Reading Eggs

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.

My kids have enjoyed using Reading Eggs from Blake eLearning Inc in the past and were thrilled to be able to review it again. We've tried many online learning sites over the years, but this has always been their favorite.

Reading Eggs is an online program that teaches kids to read in a fun, engaging way. The program focuses on a core curriculum of skills and strategies by incorporating both activities and games. Because it is an extension of what students learn in school, it encourages sustained reading success and gives students the confidence to read. These quality literacy products are used successfully all over the world.

When you sign into your Reading Eggs account, you'll be taken to your family dashboard. If you have more than one student using it (up to 4), you can choose which profile you want from there. The dashboard also gives important stats like the student's estimated reading level, how many phonics skills and sight words he knows, his progress, how many books he's read, quizzes, lessons, and more. You can easily change between students and the various other programs and levels included in a subscription (Junior, Eggspress, Fast Phonics, and Mathseeds) by clicking the images on the dashboard.

The lessons, which are designed for ages 3-7, are divided into maps with the first one being for absolute beginning readers and the last one is geared to help early readers gain confidence. Your child should take the placement test so the program can determine where he needs to work.

The lessons are animated and incorporate a variety of options for teaching. There are songs, books, videos, and many games. The games--which teach letters, blending, word families and more,--include things like adding hair to monsters, squirting sauce on eggs, catching frogs on lily pads, hopping penguins to blocks of ice, adding stamps to letters, and so much more. These silly games keep my kiddos interested in learning.

Most of my kids are strong readers now, so I am thankful for the other programs that are offered, such as Reading Eggpress for ages 7-13 and Mathseeds for ages 3-9. Each program utilizes the same philosophy for teaching in an age-appropriate format.

A new learning option is the Fast Phonics section. This world, set in snow-capped mountains and surrounded by yetis, helps early elementary students or those older who might be struggling with reading to fully grasp phonics. This program includes powerful visual memory aids, colorful decodable books, and systematic phonics instruction as it takes the student through 20 fun-filled levels.

As the students progress through the lessons in the various programs, they earn rewards (golden eggs, acorns, coins, etc. depending on the program) to purchase various items. They can choose clothing for their avatar, furniture for their house, pets, background scenes, trading cards, and more. This is always a favorite with my kids! They love saving their rewards to add to their scenes.

A new variation to the rewards is the addition of monthly themes. Each month there is a whole new set of things that can be purchased based on a particular theme. For instance July was a Medieval theme that included options for a torch sconce, a stone fireplace, a wooden dining table, hanging coat of arms, and more. August was space-themed and offered an astro table and chairs, a hover bed, a Saturn plant, a transporter, and more. There are also costume options for your avatar such as a queen, princess, bard, aliens, and robots. Each reward is limited to that month only for buying, but is kept forever once purchased. My kids are already eyeing some things to buy for this month's party theme.

There really is so much included with a Blake eLearning Inc subscription, and they're adding new features all the time. A couple more new ones are the Mental Minute in the Mathseeds section which builds fact fluency in one-minute drills and the new Android app which allows you to take your learning on the go. There are also tons of online homeschooling resources which include over 500 printable worksheets and lesson plans and emailed progress reports. It's easy to see why the program has won dozens of awards.

We have a relaxed schedule in the summer months and though I don't require a lot of traditional school learning, I had no problems getting my kids to work through the programs. In fact, they often asked me if they could do Reading Eggs. They each have their favorite activities.

"I like bouncing the balls and racing and the yetis. And I like learning my letters."

"I like all of it! My favorite thing is to buy stuff for my guy."

"I like the Driving Test, because it's fun."

"My favorite part is the Library because it has books I can read.

I also like writing for the Story Contest." (And was even shortlisted for the weekly top five stories.)

And then my teenager even told me what he thought of it.

"I don't like Reading Eggs, because my siblings are always hogging the computer."

Ha! He was being sarcastic, but I think that explains just how much my kids enjoy using the program.

If you would like your kids to work through the learning path to strengthen their reading and math skills, you can try a free 30-day trial to Reading Eggs. I must warn you though, your kids might start "hogging the computer," too!

You can connect with Reading Eggs and Blake eLearning Inc on the following social media sites:

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If you'd like to see how other homeschoolers used these programs, you can read more reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Super Teacher Worksheets

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.

