Time4Learning

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

Update
I had a few problems with their website and sent a few emails and none of them were ever answered.  So since it was not taken care of I will not be posting a review.

Reading Horizons Discovery Program Review

What is Reading Horizons Discovery at Home Reading Program?

Utilizing a multisensory, Orton-Gillingham approach, this scientifically based reading program incorporates the tried and true teaching methods of teaching the 42 sounds of the alphabet, the Five Phonetic Skills and Two Decoding Skills. These three combine to dramatically increase one's ability to read English.   

The 42 Sounds of the Alphabet

The alphabet is introduced in letter sets consisting of four consonants and one vowel each. Each letter is introduced and individuals learn the name, sound and formation simultaneously. Immediate application of each letter set solidifies understanding and builds self-esteem.

Five Phonetic Skills

The five phonetic skills allow students to identify the five common patterns of English words and "prove" the vowel sound in a word. Proving words using the five phonetic skills is an indispensable tool used to decode, pronounce, and spell new words.

Decoding Skills # 1 and # 2

A skillful reader's ability to read long words fluently depends on his or her ability to break words into syllables. The Two Decoding Skills allow students to break words of any length into syllables so they can apply the Five Phonetic Skills to determine the words pronunciation.

These skills are gradually internalized and become automatic, resulting in greater reading speed and fluency. The skills and confidence gained form Reading Horizons are some of the most valuable gifts you can give!

What does the program look like?

The kit appears a bit overwhelming at first. However, don't let that scare you away.  Once you begin reading the teachers manuals it is all spelled out for you and soon becomes easy to follow.  If you are unfamiliar with multi-sensory or Orton-Gillingham methods of teaching reading then take some time to read through the first manual before beginning.  It is also important to sign up at Reading Horizons Accelerate website for videos on teaching the lessons along with more instruction and insight.  The videos will give you the confidence to teach this program.  One of the biggest concerns from homeschoolers is the ability to teach a course effectively so they keep their child on the right track.  Reading Horizons is not just a program you buy and struggle through.  It is a program that strives to ensure every teacher has the tools and understanding to teach the program successfully. 

What I Think About the Discovery Program

First, I will give you a little history about my daughter.  We knew in kindergarten, when she went to public school in Texas, that reading was not going to be "easy" for her.  She had a very hard time retaining her letter names, not the sounds though, and was nowhere ready to read at the end of the school year.  Then we moved to Canada and the grade level system was different, so they made her skip 1st grade and go into 2nd grade.   I knew that would be a terrible idea and expressed it to them on numerous occasions but policies are policies.  So by the end of the year, and really no help from the school, she was still at a kindergarten reading level and would be going into 3rd grade the next fall.  At that point, I decided to homeschool her and figure out what was going on with her.  She was diagnosed with Dyslexia in December of last year and I started researching "Dyslexic friendly" reading curriculums.  I read every review and article I could find.  I knew the Barton program had a great reputation but I also knew that there was no way it would keep her attention.  I knew it would be such a huge struggle everyday to get her to do the program.  I struggled just listening to the monotone videos.  For the price of the program, I was hoping to find something that would appeal to her, keep her attention, and teach her.  I then came across Reading Horizons new Discovery Program and really liked the concept and how visually appealing it was.  I showed her both programs introduction videos and she immediately said, "No way!" to the Barton one and yes to the Discovery one.  So I called Reading Horizons the next day, they gave me a tour of the program, I told them I was interested in buying it, and that I would like to discuss it on my facebook page, Creative Dyslexic Homeschooling.  They were already aware of my page and asked if I would be interested in doing a review for them if they sent me the program for free.  I accepted and was so excited to start the program.

So we started the program from the beginning in February.  I also have my 6 year old son using it, he has no desire to learn how to read but is very smart when it comes to learning about what he "wants" to learn about.   Right away the online program got both their attention and there were no struggles to get them to do their lessons.  My daughter would do 2-3 lessons a day and my son would do one a day online.  Reading Horizons sent us the Instructors Manuals, many different posters, readers, flashcards, and a bag to hold everything.  The program has six chapter books that take the student from kinder through 3rd grade.  You can also just order the online program or just the instructor's manuals.

My daughter used the program about 30 minutes a day on an average, five days a week, for about four months and just started the 5th chapter.   I am assuming that is approximately like starting the 3rd grade.

So in four months, she has gone from a kinder reading level to an end of 2nd grade reading level.  She is still a VERY slow reader but is now able to decode 2nd-3rd grade words.  Most importantly, she wants to read!  She actually reads for fun!  My son still does not "want" to read but he does his lessons and is at grade level at least.  

The program has many areas for the kids to explore and learn.  It has great games that the kids earn coins from their lessons to use towards them.  There is also a library that has great little books that the kids read as they learn a new decoding skill.  Once they read a book it goes on their book shelf and they can read or listen to it again.  The vocabulary room is also a great place for the kids to practice spelling and learning the different definitions of words.  As the kids complete a chapter they earn trophies for the treasure room.  All of these little extras has really motivated the kids to keep doing their lessons.  

