One More Story Review

Disclosure:  I received this complimentary product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

 

We were blessed to receive a one-year subscription to One More Story for our homeschool!  This online book library can be accessed from any country in the world on both computers and mobile devices using any web browser but Chrome and Safari are optimal (you will need Internet access).

 

Getting ready to read Owl Babies

G has been using One More Story the most in our family and he prefers to use it on our iPad.  He loves looking at books and listening to read alouds so this is perfect for him as he can choose his own stories!

Our One More Story Library

 

There are currently 87 pictures books to choose from arranged on different colored shelves - red, blue, orange, green and yellow.

 

You can scroll down to get to the other bookcases or you can use the coordinating colored tabs on the left.

 

Bendy

G uses One More Story the most on our iPad as I mentioned above.  After a quick lesson with me and listening to Benjamin D. Bookworm (Bendy) explain the site, G hasn't had any trouble and it's been easy for him to navigate the books on his own.  Bendy is there in the upper left hand corner if G needs reminding.

 

An original song is included with each book.  These songs are composed by Robby Merkin (previous music director for Sesame Street) and are delightful.

 

G reading Mouse Paint

 

 

Reading Sidney Can't Swim

 Story options

 

Children can also choose to read the book themselves in the I Can Read mode.  They won't get the narration and music in this mode but it's nice to have this option too!  Another cool feature is the vocabulary button.

 The vocabulary for The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

You can select a word and it will tell you the definition and read you a sentence from the book with the word.

 words are highlighted as they are read aloud

 

I appreciate that this has the audio and visual components.  Children can listen to the book right along with the images in the Read Along mode.  I love how the words are highlighted in red as they are being read aloud.  G loves following along.

I also value the plethora of narrators included!  And they have talent!  If you have ever listened to an audiobook, a narrator can really make or break a story.  One More Story has been so great for G, he basically has his own personal online library.  If you have a young child or emerging reader we highly recommend One More Story!

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The Reading Game Review

{Disclaimer:  I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.}

I have been so blessed to receive The Reading Game, 2nd Edition by Allsaid & Duun, LLC.  This game was created by author Kenneth Hodkinson, who is known for his Wordly Wise Vocabulary Textbook series, which we are fans of!  This game is geared for ages 4+ for 2+ players.  I think it works best with small groups.

 

What's included?  This box set has six stages of memory games, picture flashcards and storybooks.  Each stage is color and animal coded.  Within each stage there are 6 levels as well that include 60 memory flashcards, 3 picture flashcards and 1 storybook per stage.  I also want to note that there are downloadable worksheets available for pre-post sight word assessment as well as other resources.

 

Here you can see the memory flashcards and six stages: red/skunk, orange/snake, yellow/bear, green/penguins, blue/unicorn, and purple/zebra.

 

 Above you can see the first ten cards in the first stage.  Each word has a pair for the matching game and the first 5 words are can, cat, is, me and not.

And here are all the flashcards for the entire first stage (skunk) so you can see the 6 different levels.

Above are the larger picture flashcards and storybook for the skunk level.

And here you can see what the picture flashcards say.

These are all the storybooks for all 6 stages!

How do you play?  Once your child knows their alphabet letters they can start this game!  Individual words are introduced on flashcards through a fast-action memory card game.  Each color game contains 30 words that are taught in five word segments, so there are 6 levels to each game and students will be learning 5 words at a time.  Frequent exposure to these words through play helps hard-wire them into long-term memory.  After the first 10 words are mastered, the student will be able to read a picture flashcard.  This helps transition students from individual words into a sentence format.  After another 10 words are mastered, another picture flashcard is read.  After all 6 levels are complete for each game, the student will have learned 30 words for every game (so at the end of the entire game, they will be reading 180 words).  Also after mastery of each of the 30 new words, students will read a short story.  The very first story is told using only the first 30 words and tells the story of a skunk without a stripe.  I want to note that you don't want to jump ahead until your student has mastery of the current words.  You will start out playing this game just a few minutes a day.  And if your child is like G, they will beg to play - he absolutely loves it!