Anyone who knows us knows that our educational style is not based on textbooks, but rather literature and hands-on learning. Even though we don't focus on a lot of workbook pages, I love whenever we get a full 1-year membership with unlimited downloads/access to review Super Teacher Worksheets.

Why is that? Because they offer many options that keep my kiddos engaged and interested while covering a variety of topics.

Super Teacher Worksheets is a website devoted to providing teachers with printable educational materials. These aren't just your typical worksheets that are common and monotonous. There are pages that cover specific areas like determining cause and effect, finding adjectives that come after nouns, skip counting dot-to-dots, learning about the digestive system, tracing hexagons, literacy units for many popular books, plotting latitude and longitude, and much more. There are many crossword puzzles, word searches, cipher wheels, flashcards, coloring pages, sequence cards, and other games that support individual topics.

There are also hands-on activities such as a project to measure the heights of different people, a simple machines board game, word family memory games and word spinners, solar system scavenger hunt, and coin flipping to test probability. With over 16,000 printable teaching resources, there is something for everyone.

So many options can seem overwhelming, but the printables are divided into main topics:

• Math
• Reading Comprehension
• Reading & Writing
• Phonics
• Early Literacy
• Grammar
• Spelling Lists
• Chapter Books
• Science
• Social Studies
• Holidays
• Puzzles & Brain Teasers
• Pre-K and Kindergarten

From there, you'll find many subcategories to meet specific needs. Once you choose a subject, the search is narrowed down even further. For instance, if you choose math and then volume, you'll have 5 worksheet options.

There is also a Teacher Helpers section that is full of resources to help keep you organized and provide some fun extras. There are dozens of awards and certificates (from reading 10 books to tying shoes to excelling in music), crafts (like a winter scene diorama and a bunny with movable arms and legs), electives (such as learning the parts of a computer and labeling musical notes), and anti-bullying resources (including stories, poems, and worksheets). There are also aids for sticker charts, lesson planners, word walls, lined paper, calendars, birthday decorations, and tons of templates.

Along with those aids, there is an entire section dedicated to worksheet generators. If you can't find exactly what you need already on the site, you have the option to easily create one with your own information. You can make bingo, flashcards, crossword puzzles, word searches, multiple choice, matching, short answer, and more.
I used the generator to make a cryptogram puzzle. I chose a Dr. Seuss quote and typed it in. Then I was able to personalize it by deciding on a difficulty level and key type (using numbers, letters, or symbols.) Then I printed. That's it! So fast and simple. I appreciate that I could make an easy option for a fun activity for my 8-year-old and then a more difficult version to work on critical thinking and common letter/word combinations with my 12-year-old. They enjoyed it so much that they asked for more puzzles like this.

Super Teacher Worksheets has been the perfect addition to our summer learning. We are year-round homeschoolers with a relaxed schedule in the warmer months. I like that not only do my kids enjoy the worksheets, but actually ask to complete them.

Our favorite section is Puzzles & Brain Teasers. We've worked through all the What Am I? challenges, traveled through Word Maze puzzles, guessed Hink Pinks, solved Thinking Riddles, deciphered Rebus Puzzles, became Number Detectives, and used our brains in other ways. The kids also really enjoyed plotting coordinates to graph pictures and solving math equations to find hidden objects. There are so many options for worksheets that feel like fun instead of work. The kiddos don't even realize they're doing "school!"

If you're looking for resources to supplement your curriculum or to add some fun summer exercises, Super Teacher Worksheets might be exactly what you need!

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You can read read more reviews of Super Teacher Worksheets from other homeschoolers on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Creative Problem Solving

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.

One of the reasons we homeschool is that we want our children to be able to think for themselves, to be able to problem-solve to find a solution. That's why we love when we get to review for The Critical Thinking Co.™. We want to develop those critical thinking skills in our children to prepare them for life, not simply teach them facts from a book and how to pass a test. We strive to give our kids the tools necessary to make clear, reasoned judgments by teaching them to identify and evaluate evidence to guide their decision making through life.

The Critical Thinking Co. is "committed to developing students' critical thinking skills for better grades, higher test scores, and success in life." They offer many books and curricula to prepare students, not by teaching through drill and memorization, but instead by teaching in a way that empowers the mind. In the past, we've used a variety of their products from a critical thinking detective book to a phonics program to an analogies software. This time, I was excited to use Creative Problem Solving Level 1 with my little ones.

