Get Custom-Tailored Reading Lessons Without Mom {A Reading Kingdom Review}

This review, Get Custom-Tailored Reading Lessons Without Mom, was made possible through our review of Reading Kingdom Online by  Reading Kingdom.

• Do you have a child ready to read?
• Have you been working with a developing reader who is having trouble putting all the pieces together to move from decoding simple words to comprehending longer passages?
• Are you seeking a tool to help your 4-10 year old child read and write to a third grade level? 

Then, Reading Kingdom Online might be a good fit for you! 

What is Reading Kingdom?

Reading Kingdom Online is a subscription-based online program that adapts to the skill level of your 4-10 year old child in order to create a custom-tailored online learning environment for him or her to learn to read and write independently through brief, pointed lessons that are recommended to be used four times a week or more.   If your child starts at the very beginning of the program, doing 1-2 lessons per day, 4-5 days a week, the program can take 12-15 months to complete.  However, if your child is a bit further ahead to begin with, your child may master all of the skills the program presents within 3-6 months.

Typically, lessons take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete.  This means you do not have to worry about your child spending too much time in front of a screen.  It also helps with children who need to move and groove, taking advantage of short, focused sit-down lessons between more on-your-feet learning experiences.
 
The program also tracks for children how many times they have used it per week and what they have accomplished:

using a graphic-based key:

Plus, for parents, there are downloadable progress reports.  These reports can be quite helpful because, when the program is used as designed, parents may not be aware of how children are progressing.  

Why?  

Because, besides giving your child some hand-over-hand mouse movement and clicking help, if needed, you are encouraged not to provide your child with any aid when your child uses this program.  For the program adapts to your child's skill level and can only do that effectively with no parent coaching. 

Of course, no coaching does not mean no sitting nearby to observe.  For what parent wants to give a child free reign on an online program without being aware of how the program works and what its content is? 

If you're like me, then, you sit near your child when your child first begins to use the program. Then, if you're even more like me and are a phonics-advocate, you may be surprised to see that words like "girl" and "boy" are presented before words like "at", "cat" and "sat".  Bear with this and trust the program.  Phonics are presented.  They simply are blended with other literacy skills.  Reading Kingdom Online is designed to use more than the typical letter-sound based approach that many strictly phonics-based early reading programs do.  In fact, it  employs a Six Skill Integrated Method patented by Dr. Marion Blank, a world-renowned expert on literacy.  The six traits that the method keys into are:

• sequencing
• motor skills
• sounds
• meaning
• grammar
• comprehension 

Building on these traits, the program can help your child improve reading skills as an independent learner.

How Does the Program Work?

When your child logs onto Reading Kingdom Online for the first time, a Skills Survey comes up.  This assessment determines where in the program your child will be automatically placed.  If your child cannot effectively complete a particular section of the assessment, no further questions are presented for the moment.  Rather, your child moves on to develop skills at the level indicated.  (If, however, you note that your child already has the skills necessary for a section they are automatically placed in, you can override your child's auto-placement, moving your child forward or back as you feel is necessary.)

Once placed at one of the five levels within the program, your child is presented with exercises and games in order to master skills.  These activities include six "books" per level, which means that by the end of the program your child will read 30 books independently!

Of course, between the "books",  plenty of sound, word and, by the nature of the program, typing, practice is offered.  But, not too much.  For, the software is designed to skip over words that your child can already read and write. (Write through keyboarding that is).  Thus, your child avoids drill-and-kill (as long as keyboard- or touch-screen typing are not issues) and accelerates with learning at a custom-designed pace.

Further, despite the fact that "skipping" happens, "holes" are filled.  Tutoring techniques are incorporated into exercises that enable your child to overcome errors and to end each activity with success.  That builds confidence!

Further, at the conclusion of each of the five levels of reading and writing that the program offers, a Progress Check is made.  This helps the program software to ensure that your child's reading achievements are on track.  If they are, your child moves onto the next level.  If not, your child is given a set of review activities to encourage stronger progress.

Finally, along with all the automated, individualized features of the program, Reading Kingdom Online offers your child a sense of being in control of his or her own learning.  At the conclusion of lessons, there is a competent that allows your child choose to do more activities or not.  This feature can motivate your child with a sense of "I know I need to learn to read, and I can determine how much reading practice I am ready for right now."  (More than once, my children chose to continue their practice!)

