TOS Review: Progeny Press

Do you love to read to your children but worry that reading them that wonderful novel, so rich in history and insights into the human soul, just isn’t enough? Do you ever get up from your family reading time and feel like there needs to be more, something’s missing, but what?

Progeny Press has the answer. They offer study guides for all kinds of wonderful literature and they cover grades K-12, so there’s something for everyone. When I first heard about them I thought they would just offer some questions to prompt discussion (which would’ve been great) but I was wrong, very wrong. They offer so much more.

The study guide I received was for the novel Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. I read this book to my children at the beginning of this school year, before I had heard of Progeny Press unfortunately. This novel turned out to be one of our favorites this year (so far, we still have three or four to go) so doing this review has been a real joy, reminding me of all the laughter and sorrow we shared while being absorbed in this book.

That brings me to my first opinion (meaning you may disagree but this is how I feel about it) concerning Progeny Press. I’ve been looking over their online catalog and from what I’m seeing the books they choose are all very literature rich without a lot of fluff and puff. I like a book that doesn’t leave my heart and mind when I put it back on the shelf. The books we read are not one sided and I truly don’t want them to be. I want my children to view the world from all angles in order to discover error in worldviews that go against our truth measuring stick (The BIBLE) thus allowing the Holy Spirit through the truth in His Word to guide them to the path they should take (with their mom prodding them along ever so gently…gently? yeah right, lol) This is not to say that Progeny Press doesn’t promote a Christian worldview, it does, but Progeny Press teaches them how to think and come up with these truths on their own.. They explain it this way:

“At Progeny Press we are committed to teaching good cultural literature, examined from a Christian perspective. We believe in the equation "Biblical Truth + Cultural Relevancy = Effective Christians." Take away biblical truth and Christians become no more than a religious subculture-- salt without saltiness. Take away cultural relevancy and Christians become isolationists with no impact on the world-- lights hidden under bushels. We believe in looking at the world clearly and openly with the Bible firmly in hand.”

 

So what is a Progeny Press study guide? It is a list of questions to go with each chapter, as you would assume, but it also includes background information on the author, activities for the child to do while reading the book (they recommend reading the book the first week then diving into the guide), vocabulary, introduction and use of literary techniques, Bible study, creative writing assignments, history study, geography and map work, and so much more. As I said, I was truly amazed at all that was included.

If you enjoy doing Unit Studies, than you will love Progeny Press because to me, it’s like a literature unit study. I love it. I’m not sure how/if I’ll be able to incorporate Progeny Press into my homeschool schedule next year, but I’m seriously considering it as my history curriculum as well as a supplement for several of my other subjects, including creative writing and grammar. The money it will save me is astounding! Plus we’ll become much more involved in the subjects we’re studying. I’m not 100% sure I have enough faith in myself to drop the curriculum I’m using now, but as I said, I am considering it.

A few things you need to know:

• In addition to the study guide students will need a good dictionary, thesaurus, Bible, concordance
• Typically it will take 8-10 weeks to do one guide (elementary level is shorter) which would give you time to complete 3-4 study guides per year 
• There are options available for testing
• Most Christian high schools have assigned a value of one-fourth credit per study guide and this also seems to be acceptable to colleges assessing homeschool transcripts
• If your child would rather type than write, order the PDF version. It’s interactive and they can type their answers right in

I received, through email, a PDF version of Across Five Aprils study guide and it included a total of three files: a read me file, the actual study guide, and an answer key. (It did not include the actual novel).

They offer most of their guides in the following formats:

--> Paperbound booklet (reproducible) $18.99
--> PDF file on CD (opens with Adobe Reader, interactive files can be completed on computer or printed)$16.99
--> PDF file emailed directly to you (opens with Adobe Reader, interactive file can be completed on computer or printed)$16.99
All formats include full student text and complete answer key.
--> A booklet/CD combo set gives you both the booklet and CD formats of the guide for classroom use. Print what you need when you need it. Refer to your booklet copy at any time. Substantial price savings buying both formats together! $23.99

Progeny Press offers many guides to choose from and the TOS Crew reviewed these six:

• Across Five Aprils
• The Cay
• The Bronze Bow
• The Screwtape Letters
• Pride and Prejudice
• Julius Caesar

Visit the Crew to read reviews on each of these study guides.

**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

TOS Review: K-5 Learning

 

We’ve been using an online program as a supplement to my 4th grade son’s reading. It’s called K5 Learning and I was introduced to it through the the TOS Homeschool Crew.