I often say that my kids got my husband's engineering mind. He is able to see a problem and find a viable solution. At home, at the store, with gadgets, everywhere--he's able not only to recognize an issue but also to figure out how to fix it. The kids naturally have inherited that cleverness, and I want to encourage their ingenuity and allow it to grow.

The Creative Problem Solving book is perfect to bolster that process. It is designed for grades PreK-2 and makes finding solutions fun for little ones. In fact, the first day we used it, one of my boys told me, "Mom, thank you! This is so much fun!"

Unit 1, The Magic Pencil, gives kids 28 challenging situations in which they need to creatively solve a problem. For instance, they need to draw a way to protect a boy from the school bully, stop a bee from stinging a child, help a turtle win a race, save a special tree from being chopped down, and more.

My boys (ages 5, 8, 10) have been working through this unit. I am not exaggerating when I say that it is one of their favorite things! I knew my 8-year-old would love it (after all, he is my child who will sit and doodle all over his pages, drawing elaborate machines that accomplish tasks), but I was pleasantly surprised just how much the other boys like it, as well. In fact, when they are finished with their challenge for the day, they often draw their own scenarios for each other to finish, like helping the mouse get over the wall to get the cheese and helping the astronaut get safely back to his ship. Not only is Creative Problem Solving encouraging them to use their imaginations to solve problems, it's inspiring them to let their creative juices flow in deeper ways, also. In fact, they were having so much fun with these simple exercises, that their 12-year-old artsy sister even joined in on the fun. She puts much thought into her solutions and enjoys adding minute details.

The other units of the book build on The Magic Pencil concept. There are sections creating creatures to survive in specific locations, choosing super powers to help in proposed difficulties, drawing aids to meet the needs of aliens, inventing gadgets, determining the steps to take in an emergency, and more.

I like the Enigma unit which shows various random drawings and asks the child what it might be and then to draw it. There are also mind riddles and puzzles at the back of the book. Many pages have lines for writing why the student chose what he drew and why he thinks it will work.

I appreciate that the pages are open-ended. Sometimes--many times--there is more than one way to solve a problem in life. It is no different in these scenarios. One child drew ropes connecting a broken branch to another branch like a swing so a sloth wouldn't fall and get hurt, another drew a connecting piece like the branch was repaired, and another drew people on the ground holding a giant blanket.  Some of the stories are silly (who honestly needs to worry about a flying shark who shoots teeth with  a tranquilizing potion?), but that only adds to the fun! The more unlikely the situation is, the more creative the child needs to be. 

Here's what my kids think of the book:

"I love it! I love all the pages!"

"I like it! Drawing the pictures is really fun!"

"I think it's pretty cool that you can solve the problem using anything that will work."

"I like that it's creative and every answer is different. I like finding the funniest way to do it."

Creative Problem Solving is designed to be a stand-alone activity book that students can complete on their own. I chose the paperback book because I like physical copies, but there is the option of an eBook, as well. Honestly, that would have been easier than photocopying the pages in the book (the Critical Thinking Co. does allow reproduction within one home), but the perforated pages of the paperback make it easier to remove and send through a printer. Since the kids have already asked for additional copies to rework certain pages, that is probably the better option for me.

Creative Problem Solving Level 1 has been a huge hit with our family. I love that my kids are strengthening their critical thinking skills and having fun while doing it.

Happy kids. Happy Mom. The perfect supplement.

You can connect with The Critical Thinking Co.™ on the following social media sites:

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You can read more reviews of this book or learn about one of the other materials reviewed by my Crewmates on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

PandaParents

I am an advocate of learning through play, especially in the preschool years. Any reviews for that age need to be fun. I like to keep my kiddos not just engaged and learning, but enjoying the process, as well. It's that love of learning that I long to instill in them while they're little.  

We don't do a lot of formal schooling when they're young, however, we've been learning with a new curriculum subscription from PandaParents, specifically for those little ones, called MESSYLEARNING FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTNERS.