Obviously, with all these features, Reading Kingdom Online is a comprehensive program that can help your child master reading skills to a third-grade level.  It can do this as a stand-alone reading curriculum or can be used to supplement whatever approach you are already using. 

Since the program works on any device with an internet connection, including Windows, Mac, iPad, Android, Chromebooks, etc., it can be used at home or on-the-go in order to help your child achieve reading success!

Our Experience

I decided to use Reading Kingdom Online with my five and eight-year-olds, who were at similar levels with their decoding skills and not too different with their encoding skills.  As background, my eight-year-old began wanting to learn to read early (we're talking at two or three years old), but, then, kept hitting walls that indicated she was not yet ready to do so.  Her brother, my five-year-old, is progressing with reading at a level typical to same-age peers.

With my wall-hitting my eight-year-old, the program has proven a success.  Granted, she has not made huge leaps and bounds yet with it despite using it four or more times a week, but she is gaining in confidence and showing steady incremental movement forward both in the downloadable reports I get from the program as well as in our continued 1:1 book-and-game-based reading lessons.  Better still, I no longer bear all the brunt for her reading frustrations.  For, yes, I would love to say learning to read is always a pleasant experience for my daughter and me, but, honestly, it is not. 

My daughter will gladly cuddle for read alouds, narrate stories back to me, complete short copywork pieces as asked and even on her own... but decoding and encoding to read an write?  Yikes!  My daughter's frustration with decoding beyond the most basic CVC and CCVC words, and with encoding things that have b's and d's in them, in particular, sometimes results in eruptions that include scowling, stomping, crying, and other manifestations of frustrated sadness or anger. 

In the past, when such expressiveness has occurred, I have tended to change things up... to offer a fun (and much-need!) body break or to make lots of "I can do this" games a part of our lessons. I have also, at times, simply stopped whatever lesson we are on, opting to continue when attitude and displayed readiness improve.  

This worked for years, because it kept things in our home more peaceful and, honestly, the only thing showing my daughters readiness to read before was her age, not her demonstrated skills.  However, now, I know my daughter is ready to progress.  So, stopping as often is not an option for me anymore.  Unfortunately, my daughter sometimes wants it to be.  When she struggles, she wants to stop.  She gets expressive about it, and, her expressiveness, in turn, can set me off.  So, there's just something about the mother-daughter learning experience that does not work at such times.

Enter Reading Kingdom Online: our peaceful reading tutor.  

Computers do not react to outbursts the same way I do.  They simply carry on.  And, I have found, that even though my daughter still gets frustrated when she uses online programs (as the photo below indicates), she moves through her moods with less intensity and duration , thereby pushing past challenging moments in a steadier fashion.  So, she is able to work on reading every day while she and I maintain more peaceful relations.

On days when my daughter is "off" mood-wise, and on days when I am busy or less-than-patient, as well as on days when she just has an extra 10-15 minutes to spend on skill time studies, my daughter turns to Reading Kingdom Online.  That means days of reading practice never get skipped altogether.  Whether using just Reading Kingdom Online, learning with me, or doing both, my daughter is now - mostly peacefully - exercising decoding and encoding skills six days a week.  The practice of these skills, in addition to other skills that she has always enjoyed daily (like read alouds and oral comprehension), have both my daughter and I moving along with her reading mastery with increased motivation, confidence, and ease.

Likewise, my five-year-old is getting more regular reading skills time in, too.  He sits down with Reading Kingdom Online three times a week on average, and spends some 1:1 time with me doing our typical book-and-game-based learning.  Betwixt the two, his skills continue to develop at age-typical levels.  Better still, daily reading lessons rarely get lost in the shuffle of out-of-the-home experiential learning or me being focused on my older two children, work, cooking, housekeeping, or volunteer pursuits.  It's just so easy to sit my five-year-old down for 10-15 minutes with Reading Kingdom Online on my laptop while I attend to other matters that we do not tend to skip reading lessons on any given day anymore. 

Our Opinion and Our Plans Moving Forward

I am glad Reading Kingdom Online came into our household because it has helped us become more peacefully consistent with reading skills practice, and I would recommend the program to others with developing readers, especially those who struggle.

Although my daughter does not always love the program and does, at times, get frustrated while using it, she persists better with it when frustrated than she does with me.  She'll scowl and complain a bit to the computer, but, then, carry on instead of gearing up into a full blown emotional outburst.  Further, when we have been working together 1:1 with our usual reading lessons, I have noticed her confidence and skills getting a little stronger.  Mission accomplished!  I plan to continue to use Reading Kingdom Online with her four times a week or so as long as success continues.

