Saturday, October 31, 2009
If Animals Could Talk - Creation Speaks for Itself
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
If Animals Could Talk – Creation Speaks for Itself
Written by Dr. Werner Gitt
Published at Master Books
About the book “If animals could tell us about themselves, using our scientific knowledge, if they could tell us about the way they live, the special way they are made and many details about their individual design – what they would say would be unique praise to the Creator.” Did you know that while in flight, the sparrow’s heart can beat up to 760 times per minute? Or that a baby blue whale grows at a rate of 7.28 pounds an hour while it’s nursing, a grand total of 17 tons by the end of the nursing stage? How about that glow worms have a light output efficiency of 100% as compared to only 4% for our incandescent bulbs? Dr. Werner Gitt, one of the foremost creationist speakers in the world, uses his scientific expertise in this book to show the unique design features of some of God’s most captivating creations. All people, young and old, layperson or expert, will be able to understand and enjoy this straightforward book. Told from the perspective of the animals being described, If Animals Could Talk clearly shows the impossibility of life without design. Dr. Gitt uses simple language to provoke a sense of wonder and awe at the marvelous design of the Creator. My Thoughts This book is quite interesting as it gives the perspective of specific animals or human organs – LITERALLY! When you read the various chapters it is written in such a way that it is as though the animal is speaking to you. I find that it makes it more interesting to learn about a specific animal when it is written that way. Throughout the book, you will learn more information about the field sparrow, the whales, the platypus, the swallow, the glowworm, the dragonfly (my second best creature I think after the ladybug *grin*), the human eye, the earthworm, the intestinal bacterium, and the golden plover. Then there is a chapter about the animals that did talk in the Bible. Do you know which ones? If so, please comment at the bottom of this review. I learned a lot from the chapters I have read and I know I am not done yet with this wonderful little book. While I read one of the chapters once, I was reading to my oldest son about some of the things I was learning. He was very interested in learning more and asked to read the book when I am done. Since homeschool permits us to include new books in our day-to-day life, I don’t see why not. I am certain he will enjoy the information that is included in this book very instructive. This child of mine has an incredible memory and will bring up the information whenever it will be necessary and appropriate. I can’t wait to see when he will pull out some interesting fact from this book and tell us about it. You should see him telling out loud about how wrong the museum is when he sees information about millions of years old. I'm so proud of him to be able to voice this information out loud. I strongly recommend If Animals Could Talk for anyone who wants to learn interesting facts about certains animals/human organs. Let it WoW you… If Animals Could Talk is available everywhere even at amazon.ca and indigo.ca. If Animals Could Talk was given to me for review by Master Books.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Science Trek 4, 5, 6
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
Science Trek 4, 5, 6
From the Nectar Foundations
What is the NECTAR Foundation? The NECTAR Foundation is incorporated under the Ontario Corporations Act with Letters Patent issued to NECTAR in 1990 by the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Affairs of Ontario. The New Era Classroom, Technology and Research (NECTAR) Foundation, is dedicated to the development of innovative educational programs featuring the integration of interactive technologies and the individualized student programs. The NECTAR Foundation, with its partners, develops and markets innovative, state-of-the art curriculum-based multimedia software. Its products are marketed and used around the world. A number of its software programs have been licensed for use by large educational jurisdictions such as the province of Ontario, SchoolNet India, South Africa and large counties in the United States NECTAR develops curriculum-based educational software programs for kindergarten to grade 12. It focuses on Mathematics, Language Arts and Literacy, and Science curriculum. Visit their website at http://www.nectar.ca/
My Thoughts on the Science Trek 4, 5, 6 This specific science software is geared for student in grade 4, 5 or 6. It is available in French and English. Here at home we tested the French version of the software. My son Alexandre is starting grade 3 but he wanted to look at this one as well so we sat down together and went through it to get an idea of the product. I really like what I have seen and explore. You would find videos so the student can see how something works. However, there isn’t sound on the video. But honestly that’s okay. You will find a lot of interaction in this software as well as moving images to keep the interest of the student.
For example, while the student learns about the heart, he will have some various images to show his the outside and inside of the heart as well as one specific animation that will show him how the blood circulate in the heart. I thought it was pretty interesting and a good introduction to how the human body works. One thing I need to specify before I go further in my review of Science Trek. There is a lot of reading to be done to learn about the various subjects of science. So I would strongly suggest that your student be fluent in his reading before introducing him to Science Trek. There is also some guidance provided throughout the software to gives the student guidelines to follow.