Many preschool educational resources focus on single-subject learning and often rely on digital apps and games or television shows. PandaParents designed their curriculum to ensure a better learning experience. Their method minimizes rote memorization and screen-dependent learning, while building fast, neural brain connections. Instead of teaching only one concept before moving on to the next, their lessons are more like unit studies for little ones. Lessons teach letters, words, math, reading, science, behavior, emotions, music, and art, along with additional skills such as matching, sorting, patterns, comparing, coloring, tracing, cutting, gluing, and more. This multi-sensory curriculum can be summed up as follows: 

• M -- Mixed pre-school subjects for integrative learning
• E -- Engaging questions & activities for effective learning
• S -- Simple 1-2-3 steps: Read, Learn, Create
• S -- Smart designs for creative learning
• Y -- Yeah, a new way to promote early brain growth! 

Each month of the curriculum includes 1-2 storybooks, 1-2 story videos, and 1 workbook. So far, we were sent three months of the service: A Jolly Jingling Journey, A Mommy & Baby Story, and Spring Is Here. We started with A Jolly Jingling Journey for no other reason than it was at the top of our download list, and I assumed that meant it was first. Further research would have shown that the lessons can be done in any order. So that totally means that we can do Christmas-based learning in April and May, right? Ha.   

A Jolly Jingling Story comes with 2 storybooks: A Jubilant Surprise and An Epic Journey. Both stories feature a boy name Davy and his dogs. In the first story, the group travels to the North Pole to find Santa. There are a learning aspects along the way, such as pointing out a pattern, finding hidden pictures, and answering questions based on pictures. The story focuses on J words and makes each one begin with a red letter. Jelly, jaguar, jubilant, joyfully, jump, and job are a few that are included. In the second story, Davy and his pets follow tracks to help Santa find his missing reindeer. 

There are also 2 read-to-me videos in this course. The first one shows a juggler who juggles candy canes that look like the letter J. The second video is substantially longer as it is the retelling of the 2 storybooks and includes activities like finding specific letters and counting reindeer.

The workbook is a 40-page book filled with many activities to help build complex brain functions and hone fine motor skills. The children are encouraged to recall the stories as they complete the  pages. Activities include reading, writing, tracing, sequencing, matching, counting, completing patterns, and sorting colors and shapes, along with others. There are also pages that have pictures with dashed lines that can be cut out and glued to be used as "stickers."

I've been using our PandaParents subscription with my 6-year-old and 3-year-old. Currently, everything is digital only, as the company is taking orders for printed materials. Because of that, we're having to read the stories on the computer, as well as watch the videos. The A Jolly Jingling Story PDF workbook is filled with colored pages, so printing each page is not feasible as it would eat through our ink. We're doing the majority of the activity pages on the computer, as well, and printing only a few. Instead of circling objects, my boys point to them on the screen, and instead of drawing lines to make matches, they use their fingers. It loses the fine motor practice, but the other skills are still being taught. The other workbooks we were sent includes many of the same type of activities and incorporate others like matching tails to the animals, simple art projects such as creating a sailboat and making a panda, short educational stories, and more.

The storybooks contain simple, almost primitive artwork. Many of the characters have eyes that are different sizes, giving them an unsettling look. As I much prefer to read physical books that the kids can hold in their hands, flip the pages, and enjoy at any time, these digital ones just do not have that appeal.

The videos include that same artwork and are simple images on a screen. Honestly, the voices themselves are somewhat unpleasant to listen to. In fact, if my older kids are in the room while the younger ones start watching, they will leave so they do not have to hear it. But, they purpose of the curriculum is not to entertain older kids and adults. Its purpose is to educate preschoolers. The real test is how it holds the attention of that age group. And my little ones love it! Seriously, my 3-year-old would sit and watch his "Santa movie" every day if I let him. They have watched all 3 of the videos we have and enjoy them all. 

       
I have mixed feelings about this curriculum. It would be much more user-friendly if it were printed materials, for sure. The fact that they are trying to offer a program that is not screen-dependent, yet we use the computer screen for the majority of it is ironic. There are no set lesson plans involved, as parents are encouraged to use the activities that are best for their families. A rough schedule of 30-60 minutes a day 2-3 days a week is suggested. It's short enough to keep their attention, yet covers enough skills to keep them learning.

I can overlook the visual and auditory aspects of the program that I personally don't care for since my little ones are interested and learning. 

 
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You can see additional opinions of homeschoolers of this program by reading more reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Fun-Time Phonics Review

I am a firm believer in making learning fun, especially in the early years. Many hands-on learning exercises and play-based learning are vital to little ones. I will incorporate some formal education though by following the cues of my children. One way that always grabs their attention is the use of electronic programs. The little ones feel it is a treat to use the computer to do their own school. Programs like Fun-Time Phonics!™ Software - 2-PCs Win Download from The Critical Thinking Co.™ are perfect for these times. It allows the child the privilege of using the computer, while learning in the process.