This is what my daughter had to say about the program:

I like the first lessons best.  They were longer, but easier.  The lessons now sometimes make me practice words that I click on wrong for what seems like hours on end even if it is really only minutes.  I don't like that.  Sometimes I know the word but click wrong... But, I like that lessons are easy and short and you can review them.  I also like that you can choose if you can end or review and that you can pause it... I think I'm becoming stronger at reading.

My youngest son typically enjoys times when he is allowed to be online by himself, but, to be honest, does not love Reading Kingdom Online.  When I asked him what he thinks of the program, he said:

I don't like it because of the clicking and all that stuff.  I use it only because you ask me to.

Indeed, my son is compliant about using the program when asked to do so and sometimes even asks to continue on with the program after a single lesson is completed on it, but he never asks to use it without my suggestion. Further, I have not yet noticed a marked difference in his reading confidence or skills since he began using the program when compared with what I witnessed before it was added to our repertoire of leaning options.  I have, however, been pleased that the program has ensured individualized reading instruction for my son even on the days I am not able to sit down for 1:1 reading time with him. Further, I appreciate that just yesterday when I asked my son to use the he hot started right away, began giggling not long afterward, and , then, requested:

Can I use it for another 15 minutes?

It appears that he may report that Reading Kingdom Online is not his favorite thing, but that, once using it, he likes it.  So, now that our review period for the program is ending, I will likely have my youngest son use the program on days when I am unable to offer him a daily reading lesson or on days when he has a bit of extra time during our skill time lessons at home. For, while I know the program recommends at least 4-days of use per week for most notable progress, I do not need it as a tool for progress at this point with my son, only as a tool for our reading lesson consistency.  I relish the fact it offers him a way to maintain or advance his skills without Mom directing a lesson on days when doing so is a challenge for me. 

I truly believe that what works best with reading instruction is whatever is "right" right now for a particular child in a particular family at a particular time.  For one of my children, four times a week with Reading Kingdom Online to practice with works well right now.  For another, less often fits our needs.  If you are looking for a new tool to help your child reach reading success, I'd recommend trying a FREE 30-Day Trial to see what works best for you and your child!

Learn More

• Try before you buy with a FREE 30-Day Trial!

• Find Reading Kingdom on Facebook , Twitter, and Pinterest.

• Read what 80 Schoolhouse Review Crew families thought about Reading Kingdom Online or ASD Reading (Autism Spectrum Disorder Reading).
  I'd love to hear what your developing readers have been finding success with!

8+ Simple Ways to Celebrate St. Francis

Sometimes, I go all out learning about and celebrating saints with my children.  At other times, we go for simplicity.  We did the latter today, incorporating eight simple ways to celebrate St. Francis into our day.

(1) St. Francis Honey-Almond Cakes

St. Francis was said to have loved almond cookies.  So, for breakfast, we enjoyed sliced apples and pears along with a gluten-free adaptation of a recipe I found years ago.

To make our version:

Preheat oven with baking stones in it to 350 degrees F.

Stir 2 egg whites vigorously.

Mix in:

• 1/2 cup of raw local wild  flower honey
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Add:

• 2 cups of almond meal flour or 1 cup of almond meal flour and 1 cup finely chopped almonds

Drop by teaspoonful onto baking stones and bake for about 15-25 minutes.  Start checking at 15 minutes for light browning. 

Catholic Cuisine has other recipes, too.

(Note:  Some of the links which follow are affiliate ones.  Should you click through them to make a purchase, we may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.)
 
(2) St. Francis Prayers

 
This year, we simply read the prayer from the St. Francis page in the Picture Book of Saints.  In past years, we have used a variety of prayers.  The National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi has a useful collection to draw from.

(3) St. Francis Readings

There are so any fabulous picture books and saint book excerpts about Saint Francis that we've read over the years. Included in our St. Francis day readings have been:

• Dragon Slayers: The Essential Training Guide for Young Dragon Fighters
• Loyola Kids Book of Saints
• Brother Sun, Sister Moon 
• Saint Francis of Assisi: A Life of Joy 
• Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi 
• Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi (The Life of a Saint) 
• Saint Francis and the Wolf 
• Brother Wolf of Gubbio: A Saint Francis LegendHandprint Books 
• The Song of Francis

(4) Video Time

We so love our CCC of America collection of kids videos.  A favorite from them, The Knight of Assisi, was our post-breakfast viewing this year.