If you are on a tight budget, then I personally recommend getting the online version.  Most of the worksheets are online so you can print them but you have to hunt a little for them.  If you do not want to hunt for them, then order the complete program.  You still have to print but it comes on a c/d so it is a little easier to find.  Keep in mind that the program covers kinder through 3rd grade and you can use the online program for two students so the price of the program is very fair.

Now for the downside of the program.... there really isn't one but my main complaint is that there isn't enough repetition with the online program.  It really isn't a complaint because they give you plenty of tools and ideas to use off line.  Plus, it has great online games that the kids can play to practice what they learn.  Since my daughter has a hard time retaining information, sometimes I would like to have her do a certain lesson a few more times.  However, once they complete a lesson, they still have to pass a test before they move onto the next chapter.  If they do not pass an area then the program goes over it again.  Chapters are almost 1/2 a school year so there is a lot of information in it.  In a perfect world, there would be a mid chapter or end of the chapter review.   The other area that I would change a little would be the game manual.  They give you a manual with game ideas for the different lessons but most of them are for classroom settings so unless you have a HUGE family it is a little tough to use them.  I believe they are putting some home school game ideas together also.  

The company has been very helpful with any questions I have had.  I strongly recommend the program and will continue to use it for as long as my kids need it.  Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

The website also has a great free Teaching Reading Training Online Workshop that I strongly recommend watching.  Click the image below to view it.

Bribery!

Bribery!  Yes Bribery!  A little bribery can go a long way.  I know there are a lot of parents out there that frown upon this but sometimes as a parent you have to play a little dirty.  Sometimes you have to break the rules and just do whatever works for that moment.  So after several weeks of fighting Sunny with her reading section of her curriculum, that has now gotten harder and longer as she has progressed, for the sake of my sanity I had to come up with a different plan.  

I started a surprise bribe box a couple of months ago for both of them.  They would earn a star after each lesson that was done with a good attitude.  They didn't have to pass but they had to try hard and be respectful to their teacher (me) since she was contemplating resigning during every lesson.  So once they earned 10 stars they could go into the bribe box.  It contains unhealthy candy that they don't normally get, awful little toys that I hate to pick up so I never buy, and lots of art supplies that Sunny loves.  

Sunny has always been a "worker" and loves to earn money and stuff so this has worked great for her.  Logo likes the box but it doesn't really motivate him to do his lessons.  However, I did find out what does work for him.  Minecraft!  So our "bribery arrangement" is if he tries hard and has a good attitude then I will sit with him and play Minecraft on the XBox when he is done.  That has worked!  Then every time the game autosaves, we quickly review what the lesson was about or go through his flashcards.

So at this point I felt a little like "SuperMom" now that I finally figured out what motivated my kids.  Then the curriculum had Sara reading a different book a day and they were getting longer, with smaller fonts, and more words.  It got to the point where it took 2 hours of fighting, crying, mean words to each other and thinking that maybe homeschooling wasn't going to work for us just to get through one book.  These are wonderful books from Reading Horizons Discovery Program (see link below), that are designed to only use words that she can decode or sight words that she has been taught.  So she had the "tools" to read them but she had herself so convinced that she couldn't because it was so hard and it looked scary that she wouldn't try.  She is very stubborn.

So yesterday I said, if you read the book on your own out loud with a good attitude you can go straight to the bribe box.  Normally it takes 10 books to get there.  It worked!  She read the book, slow but with a great attitude.  She was so proud of herself.  Since she is dyslexic, reading is so hard and I try to understand it.  But...since she is very bullheaded, it makes it so much worse!  So today she read a new book in 9 minutes instead of 2 hours.  I explained that in the long run her success in reading is more important then anything I can fit into that bribe box.  Now she knows that she can do it and with a positive attitude, anything is possible.  I am SO PROUD OF HER!

I have to say that the Reading Horizon's Discovery Program has really helped them both.  I will be doing a review on their program next week.  I definitely recommend it to anyone that is learning to read or a struggling reader.
<A HREF="http://athome.readinghorizons.com/cmd.asp?Clk=4983088" > new Discovery At-Home program</A>

Our First Field Trip With A Homeschool Group

Now that Logo is in between surgeries, I will explain that in a different post, we finally could go on some homeschool group field trips.  We had a great time.  It is amazing all of the cool things that the kids were able to learn about and experience in 5 hours.  It was also so nice going on a field trip with them without a hundred screaming kids.  There were only 4 kids in our group so they were able to really learn and enjoy all of the different aspects of the tour.  Now I need to plan our next one.

We had no idea how cool it would be!

The kids could create tornados by spinning their hands very fast.

They could create a rainbow going from one hand to the other if they held their hands up.

They could also shoot lightening at each other.

This was an interactive stop-motion experience that took collaborative animation to a gigantic scale!

They created their own short film.

This was a Potato Piano!

Learning about virtual circuits.

A virtual circuit robotic arm.

A 3-D printer!  Our kids will be able to print toys at home for our grandkids!

In the scene!

Exhausted!

