Taking Another Look at Reading Kingdom {Review}

                 

You may remember that a few years ago we had the opportunity to review Reading Kingdom, an online program that teaches children ages 4-10 to read and write to a 3rd grade level. 

Well, to be honest, at the time Reading Kingdom was not one of our favorites.  I used it primarily for Computer Girl and Alpha Boy, who were 7 and 4 at the time.  They did not really enjoy Reading Kingdom which I attributed that to the lengthy Reading Skills Survey, but I noted in my review that I believed this was a good program and could be a good fit for other children. 

It turns out that Little Bits is one of those "other" children.  He LOVES Reading Kingdom and is doing really well with it. 

Little Bits likes to build words and sound them out with Reading Kingdom. 

Little Bits just turned 5 in July and started kindergarten about 6 weeks ago.  Up until now, we had not done much in the way of formal phonics with him.  At this point he is learning phonics, but we are moving at a gentle pace.  He has been doing Reading Kingdom several times a week, as a supplement to his phonics program. 

Let me tell you a little about how Reading Kingdom works.  Reading Kingdom is based off of the research and experience of Dr. Marion Blank, "a world renowned expert on literacy and the Director of the Light on Learning Institute at Columbia University," who developed this 6 skill model approach to reading...

The Reading Kingdom approach goes beyond the phonics and whole language approaches, and includes several other necessary skills for reading and writing success.  By focusing on all six of these skills, children can master both reading and writing more easily.  Reading Kingdom is currently the only program that includes all six of these skills in their approach to learning to read and write. 

The Reading Kingdom believes that every child is different.  Instead of fitting each child into a "one size fits all" box, children are given a thorough Reading Skills Survey test to properly place them in the program. 

Once children are tested on their reading and writing skills, they can then beginning learning from their personal reading level.  Children do not have to continue going over something that they already know, which can lead to boredom and lack of interest.  Nor are they pushed a head to a level they are not ready for, only causing frustration.  I believe that with the help of the very thorough Reading Skills Survey, Reading Kingdom can almost perfectly place a child in the right reading level.

Children also learn their way around a keyboard while they are learning to read.

My little guy is just learning his letters, so after taking the Reading Skills Survey test he was placed at the beginning of the program.  He started out doing visual sequencing and keyboard skills.  He is great with a mouse but is still getting used to when the letters on the keyboard are, which is a big part of Reading Kingdom. 

Little Bits has been having a good ol' time with Reading Kingdom.  He is currently "making words," as he calls it.  He gets pretty excited and likes to call me over when he learns a new word. 

My little guy has been processing well with Reading Kingdom.   I plan to continue out the 12 month subscription with him, along side his regular phonics program. 

A Reading Kingdom subscription is available for $19.99 per month, or $199.99 per year per child.  The yearly subscription gives you a 20% discount.  Additional children are given a 50% discount at a rates of $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. 

Reading Kingdom offers a 30 Day Free Trial that you might want to check out prior to subscribing. 

Visit the TOS Crew Blog to see what others are saying about Reading Kingdom!

Phonics and Reading with McGuffey App

Over the years I have heard great things about the McGuffey readers series. Many moms have successfully used this set to teach their little ones to read. It wasn't until recently that I got to check them out for myself.

LiteracySoft has taken a tried and true McGuffey reader, and turned it into an interactive phonics and reading app.  The Phonics and Reading with McGuffey App is a complete beginner level phonics and reading program.

I loved this quote from LiteracySoft's website....

“The generations which made America rich and great all grew up reading the McGuffey's Readers.”

The goal of the program is to bring the user to a 1st grade reading level. The App consists of 53 Lessons that are based off of the McGuffey Eclectic Primer, which has been successfully used for over a century. 

Each lesson has several different activities to help students learn, as well as retain letter sounds and words. There is plenty of reading and spelling practice in the program, but with enough variety to keep it fun and exciting. The program is flexible, allowing students to work at their own pace, and even repeat lessons when necessary.

According to LiteracySoft's Website, this app includes:

• All 53 McGuffey Primer lessons

• All 44 letter sounds of English and their graphemes

• 60+ letter sound animations

• 400+ practice word vocabulary

• 9000+ nonsense word audio dictionary

Here are a few pictures of this app is action....