K5 Learning isn’t an all inclusive program, it is meant to be a supplemental program that helps children who are struggling in the areas of reading, math, or spelling. It’s just a way to give them a little extra boost by helping them focus on the area(s) in which they’re struggling. Kind of like an afterschool tutor, only cheaper and more convenient. Since it’s web based it’s available whenever your child has the time or desire to spend working on it. Also, It’s fun, so they’ll enjoy it while learning, instead of just feeling like they’re doing more school!

The cost for K5 Learning is $25 monthly ($15 for each additional child) or $199 yearly ($129 each additional child). I would recommend that you take advantage of their 14 day trial just to see if this will benefit your child.

K5 offers four reading and math programs

K5 Reading covers phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary and reading comprehension

K5 Spelling is an advanced vocabulary program with a database of over 150,000 words

K5 Math aids student in learning math concepts in multiple areas  including time, money, algebra, data analysis, and geometry

K5 Math Facts uses mastery to help child retain all the important facts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

(All four of these are all included with your single subscription)

 

In my opinion this program is perfect for busy parents because it’s 100% independent and its safe. No chat, ads, or external links. My son worked with K5 Learning but not nearly as much as I would have liked. He is really working hard with reading these days and he felt like this was just more work. However, I’m not giving up on K5 Learning. I will still encourage him to log in and work as often as possible, especially on days that I can’t invest a full amount of work on his reading program. I think K5 is a good option for any child needing a little extra work in one of the above mentioned areas.

 

If you would like to see what other TOS Crew members thought of this program, click here.

**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

TOS Review: Reading Eggs

 

My kids have been spending quite a bit of time on the computer lately. In fact, lately, they are choosing the computer over the TV more often than not. So what’s got my kids situated at the computer with mom happy to have them there? Reading Eggs!

Reading Eggs is an online reading program designed to help children ages 3-13 on their reading journey. They do this through many activities which include songs, games, and rewards.

There are several pricing options available for Reading Eggs but the best value is $75.00 for 12 months. You can check out the other options available including a month by month plan, by visiting the pricing page.

My children were able to complete two maps which means they advanced past 20 lessons. Each map has 10 lessons and offers different areas to explore and learn in each. In all there are 120 reading lessons and 96 spelling lessons. These lessons are designed to be played more than once, since repetition builds fluency.

Reading Eggs begins with learning/reviewing a few of the letter sounds while building words, and practicing them until they become automatic. They also learn to put the words into sentences and by the time they finish the second map (20 lessons) they have covered several sentences and even a couple site words. Below is a screen shot of the ‘test’ they are given before advancing to the next map.

I really like the method Reading Eggs uses to teach reading because they break the words down by sound and have the child build the word(s) using different methods which engage the child's eyes, ears, and hands (I don’t know if this is considered an Orton-Gillingham based program but it definitely incorporates portions of it.)

So I’ve already mentioned that my children LOVE Reading Eggs. They BEG to play it daily, hourly even. In fact when I opened it to begin writing my review, they came running. However, that in and of itself, isn’t enough for me to put my badge of approval on it. But, I found nothing offensive about this program and thought they did an excellent job teaching and reviewing the concepts. I give it a thumbs up!

All of that being said, I will now give the ugly part of my review. Reading Eggs, for some reason was not very effective with helping my children learn to read. In a way I feel like it’s more my kids than the program itself. I didn’t use it as a stand alone program, instead I used it as a supplement to their reading lessons. My daughter is only 4 years old so I don’t really expect her to take off and start reading right now. I know some do, but mine probably won’t. My son is 6 years old but is really struggling to blend those letters into sounds into words. I’m not pushing him too hard, and am really hoping eventually Reading Eggs will be the fun nudge that moves him into the land of reading. And although they still aren’t sounding out cvc words with ease, they are able to sound out some and they can actually spell more than they sound out.

After all the time they spent on Reading Eggs and with me doing their regular reading lessons the only word they seem to get (without sounding it out) is c-a-t spells cat! They can read it and spell it. It’s a little disheartening but I know every child learns at their own pace. Well, I take that back, they both know *at* and *am* pretty well too. We’ve only been at it about 3-4 weeks so I’m hoping things will improve with time. I know Reading Eggs can’t hurt them and I’m hoping it’ll work it’s magic and every thing will click into place soon. The key will turn, the light will come on, and BOOM they’ll be reading chapter books! I’m probably a little dreamy but I prefer that to reality sometimes

Would you like to try before you buy? Click for a FREE TRIAL.