In Science Trek you will explore various subjects - Living Things; Matter; Energy, and Earth and Space.It contains 15 units divided as follow; Living Things:- Habitats and Communities - Human Body - Diversity of Living Things Matter: - Properties and Changes of Materials - Structures and Mechanisms - Flight and the Properties of Air Energy: - Sound and Light - Electricity- Conservation of Energy - Pulleys and Gears - Motion - Forces and Simple Machines Earth and Space: - Weather - Space- Rocks, Minerals and Erosion With the interactive activities, you can also print support materials like activities and practice some journal writing. You will get introduced to various scientist as well as scientific illustrations.
I find that the software is really well done and grab the interest of the student while learning some science facts. You can also generate some word search to have the student look for the new words he has just learned. Another interesting feature is the ability to click on a bold word to get the definition of the word. This opens up a new window and the student can read the definition. You have the possibility to listen the proper pronunciation of a word by clicking on a small button at the top of the definition. However, there isn’t a button to close this pop-up window so you need to click in the previous screen to go back. You will also find some facts buttons everywhere in the software. These buttons will gives you a bit more information about a specific subject. Interesting facts about what you learn helps to keep the information in your head I find. At the end of each section, your student will have a mini-test to assure that he comprehend the information he has just read. And believe me when I say that the student should investigate all images and buttons included in the section he reads before taking the mini-test.
Each sections are packed with tons of information. The only information that disturbs me a little bit was the fact that the information included in the software seems to be based on evolution. As a Christian and homeschool parent, I find it important that my children be exposed to the creation first and then eventually, when they are in age to understand that there is a difference, to evolution. I know that my oldest knows the differences between the two so I have no problem for him to explore the information about life on Earth in the software. But I also know that some parents won’t be too happy about this and I think it is important for them to know about this. I think it would be nice eventually if Nectar would produce a Christian version of their software about science. Having said that, I still think that Science Trek is an interesting software to own in your homeschool. It would permit the student to explore by himself and learn at the same time. Science Trek is available directly from Learn with Trek website.
Here’s the direct link to this software.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Energy - Its Forms, Changes & Functions
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
Energy – Its forms, changes & functions
By Tom DeRosa and Carolyn Reeves
Published at Master Books
This book is part of the Investigate the Possibilities series and is geared toward students from grade 3 to 6. Its content is about elementary physics more specifically about energy.
In this book you will find that learning is extremely fun when you can perform the experiences yourself and see from your own eyes what will be the result. Once again, I found that the authors have done a tremendous job in putting this book together. Again you will find marvelous images accompanying a lesson and some interesting investigations to discover the world of energy. The quality of the books in this series is simply amazing! I am truly impressed with the scientific information contained in these books.
In the book on Energy, each lesson is divided in sections going from thinking about a specific subject to experimenting on it. Each time the student will have to ponder on some specific investigative problems and found out the answers. The experiments look very fun to do and can be done easily with the things you have at home – no need to purchase special products to investigate the various topics on energy. The student will also have to read more information on the subject of the lesson as well as make connections with our everyday life i.e. how does the lesson apply in real life? While doing the lesson, the student has also the possibility of digging deeper within the guidelines provided by the authors. Finally, the lesson finishes with a series of questions to make sure the student has understood what he has read. Throughout the book, the students will also learn more about some scientists who studied the wonderful world of energy.
Also available are the Teacher’s Guide and the Student Journal. The Teacher’s Guide will give the objectives of the lesson, more information concerning the lesson as well as the answers to the questions related to the lesson. Personally, I find the teacher book very helpful especially when it is a subject like energy… It gives me guidelines and helps me not to get too stressed when doing the lesson with my son. As for the Student Journal, it will permit the student to write down any observations and answers from the questions as well as experiences found in the book. There is even a special place to write down what the student has found in the dig deeper section of the book. There is plenty of space to write down the answers when you are using the Student Journal.
Energy – Its Forms, Changes, & Functions is available everywhere even on amazon.ca and indigo.ca.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Learning to write properly with WriteShop Primary!
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
WriteShop is well known among high school homeschoolers with the WriteShop series. Well the exciting news is that they are coming out with a writing curriculum for K-3rd graders. Each day, you will have easy activities to do with your child! The strength of
WriteShop is that it teaches the skills of the writing process.