The Critical Thinking Co.™ has been "committed to developing students' critical thinking skills for better grades, higher test scores, and success in life" since 1958. Their award-winning products help students achieve better results through highly effective lessons that sharpen the mind. They teach reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history in a fun, easy-to-use way. Their methods aren't based on drill and rote memorization, but techniques that empower the mind to get the student to think. Michael Baker, the company's president said, "If we teach children everything we know, their knowledge is limited to ours. If we teach children to think, their knowledge is limitless." One of the reasons we homeschool is that we want our children to be able to think for themselves, to be able to problem solve to find a solution. It is our job to prepare them for life, not just memorize facts. We strive to give our kids the tools necessary to make clear, reasoned judgments. The programs from The Critical Thinking Co. are designed to do the same thing.  

Fun-Time Phonics is a comprehensive reading program based on data from the National Reading Commission. Cute robots teach the lessons, guide the activities, and engage students through listening, thinking, speaking, and reading. The lessons portray that spoken words are comprised of individual sounds, and that those sounds are written with letters, through the emphasis  of sound/spelling patterns, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

The program is divided into 4 sections:

• Section 1 -- This first section teaches that words are made up of sounds and focuses on beginning sounds, ending sounds, vowel sounds, and words that rhyme.
• Section 2 -- This part teaches the short vowel sounds and the letters that make the sounds.
• Section 3 -- These activities get the student to understand that different sounds are made based on the consonants and short vowel sounds that are used.
• Section 4 --  This final area combines all the skills that have been taught, and the student learns to read his first words.

My 4-year-old has been the one using this program. He and I sit together at the computer and do the lessons together. The program explains the lessons in a fashion that a student could work on it on his own, but since my guy is at the very beginning stages, I prefer to be there with him for further explanation and encouragement. Each lesson starts with brief instructions and then many examples. For instance, the first lesson teaches the letter T and its sound. Then, there are 15 opportunities to choose the /t/ sound out of 3 choices. One of the robots articulately pronounces each picture word so the student can hear them. After the child clicks his choice, there is either positive reinforcement through clapping and cheering or simply a reply letting him know he picked an incorrect option.

The lessons are simple and short. The format is repetitive, and therefore, my little guy loses interest after a bit. I wish there were some different activities in the lessons. Also, when he gets an incorrect answer, it doesn't tell him which one was correct. It just tells him that he was wrong. I would like to see it do both. For example, the program says, "Pup does not rhyme with hop," and that's all. I wish it would say something like, "Pup does not rhyme with hop. Drop. Hop. Drop rhymes with hop."

It's really easy to move around through the program to find which lessons your child needs to practice. You just log into the admin section and choose the lesson. Otherwise, it will start you at the beginning and proceed through them on its own. You can also see your child's progress on each section and add more users.

All in all, I think the program is fine and a good job of teaching the aspects of reading. It's just not my favorite option. I really wish there was more variety. We'll still continue to use Fun-Time Phonics!™ Software - 2-PCs Win Download as a supplemental program at times, but I will not require it as part of our weekly schedule.

     

You can connect with The Critical Thinking Co.™ on the following social media sites:

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The Crew was able to review many different products offered by The Critical Thinking Co.™. If you'd like to read more reviews of this program, other components of the Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic Before Kindergarten!™ program, or reviews of some physical books, please visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Alpha Omega Publications Review

Back before we started homeschooling and I began spending my days teaching my little ones, I was paid to spend my days teaching other people's little ones. And big ones, for that matter. I've taught professionally at both the early elementary and high school levels. I enjoyed them both, but my heart was always with the little ones. First graders think learning is fun, school is exciting, and work is enjoyable. Teenagers aren't quite as enthusiastic about writing essays and diagramming sentences. While I'm sure I'll enjoy teaching my children once they hit those teen years, I'm glad we're still in the color-the-pictures and sing-songs stage. Three is such a fun age. Everything is new and exciting. My 3-year-old is curious and loves to learn. The past few months I've realized that I needed specific activities for him for schooltime. He wants to be a big kid, too. I was thrilled to be offered the  Horizons Preschool for Three's Curriculum Set  from Alpha Omega Publications.

