Reading Kingdom

Reading Kingdom is a new reading and writing system developed by Dr. Marion Blank, a world renowned expert on literacy and the Director of the Light on Learning Institute at Columbia University. It uses a 6 skill model of reading instruction and incorporates elements of phonics and whole language while teaching additional skills required for reading and writing success without requiring kids to learn any complicated rules.

This is not your typical reading "game". It is completely educational, but feels like a game. There is no "arcade" so I feel confident in allowing my child to "play" on Reading Kingdom without feeling like she is wasting time. My 6 (almost 7 year old) Jenna has been using Reading Kingdom each day.  The lessons are short enough that she doesn't feel overwhelmed, but long enough that she is really learning.   I like how Reading Kingdom teaching sequencing, motor skills, sounds (phonics), meaning, grammar and comprehension.

A comparison chart showing Reading Kingdom versus the Phonics
 and Whole Language approaches to reading.

Here are a few screenshots with descriptions of the activities.

Early on the child has to match the word by only clicking on the letters in the word.

The child must click on the word that they hear.
They must read the whole word and not just guess based on the first 2 letters.

The student clicks on the box that could have the word spoken. In this example she had to click on the word that could be "eat".

In this exercise, the student must click on the word (in the box on the bottom)
and then type in the missing letters to make that word.

In this exercise, she had to type in the words as she heard them.  The first word must be capitalized.
The green bars are for a space or punctuation. If the child takes too long finding a letter a keyboard will pop up on the screen and highlight the key that needs to be typed next.

This is the screen at the end of a lesson.  The student can click on the red door and be done for the day, click on the green arrow to do another lesson or click on the pink arrow to go to review activities for previous lessons.

This is the main screen for the review.  The student can pick up to 3 words to review.  

You can see many more sample lessons with details on each.

At any time, I can log into Jenna's account and see exactly where she is and how she is doing.

To get started all you need is a computer and an internet connection. Then just sign up for a free trial, add a reader account (or more than one) and the Reading Kingdom program will take care of the rest. The program will briefly evaluate your child's skills and start him or her off at exactly the right level.

The length of time a child will need to complete the program varies depending on his or her skills. To complete the entire set of components takes about 12-15 months, assuming a child starts at the first level and completes four to five sessions a week. Many children, who already have some reading skills, can often complete the program in as few as 3-6 months. Children can also move through the program more quickly by doing more than 4 sessions per week.

You also need computer with a mouse, an internet connection, a web browser and free Flash player.  An adult is needed to supervise a child logging on and getting started in the beginning.  After the initial proces,s children can work on their own (adults are not supposed to help in any way.)

Children should be at least 4 years old, be able to sit quietly and pay attention for 15 minutes, and they should be able to use a mouse.

Visit the website for more details.  If you have an iPad you can find instructions for using Reading Kingdom on it. It does require that you purchase an app from another company so be sure to check that out if it's something that interests you.

I really like Reading Kingdom.  I can see how Jenna is progressing with her reading.  I also like how the writing skills are also incorporated.  Although Jenna is in level one she is learning to put a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and a period at the end.

Parents can change the amount of response time the child is allowed.  This is very helpful for children that aren't that fast on the keyboard or just need some extra time to respond. Included is a section for teaching the keyboard as well.  We did not use that.  One other thing to note is that the child (or parent) can opt to have a keyboard on the screen to click or use the physical keyboard.  I think this is a nice option.

The only thing that would prevent me from purchasing this in the future is the price.  It seems to be the going rate for online programs like this, but it's still a bit steep for me.


See what others are saying about Reading Kingdom on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

When you sign up for the Reading Kingdom, you receive a free 30 day trial . After that, subscriptions to Reading Kingdom are $19.99/month (with no monthly minimum), or $199.99 per year (20% off). Additional children in your account get 50% off ($9.99/month or $99.99/year). Subscriptions maybe be canceled at any time.

Reading Kingdom also sells books that go along with the lessons and other companion products.  I am considering buying the first book to see what they are like.



disclaimer: I received a one year subscription for one child to Reading Kingdom in exchange for an honest review

Everyday Family Chore System

Everyday Family Chore System is a household management system written by Vicki Bentley, a mom of 8.  I used to have a better handle on assigning chores to the children but somehow once baby number 10 rolled around we got stuck in a rut.  It was easier for me to just have the older kids do what they knew how to do and just try to get the rest of everything done myself. I was very excited to get this book to try to get things back on track! (The "baby" is almost 3!)

Includes the tried-and-true how-to-do-it cards now used successfully in many households, ideas for using the cards as a stand-alone system or to enhance virtually any other system you may currently use, plus tips on how to organize your household to maximize success.