This time you will find a multitude of activities and subjects to write with your kids as well as crafts and picture books. It is easy to adapt the
WriteShop Primary to accommodate the beginners or more advanced writers in your family. You can even use it with pre-writers as you help them to start the thinking process of putting words on paper.
I had the opportunity of reviewing the
WriteShop Primary Book A as well as the activity set worksheet pack both in the e-book edition. This product is recommended for students in Kindergarten or first grade but I adapted it for my 2nd grader during the review. I let him decide which subject he wanted to write and he thought it was fun to do.
This review introduced my child to the process of organizing your thoughts before writing something. He loved sitting down with me and writing about a topic he had previously picked. It made him think and look for the right words. I love hearing his laugh when he thought of something funny to write. So precious! The early lessons have the option of being done orally for the child and mom (or dad) would write what the child is dictating. I think this is very interesting because it forces us to slow down and speak to one another on a specific subject and to listen to what the child is saying. Then if the child can do copy work, he/she could easily copy the words the parent has written previously. My child was older so he was able to write directly in his book the sentences he wanted to include.
The objective at the end of Book A is to have your child to be able to learn how to plan, create, and publish simple stories with your help. Throughout the book, the child will learn to generate ideas, plan a story before writing it, gather information about a specific topic, use a story web to organize the information, identify the parts of a story (beginning, middle, and end), choose a title, think on how to improve the story, and publish the story. I think this series is amazing. I could easily adapt it to do the same thing in French. It’s easy to use and fun to do. Sitting together bring togetherness and laughter when your child tells you what he wants to write.
Yes I do recommend this writing curriculum for K-3rd graders. In addition to the Teacher’s guide, I also received the Activity Set Worksheet Pack that completes the program. This Activity Set is an integral part of the program and offers 20 reproducible activity pages to introduce and support the skills taught during the lessons. If you intend to get the writing program, do consider getting the Activity Set as well as they go hand-in-hand together.
The
WriteShop Primary Book A is available at their website in two versions. The
print version is 26.95$US (plus shipping) and the
e-book version is 24.25$US (shipping included). As well the Activity Set is available in
print for 4.95$US (plus shipping) or
e-book for 4.50$US (shipping included).
The advantage of having an e-book version is that you can get the books right away without waiting or paying for shipping. You just have to print the document whenever you need it. And you have the option to print in a whole or just print a little bit at a time. I really like this option as I don’t have to wait for a package to arrive at my door! *grin* The good news is that WriteShop is planning to release Book B and Book C later this year (2009). Book B is planned to be released in June while Book C is schedule for August or September. I personally look forward to the day when these will be available. I think I have discovered a gem to introduce creative writing for my kids. It is possible for you to look at the scope and sequence of the WriteShop Primary Book A by going to
http://www.writeshop.com/writeshop_primary_scope_sequence.htm . If you are wondering which book would be better for your student, you can visualize the placement chart at
http://www.writeshop.com/writeshop_primary_placement.htm . Sample lessons are also available. For the WriteShop Primary Book A simply go to
http://www.writeshop.com/images/WS-Primary-A-Lesson-5-Sample.pdf and for the Activity Set go to
http://www.writeshop.com/activity_set_worksheet.htm . Look into it, you will be very surprised and pleased by what you will see.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
SpellQuizzer - a resource for spelling bees!
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
SpellQuizzer is a tool available on the internet which will help your child to get prepare to spelling bees or simple spelling challenges you want to give him or her.
The software is easy to use and very versatile. It is very user-friendly and even a child could populate the spelling lists. I strongly recommend that you get yourself a little microphone when you create the spelling lists. It will ease the process and will permit the child to hear your pronunciation at the same time during the testing. You can easily find one at a dollar store near you. No need to spend a fortune on a microphone!
When you double-click on the icon of SpellQuizzer, you will get a window with a bunch of buttons on it. Honestly, at first I was wondering how effective the product would be as it didn’t have fancy screens. But the design is not what makes a program work right? So I decided to use some of the existing lists to test my oldest son. I must say that SpellQuizzer is interesting as it gives you the opportunity to redo the words you have missed during a specific test. It also shows you the errors you have made while you are doing the test. When you are able to go through a list without any errors, you are cheered on. Quite interesting…
My next step was to create some spelling lists. I decided to try to create a list in a different language than English. I tried Latin and French. I am very impressed with the flexibility of the program which allows you to create new spelling lists in a different language. I see this as an added value to the program when you are learning a different language. The process is a bit long and I prefer not having too much noise when I am creating a new spelling list. But when you are done, it will be worth it. You can test your child on various subjects going from vocabulary to verb tenses if you like.