Alpha Omega Publications is a company that is focused on homeschooling. Whether you're looking for curriculum, exploring methods or styles, needing help, or searching for support, you can find it here. Along with many options of curricula, they offer tips, placements tests, encouragement, and information to assist you on your homeschooling journey.

The sell materials to fit every homeschooling style. Horizons is a teach-led option for K-12 grades. It combines brightly illustrated workbooks with hands-on learning activities for a spiral learning method. Students learn by introduction, review, and reinforcement.

The Preschool for Three's Curriculum is designed meet the educational needs of your 3-year-old. The 40-week course strengthens cognitive development, pre-reading skills, numeracy skills, language acquisition, and school readiness. The set includes a student workbook, a student workbook companion, a Bible story reader, and a teacher's guide.

The student workbook is filled with consumable worksheets that are perfect for a little one. Skills addressed include coloring, matching, dot-to-dot, counting, tracing, grouping, color recognition, one-to-one correspondence, and more. The pages include rich, bold colors and various types of illustrations including real photograph, realistic drawings, and cartoonish pictures. There are 4 worksheets for each lesson.

The student workbook companion assists the workbook. The pages are a slightly heavier stock and also consumable. There is one worksheet for each lesson. The activities focus on more of a hands-on approach and include skills like lacing, gluing, positioning, arranging, memory, sorting, and more. The majority of the pages require the parent to cut out portions before the student can complete it.

The Bible story reader is a small book that has a story to accompany the lessons each week. The left side of the page is a full-page picture and the right side includes the story, Bible reference, thought questions, and a prayer. The stories are short, only a small paragraph, which is perfect for a wiggly 3-year-old. The questions help you expand on the story and help the student to better understand. The story is reinforced throughout the week using the workbooks.

The teacher's guide is a big help to the teacher. Each lesson lists the supplies needed, Bible references, the Bible concept, help with the lesson, memory verse, detailed descriptions of each worksheet, and multiple learning activities. The activities for the week might include language arts, phonics, math, science, social studies, writing, health & safety, music, physical education, outside activity, creative cooking, arts & crafts, and more.   

As soon as we opened the box set, my little guy ran off to admire his new books. He carried them around with him for days and showed anyone he saw. He was so excited to have his own schoolbooks. Once we started the curriculum, the excitement continued. While I'm not a big encourager of formal work for little ones, my little guy is loving the workbook portion of the set. He would happily sit and complete page after page after page until the book was done, if I let him. Many days, we complete multiple worksheets at once. I don't want to discourage his love of learning or excitement for school just because the guide suggests one page a day. I want to focus on that passion and grow it.
 
Most pages include at least a little coloring. That is the only thing that he doesn't care for. Sometimes he just scribbles a few lines and other times he asks me to color with him. We're enjoying the hands-on activities so much that even the other kids want to be included and join in on the fun.

I appreciate the Bible story reader and all that it has to offer. I think it's cute when I'm reading and he says, "Hey, that's just like at church!" The Truth is being reinforced at both home and church.

We have fallen in love with this curriculum set and now have a new favorite product. He's already flipped through the books and is excited about future lessons. This is one that we will continue to use, for sure.

You can connect with Alpha Omega Publications on the following social media sites:

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If you'd like to see how other homeschool families used this curriculum set or learn about some of the other products, please read more reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

WordsBright Review

My 3-year-old loves letters. He points them out everywhere, like the obvious places: signs, shirts, books, mail, boxes, anywhere there is written word. But what has amazed me for many months is how he can recognize specific letters in random objects: the way a spaghetti noodle is lying on a plate or the shape of a clothespin both closed (A) and open (H) or how the blocks are lying on the floor or paint splatters during a project. He is drawn to the alphabet. I knew he would be excited to read a new book all about letters from WordsBright. 

S is for Smiling Sunrise was written by Vick Wadhwa for his daughter and is intended to be the first of many early learning and educational books. Like the tagline states, this is "an alphabet book of goodness, beauty, and wonder." Each letter is depicted with words that aren't the typical ABC book choices:

A is for Artwork
E is for Evening
K is for Kaleidoscope
T is for Tasty
V is for Virtues    

The words are followed by a cute little poem and picture.

C is for Colors
Speaking words of light
Red and blue, green and yellow
Pink and black and white!