This book is divided into 3 sections as seen here:

The first section focuses on the godly training of your children and teaching them to serve.  I have read MANY parenting books over the years.  I didn't find anything new here, but this section focuses on first time obedience, serving one another and tying strings to your children's hearts.  Including the introduction, this section is 7 pages long.  I'd say it's just about the right length, covers the basics and moves right into the heart of the book.

Part two is implementing the plan.  My favorite part of this book is a life skills checklist found in this section.  This is a 2 page list that divides chores (and other skills) by age.  She includes an age that a child can begin learning a skill followed by an age that they should have the skill mastered.  For instance, at age six she suggests a child can begin learning to unload the dishwasher and put dishes away.  This should be mastered by age 12.  I took this life skills list and adapted it to my family and put it into a spread sheet where I can easily see what each child still needs to work on.  This has helped me to see areas of training that I just haven't kept up with with the younger children.  The list includes things other than household chores like learning your phone number and address for younger children to auto upkeep for older ones.

This is from the list for age 7 

This is a clip of the spread sheet I made from the list.

This section also includes her ideas for implementing the chore system.  This involves rotating chores on a regular basis which has not worked for us in the past.  I prefer to have chores done by those that are competent in them so that I don't have to worry about the work being done.  I guess the flaw in that is that the younger children haven't been trained. I am using the life skills list to train the younger children to do the jobs they are capable of learning.

In addition, this section covers ways to schedule in jobs that don't need to be done as frequently (think spring cleaning).  There are 6 different suggestions for how to assign chores to your children. I originally tried printing out the chores that come with the book and attaching them to clothespins.  (Details of how to use these are found in the book.) However, my perfectionism took over and I just couldn't make it look nice like I wanted to. Some of the chores I needed were not listed so I would have had to try to make my own the font and try to match the font.  I do have the clothespin chores on hand but I came up with my own system which I am very excited about and never would have thought of or been motivated to try if it hadn't been for this book.

There are tips for getting your kids ready for the day in the morning, ideas for how to make it easy to succeed, a sample daily schedule and a sample list of things that need to be done before school (grooming, chores, devotions etc.).  There are other ideas for teaching your kids what a tidy room is, zone charts (I already have zone lists from my fly lady days and I'm so happy to getting these back out...another thing that got shelved when Sadie was born.), and some ideas for rewards and a discussion of allowances (we don't do allowances here).  

The third section of the book contains the actual chore system printables which is where the pdf version of the book comes in handy. As I've mentioned this includes a section of chores you can print out.  They look like this:

There is a page of blank ones that you can use too.  You can't type into them. This is where my perfectionism kicks in...my handwriting would not be good enough for this!  Also, I am picky about the words I use.  "Cut the grass" is one of the chores, but we say, "Mow the lawn" and rather than "Tidy your room" I say, "Clean your room."  I guess for most people this probably wouldn't be an issue.  For me, it is.  

The next part of this section includes the How to Do It Cards.  I've clipped a sample here:

I love the idea of these, but mostly they do not apply to our household.  For instance we have carpet in our dining room so we don't sweep as part of cleaning up.  We have to vacuum.  Most of the cards have an instruction on it that would differ from how we would do it.  (Do you feel a perfectionism comment coming on??)  While I am not using these cards as is, I am making my own to use once the kids are done with their training so they don't "forget" what I have taught them to do. I expect it to take me a good chunk of time to get them done.  In the meantime, the cards make a fantastic jumping off point for me to make my own without starting from scratch.  

I have taken these ideas and tweaked them for my own use.  I am building my own set of chore cards and how to do it cards as I work on training the younger children to do new jobs that they haven't done before.  My 15 year old has been doing laundry for our entire family for 2 years or so (and ready for a break).  I've begun training my 9 year old (who is perfectly capable of doing this herself amazingly enough) to sort, wash and dry the clothes and the 9 and 7 year olds have been folding the laundry and delivering it to the owners. This is just one example of how the younger children are being trained to "take over" for the ones that are currently doing the work.  

I think this book has caused me to raise my expectations for what the younger kids can do.  I had forgotten how much more I expected of the older children when they were young because they can just do those jobs now.  It was just the thing I needed to develop my own chore plan based on Mrs. Bentley's book. 

This book would benefit anyone that needs a little (or a lot of) help getting started with a chore system in their family OR for someone like me that needed to "re-boot" one. Use it as is or tweak it like I am.

For some reason, the whole last section of the book has a blank page in between every printed page so when I printed it (I really have trouble reading pdf's on the computer) I had a bunch of blank pages with just a page number on it.  I haven't figured out the reason for this. Update: The author has left me a comment which I am copying here that explains the reason for the blank page. " The pages in section 3 are one-sided because folks printing double-sided need to be able to cut the cards out, so the backs are blank. (Many e-book readers don't print the whole book, but just print section 3 out onto card stock, so I'll take your comment into consideration for adjustment!) Also makes it simpler to photocopy."