Would you like to read some of the other reviews? CLICK HERE.

**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

TOS Review: All About Reading

 
Recently my family was lucky enough to be chosen to review two All About Learning  products: All About Reading  Level 1 and the Deluxe Reading Interactive Kit. These two products actually go together but the Deluxe kit isn’t necessary to complete the program. This is All About Learning's brand new program designed to help children, with or without reading struggles, learn to read easily and effectively. I used this program with my six year old son and my four year old daughter.

The Deluxe Reading Kit I received came with everything you see below.

I feel really blessed to have been given an opportunity to look over this program and try it out with my children for two reasons. First, we had just completed a pre-reading program that introduced the letter sounds, so the next obvious step for us would be to begin blending. Second, this program teaches the way I believe my children need to be taught, using multi-sensory methods that are straight to the point, with lots of review, and not overshadowed by flash and bling. You know what I mean by that, lots of distracting colors and busy worksheets that take away from the real task at hand, learning to read.
Learning to read is such a vital, yet difficult task for many children that, in my opinion, every program should be taught with the idea that the child learning, may not fit the cookie cutter mold. In other words, you may have a struggling reader on your hands and not know it until you’ve been using the typical phonics program, that only 80% of the students are able to learn to read with, for quite awhile. By then you’ve wasted valuable time with the child and, unfortunately,  you may have to go back to square one.
The All About Reading program uses all five of the key components of reading:

• Phonological Awareness
• Phonics and Decoding
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension

---> The Level 1 Kit is $99.95 and consists of a teacher’s manual, student packet and three hardback readers
--->The Interactive Reading Deluxe Kit for Level 1 is $48.95 and it includes the Letter Tiles and magnets, a cute Tote, Phonogram CD, Reading Divider Cards, Star Stickers, and Reading Review Box (**Note I love all the bells and whistles that come with a deluxe anything but if money is an issue, there are other options available besides this deluxe kit, such as the Basic Reading Interactive Kit  ($28.95) or getting just the Letter Tiles ($11.95). This program is worth the investment, but you don’t have to get everything).

Before you Begin

There is a little bit of time involved initially because you have to pop out all the cards and letters and even put magnet's on the backs (We purchased a magnetic dry erase board for $15 and we keep our letters on this board, this was the company’s recommendation). I did my prep work while watching TV and riding in the van so it wasn’t too bad. After that the prep work is basically over. You open the book and go each day. It’s laid out in a very easy to understand and follow plan. I LOVE that about this program!

How it’s Supposed to Work

The All About Reading Level 1  program has 49 lessons. The first two lessons are slightly different but after those are complete you will follow this basic 5 step plan:

1. Before You Begin: This is your prep work. Usually not much here to do.
2. Review: You review what you’ve taught thus far
3. New Teaching: Using the letter tiles, activity sheets, fluency exercises and/or reader you will teach the new concepts. (By lesson 5 your child will be reading out of their cool hardback reader, “Run Bug, Run!”) The activity sheets are kind of fun without being overwhelming. My kids enjoy the variety and we use them over and over for review purposes. (You can see a picture of one of these activities below “Feed the Monster”)
4. Read-Aloud Time: Spend 20 min reading to your child (So important! I love that they schedule this in!)
5. Track Your Progress: The easiest part, and my kids favorite part, adding a star to their progress chart for completing a lesson

  
    Feed the Monster

A cute review game that uses bones with words for the kids to read and ‘feed the monster’

 

The author of this program, Marie Rippel, suggests doing five short lessons each week. Let your child determine the length of the lesson. If after 10 minutes they seem to not be paying attention or showing much interest, find a good stopping point and end your lesson for the day. If your child is older you may want to do two 20 min sessions per day. Another idea, for little kids especially, is to set a timer for 15-20 minutes and get as much done as you can in that amount of time. Always begin your day with 2-3 minutes of reviewing their cards, then move on to where you left off.