My kids are always excited to get new books. When this one came in the mail, they all huddled on the couch to admire it. My oldest immediately offered to read it to the younger ones. Just as I anticipated, my 3-year-old enjoyed it the most. Each time the page would turn, he'd shout out the letter. "A! B! C!" Then he'd eagerly listen as the poems were read.

We've read the book together many times now, but my favorite is catching my little one reading it on his own. He flips through the pages and says what the letters and words are. I appreciate that the book uses more advanced words like brilliant, zesty, and fragrant. I believe it's important to read some things that are above a child's level in order to expose them to richer vocabulary and learning. The cutesy pictures paired with the word usage is a good combination.

There is also an MP3 that accompanies the book. It is the book itself set to music. Your child can listen and follow along as the song plays. Also included are teaching guides for both pre-K and K-3rd grade. They are filled with age-appropriate ideas for using the book for further learning.

If you're looking for a new, cute book to teach your little ones his ABCs, try S is for Smiling Sunrise.

Would you like to see how other homeschoolers used this book? You can read more reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

La La Logic

La La Logic -- the name just sounds fun, right? That's what I thought when we first had the opportunity to review the program. But then, when I started looking at it in more detail, I realized that it was more than just a cute name. I found that the Preschool Curriculum would be a good way to fill a need in our homeschool.

When we do school each day, my older kids (ages 9, 7, 5) are busy with their learning while the baby naps through much of it. That leaves Tyler, my energetic, bouncing-off-the-walls, always-into-something 3-year-old. While I do work on educational stuff with him, it's more play-based than structured. Meaning, once I get distracted with helping the others understand difficult concepts, he's left to throw rice from the sensory bin across the house. Or scatter foam letters throughout the house. Or dump every puzzle in the house. You get the idea. I knew it was time to focus on a more structured period of learning each day.

The curriculum is broken down into 100 weeks of learning with options of schooling either 4 or 5 days. There are both online and printable exercises, which makes a good variety of activities. The skill level gradually increases as you progress through the program.

The activities are broken into 3 categories.

• Brain Challenge -- This is the online portion. These short games, that strengthen cognitive skills, help the child process information skillfully and and make connections to other material more easily. There are 5 games each week.
• Worksheets -- These printable pages are more than just an assignment involving writing on a piece of paper. They cover a variety of skills: problem solving, critical thinking, and fine motor, to name a few. 
• Extension Activities (Enrichment) -- This is the hands-on part of the program and where that play-based learning that young children relate to so well comes into effect. It incorporates short stories and poems, science experiments, physical activities, word exercises, and more into fun learning games.

La La Logic will take roughly 10-20 minutes a day.

Monday

• Brain Challenge (with assistance)
• Extra Practice (optional)

Tuesday

• Enrichment Set

Wednesday

• Brain Challenge (independently)
• Wroksheet

Thursday

• Enrichment Set

Friday

• Brain Challenge (optional)
• Family Fun (fill in)

So, what did Tyler (3) think of his new school work? Well, he completed the Brain Challenge 5 times the first day! And then went on to the extra practice section, where he could choose his own exercises from the challenges. His smiles and excitement got the attention of his siblings, and soon all the kids were gathered around the computer. Since this curriculum is good for ages 3-6, I wanted to use it with Zac (5) too. The two of them actually choose to do the Brain Challenges 5 days a week and beg to be the first one to do it each day. Tyler tells me, "I have 'chool work too!" He loves being involved with the big kids. He can't quite maneuver the mouse yet and the touchscreen monitor doesn't work very well for the drag and drop portions, so he prefers to use the iPad, whereas Zac chooses the laptop. Even Alyssa (7) asks to join in on  most days.

We've been having a lot of fun with the Enrichment parts, too. We've done things like remembering the order of objects while someone else rearranged them, tosses a ball as we counted, discussed short stories, and more. The kids ask all the time, "What are we doing today?" Six weeks into the curriculum and they are definitely not bored with it.

Tyler's favorite part is the Brain Challenge, Alyssa's is the enrichment, and Zac's is all of it. To say that we are enjoying this program is an understatement.

We will be using La La Logic for a very long time. 

If my review doesn't convince you that this is a fun, engaging curriculum, perfect for little learners, then maybe this smile will.

If you like to see how other families used this program, you can read more reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.