(5) Church Building - Physical

Ever since we played the Build a Church like St. Francis game that I created for an All Saints Day party several years back, it's become a tradition for us to talk about how St Francis first thought he was to rebuild a physical church, but then realized it was a spiritual church he was called to rebuild. We give the kids blocks, Legos, toothpicks and marshmallows, or whatever and have handy and challenge them to design and build a church structure. Then, we think of ways we can make the spiritual church strong, such as... (Read the next numbered idea.) 

(6) Church Building - Spiritual

This year, the children opted to give to the poor as St. Francis did at the beginning of the the CCC of America video we watched.  They were so eager to place food donations into the food pantry basket at our church's entry that they ran to the door.

(7) Singing

St. Francis wrote canticles.  Cat Chat wrote a catchy tune about St. Francis.  So catchy, in fact, that my kids were singing it as they built with blocks this morning, so we had to dig out our Amazing Angels and Super Saints CD after Mass to listen to Go Francis.  Love that song and the CD it comes from.

(8) Visit St. Francis

These days, we may not be able to visit with St. Francis in person, but we can certainly go to chapels or churches named after him, spend time meditating on his life and works,  pray for his intercession, and, as my kiddoes did, find a statue of him to go say hello to.

Of course, there are many, many other ways to celebrate St. Francis' feast day, too.  Nature walks.  Zoos.  Blessings of the animals.  Works of Mercy.  Adoration.  Mission work.  Arts and crafts.  The list goes on...
 

Praying you had a wonderful St. Francis Feast Day.  I'd love to hear how you celebrate!

Go on an An Art-and-Nature Element of Texture Hike

Time for a flashback!

It appears I never reported here on the fifth hike in our Art-n-Nature series.  That just won't do, so today, let me flashback to November 2013 in order to share with you about our Element of Texture hike.

For our Texture Hike, a fairly large group of us met on a sunny, breezy, fall day in the 50's at an off-the-beaten path preserve called Betty's Neck.

In a field not far from the parking lot, we sat together to share names and to review some basic concepts about Line, Shape, Form, and Color.  We also introduced the concept of Texture.

After our introductory chat, I handed out plastic bags and asked the children to collect objects of different textures as we hiked along trails.  With this, we set out to explore while finding something smooth, something prickly, something  rough, etc. 

The children enjoyed the trails - as well as the "blockades" within them.
 

Once we got to a clearing, my intent for one art project was for the children to use their found items to create an interestingly-textured Andy Goldsworthy-inspired piece, but that never materialized.  For, we ended up coming out of the woods to a reservoir, where it became quickly obvious that the children wanted to explore the water's edge. 

After setting down art supplies and snacks, I went with the moment and did the same, especially enjoying the tagging after my youngest as he explored the new-to-us area.

It was such a lovely place, even if many of the trees around us were already bare.

With water to look at, trees to climb over, and smiles to share, art just had to wait!

Finally, though, I gathered whichever children wanted to create art together so we could explore several project ideas based on Texture. 

One simple idea was inspired by the beginning of a Diana Trout Art Journal Page.  Basically, the children and I shared our found objects with one another...

Then, I explained one simple idea, which was inspired by the beginning of a Diana Trout Art Journal Page.  Basically, I suggested that we might draw some shapes and do rubbings of different textures inside them.  Some of the children took this quite literally and rubbed with the found objects to transfer color rather than putting the objects beneath the paper to do color stick rubbings.

Another idea I introduced was that children could look at an object and simply try to sketch it, paying particular attention to how they might capture its texture.

The final project I suggested was inspired by Hub Pages Animal Silhouettes and Patterns.  Our trail version of it was to create the silhouette of an object found in nature.  Then, using colored pencils, make a background for it that picks up on the texture of one portion of the object.

Some children chose to combine the different projects to create their own.  Others chose one project only.  Others did multiple quick pieces.  

All faced cold air and wind when trying to work, which made creating the art and keeping cut scraps from flying off a bit challenging.  Somehow, we managed though. 

 
We used the colored pencils, crayons, glue sticks, paper, scissors, and other supplies I'd brought along to make art and used rocks and sticks to keep art and bits of paper from flying away.

After our art was complete, we continued to enjoy the water's edge before hiking back to the lot.
 