 

Making it Work for Us

So that’s how it was designed to work and it really does work that way, but I thought I’d add more detail and share some of the changes I had to make to suite my kids.
If you notice in the top picture there is a yellow box, this is for storing the phonogram and word cards. Each day we review about 10 of these and once they can read the word or say the sound without hesitation, the card is moved to the mastered pile (we haven’t moved many of the words but they know their phonograms really well). The magnetic board is where the kids use the tiles to build words, this is part of the Orton-Gillingham method of using multisensory (sound, sight, and touch) tools to teach reading and spelling.
One of the main purposes of Orton-Gillingham or multi-sensory learning is to engage the three main pathways of learning, which are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. In doing so the child is taught in the way they were created to learn best (whether it be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic) and they are more likely to retain what they learn when they learn it all three ways simultaneously.
Since the blending wasn’t really ‘clicking’ with my kids I sort of paused after a few lessons and worked on practicing our blending using the multi-sensory approach. This is what we are doing:
I will choose one of the words in their word stack and decide whether I want them to spell it or read it, then we follow these steps for each:
-For spelling a word I will say the word and have them repeat it after me. Then they will build the word by saying each sound and pulling down the corresponding letter tile. I then have them touch and say each letter sound and then blend the sounds to see if they spelled the correct word.
-For reading a word I will build the word with the tiles and have them touch each individual tile while saying it’s sound and then run their finger under the word and blend it together.
We also had M&M drills. They took turns drawing a card from their word stack and if they could read it correctly they received a reward

The reward for a correct answer…

This worked amazingly well!!!

As I stated earlier, the blending process has proven to be really difficult for my kids so we are just going at our own pace. I know some will be able to complete a lesson in one day (it’s definitely doable if your child can blend easily), but I didn’t think it was the best for us, so we decided to take several days for each lesson. I want blending to be easier for them before we continue adding more and more words for them to recognize. We already have a pretty hefty stack and they have to sound out each of these (with difficulty).
**Update: 5 days after writing this review I was working with my 6 yr. old son and as we worked through his fluency chart, he began sounding and blending almost effortlessly. He was able to correctly blend the majority of the words, phrases, and sentences on the page. This is the first time he’s been able to have a long reading lesson with no frustration (he is easily frustrated with anything that is the least bit challenging for him). This is truly amazing because we have dyslexia on both sides of our family and I have seen several early signs of it in him. Praise the Lord! This is more than wonderful! My 4 yr. old is doing okay but it hasn’t really clicked like that for her…yet If I could just get her to read the words from left to right I think it would happen for her too.

The Highlights of My Review

What you will get with All About Reading is a very easy to follow plan to teach even the struggling reader how to read without becoming discouraged (that means you too!). By starting with Level 1 or even Pre-Level 1 your child will get everything he or she needs in order to become an avid reader, there are no gaps in this program.
As a parent I couldn’t ask for a better program to teach my child to read. The Teachers Manual was laid out beautifully without a lot of extra details that would cause me to want to shut it and put it away. It has just the basics that I need to achieve my lesson for that day. I could simply glance at it and go. After doing a couple lessons you kind of get an idea of what’s happening next and it becomes even easier. Love it!


We really enjoyed the fun, simple activities that can be carried out easily without a lot of pre-planning. This is a picture of one of my older boys helping his younger siblings with phonogram and word BINGO. We’ve already made some nice memories. Thank you All About Learning!

I really felt like All About Learning was committed to seeing my children and me succeed. I spoke with them on several different occasions about my children’s individual weaknesses and needs and each and every time they responded in a quick and helpful manner.
Make sure you visit the All About Reading website, there are tons of downloads, samples, and useful information to help you determine whether this program will work for your family. And I will say they offer a sweet guarantee:

When you purchase through us, you get our "Go Ahead and Use It" one-year guarantee. You have one full year to try out our programs. If you find that any of the curriculums do not meet your needs, simply return the materials at any time within one year of purchase for a full refund of your purchase price.
In addition, you'll get lifetime support, so if you ever have a question, we're here to help!

If that doesn’t make you want to give this company a try I don’t know what will
So if you didn’t get all the info you wanted from my review head on over to the crew blog for more reviews.
**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

So What’s New?

My nook that’s what!! I had a regular nook but after 6 months of issues one of the customer service rep’s offered to send me a new one or I could upgrade to the color. Obviously I paid the difference and took the upgrade. Oh.My.Word am I glad I did.

This is a whole new experience for me. I’ve never had a touch anything so this little baby has really impressed the socks off me. Not only is reading fun (it was before the nook color came into my life so yeah, it still is) but it’s also easier.

