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.

Happy 43rd Birthday David

David finally caught up to me and turned 43 over the weekend!  We actually got to go on a little adventure and attend a family wedding.  It was so nice to see some familiar faces and the wedding was absolutely beautiful {Congrats Brent & Tara}.  While we were gone the kids made David an 8 layered birthday cake!  They did an amazing job and it taste delicious 😏.  Inside they had 8 different shades of blue and I thought it came out so well.  It was fun to celebrate David as a family when we returned home!

David's Birthday Cake

Inside the cake

Above you can see what the slices look like, they're so pretty!

A made some origami ice cream cones for decoration and they are adorable.

David also enjoyed an Italian Cream Cake on his birthday right before the wedding {thanks Jane!}.

Happy Birthday David!  I could not imagine my life without you 😚.

Cubekins Ep 1 Invasion of the Cubecumbers Review & Giveaway

I have a fun new show to share with you today, Cubekins!  It's a new, family-friendly Veggie Tales meets Mayberry type show for children ages 4-7.  The main "cube" characters are Dad, Mom, Kara, Kip, and Archie Cubekin along with Finn and Pastor Ian.  I love that this series is packed with solid Christian messages and Kip, a seven-year old boy, explores his ever-changing world while he learns about his never, changing God.  I appreciate that it includes aspects of faith.

The kids and I watched the first episode of the Cubekins series, Invasion of the Cubecumbers and really enjoyed it.  In this 22 minute episode, Kip (and his buddy Finn) apply too much fertilizer to his Dad's crop of cubecumbers causing a plethora of cucumbers to grow.  Kip's family struggles to come up with ways to use their harvest and ultimately find the perfect solution!  This episode is now available to watch on multiple streaming platforms so you can watch it from the comfort and safety of your home.

Check out more in the trailer below.

Ready for a Giveaway?  One of you will win a free link to see the episode yourself.  Only valid for winners in North America.  Enter below and good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  Many thanks to Brainy Pixel for providing this product/product information for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and not influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a screening of this show in exchange for my review and post.

Cross Mural {Looking for Shapes}

I really love this mural at our church! I love looking for shapes and colors in all the places I go.  What about you?

STEM Robotis PLAY 600 Pets Review {Timberdoodle 1st Grade Curriculum Kit}

Today we are going to take a closer look at one of the STEM components in our 1st Grade Elite Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle, our Robotis PLAY 600 Pets.

Our Robotis PLAY 600 Pets

 

F was super excited to get started with his kit.

 

What's included?  This set is so neat!  It includes a geared motor (CM-20 with 2-way output), over 50 parts along with an instruction manual to build a bluebird, puppy and cricket.  There are also online directions (via ROBOPLUS Design App) to build a whale, goldfish, polar bear and tank.  So there are 7 pet builds.  The interactive 3D assembly instructions are fun and F enjoys looking at them from various angles.  This set builds one model at a time so you have to unbuild or destory your previous pet to build the next and so on.

 

F built the bluebird first.

And then of course, the bluebird had a great time crawling or rolling around the house.

A close-up of F's bluebird

 

Building the puppy

F built the puppy next.

And a close-up of F's puppy.

The puppy had a great time walking all over the house.  F especially liked the ears and tail.

 

F built the cricket next.

Side view of the cricket

And a front view of F's cricket.

 

At this point, F had built all 3 pets in the instruction manual so he moved onto the ROBOPLUS Design App to build the other designs.

F built the goldfish next.

 

And a close-up...

F gathering the pieces needed to build the whale.

Creating the whale using the App instructions.  The interactive 3D assembly instructions are fun and let you manipulate the design by rotating it, zooming in, etc.

Finished Whale

This set is great for fine motor skills and gives kids confidence in building and STEM.  The pieces are large and easy for young kids with smaller hands to assemble.  This is an entry-level robotics kit which allows younger students to become familiar with some of the fundamentals of simple automation.  I appreciate that no tools are required for F to build these various pets.  I love that it encourages children to imagine and expand on these designs to create their own as well!  This set is geared for ages 6 and up and I think it is perfect for F in 1st Grade.  You will need two AA batteries, which are not included.  Check out the video below to see some of F's pets in action!

Our Robotis PLAY 600 Pets is a part of our Timberdoodle 1st Grade Curriculum Kit and if you can't tell we highly recommend it!

Disclosure:  Huge shout out to Timberdoodle for selecting me as a Timberdoodle Blogger.  I will be refunded the purchase price of our curriculum kit in exchange for my honest reviews.  All opinions are my own.

Crazy Snow In Texas

Today feels so weird.  It's hard to describe but it feels like we have lost an entire week.  The days have blurred together a bit.  With the crazy amounts of ice and snow in Texas, power outages, and no water it has been a bit of a mess.  We were without power and water for most of last week.  Thankfully, we were able to spend a few days with nearby friends (who did not lose power or water).  We are home now and have begun the process of getting resettled.  Our city is under a boil water notice.  I'm grateful that we have currently have bottled water to drink.  The stores are eerie to shop at and have a reminiscent feel like the beginning of the pandemic - long lines, out of many items, limits on hard to get items, etc.  I'm so grateful for my family, friends, and fellow Texans.  We seem to have very minimal damage due to the weather and I'm so thankful.  The kids were able to get out a bit and enjoy the unprecedented amount of snow that I have ever seen in my home state.

Gerald the Snowman.

E being pulled by A on a boogie board.

C buried in the snow.

B buried in the snow as well!

Stevie Dawg catching snowflakes!

E and G walking in the snow.

And of course, we learned to shovel snow.

While the snow is now gone and life is getting back to normal please pray for all of those that need help.  I know all of Texas would appreciate it.  Hope you all are staying safe!