However, I would like to see a report indicating the results of my child when he is done with a specific spelling test. That could show me the areas where he/she have trouble. Honestly, I wouldn’t stay behind my child when he/she is doing the test. So this could be an interesting feature to add in the future.
I can see potentials with the SpellQuizzer and I am looking forward to use it on a regular basis in the future. As we will incorporate Spanish in our school next year, I will use SpellQuizzer to test my child on this language as well. For now, I will juggle English and French. Latin will also be added to the spelling lists as we advance our lessons on this interesting language.
SpellQuizzer is available for 29.95$ US. You might think it is a bit expensive to test spelling with your child but with the possibility to build your own spelling quizzes I think it is worth it.
Try it for free at http://www.spellquizzer.com/download.htm !
You can see video demos on their website. Check it out at http://www.spellquizzer.com/SpellQuizzer-Demo.htm .
Some spelling lists are also available on the site. You can obtain them at http://www.spellquizzer.com/Spelling-Lists.htm .
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Rediscovering the Noah's Ark story with One 2 Believe
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
We had the marvelous surprise to be able to review a toy while being on the TOS Homeschool Crew. The toy we received comes from a company called One 2 Believe. One 2 Believe is a company who wants children to learn Bible Lessons and come to faith in Jesus.
The toy is part of the Toy of Glory series that One 2 Believe has. We received the Noah’s Ark (based on Genesis 6-9) and as soon as the box was open, the kids disappeared with the boat and the figurines. Funny enough I got a couple of animals in double. So we just pretended that the animals already started to reproduce in the ark *grin*.
The ark was a huge hit in our household. They are using it in various ways – not always as the story of Noah – as they are using their imagination often. But the ark is quite solid. So solid to be honest that it took me a few minutes to figure out how to open the boat to store the animals. It wasn’t quite evident at first but I finally was able to separate the top from the bottom to put the animals in the ark. OUF! Sadly, the ark is only coming with one person ie Mr. Noah. It is a bit sad to see that Mrs. Noah is forgotten so often as well as his sons and daughters-in-law. After all, Noah wasn’t alone to take care of the animals…
The Tales of Glory figurines are made of PVC. Each ark comes with a mini-book which tells the story of Noah’s Ark in a few words. Someone from the crew also mentioned that you could get some Tales of Glory figurines at the Dollar Store in the States. Back in February, we took a drive to Ogdensburg, NY and there was a Dollar Store. So I decided to take a peek just in case I could find some of the figurines. I was able to get Jesus, Mary, David, Goliath and Moses. The kids love the figurines especially the Jesus one! It was great to be introduced to a company who is creating toys based on biblical stories.
Would I recommend One 2 Believe for someone who is looking for toys based on the biblical stories? You bet. The figurines are quite sturdy and easy to manipulate for little hands. Even though the animals look a little bit funny (they make me think of cartoon animals), the toy can easily be used an homeschooling environment or even as a Sunday school tool to illustrate the story to little ones.
The Noah’s Ark is available at the One 2 Believe website for 29.99$ US. While being there, check also their other products. You will be amazed by what they are offering…
Friday, February 27, 2009
Discovering the world of Narnia a little bit at a time
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
I recently discovered an interesting vendor of homeschool products. Cadron Creek has three very specific literature-based studies on series of books that I just loved. If you love the stories of Laura Ingalls, Anne of Green Gables or Narnia, you will be delighted to see what Cadron Creek has for you and your students.
I was given a choice of which curriculum I wanted. I selected the one that I thought would speak more for my oldest son. And I was very surprised to see what I got in my mailbox a week later. Further Up and Further In gave me goose bumps as I was scanning the pages of this study. What is Further Up and Further In you wonder?
Further Up and Further In is a full-year curriculum based on the study of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. It brings together English literature, social studies, geography, Bible and character building, cooking, and art with a bit of science and history at times. However, to complete this curriculum, parents are strongly advised to supplement with more history, math, grammar and spelling.