You can preview sample pages (click on preview when you get to the page).  Visit the Everyday Homemaking website for this book and others. Also, you might enjoy visiting the Everyday Homemaking website.

Everyday Family Chore System is available in paperback for $19.99 or as an immediate download for $17.00.  A companion audio CD is also available for $6.

See what others are saying about Everyday Family Chore System and Everyday Cooking on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.  This was my first review for the Molly Crew which is a division of the Schoolhouse Review Crew. We will be reviewing items to be used in the home and with our families.

disclaimer: I was given a free pdf copy of Everyday Family Chore System in exchange for an honest review.

Stick with it Saturday

I know it's Monday.  I forgot to post for Stick with it Saturday on Saturday. I passed the 80 lbs lost mark this week.  I'm actually down 82 lbs.  I don't expect any new loss in the next week or so since I've had some big losses recently.  I am thrilled to have lost that much and can't wait to lose even more.

Today I finished the second week of the Jeff Galloway 10K app.  I really love it.  I ran 4 miles this morning in just under an hour. I know that isn't fast, but a lot of the run home is uphill and I'm not running a race anyway. (Still considering entering a 5K at the end of the month though)

 Last week I was stressed about going out for Chinese food.  I ended up getting beef and broccoli.  I was up about 1/2 lb the next day but it was off the day after that so I worried for nothing (story of my life).

The plan for this week is just to stay on track with my program. I also plan to run every other day (weather permitting) and get a minimum of 10,000 steps on my pedometer every day...except Sunday, I don't always have time on Sunday and sometimes I just take a nap in the afternoon.  We go to church all morning and back again for an evening service so there just isn't a lot of time for walking on Sundays.  I did manage to get 10,000 in yesterday though.

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.

Ten Girls from History

Ten Girls From History by Kate Dickinson Sweetser (edited by Amy Puetz) is a 238 page book that tells the stories of 10 of the bravest girls in history.  It is written for ages 10 and up.

These forgotten heroines will encourage girls of today!Prepare to befriend ten of the bravest girls of history! Whether facing a band of Indians with Madeleine; or saving lives at sea with Ida Lewis; or experiencing the battlefields of the Civil War with Clara Barton, you will be inspired by their faith, courage, and devotion.Girls of all ages will enjoy meeting these ten remarkable girls from the past, and parents will appreciate the godly examples found in these pages. Both inspirational and entertaining, this book will bring history alive for your family.

Each chapter dramatizes the life and accomplishments of these ten girls:

Louisa May Alcott: Author of Little Women
Clara Barton: The Angel of the Battlefield
Molly Pitcher: The Brave Gunner of the Battle of Monmouth
Cofachiqui: An Indian Princess
Madeleine De Vercheres: The Heroine of Castle Dangerous
Dorothy Quincy: A Girl of the American Revolution
Ida Lewis: The Heroine of Lime Rock Lighthouse
Elizabeth Van Lew: The Girl who Risked all for the Union
Virginia Reed: Midnight Heroine of the Plains
Clara Morris: The Girl who Won Fame as an Actress


I've been reading this aloud as a "bedtime" story and we're enjoying this book thoroughly.  Though recommended for ages 10 and up, I am reading this to some of the younger children as well. I wouldn't expect anyone younger than 10 to read this on their own though and it might not hold their attention for long.

This book fits in nicely with what we've been doing.  We recently went to Boston, so the story of Dorothy Quincy came alive when we can picture where these things happened.  Ida Lewis is from our state so we enjoyed reading about her.  We've also enjoyed reading about women we've never heard of such as Cofachiqui and Madeleine De Vercheres.  Right now we are in the middle of reading Clara Barton.  I didn't know that much about her and I find her fascinating (and extremely brave!)

The stories are fairly lengthy so it takes us several sittings to get through a story. (If I was just reading them to myself it wouldn't be as long so keep this in mind for older students.)  I think they are a nice length to learn enough about the person so that you really start to get to know them without reading a long biography.

You can Table of Contents and a Sample Chapter and I highly recommend you do. I think you will enjoy this book.  I have the Kindle version which I just love!

Amy Puetz

Ten Girls from History is available as a download for $15.00(available for Kindle, Nook or pdf for viewing on the computer), a hard copy is $25.00 and it is also available as an mp3 audio book for $25.00

She is currently having a Back to School Sale until September 1st.  The entire store is 20% off.  This would be a great time to get any of the titles being reviewed or others.

Visit the STORE AT Amy Puetz.com for all kinds of audio books, books for boys, historical cooking, historical costumes and more! More information about Amy Puetz (pronounced Pitts) can be found here.