By dragging the letters into the Phonics Blender, students practice spelling words.

Illustrations through out the lessons add interest to the stories.

Here you can see the different activities in the lessons....

This activity was probably our favorite! You are asked to build (or load) a word, after you have spelled the word correctly the truck drives off.  Pretty cute!

 

Little Bits, my Pre-K'er, was my guinea pig for this review.  He seemed to do pretty well with it. I think t hat for him, the progession of learning the letters and words was just right.  I do feel that this is something that I need to be near by to keep a watch on what he is getting and not getting.  This way I know what he needs to repeat.  

For the most part, I was pretty impressed.  I do wish that the app keep track of what they have mastered and what they haven't.  We plan to continue to use this as a supplemental activity.  

You can purchase the Phonics and Reading with McGuffey app for $19.99  It is currently available for your PC, Mac, iPad and iPhone.  We use ours on the iPad.  

LiteracySoft also offers a Lite version of this app.  They give you the first 10 lessons to try for FREE!

Check out what other Schoolhouse Review Crew members are saying about this app! 

IEW's Primary Arts of Language

 

 

 

 

Institute for Excellence in Writing, also know as IEW, is a pretty well known curriculum in the homeschooling world.  They have built a reputation that homeschoolers have grown to know and trust.  We actually got to review their Student Writing Intensive for them a few years ago. 
 

 

This time we received their Primary Arts of Language (PAL), which is a complete language arts program for children in kindergarten through second grade.  PAL is broken down into two separate programs, Primary Arts of Language Reading and Primary Arts of Language Writing.  While they are purchased separately they are meant to be used together. 

 

 

First let's talk about the PAL Reading curriculum.  This program, based on the Blended Sound-Sight System of Learning by Anna Ingham, takes a mixed approach to teaching reading by using both phonics and whole words.  It incorporates Classical, Charlotte Mason and Montessori methods of teaching.  PAL uses poetry to teach phonics and whole words, while using phonetic games and a farm themed sticker board to help reinforce phonetic concepts to build a good foundation for reading.

To teach children how to write each of the letters and help them remember their sound, PAL uses fun little stories for each letter.  My 6 year old knows his letters already but the has a hard time remembering the difference between b and d, the letter stories help to remember which is which.  I think this is my favorite thing about PAL, well this and the poetry!

 

The Phonics Games are AWESOME!!  My boys get to feed bones to a done named mugs and park cars all while learning the letter sounds!  This is also one of our favorite parts of PAL!

 

The PAL Reading Complete Package includes the following:

Primary Arts of Language: Reading Teacher’s Manual

Primary Arts of Language: Reading DVD-ROM - the DVD includes:

• Instructional Video by Jill Pike
• The Four Language Arts MP3 Audio by Andrew Pudewa
• Nurturing Competent Communicators MP3 Audio by Andrew Pudewa
• Poetry as an Integrator MP3 Audio by Anna Ingham
• Intro to the Blended Sound Sight Program MP3 Audio by Anna Ingham
• Primary Arts of Language: Reading Student Book (e-book)

Primary Arts of Language: Phonetic Games

Primary Arts of Language: Phonetic Farm folder with Stickers

The PAL Reading program is available to purchase for $69.00
________________________________________________________________________________

Now about the PAL Writing program.  The writing part of the program includes printing, copywork, composition, and spelling.  As, I mentioned earlier, the PAL Reading and Writing curriculum's are meant to be used together.  The only exception would be if your child is already reading independently.

The first 23 lessons teach the children how to properly print each letter, after that they start using copywork for printing fluency.  PAL also includes Story Summaries, Journaling, Style and Composition. 

The PAL Writing Package includes:

Primary Arts of Language: Writing Teacher’s Manual

Primary Arts of Language: Writing DVD-ROM - this DVD includes:

• Instructional Video by Jill Pike
• Reading Comprehension MP3 Audio by Adam Andrews
• Dictation, Narration, and Public Speaking MP3 Audio by Andrew Pudewa
• The Four Language Arts MP3 Audio by Andrew Pudewa
• Primary Arts of Language: Writing Student Books (e-book)
  (Would you rather have us print out your PAL student e-books for you? Click here)

All About Spelling Basic Interactive Kit

All About Spelling Level 1 (Teacher’s Manual and One Student Material Packet) By Marie Rippel

Bonus e-audio downloads:

• Units 1 & 2 in the K–2 Classroom MP3 Audio by Shirley George
• Unit 3 in the K–2 Classroom MP3 Audio by Shirley George
• Preparing the K-2 Writing Environment MP3 Audio by Richelle Palmer

The PAL Writing Program is available for purchase for $89.00.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Alpha Boy learning how to spell his colors.

