Today Is National Read A Book Day

Here is your friendly reminder.  You still have time!

Timberdoodle's 2022 Summer Reading Challenge: Read Across The U.S.

I wanted to share this with you!  Timberdoodle has another fabulous summer reading challenge - and like last time, you can win prizes along the way.  Check it out by clicking the graphic above.  The kids and I are looking forward to it!

Farmyard Faith by Whatsoever Stories Review

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

We were blessed to receive Farmyard Faith from Whatsoever Stories to read in our homeschool.  Our paperback book contains 26 chapters (~ 200 pages) and is recommended for ages 10+.

 

Farmyard Faith is written by Kinsey M. Rockett, a homeschool graduate who began writing when she was a young girl.

I absolutely love that the goal of Whatsoever Stories is to provide families with captivating stories that emphasize biblical truths and help build Godly character. Their theme verse is below:

Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. - Philippians 4:8

As I previously mentioned, our book has 26 chapters and is a nonfiction collection of stories from the Rockett family's experiences over the past decade.  I really like how Kinsey shares how God used circumstances to help her faith.  D and E are both reading through our book and when they complete it, my plan is to read it aloud with the boys so we can discuss the various circumstances.  I love the idea of incorporating this book in our devotional time as it has real life experiences and applications.

Want to know more?  Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of Whatsoever Stories.

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.

 

 

 

Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of The Reading Game.

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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.

Timberdoodle's 2020 Read Across The USA Summer Reading Challenge

I am so excited to share with you Timberdoodle's 2020 Summer Reading Challenge - Read Across the USA and win prizes along the way!  You and your children will learn about the great diversity of climates, cultures and heritage experiences across the 50 states.

The Challenge:  Read books set in at least 20 different states this summer.  Every family that finishes their 20+ books will receive 200 reward points (the equivalent of a $10 Timberdoodle gift certificate).  You could use this to get the USA ScrunchMap, Doodle the USA or anything you choose 😉.  One grand prize winner will receive a $100 Timberdoodle gift certificate.

You can find out more about the details here.  I hope you will join us this summer for this challenge.  Our family suggested several book titles for this challenge and my kids are excited to begin.  There's an awesome Reading Challenge Bundle that goes along with this challenge that you may want to check out.  Happy Reading!

Note:  You need to send in your completed list no later than September 7, 2020.

Reading Unlocked 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 know that I am passionate about reading and it has been a privilege for me to teach my children to read so I was so excited to receive 12 months of access with unlimited use to Reading Unlocked's online learning to read program for both F and G.  I have been using this program the longest with G on the first level, the Red Level.  F enjoyed watching G and asked if he could do it too so I am using it with him as well on the second level, Orange Level.

Above you can see how I determined starting levels.  G (age 3) definitely needed to start on Level 1.  F was a bit in the middle of Level 2 and 3 so I went with Level 2 so it wouldn't be too far ahead for him.

G learning the j sound.

 

So what is Reading Unlocked?  It's an online simplified phonics program that teaches children to read and write.  It is structured to adapt to your student.  It reviews their mistakes and goes at their pace.  Children learn to read and spell phonetically.  Harder words are taught individually to help children remember them.  Reading Unlocked takes only 10-15 minutes a day.  G is really loving this program.  Now, because he is only 3, I am focusing more on the reading part for him and less on the writing.  This program asks for children to draw letters in the air and write rows of them on paper.  So G only draws in the air for his session, while F does both when completing his.  At the end of each session, there is a poem that you read with your child.  They read the words sprinkled throughout the poem in red while you read the other words.  We've enjoyed this and some of the poems are quite silly and fun!  F can do his session fairly independently but I am there if he needs help and to read with him at the end.  I let G do as much of his session as he can on his own (and it's impressive what he can do at 3!) but I am always nearby to help him more than F.

Lessons begin by showing you the letter that you will be learning.  It never calls the letter by its name but rather by its sound.  You say the sound with the program.

In G's Level, he is shown lowercase letters.  In F's Level, he is shown capital letters.  G is asked to find the picture that starts with the letter sound, while F is asked to find the picture that ends with the letter sound.

G has to find the word that starts with the m sound.

F has to find the word that ends with the correct sound.

Another example from one of F's sessions

Both of their levels have section where they are shown a word and they read the sounds with the program one by one (a total of 3 times) and then they read the entire word together.  Take a look at what I mean in the short video clip below.



So in the video, you can hear G saying the sounds for j, e, and t.  Those are all sounds that he has learned already in this program.  He then can see how it blends at the end to form jet.

F is doing the same thing here for the word slush.

One of my favorite sections, is when they are asked to spell a word.  They are given a picture of the word, boxes next to it, and letters to choose from at the top.  They drag and drop the appropriate sounds to spell out the word.

G is asked to spell hen.


Here you can see, he is dragging and dropping the correct sounds to spell out the word.

In F's level, sometimes the blends are grouped together.  Above he is spelling stamp and mp is grouped together in one box.


Remember how I said that trickier words are taught individually.  Above is an example of learning the word the.


There is a section in both levels where kids are asked to change one word into another word by changing the correct letter.  So they might be asked to change jam into ham for example.  And then they might be asked to change ham into hat and so on until they have made several different words.

Another fun section is where the child reads the word and selects the correct picture for that word in each row.

G has been doing great in this exercise and then a few days ago I noticed that he wanted to just start selecting the pictures starting from the left and continue right until he selects the correct one.  Well, remember when I said that the program adapts to the child and it reviews their mistakes.  I noticed after this that one of his sessions was a revision session and I am guessing that's why so I told him that we really need to sound out the word and pick the one he thinks it is!

Above is an example of a poem that I read with G.  The child reads the red words.

Above is an example of one that I read with F.  It didn't all fit on one screen but you get the idea.

 At the end of each lesson, you can see which words your child learned that day.

There is also a progress bar so you can see above that G was 72% done at that time.

Both boys are having fun with this program.  I love that G asks to do his "reading school" most mornings, he likes being a "big" kid and I am really impressed with how well he is doing at just 3 years old.  I feel like F's reading skills have continued to improve and explode this year and I love that this program gives him new ways to read and challenge himself.

Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of Reading Unlocked.

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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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