Reading Kingdom #review

Thanks to Tomoson, I was recently given the opportunity to use and review Reading Kingdom, an online reading program that teaches children ages 4 through 10 to read and write to a third grade level.

This program looks great and I have read some fantastic reviews on it! Here are some screenshots provided by the company:

 

According to the product description, Reading Kingdom is:

a patented curriculum designed by Dr. Marion Blank, the Director of the Light on Learning program at Columbia University and a world-renowned expert on literacy. Reading Kingdom is the only program that teaches children all 6 skills required for reading and writing success. a fully customized, adaptive reading and writing program for each child, and a program that is fun and easy to use.

It looks like a really fun program!

My son can use a keyboard just fine, but was unable to take the assessment test due to the basic requirement of using a mouse. Another thing to note if you decide to use the keyboard: the keys are all uppercase and if they are just starting out, children may have trouble when the program asks them to find a lowercase letter (Zachary has no trouble with this). In addition to the mouse, Zachary would not be able to use the SHIFT key with another letter. Simply put, it takes a motor skill that he has not acquired yet. The great thing is that Reading Kingdom has a section for practicing keyboard and mouse, so we will log in every day to keep working on that.

Zachary could have used this program much easier had it been available on the IPad, which he is quite proficient on. However it requires flash and so you have to purchase a program like Photon or iSwifter. You can read how here. Zachary reads well enough that I just didn't feel like paying the extra $5, at this point, to test the program further. We will wait to try again once he can use the mouse.

The entire program is online, which means there is nothing to download. It is an award-winning program that uses Dr. Blank's patented and research based "6-SIM" (Six Skill Integrated Method) technique that yields incredible results. The program is designed so that children can use it on their own - so all you have to do is create an account and then get them started.


 The bottom line for us: Zachary already reads on a third grade level (he read the first two chapters of Genesis from the KJV Bible to Daddy yesterday). I think this program will be better for him once he gets used to the mouse and I appreciate the fact that Reading Kingdom gave us a year long subscription.

I wish we had been able to get passed the test in order to see how the program works, how Zachary felt about it, and if there are any "quirks" to it. That being said, the reviews I have read are very positive and I would recommend giving the 30 day trial a go if you have a child learning to read.

When you sign up for Reading Kingdom, you receive a 30-day free trial. After that, subscriptions to Reading Kingdom are $19.99/month (with no monthly minimum), or $199.99 per year (20% off). Additional children in your account get 50% off ($9.99/month or $99.99/year). They also offer additional resources and a store with books that complement the lessons.

Connect with Reading Kingdom on Facebook and Twitter for more information and resources!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Made by Renee receives products for review purposes, and may sometimes be compensated for posts. Posts may also contain affiliate links. All opinions expressed are solely from Made by Renee and were not influenced by any form of compensation.
 

Sponsor Spotlight: Articulation Station by Little Bee Speech! #review #homeschool #preschool

 

Zachary is 3 1/2 and very advanced in reading and arithmetic - several years ahead of where he should be, in fact. We are very proud of him, as I'm sure you can tell! He has always been a bit of a "late bloomer" on other things like walking (he was 18 months) and breaking from the bottle (he was 2) but I never had a problem with any of that - children do things at different times.

The only area of concern I have had recently has been his speech. It isn't that I think he has a speech impediment, but I have noticed that he has a tendency towards replacing sounds with others. For example: he can sound F perfectly fine on its own but if the word is mid-sentence, he will replace the F sound with a B sound. When counting, for example, he more often than not will say one, two, bree, bore, bive, six, seb-en, eight and so on. Being close to 4, it concerns me that this will turn into habit and become a permanent part of his vocabulary.

That was until I found Articulation Station!

Articulation Station was created by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist for parents, SLPs and other educators to help work with children and adults with speech sound delays. It is a comprehensive articulation program offering practice at the word, sentence and story levels in 22 sounds in the English language. 

Click here for the webpage with additional details on Articulation Station Pro along with tutorial videos which show tips on how to get the most out of the app

Thanks so much to Little Bee Speech, who sent us a code to review the full version of Articulation Station Pro!

Let me show you how Zachary and I use this app:

First we choose the letter sound to practice. From here, Zachary can touch the letter to hear the sound and choose to read (or hear) words, sentences, or stories using that sound.

Next we choose the sound position: initial, medial, final or blends. 

You can see in the second picture that Zachary chose sentences with the z sound in the initial position. He also chose random sentences so, when he pushes the red button, it flips different words inside the box (where the zither is). He is only 3 so, although he can read on a second grade level just fine, he doesn't comprehend some of the choices he is making. But he has a lot of fun!

Zachary loves to play the matching game too! 

Articulation Station is definitely one of Zachary's favorite apps and one that he chooses over and over. That makes me very happy! Personally, I love this app and feel that he has made some nice improvements on his speech since we implemented it into his learning time (I say that tongue in cheek because it is more like playtime). I love it so much when he is finished with his lesson and the little bee pops up to say "You Did It!" - Zachary loves that too :)

Here are some more screenshots:

The full Pro Version of Articulation Station can be purchased on itunes for $49.99

You can also download Articulation Station for FREE (comes with the P sound) and purchase sounds individually as needed. In other words, you don't have to spend $49.99 if you don't need to. This is especially good for parents who have a child that only needs to work on one or two sounds.