I am going to be honest, at first this curriculum looked a bit overwhelming to me.  But after watching the DVD's going over the teacher's manuals it didn't seem as overwhelming to me. 

The TM's are set up so that you can easily follow along.  The lessons are so well laid out and explained that even the newest of homeschoolers will feel like a pro!

I feel that PAL is a very well rounded program.  It has all the bells and whistles that you would hope for in a language arts program.  To me, it is very hands on with lots of fun stories and games to help the children actually enjoy learning.  Yes, there is a little bit of prep for mom in the beginning but after that it is pretty much smooth sailing!

 

 

I am not the only one that loved PAL!  Check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about PAL.

Disclaimer: We received this product at no charge for review purposes only. 

 



Samson's Classroom {Review}

 

 

 

When ever my boys get a chance to play on the computer they are happy!  When I can find educational games that they enjoy then I am happy, happy, happy! 

Recently, we were given a Family Subscription for Samson's Classroom.  Samson's Classroom is an online education software for children K-5th grade. 

The Samson's Classroom software consists of 3 games:

Sight Words with Samson -  A wonderful learning game for beginning readers.  Sight Words with Samson teaches and helps students to master 224 of the most commonly used words in the English language.  There are 4 Levels and 28 Lessons total in this game. 

 

Sight Words with Samson follows a 5 step process to help children to master sight words.  The students learn the words, they build the words, identify the words, take a quiz and finally they take the treasure hunt challenge.  Samson walks through the challenges with the kids, encouraging and entertaining them

Also included for educators to print out are worksheets, flashcards and bingo sheets to help reinforce what the students are learning online.  They even have award certificates for the kids when they finish complete each level.


Spelling with Samson - A customizable software that currently has more than 7,000 words to choose from.  You can actually use words from your students current spelling curriculum. 

Children learn there words in the Learning Zone, fill in the missing letters in the Karate Chop Challenge, they battle with Terrance the Tarantula in the Spelling Scramble Challenge, last they take the Crunch Time Quiz. 

 

 

Reading with Samson - This is the reading comprehension portion of the software. Children read a passage and then are asked questions about the main idea, sequencing and more.  Kids love this part of the game because the more answers that they get correct gives them more time to play at the carnival!

 

 

 

Samson's Classroom is a great supplemental educational software for students K-5th grade. These games are not only educational, they are loads of fun!  The kids are learning, but to them they are just having fun.  We will definitely continue with Samson's Classroom!

I liked that this software did all the tracking of each students process.  It is very easy to check to see where they students are excelling and where they are struggling.  I feel like this prgram is very easy to use and teacher/homeschool mom friendly.  I also feel like it is well worth the cost. 

There are several different pricing plans available:

Home - 1 User for $30/ year
Family - up to 4 users for $50/year
(there are also several pricing plans available for schools)

I am not the only Samson's Classroom fan. 

Check out all the other great things that other TOS Crew members are saying!

 

 

 

Disclaimer: We recieved a family subscription to Samson's Classroom at no cost to us in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Crossbow Education {Review}

My younger daughter and I both seem to struggle a bit when we read.  We can get a little distracted and lose focus sometimes.  When I heard about the Eye Level Reading Rulers from Crossbow's Education, that were made to help with some of these very same issues, I was excited to give them a try.

The Reading Rulers are designed to help readers that struggle with dyslexia and visual stress. 

We received 10 of these wonderful Reading Rulers in a variety of colors.  Each Reading Ruler is made of durable, color tinted plastic.  The colored area is used to underline and high light the text that you are reading.  One side is 1/2" wide for single lines, and the other is 1 1/4" wide for paragraphs.  We prefer the 1/2 wide side, but both are very helpful. 