The other day I finished a book and was looking for another to read (without having to buy one) and found one of my friends on Facebook, who lent me a nook book, and within minutes (maybe even seconds) there it was on my nook, ready for me to read. UH, really? So awesome!

I can sit down and in just a few minutes be up to date on the blogs I want to be up to date on (I have hundreds on Google reader and it’s so hard to sort through them, so lately I haven’t even bothered), I can catch the latest national, world, AND local headlines, and even check my weather for snow. All of this with just ONE of my new apps (PULSE). I also have a new calendar app for all my review info. I’m just trying this out for the first time today, so the verdict is still out on this one. I may or may not stick with it. These are freebies too, I can’t even imagine how nice the ones you have to pay for would be. There are tons of these things and remind me, how did I ever get by before apps?

So lately I’ve been wondering, are we living in the technical revolution? What will the future call this point in history? It’s definitely more than just the computer age now, wouldn’t you say?

So, what’s new with you?

Jane Austen Challenge

 

Last January I took the Jane Austen Challenge to read all of her books in 2011, knowing that I might quite possibly only read half (or even less).  But still I thought this was a more obtainable goal for me (compared to the other challenges to read 52 books in a year!). So here we are six months later and I’m finally getting around to checking in with this challenge.

So far I’ve read Sense and Sensibility. This was very good, as you might expect. I enjoyed it very much. I love the two main characters and the fact that they were such opposites, unlike the sisters in Pride and Prejudice.

Speaking of Pride and Prejudice, that was next on my short list. It was a very good book, and did not disappoint. I’m currently watching the 1980’s version of the movie. Very good adaptation, in my opinion.

And lastly I read Persuasion. Again, this was a good story, however none of Jane Austen’s books are too suspenseful and after reading one or two you tend to see where things are going even if you’re not exactly sure how they’ll get there. And with that thought in mind, I have decided to put this challenge on the shelf for a bit. There are a couple of books on hold for me at the library and I want to be sure I’m ‘available’ to read them when they come in.

The challenge actually included ALL things Austen, meaning any books or movies about her. I have watched EMMA, Loved, Loved, Loved it. And when I finish Pride and Prejudice I have Persuasion waiting to be watched. I also have a shorter version of Pride and Prejudice that I’m planning to watch and once I’ve watched all of these, I’m going to get my hands on the Kiera Knightly version of P&P. I should be all Austened out by then.

Read Aloud Challenge June 23

For our reading aloud this week it still just consisted of reading through the Bible as a family, and reading picture books with my little ones. The older boys are also reading their own books. That will be what we do until August probably. I blogged yesterday about our curriculum choice for next year….Sonlight core E. I’m very excited about this and can’t wait to get started. This will produce a lot of read aloud time…we have missed it so much this year!! Did I mention that I’m very excited about this?
We did finish Exodus this week! YAY! But the sad part is now we’re in Leviticus…I’m sorry but it’s just not my favorite book. I’ll confess, when I’m reading through the Bible to the kids, I skip and skim through these law chapters. I want them to grasp the idea that there was A LOT of law, and that the law was very very detailed. But I can get that point across without reading every.single.law.

So, head over to Footprints in the Butter and see what everyone else is reading on these lazy summer days!

Read Aloud Challenge June 9

It’s been awhile since I took the challenge but fearing nothing I will post this week. We have been so off schedule since Mark’s eye surgery nearly 2 months ago! We will probably stay off schedule until school starts in Aug, but even when we’re not reading our normal load, we’re still reading…always!

So here’s what we’re reading these days:

We’re reading through the Bible in a year, as a family. This has been Josiah’s request for quite some time and when Mark found, out he wanted us to do it as a family. So we are. We started May 19!

Jordan hasn’t read anything, other than his God’s World News magazine, since getting out of school two weeks ago. This is a sad disappointment but I’m trying not to push it too much. He checked out a couple books from the bookmobile so I’m sure desperately hoping he’ll read them before we have to return them.

I checked out a couple of eBooks for the nook and Josiah has read one of them twice. It’s a short book but I’m happy about ANYthing he reads for fun. He just doesn’t attempt it very often. He’s also reading his Dan and Sam adventure books.

With the little ones, I’ve decided to stop trying to read big books to them for awhile. I want to enjoy the picture books while I can. They’ll be moving out of that stage soon and I really dread the day that we go to the library and leave with NO picture books. So for now, it’s 2 picture books each per day and their Bible storybook.

As for me, I’m still doing my Jane Austen books. I’m reading Persuasion at the moment.