Specifically aimed for readers of grade 4-8 level, Further Up and Further In can easily be adapted for younger children. Each book of the Narnia series is covered in this literature study. You will find recipes, directions for activities, other books to read, and poems. I personally used it with my 2nd grader and he enjoyed the time we spent together reading The Magician Nephew and learning new words. I must admit that I too learned interesting things while using Further Up and Further In the past few weeks. We took it slowly as we were discovering this together. We had discussion about scriptures and about we had read in the chapter, we learned new words and their definition, we applied these new words in a different context to make sure we understood them, and so on. I must admit that I skipped some acitivities that I found too advanced for a 7 year old but generally speaking we had fun. We are both looking forward to continue reading the Narnia books and to learn more new words. Too often I find that we don’t stop to look at the words when we don’t understand it. This study helps us to slow down and discover new vocabulary.
Cadron Creek also have other products including a literature-based unit study on all nine books of the Little House on the Prairie called The Prairie Primer (grades 3-6 )and one that brings the student in the Victorian Era and the world of Anne of Green Gables called Where the Brook and River Meet (junior high and high school students). If you are interested in reading reviews about the other two literature-based unit study that other members of the crew were able to used, please feel free to check out the TOS Crew blog at your earliest convenience.
Further Up and Further In is available for 56$ US in paperback or 62$ US in spiral-bound. However, please remember that you might have to buy other resources to help you with this study. I personally recommend ROAR! A Christian Family Guide to the Chronicles of Narnia which is out of print but you can still find it in sale sections of at Christianbook.com and also a book from Paul F. Ford titled Pocket Companion to Narnia. The author also suggests other books for older students as well.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Struggling with math? Check out Math Tutor DVDs!
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
When I first received the Math Tutor DVDs, my first impression was thinking it would be cheesy… Well I was totally wrong. Yes it looks like a homemade video of some guy explaining mathematics but honestly it is well done. If you have a child who is having problems with a specific notion in mathematics, the Math Tutor DVD is there to help!
The DVDs are what I call “learn by example” lesson which means that the instructor explains the problem in terms that are easy to understand. All the topics are taught with examples and an easy step-by-step approach. We received two different DVDs to review. The first one is Basic Math Problem. The second one is Algebra 2. I must honestly say that I focused more my attention to Basic Math Problem since my kids are so young. But I like what I saw. I even spend some time on the Algebra 2 DVD to see if the instructor is still making it simple to understand. And he does…
The instructor is Jason Gibson and he takes the time to explain the viewer how to resolve a problem. He assumes that the viewer doesn’t know anything about it and take him/her in a step-by-step process to resolve the problem. He even explains the mathematical terms in simple language for children to understand. You can see that Jason has a passion to decorticate complex topics into simple ones. He always starts with easy problems and slowly directs the student toward harder ones.
I asked my 2nd grader to sit down and watch two specific sections on the Basic Math Word Problem DVD with me. So one afternoon, during the nap of the younger ones, we watched Adding Whole Number and Subtracting Whole Number. My son quite enjoyed it and wanted to watch the rest but since he hasn’t learned the other notions yet, I told him we will have to wait a bit. He loved it because he taught it was easy and he was able to answer the problems before Jason was finished explaining the resolution of it. I thought it was funny to have my 7 year old saying the answers out loud even though the problem wasn’t solved yet. That’s my boy! He just loves mathematics… which is great because personally I had trouble with it when I was in high school.
That’s why I wanted to look at the Algebra 2. Teaching high school mathematics is something scary for me. I’m not there yet but I am always looking for any kind of help possible. I just remember how much difficulty I had to understand math during my teenage years. Well, after watching some of the Algebra 2, I wish that I had this in my hands while I was doing high school. Honestly, I don’t think anyone could make it easier to understand than Jason.
Most DVDs on the website are 26.99$ US. I think it is pretty reasonable when you have a child who is struggling with some specific notions of mathematics. If you want them to succeed, it’s important to invest in various ways so they can get it. You can also order some CDs containing worksheets to help resolve the problem seen in the DVDs for certain subjects. I recommend Math Tutor DVD not only for kids but for the parents too as it can give you some tips and tricks on how to explain in a simpler way.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Let's sing about the book we love! Let's discover Bible Story Songs...
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
When I first heard from Bible Story Songs I was wondering what it would bring to my home school. Being part of the crew helped me to discover new vendors that otherwise I wouldn’t have been exposed too. This vendor gives the opportunities for kids and families to learn about the bible through songs about it. What a neat idea! Bible Story Songs initially started when two moms wrote songs to match some lessons from a summer Bible camp. The kids would pick up the songs easily and remember them for a long period of time. I know that singing is a good way to learn because I personally remember some songs that I used to sing in the girl guides and believe me when I say it has been ages since I sang them….