The Reading Rulers work very well in reducing the glare on pages, dancing letters, blurring text and other symptoms.  The Reading Ruler is great to help keep track of where you are currently reading and it makes a mighty handy bookmark!

 

 

 

We have found that the Reading Ruler is very good at keeping our eyes and minds focused on our reading..  I felt that having something for our hands to do (moving the Reading Ruler as we read) has been very good for both Computer Girl and I.

I would recommend the Eye Level Reading Rulers for children and adults.  They are available in packs of 5 for $9.45 and packs of 10 for $16.95.

  

Please check out what other members of the TOS Crew have to say about Crossbow Education''s Eye Level Reading Rulers!

 

Disclaimer: We received this product at no charge to us in exchange for an honest review.

Reading Through the Summer

One of my goals here at the LSG House is to have keep a steady learning environment. So that means that even when we are on a break of sorts from school, I still have my kids read. 

Just about every weekday my kids are required to read.  Usually they have quiet time in the after noon for about an hour and a half -during which time they are to read and then they can play quietly in their rooms or nap.  The girls are to read at least a chapter.  Alpha Boy is required to chill in his room and look at books for about 20-30 minutes.  Little Bits usually gets a story read to him either by me or one of the girls before his afternoon nap, afterwards he will usually look at a few books before drifting off to sleep.

We do a good amount of reading together during the day.  We read historical fictions, character sketches and about missionaries together,  So for their QT reading I allow them to choose what they would like to read for fun.  Current or recent books for the girls include Ginger Pye, Little Women, and American Girl Doll Books.  Alpha Boy loves I Spy Books and Little Bits {and everyone else} really likes Bernstein Bear Books. 

Up until this summer, we have taken the summers off, like mid May to mid August off.  This summer will be a little different.  Because of the new curriculum that we are using this coming year I have decided to take a few weeks and then keep plugging along.  {more on this later}

Even though we are going to continue with school we are going to join in the our county library's summer reading program as well as the one from Barnes and Nobles.  They are reading anyway but I think these programs will be a nice little incentive to keep on keepin' on. 

I am also considering starting an American Girl Doll book club this summer - this is still being worked out in my brain but I did think this would be a fun way to hang with friends, meet new friends and make reading fun!

Some ideas to make summer reading fun would be:

• Read through all the books from the Five in a Row Series for fun.
• Pick one American Girl Doll and read the whole series about her aloud.  Don't forget incorporate some the crafts and recipes for her time period.
• Just because it's summer does not mean kids can't make a lapbook, some of my children really enjoy making these.  Homeschool Share has oodles of lapbooks, for freeeee!
• Pick a few ideas from my Bringing Books to Life Series and do them with a book you've read.
• Start a summer reading club!

What summer reading plans do you have??

TOS Crew: Progeny Press

Being on the TOS Crew has been such a blessing for our family.  We have been blessed to review wonderful homeschool products, like the Literature Guides by Progeny Press. 

 

Progeny Press offers over 100 different Literature Guides for student ranging in grades K-12th.  These guides are written from a Christian perspective and focus on critical thinking skills, comprehension skills, literary analysis, and Christian application.  Sounds like an all in one package to me! 

 

I have peeked at Progeny Press before because My Father's World actually recommends them for 7th and 8th graders.  So, I knew that we would be using them for sure next year, but I was happy to give them a whirl this year too!  We were given The Bronze Bow Literature Guide to review.  The recommended grade level for this particular guide is 5th -8th grade.  Which was a perfect fit for my 6th grader. 

 

The Bronze Bow Study Guide starts off with introductory note to the instructor, synopsis of the Bronze Bow, a page of about Elizabeth George Speare (author of The Bronze Bow) and  a few Pre-Reading Activities.  Next the guide focuses on 2-3 chapters at a time focusing on vocabulary, characterization, setting, and comprehension questions.  I liked how the guide switched up the vocabulary part a bit by switching from crosswords puzzles, multiple choice and looking word meanings up in the dictionary.  I also liked the writing exercise at the end of the guide that has them write a brief epilogue. 

Overall, I liked Progeny Press and already have the Witch of Black Bird Pond and Johnny Tremain Study Guides for next year.  I think they ask great questions that really get the student (and the mom) thinking.  I feel that they are a worthy purchase and not just busywork.