See what others are saying about Ten Girls from History and 3 other e-books from Amy Puetz on The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog. The other titles being reviewed are Heroines of the Past Bible Study, Costumes with Character and Uncovering Exciting History.



disclaimer: I received a free e-book copy of Ten Girls from History in exchange for an honest review.

Stick with it Saturday

 It's Stick with it Saturday again.  I finally saw a good loss on the scale at Weight Watchers this week and I'm down a total of 78.8 lbs.  I am so close to 80 now I can taste it.  I just keep continuing on the program and slowly, but surely the weight keeps coming off.  I'm still considering dropping out and just doing it on my own, but I'm not sure.

Last week, I couldn't decide if I should continue running with my Jeff Galloway 5K app set to "improve your time" since I finished the entire training program OR switch to the Jeff Galloway 10Kor Half Marathon app.  At first, I thought I'd just try to improve my 5K time but it involves using a track for speed drills etc. and with school starting up and lots of fall sports it will not be easy to find a time that the track will even be available.  So, I ended up purchasing Jeff Galloway's 10K app.  I've done the first two training runs with it.  I am happy that I found these apps because I really love running with them.

The plan for this week is just to stay on track with my program.  I do have to go to a dinner at a Chinese restaurant this week.  I haven't figured out what I'll order to stay on track. I also plan to run every other day (weather permitting) and get a minimum of 10,000 steps on my pedometer every day...except Sunday.  I don't worry if I don't get all of my steps in on Sunday though I do try.

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.

Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers

Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers by Douglas Bond tells the story of two teens who, while on vacation in England are befriended by an elderly English gentleman called Mr. Pipes.  Through this relationship they learn about famous British hymn writers and the value of traditional worship and praise.  This 242 page book, authored by Douglas Bond and published by Christian Liberty Press is one in a four book series about hymns.

I started out reading this aloud to the family.  The older kids weren't interested and the younger kids kept asking, "How much longer are you going to read?" Unfortunately, neither are a good sign.  However, I decided to press on and read it myself so I could share my thoughts.  Honestly, I originally felt the same way as the kids.  I think because there is a lot of descriptive language used and I just don't care for that and the story is a bit contrived and predictable.  However, the more I read the more I enjoyed it and ended up reading the end of the book to the kids too.  I can't say I've ever done that before.  We'll have to finish the middle at some point.   

Table of Contents My favorite chapters were on John Newton and John Bunyan. I struggled a lot with the pdf version of this book.  I don't like reading off of the computer so I put it on my Kindle (regular keyboard kind) and had a hard time with the size of the font.  I did finally figure out that I could get the font a little bigger by turning the text on the Kindle to the sideways view but then you only get half a page so the illustrations are chopped in half and I have to hit the turn the page button twice as often.  This would probably work great for someone with an iPad or Kindle Fire where it is easier to read pdf's.  (Or for a younger person that isn't on the verge of needing bifocals!) So, if this sounds like something your family might enjoy, you might want to consider a physical copy. I love the pencil illustrations in the book.  They look great on the Kindle too.  I do like how the gospel is woven into the story as well.  The biographies of the hymn writers are woven into the story.  As the kids go on various adventures, Mr. Pipes tells them the stories of the hymn writers .  You can view a sample for yourself to see if it's something you might enjoy.  I think this book is a different way to learn about hymns and those that wrote them. One of the things I love about this book is that at the end of each chapter several hymns written by the featured writer, complete with music are included.  Since I have the pdf version these would be easy to print and sing with the family. hymn sample Download the pdf version of Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers for $8.79 or order a hard copy for $9.89. The other titles in this series include: Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation , Mr. Pipes Comes to America, and The Accidental Voyage:Discovering Hymns of the Early Centuries. A complete set is also available. Christian Liberty Press has been publishing homeschool materials for over 25 years.  They publish a full range of curriculum.  Check them out if you haven't already.  We've used many of their books over the years. See what others are saying about Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers on The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew blog. disclaimer: I received a free pdf copy of Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers in exchange for an honest review.

30% Off Coupon Ending Soon

I recently reviewed Hear Builder Following Directions by Super Duper Publications.  They offered a 30 % off coupon for 3 products and they expire in just a few days so I thought I'd bring it to your attention.  This is a significant discount for these products.  You can read all of the reviews here (mine is linked above).


Jeepers Peepers

http://www.superduperinc.com/products/view.aspx?pid=JP350&stid=

Coupon Code: BLGJP30

Save 30% Expires 8/31/12



HearBuilder Following Directions Home Edition

http://www.superduperinc.com/products/view.aspx?pid=HBHE122

Coupon Code: BLGFD30

Save 30% Expires 8/31/12



HearBuilder Auditory Memory Home Edition

http://www.superduperinc.com/products/view.aspx?pid=HBHE366

Coupon Code: BLGAM30

Save 30% Expires 8/31/12