattern glare (words appear to move on the page), common problems for struggling or fatigued readers.

When I read that description of the product, I was very hopeful that this might be just what my 8yr. old needed to help her with her reading. I gave her the special bookmark and had her start using it with her reading assignments.

As you can see, the See-N-Read is a plastic bookmark that has a clear window to highlight the text. The nice thing is that the rest of the bookmark is opaque, so you can still see ahead. That way the student can still be tracking chunks of material using peripheral vision, but still keep their place with the window.

This simple tool helped my daughter tremendously! She felt more confident while reading to herself or aloud because she wasn’t always loosing her place. She was also very excited when I said she could keep it.

There is another similar tool available called the Memory Mark. With this tool, the window is actually cut out so that you can use it as a guide to highlight text with a highlighter marker, or underline text. I could see how that would be very useful.

Now the cool thing is that they have this same tool available digitally! In the past when I had to read a book online or a really long blog article, I would highlight the text while I read in order to keep my place. Well with e-See-N-Read, I didn’t have to do that anymore. I could click on the icon and have it pop up to read what I needed. There are also several ways to customize it as well. It is a very useful tool to use with online reading!

The See-N-Read Story
See-N-Read Bookmark: $2.99 Document size: $3.49
E-See-N-Read: $29.99

For More See-N-Read Reviews: Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.