Over a 100 different Study Guides are available to choose from.  Some of the available titles are:

• Lower Elementary (K-3) - The Courage of Sarah Noble, Frog and Toad Together, Keep the Lights Burning Abbie, The Minstrel in the Tower and Miss Rumphius
• Upper Elementary (3-5) - Charlotte's Web, The Door in the Wall, Little House on the Prairie, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Sarah, Plain and Tall.
• Middle School (5-8) - Across Five Aprils, Amos Fortune Free Man, The Hiding Place, The Golden Goblet, Number the Stars and The Sign of the Beaver.
• High School (9-12) - The Day No Pigs Would Die, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Red Badge of Courage 

The Study Guides are available in three different ways:

1. As a printed and bound booklet - $11.99
2. On a CD in .pdf format - $10.99
3. A pdf file as an e-mail attachment - $10.99

As you can see the Progeny Press Literary Guides are very affordable.  To make life easier for the homeschool mama they also sell the accompanying books at very reasonable prices.  You can purchase the Progeny Press Study Guides directly through their online store. 

 

You can see what other TOS Crew Members are saying about Progeny Press here.

 

We received a free Literature Study Guide from Progeny Press for review purposes only.  We were not paid in anyway and the opinions expressed here are mine. 

 

The Reading Game

We have a great educational game to tell you about.  We received The Reading Game to review for the TOS Crew.

 

The Reading Game is, just as it's name implies, a game to help children learn to read.  It is a fast action memory card game that incorporates storybooks to make learning more fun. 

 The game is for 2 players, ages 4 and up.  It includes 6 decks of cards, each of which coincides with a different storybook, as well as a parent/teacher guide.
 
 

The Reading Game is played like memory, the cards are laid face down and players take turns flipping over two at a time to make a match.  While flipping over the cards and making matches players are to read the words aloud, the parent initially reads the words out loud to the child but the children do eventually memorize them. 

Each deck has 6 levels of word cards.  The game is gentle in my opinion, it doesn't throw all 180 new words at a child all in one sitting.  For instance, we start with the cards that go along with book one first, that is the skunk book.  Level 1 for the skunk book has 5 new words to learn and once those have been mastered you move to level 2 which introduces 5 new words.  Once you feel the child has memorized their new words you can have them read the test sentences in the parent/teacher guide just to be sure they are really ready to move on. 

After completing the whole series the student will have a reading vocabulary of 180 words.  Children will learn words like:

• about
• after
• back
• bark
• by
• can
• cat
• clock
• day
• dolphin
• even
• flower
• girl
• glide
• honey
• hop
• house
• play
• rabbit
• shower
• toad
• treat
• tree
• what
• where
• zebra

After moving through the 6 levels of the skunk card you child should then be able to read the skunk book on their own.  Of course they love this and it helps to build confidence in their reading : )

Over all my feeling on this game was good.  I think The Reading Game is a fun game that is reasonably priced.  It is a simple and enjoyable way to practice reading.  Like I already said, I really feel like it helps to build children's confidence with their reading.  The Reading Game would make a great addition to your phonics program and could be a great way to help a struggling reader. 

I have been playing this game with Alpha Boy.  He does seem to enjoy it and is good at memorizing the words.  He is not reading the books yet, but we are getting there.

You can purchase The Reading Game directly through Allsaid & Dunn for $24.95 plus shipping and handling.

Please take a moment to see what other members of the TOS Crew are saying about The Reading Game.

We received The Reading Game at no charge for review purposes only.  The opinions stated are mine and I was not compensated in any way. 

Summer Reading

Every summer I go back and forth about whether to continue some schooling in the summer.  We have been homeschooling for 6 years and so far that hasn't happened.  And yes, the kids are quite happy about this. 

One thing that I do carry on in the summer is reading.  If we are home we generally still carry on a nap/ quite time routine.  The way that this looks is after lunch we all go snuggle on the coaches in the family room and I read.  If we haven't already read Bible for the day then we start with Bible.  Right now we have been reading from Keys for Kids, The Pearables and from Hidden Treasures (Doorposts).  We read the scripture and story (if there is one) and discuss it.