Be sure and visit Little Bee Speech on:

Facebook
Twitter

YouTube
Vimeo
Pinterest

Made by Renee receives products for review purposes, and may sometimes be compensated for posts. Posts may also contain affiliate links. All opinions expressed are solely from Made by Renee and were not influenced by any form of compensation.
 

It's #WordlessWednesday! 2/6/13 Big Dog Little Dog #preschool #homeschool #kids #books

Albie and friends : Ipad Storybook #Review

Albie and friends Toto Publishing Studios Genre: Books Price: $ 2.99 Release Date: June 14, 2012 © © Adrian Cavalcanti and Julia Obelar

Read.Explore.Learn : Our Bedtime Routine #kids #preschool #ipad #app

Welcome to Read.Explore.Learn.! Hosted by JDaniel4sMom, this meme was designed to be a place for you to share the learning opportunities, crafts, field trips, and other activities you have done this week that tie-in to children’s books. 

Please be sure and link up at JDaniel4sMom's post - I look forward to seeing ways you have learned with and explored books!

 My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:

As you can tell, we just love Caroline Jayne Church's loveable, huggable toddlers! These padded boards books are absolutely perfect for Zachary (How Do I Love You? Potty Time and You are My Sunshine are next on my list). And he has no trouble at all reading them.

Good Night, I Love You is the very best get your children ready for bedtime book.

What did we do with the book?

Since the book talks about bath time and brushing your teeth, so did we. I found a cute little (FREE) app online called  Sprout's Good Night Star (By PBS KIDS Sprout).

The app is made for preschoolers so they can practice their bedtime routine with Sprout's lovable character, Star. Brush Star's teeth, wash Star's Face, read a story to Star and get him ready for bed. Then rock Star to sleep.

Zachary loves washing Star's face

 

Read.Explore.Learn - I Love You Through and Through

Welcome to Read.Explore.Learn.! Hosted by JDaniel4sMom, this meme was designed to be a place for you to share the learning opportunities, crafts, field trips, and other activities you have done this week that tie-in to children’s books. 

Please be sure and link up at JDaniel4sMom's post - I look forward to seeing ways you have learned with and explored books!

 My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:








I love your hair and eyes,
Your giggles and cries...

A toddler and his teddy bear illustrate a young child's happy side, sad side, silly side, mad side, and more! Zachary loves to read this book over and over and over... and I love listening.

What did we do with this book?

This week we got 50 Counting Bears with 5 Cups. There is a Teddy Bear in the book that Zachary loves and I thought these were a perfect tie-in. These bears help Zachary with sorting, counting, matching and are good preparation for math.

What adventures have you had with books this week? 

be my friend on goodreads

This post is also linked up at

 

Interactive iPad book for kids - Elfishki and and the Unwelcome Guest

Elfishki and the Unwelcome Guest
an educational interactive iPad book for kids

What’s inside:

  educational fairy tale story for kids 6-9 years old
  interactive illustrations
comprehension questions
a bonus game

Zachary and I were so excited for the opportunity to review another Interactive Elfishki Book - we love them so much! 

Elfishki are little fairy tale creatures who live on the beautiful Rainbow Island in the middle of the Sparkling Sea. Some of them can fly like butterflies and some can swim like mermaids. They share the island with enchanted animals who can speak and legendary trees who do not talk but understand everything. All in all, this is a place where miracles happen every day.

Immediately after I downloaded Elfishki and the Unwelcome Guest, Zachary found it and began "reading". Honestly, it has become the first app he pulls up every day. It is just that enjoyable! And although he is 2 (it is recommended for elementary school-aged children), he has no problem "flipping" the pages, playing the game or making the story "come to life". The graphics are absolutely stunning and the attention to detail is incredible. Zachary thinks the sounds are the best thing next to sliced bread!

The interactive part of the book is AMAZING and you just have to try it for yourself!

Can you tell how much we LOVE these books? You can buy Elfishki and the Unwelcome Guest through itunes for just $2.99! While there, make sure to check out Elfishki and the Giant Cake too (you can see the review Zachary and I did here & reviews from other Moms here) which received the Kids App Award.

Elfishki and the Unwelcome Guest video trailer

From the Developer: About Fairy Tales, Myths, and Legends of Elfishki

Our iPad books for kids are not just captivating stories with cute pics, but teaching aids. On every page, you can find comprehension questions which help your child develop his or her conscious reading skills—according to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

Each of our interactive iPad books will teach your elementary school-age child to:

• Retell short stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of the central message or the lesson of the fairy tale;

• Answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how.

• Acknowledge and appreciate differences in the points of view of the characters in the short story.

• Use illustrations and details in the kids’ stories to describe characters, settings, or events.

• Recall prior knowledge related to the information and events in the text.

• Make and confirm predictions about what will happen next in the fairy tale text.

For more information about more stories, please visit their website where you can find a list of fairy tales all based on the Elfishki characters.

Be sure to visit Elfishki on Twitter and facebook! 
 

Subscribe to Made By Renee on YouTube!