 

You can see G working through the various levels of stage 1 (skunk).  F enjoyed playing with him sometimes.  I love that siblings can play along 😉.

Working through level 6.

 

Reading through the first picture flashcard again.

And the next one...

I checked his mastery and he knows all 30 words confidently in the skunk level so now he is moving onto the story!

G has completed the skunk stage 🎉

G is completely finished with the skunk stage and we have moved onto the snake stage.  I cannot say enough good things about The Reading Game.  I never thought I'd be teaching my 4 year old to read but this game is really doing it.  G loves it and I am truly amazed at how much he retains from the few minutes a day we put into it.  I should note that we don't play it everyday but we do play it regularly.  The Reading Game is not super parent intensive in its design and set up but I love being involved and playing with G.  He loves for me to quiz him on all the words before playing.  The other kids enjoy quizzing him and helping him with his words as well.  This is not only for those just beginning to read as it can also be helpful for those that are really struggling too.  If you are looking for a fun game for your young reader, new reader or struggling reader, I highly recommend The Reading Game!  It definitely helps build confidence in reading.

 

Check out the short video below of me quizzing G on his flashcards and then you will see him read a few of the picture flashcards.

 

 

 

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Ready for a giveaway?  I am happy to inform you that you have the opportunity to win one of 5 sets of The Reading Game!  Click on the banner below to get all the details and enter.  Good luck!  Giveaway ends at midnight EST on March 15, 2021.

The Boxcar Children Early Ready Set from Albert Whitman & Company Review

{Disclaimer:  I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.}

You have probably heard of The Boxcar Children.  My younger kids are really enjoying The Boxcar Children Early Reader Set from Albert Whitman & Company. 

 Our New Set

This set includes the first four books of Gertrude Chandler Warner's classic series (The Boxcar Children, Surprise Island, The Yellow House Mystery and Mystery Ranch) but is adapted for beginning readers (ages 5-8, grades K-2)!  This series is a great transition or bridge from picture books to chapter books and can be purchased in paperback or hardback form.

The Time to Read program is designed to help children have literacy success regardless of their age or grade level.  This program has three specific levels of reading readiness:  Beginning to Read, Reading with Help and Reading Independently.  This series is in the Level 2, Reading with Help category so these books contain short sentences, simple dialogue, and illustration support for the engaging stories within.

E with our books.

E is 8 and I would say a very advanced, independent reader.  That didn't stop her from picking up these books and reading them.  She read them in one sitting and really enjoyed them.  We have read the original The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (we also have the film) so she recognized the first story right away.  She was delighted to read the "extra" adventures.  She told me that she didn't realize there were more stories and she found them quite enjoyable.  She also liked the new characters - Cousin Joe, Bill and Aunt Jane.

D Reading

Similarly to E, I found D picking up these books for a quick read as well.  She too read them in one sitting and enjoyed them!  However, her favorite remains the original story; whereas E really enjoyed the extra ones.

 F reading with me.

This set is perfect for F (age 6, grade K).  He is really excelling with his reading progress and this level is on target for him to read with my help.  He needs my help quite a bit but I love how reading more just continues to give him greater confidence in his ability.  Not only do these books challenge him (in a great way), he too really enjoys the stories.

 A peek inside The Boxcar Children

 A peek inside Surprise Island

These books are a great length for this level - not super short and not super long.  They are full of wonderful, whimsy, and colorful illustrations.  I love that the illustrations always support the story context.  I noticed that F really likes to study the illustrations before we dive into the story.  I appreciate his quest for context clues.  All four books have a little mystery and exploration about them:  Will the boxcar be their new home?  What will they find when they spend time on their very own island?  Will an old letter help them solve a mystery in the woods?  What will the children discover at Aunt Jane's ranch?  These are a great addition to our homeschool and reading library and we definitely recommend them.

A peek inside The Yellow House Mystery

A peek inside Mystery Ranch

Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of Albert Whitman & Company's The Boxcar Children Early Reader Set.

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