Flashcard Fun - Memorizing Most Common Words

The phrase "Here today and gone tomorrow" pretty much describes a dyslexic child's memory in a nut shell.  Well, actually mine also so I guess these nuts didn't fall very far from this tree.  Oh and if you didn't read in my previous posts, I also have two reluctant learners.  So we play a lot of games.  I try to sneak "educational" stuff in them as much as possible.  Kind of like moms that sneak vegetables in cookies.  So here are a few games we have been playing.

Flashcards-
We use A LOT of flashcards.   I print 2 copies of the sight words or most common words on card stock, laminate them, and then cut them up.  I actually just buy a roll of vinyl self adhesive sheet protector at the dollar store and use that.  I like the protector on the flashcards because they can trace them with dry erase markers.  This works especially well for my 5 year old son who HATES to write his letters and is overly critical to himself on his ability to write.  So I let him watch his videos and he traces the letters.  This helps him not focus so much on how he is writing them but is helping his motor skills for writing.  It is also drilling in the spelling of these wonderful words that don't follow all of the phonetic rules.

The reason I print two copies of the words are for the games.  We play Go Fish, Memory, Name That Word, Bingo, and Slap That Word.  I also have some blank cards with smiley faces that I use as "wild" cards.

Go Fish-
Each player has to read the card that they want to ask for and spell it out.  If you have younger players this will help them if they can't read them and it also helps all players to remember how to spell them.  We use the wild cards to pair up at them end of the game with the left over cards.  The kids like to do this.

Memory-
Flip 6 pairs down first and as they progress you can increase the amount of cards as you go.  Memory games are very good for dyslexic kids.  I wish we had play more of them when they were younger.  If they get a wild card they can get extra turns or whatever rule they want to make up.  The important part though is that they read the words each time they flip the cards over.

Name That Word-
Give the child a stack of cards to use as a reference.  Then they tell you, "The word begins with W and ends with T."  You can ask for hints like how many letters, is it a verb, does it have any blends, etc.  When you finally guess it then you say, is it "What" W-H-A-T?  My daughter loves this and it is great on road trips or while I am cooking dinner.  Make sure you spell it back though because they may not be reading it correctly.  So we take turns doing this back and forth.  It helps with reading and spelling them.

Bingo-
Divide the pairs into two piles.  Make a grid of 16 cards for each player with one of the piles.  Then use the other pile of duplicate words and read them out.  If a player has a matching card then put it facedown on the card.  The first player to get a line wins.

Slap That Word-
We put the words on the floor or table and at first I only use a few words.  Then as they get faster I add more words.  I give them a clean fly swat and as I call out the words they swat them as fast as they can. Since I have a younger child that likes to play with his big sister, I say it starts with "W" and ends with "T".  This also helps them both learn to scan words quickly.  Fly swats are great for all kinds of lessons.

So these are a few games that we play.  Please feel free to leave a comment about games that you use or  if you have any questions.  Oh and please ignore my grammar errors.  I get interrupted too many times to get my thoughts out much less grammatically correct.  I am sure most of you know how that is.

What Is Normal?

I find myself asking if this is normal or that is normal all of the time.  Almost like if it is normal then it is ok but is it really ok?  Just because everyone else jumps off a bridge, which makes it "normal," then is it ok?  So this morning my mind really started thinking about this.  What is normal?  

When your two year old is being terrible is it normal and to be accepted?  Or maybe when you teenager come home from a late night of fun (like I did MANY times).  Or your dyslexic child can't remember to feed her pet because she has "normal" memory issues.  I wonder what the pet is thinking about "normal" right now.  Is that normal?  

Maybe we think since everyone else is doing something then it is more acceptable.  A two year old throwing a complete hissy fit at a park is less obvious then at a museum.  

I have been researching as much as possible about Dyslexia, once Sunny was diagnosed, and have had many "Is this normal" questions.   At what point do we say enough normal or not, we need to fix this. Can we fix this?  Am I expecting to change a typical two year old into a mature adult.  Well, that isn't a great example since many adults act like two year olds and my daughter is 8 not 2 but I hope you understand what I mean.   

I think it is easier to put a label on something and then say it is normal and move on.  There really isn't a point to this post other then thinking and typing and wondering, is this normal?

Letter Reversal Game

Sunny has such a hard time with letter reversal.  Her biggest problems are "b", "d", and sometimes "p".  So yesterday we were on a lunch date.  Yes, my daughter and I go on more "dates" then my husband and I do, but that is only because he doesn't need a babysitter when we go out.  She loves it and I do too so back to the purpose of this post.  We always play Tic Tac Toe while we wait and of course my mind is bouncing ideas around the whole time.  Then I had an idea.  Why not play with "b's" and "d's"?  So we had our own crayon color and I choose "d" and Sunny was "b".  That wasn't very hard because we could just look at the color but then Sunny decided to spice things up and said, "Let's make it more interesting and use the same color Mom?"  Since I was sitting across from her I had to write upside down.  I actually had to stop bouncing ideas around and concentrate on Tic Tac Toe!  We had so much fun.  If we wrote our letter the wrong direction then the other person could use it.  It took that silly game to a whole other level.  If you try it, let me know what you think.  Remember, try it with different colors first and then with the same colors.  Happy Playing!