So I was more than curious to hear what was on my The Bible CD which covers stories from the Old and New Testaments. Honestly I have mixed feelings about the CD after we listened to it. Don’t get me wrong, the songs are pretty peppy and teach about the bible but I feel that they are a bit too much on the choir side for my taste. However, my oldest son loves it end enjoys listening to it which means a lot to me. After the CD is for educational purposes and while hearing the songs my kids will learn more about the bible.
What I particularly like about this CD is that before each song, they give a scripture or a little explanation about it. It also presents various books of the Bible in a creative way. The CD I received contains 32 songs about the Old Testament and the New Testament. You can also get sheet music and song books from their website. Other CDs available are Matthew 1, Matthew 2, Matthew for young singers, Moses 1, Moses 2, Moses for your singers and David. To hear some samples of the CD, simply go to http://www.biblestorysongs.com/songs.htm and look for The Bible CD songs sampler in the middle of the page. The CDs are available for 9.99$US directly from the vendor site.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Learning to read at the speed of light with Rocket Phonics!
Posted in Reviews of homeschooling products
Rocket Phonics is a program to teach – yes you guessed it – phonics and reading for children. Created by a husband-and-wife team, this program was used to do a UCLA study with homeschool children. The 2001 UCLA study found the students using Rocket Phonics learned about 4 months of reading skills for every month they used it! That is impressive coming from a brand new program created by an MD and a former teacher.
Geared for children ages 4-10 the curriculum of Rocket Phonics is research-based and scientifically proven as a method to teach reading. It uses games and a multi-sensory approach to encourage the child to read. My son, who will be 5 years old at the end of the month, is now asking me regularly to do Rocket Phonics. He loves the bingo games and the cards. We use the cards to make the words and he is able to read them. Before I was wondering how I will approach reading with him. Today, I feel confident that we can make it. I also discovered since September that he is more a kinesthetic learner which means he likes to move when doing something or hold a toy. He is very interested in learning how to read as many 3-5 years old. He sees his older brother reading and even playing with the Wii and now he wants to be able to do it. He would like it if it could happen overnight but this is not the case. At first he was frustrated because it wasn’t happening fast enough. With Rocket Phonics, he is having fun at the same time and doesn’t complain as much anymore. He is so happy to tell his dad that he learned new words at the end of a day!
It doesn’t take a long period of time to use Rocket Phonics. All it takes is about 30 minutes a day! Mind you, I am not doing it diligently every day since we also do french as well as math and having 4 kids under the age of 7 is quite demanding. But the lessons we did so far are fruitful. I like to see what it will be in 6 months and even 1 year from now! According to the creators, Rocket Phonics will help the child to go from non-reader to a 5th grade reader in 2 years or less.
I had a bit of trouble with certain sounds at first but after e-mailing Maureen Guffanti, one of the creators of Rocket Phonics, she strongly suggested that I check out the YouTube videos which give some tips on how to use the program. You can get some ideas on how to use this phonic program on YouTube.com as well as on their yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rocketphonics/ .
The price is 160$ US plus shipping. It is a big chunk of money during this difficult time in the economy but let me list you what you will get when you order it.
2 big Rocket Phonics readers
2 sets of play & read symbol cards
bingo chips
Rocket Peeker
Bingo sheets and Word lists for testing
Big-movements games
Free 28 supplements via e-mail a 69.95$US value
Free 2 Rocket Phonics Treasure Hunts a 16.95$US value
Free Rocket Phonics Word-Find Treasure hunt and the Rocket Phonics Phrase Game a 19.95$US value
So far our experience with it is quite impressive. Dominic is enjoying learning how to read. In 6 months from now, I will give another review of this product to let you know how he is progressing. Then again, I will be reviewing Rocket Phonics in February 2010 which will be a year later to give another update. By then, maybe my 3rd son will be starting learning on it as well… Right now, he sometimes sit with us and repeat as well. He is also enjoying the Bingo games but I do it a bit differently with him as I show him the card and ask him to show me the same letter in the Bingo card. At 3 years old, he is quite good at spotting the proper letter.
I discovered a great product with Rocket Phonics and I enjoy it a lot. I also learn personally as I discover the real sounds behind the letters… (you see I am French Canadian from birth and picked up English from school and never did phonics!) We shall see if there will be an improvement in my own learning when we are done.
I would recommend that you visit their website and discover Rocket Phonics!