And that’s it! Our light reading load for the summer!

So what’s your family reading? Take the challenge at Footprints in the Butter.

TOS REVIEW: Apologia, Read for the Heart

 

APOLOGIA HAS A NEW BOOK ENTITLED READ FOR THE HEART AND I WAS BLESSED WITH A REVIEW COPY!!

• READ FOR THE HEART was written by Sarah Clarkson (daughter of Sally Clarkson). Sarah discovered a love of reading early in her childhood and wants to help others as they strive to create this same love in their children.
• Her book begins with a peak into the Clarkson home as Sarah and her siblings were being homeschooled and taught how to enjoy reading. I found this part of the book so insightful and encouraging, I couldn’t put it down once I started. I always enjoy learning from other successful homeschool families.

She also explores the issue of illiteracy in America, offering some statistics as well as opinions on why American children don’t enjoy reading as they once did.

While the first 3 chapters share a little about her life and love of reading chapter 4 is designed to prepare you to use the rest of the book as a general reference. Ms. Clarkson has divided the book into the following sections:

• PICTURE BOOKS
• THE GOLDEN AGE OF CLASSICS
• CHILDREN’S FICTION
• FAIRY TALES AND FANTASY
• HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY
• SPIRITUAL READING FOR CHILDREN
• POETRY
• MUSIC, ART, AND NATURE

In each of these sections she briefly discusses the category (picture book, classic, children’s fiction, etc) and then goes on to name authors and books that fit the category. In most cases she even gives descriptions of the book and offers other books by the same author.

The appendixes are just as meaty as the book itself. There she offers the following lists:

• CADECOTT MEDALISTS
• NEWBERY MEDALISTS
• HISTORICAL FICTION BY G.A. HENTY
• LANDMARK HISTORY BOOKS
• THE TRAILBLAZER SERIES
• A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS (just as the name suggests, some of Ms. Clarkson’s very favorites)

This book has prompted me to get back to the basics so to speak. My family has let life and school steal our time recently and I am so glad to be reminded how valuable read aloud time is in our home. I have joined a read aloud challenge over at Footprints in the Butter, and although we still aren’t reading as much as I would like, we are making an effort to read aloud each and every day, even if it’s just a couple of short picture books.

I have enjoyed soaking in the details of this book as well as just flipping through and finding books that I’ve already shared with my children and books that I want to read to them in the future. This book will be a great reference tool for us now and in years to come.  Then, as the end suggests, when the time comes, I will pass it on. It’s too valuable to sit on a shelf and not be used.

Read for the Heart is a large paperback with 384 pages. The cost is $17 and may be purchased here. If you click here, you will find a sample chapter to entice you!! Enjoy.

If you would like to read other reviews on Read for the Heart, click here.

**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

TOS Review: Monki See

 

My three year old and I have been exploring a new product by Intellectual Baby called Monki See. This is a program designed to help babies learn to read by using poetry, music, and Puppets. The targeted age group is 3 months and up. For a more detailed explanation here is a quote from the Monki See site:

“The younger your child is the faster and easier your child will learn. A three month old will learn faster than a one year old. A one year old will learn faster than a two year old and so on. The brain's development is slowing each day from the day of birth and tapers off at about five years of age. However, this does not mean that your child is "over the hill" and can't start the program at 2, 3 or even 4 years of age. It just means that they will not learn as quickly, as say, a 6 month old will. They will however, learn to read easier than they will at age 6, when they officially start school, so you really have nothing to lose.”

The cost of the entire program is $139.95, or you can purchase individual portions. For this review we only had the Baby’s First Words DVD ($19.95) and the Know Your Monkey book ($9.95). You can also choose to purchase other books, DVD’s, and flashcards for an additional cost. Visit Monki See for more details.

In addition to learning to read, Monki See will also help your child learn other important preschool skills such as colors, shapes, sizes, etc.

My daughter loved watching the DVD and meeting Howie and Skip.  The DVD was very engaging but not so filled with excitement that she missed the point. We have not had enough time to do this consistently for the amount of time needed in order to see proven results, so I can’t speak for the effectiveness of the program. But we have used it several weeks and she did enjoy it very much, and even asked to do it it instead of watching her usual TV show favorites.  I believe that given enough exposure she would be able to recognize these words again.  

If you are interested in learning more about Monki See you can visit the crew blog to see what other homeschoolers thought of this program.

 

**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.