After Bible we read a short book or a chapter from a book we are working on.  We recently read The Three Weavers ( this book is a must if you have daughters) and we are now working on The Hedge of Thorns, both from Lamplighter Publishers.  I have read both before on my own a few years ago and I am glad to be able to read them with my children.  I highly recommend both of them. 

I also like to include shorter picture books for the boys since they are younger.  Like today we read Bible, a chapter from The Hedge of Thorns and then we read a Christopher Churchmouse story. 

Reading with my kids is probably my favorite time of the day.  I enjoy reading and discussing the stories and scripture with them.   It is a real blessing to hear the things that the learn from our reading time. 

I also like to have the girls read at least a chapter from their book and the boys each get a pile of books to go through before their naps.

Since we are reading anyway I decided to do a few of the summer reading programs that are out there.  We are doing the reading programs through Borders and Barnes and Noble.  If you haven't started a reading program with your kids there is still plenty of time left. 

As far as what I am reading, I have been trying to be faithful with my daily Bible readings from the M'Cheyne Bible Plan.  I am also trying to get thru the Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson and For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men by Shaunti Feldhahn.  I have been also reading alot of curriculum lately it seems. 

Do you have your children continue reading through the summer?

(I am an affiliate for Lamplighter Publishers because I absolutely love their books.  If you purchase a Lamplighter book from my affiliate link then I will receive a small commission and you will have a new book that you and your family will love! )

TOS Crew: Wordy Querty

The year is coming to a close for us, so it was nice to take a break from our regular spelling lessons to try out Wordy Querty for the TOS Crew.

Wordy Querty is an online computer program that teaches spelling and reading.  It was created by Talking Fingers, the same folks that created Read, Write and Type.  Wordy Querty is actually the sequel to Read, Write and Type, but can be used on it's own.  Wordy Querty was created to take children to the next level, after learning how to read, write and type new words in the first program, Wordy Querty teaches them how to spell them correctly.

Wordy Querty is intended for children in 2nd to 3rd grade.  The purpose of Word Querty is to improve phonetic skills and help children learn how words are constructed, which actually helps them when they are reading and writing.

The Wordy Qwerty program has 20 lessons, with six activities per lesson.  According to the Talking Fingers website, the following foundations are taught with in the program:

1. Some sounds can be represented in several different ways.
2. Most words follow about 20 easy spelling rules.
3. There are many word families, (words that sound the same, or rhyme). By changing the first letter(s), you can make hundreds of words.
4. Some words are "outlaws". They don't follow the rules. They must be recognized quickly and automatically.
5. Writing to dictation develops vocabulary, comprehension and fluency as well as spelling skills.
6. Reading (and filling in missing words) develops vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency skills.

 The 20 lessons in Wordy Querty teach the following Spelling Rules:

1. Silent E
2. Sounds of C
3. Sounds of G
4. J or DGE
5. W or WH
6. C or K
7. CK or K
8. CKS or X
9. CH or TCH
10. LL, SS, FF, ZZ
11. OI or OY
12. VE Words

13. Open Syllables
14. Double Consonants
15. Doubling rule
16. ER, IR, OR, UR, EAR
17. I Before E
18. Plurals: Add ES
19. Plurals: Y to IES
20. Plurals: F to VES

I thought that hte program was pretty impressive.  I had Computer Girl (2nd grade/7 yrs old) using the Wordy Querty, and she really enjoyed it.  One thing that I thought was pretty funny was that with Wordy Querty and Read, Write and Type the Lil' Chef wanted to get in on the action.  She enjoyed playing the games just as much as Computer Girl.  I thought it was a great idea because it was kinda like a refresher course for the spelling rules that she has already learned.

We have enjoyed both programs and I do recommend them.  I can't at this point say that I would rely solely on these programs for phonics and spelling BUT they definitely make WONDERFUL supplements.

Let me tell you how you can get Wordy Querty and Read, Write and Type for your very own.  You have a few options that you can choose from.
-  You can purchase a 5 year Online Home Subscription for up to five users, the price ranges from $25.00 to $100.  
- The second option is to purchase the CD editions.  Read, Write and Type costs $79.00 and Wordy Querty costs $35.00.
- The last option, which I think is the most economical, is the K-4 Reading Bundle for $99.00.  Here is what is included:

• 1 READ, WRITE & TYPE program CD
• 1 SPACESHIP CHALLENGE program CD
• 1 WORDY QWERTY program CD
• 1 JINGLESPELLS audio CD
• 1 Activity Binder
• 1 set of Reward Stickers
• 1 Practice Keyboard
• One 24" x 36" Poster

Please take a minute to check out what others on the TOS Crew are saying about Wordy Querty HERE.  

We were given an online subscription to the Wordy Querty program at no cost to us.  Please know that we were not influenced by the free product and that the opinions stated here are my own. 

TOS Crew: Kid Scoop

The TOS Crew offered to let us review Kids Scoop's Reluctant Readers Solutions by Vicki Whiting, who has done a fabulous job putting this program together!

She know that in order for children to get good at reading they have to do it.  If you want kids to love reading give'em stuff to read that they enjoy and interest them.  Vicki has now just that.  She has put together some great topics that the kids are really interested in!  My kids have really enjoyed reading about Big Foot, frost, Bees, Germs and Valentines Day, to name a few. 

Not only do the kids get to read about really cool stuff, but then they get to do even cooler activities, like stories, games, puzzles and crafts!  

My kids generally like to read, for the most part so I am not generally pulling teeth to make that happen.  With that said I can't testify that my kids couldn't stand reading but now they love it.  BUT, I can tell you that when I print out a set of worksheets I don't even need to ask them to do it.  I just lay them on the kitchen table and BAM! they flock to them.  Literally!  They will of course share what they are learning and ask me if they have questions but all I hear is "Mom can you print us out another one?!!"

Here are the Pros:

• The topics really appealed the kids.  They were learning and ENJOYING it.  Can you imagine such a thing!
• I liked that many of the topics were related to history, science and health.
• Very easy to use.  With it being in eBook form, it was pretty much print and go.  Each topic includes 5-7 worksheets.
• The kids can do this independently.  Mostly.  For us anyway, but this would depend on the skill level of your kiddos.  Don't get me wrong here, these activities got their brain juices flowing and challenged them.
• With 365 pages of stories and activities, cover about 60 different topics, it will last for quite a while. 
• Did I mention that they were learning!!
• I mentioned that my kids don't really struggle with reading to much, but I can say this Kid Scoop did give them a definite hunger to want to read MORE and keep on learning.
• I liked that it could be used for multiple ages.  My 10 and 7 year olds most worked on their own, unless they had a question.  My 4 year old is not reading yet, but after seeing the fun his sisters were having he wanted to join in.  So, either we would join them or have me help him with the story and some of the activities that he could do. 

You can purchase your own Kid Scoop: Reluctant Reader Solution eBook for $97.00.  I will be honest, at first I thought that was a little high BUT hear me out for a moment and consider these thoughts....

You own the eBook, which means that you can print them over and over.  This obviously is more economical if you have a few children.  $97 divided by 365 (worksheets) is roughly $.27 per worksheet.  So, that would make each topic only about  $1.35 - $1.89 each.  Not bad considering you can print it over and over and over again.  If I did my math correctly (which would be pretty embarrassing if I didn't) it really is pretty economical.  

If you are not sure about purchasing the eBook you would probably love to know that Kid Scoop has a

365-day Unconditional Money-Back Guarantee!  

Can't beat that!  If you still aren't convinced Kid Scoop offers a FREE sample download that you might want to check out.

Also included in your Kid Scoop purchase is 12 months of access to the Kid Scoop monthly newspaper, the online newspaper just for kids. ($55 value).  Which is also very cool.  Kids love having a newspaper all their own.  

In each electronic edition of Kid Scoop News Online your kids will get to play lots of fun puzzles and games, do awesome experiments, and read profiles of kids in the new, plus lots more!   Kids get to read about current events, the natural world, and special holidays.

Page after page is filled with lots of things to do and learn!  Your kids will enjoy this subscription for 12 months along with your eBook purchase.

Please check out what others on the TOS Crew are saying about Kid Scoop!

We received a free copy of Kid Scoop: Reluctant reader Solutions for review purposes only.  The opinions stated here are my own and were not influenced by the free product.