Little did we know it would be our last Art-n-Nature hike for over a year.  We thought we were just going to pause until the weather warmed again.  But, other initiatives took priority when the weather warmed, so we did not pick up with the series again until just two months ago.

Now, we have completed our first foray into exploring each of the seven elements of art and design outside with friends, but we have not completed our Art-n-Nature series overall.  Indeed, our club hopes to continue to meet once a month for as long as interest and inspiration hold fast.

What are your favorite art projects to do outside or on the trail?  I'd love to hear about them as inspiration for future club meetings!

Want to Know What We've Done on Our Other Art-n-Nature Hikes?

• Create Your Own Art-n-Nature Hiking Club with Five Easy Steps! 
• Planning and Preparing for our First Art-n-Nature Hike on the Element of Line 
• Go on an Art-n-Nature Art Element of Line Hike
• Go on an Art-n-Nature Element of Shape Hike 
• Our Art-n-Nature Element of Color Hike
• Go on an Art-n-Nature Element of Form Hike
• Go on an Art-n-Nature Element of Space Hike
• Go on an Art-n-Nature Element of Value Hike

Spanish Immersion at Bedtime...{A Middlebury Interactive Languages Review}

One thing I enjoy about reviewing products is that doing so encourages the children and me to make time for studies that we might otherwise push aside in the busyness of life.  Such has been the case since we decided to review six-months of full access to Elementary Spanish 1: Grades 3-5 by Middlebury Interactive Languages.  

What is Middlebury Interactive Languages?

Middlebury Interactive Languages is a leader in digital online world language study for students in grades K-12.  Each of their courses in Spanish, French, Chinese and German can be taken as self-paced, independent study or with the guidance of a certified teacher.  All courses give students age-appropriate opportunities to immerse themselves in language and culture in an interactive online environment.

A New Part of Our Wind Down Time

When we received access to Elementary Spanish 1, the weather was simply too good to stay inside doing lessons during the day.  So, we took full advantage of the ability to learn Spanish anytime with this online program and made Middlebury Interactive Languages a part of our wind down routine on many nights.

In the evenings, my children and I would gather around the kitchen table, on the couch, or in one of the kids' beds with our laptop.  We'd log in to Elementary Spanish 1, move through the online menu bar to see what lesson we were on, and, then, let the program guide us in learning.

Sometimes, the children did this on their own while I tied up a days' loose ends.  More often than not, though, we did it all together and Elementary Spanish 1 proved to be easy peasy, anytime learning for young and old.

The program includes 15 units organized by categories and two review units.

Each unit contains six lessons (except the review units, which contain three lessons), and each lesson is further broken into even smaller mini-lessons, which include such activities as:

• Videos:  Animated videos present vocabulary words in the context of cultural stories and myths.
• Interactive Pictures:  Some of these are realistic.  Some are cartoon.  All allow children to click n certain parts to learn and practice more.
• Practice Sessions:  Children click and drag vocabulary words to label items in both cartoon and realistic images.
• Speaking Labs.  Children can record themselves repeating key vocabulary (and giggling wildly, in our home!) and then listen back to it.
• Quizzes:  Multiple choice questions offer children a chance for review and immediate feedback.

The program also has a gradebook feature where parents can check up on how the children do with each unit as well as links to print out pdfs with translations for the vocabulary, stories, and songs included in each unit.  My son really appreciated reading these, so he could fully understand the myths and stories presented by authentic Spanish speakers

We all enjoyed the fact that the program is so simple, yet appealing.  Targeted for children with a Grade 3-5 level, the program focuses mostly on learning key vocabulary words, basic grammar, and distinctive cultural practices through stories, activities, games, songs, etc.  In doing so, it gets children comfortable with the sounds and rhythms of Spanish and gives them a greater understanding of Spanish-speaking culture.

Our Thoughts... 


My nine-year-old quite enjoyed the program, saying that, "It's really fun to record your voice."  However, he was a bit nonplussed by the immersion aspect of the program, saying:

I like listening to the stories and trying to guess what they say, but I wish that the stories would also be said in English so you knew what they were about.  It would be much more educational that way.  I think you should know the English right away instead of waiting to read the English later.  I know that the Spanish stories are trying to teach Spanish but it would work better for me to have the English, too.

Having struggled through language learning myself through middle- and high-school, but, then, making some headway in it when I lived and traveled abroad in my twenties and thirties, I appreciate the immersion concept.  I do much better with a language when surrounded by it in a social context and, when a social context cannot be had, I believe online immersion can provide a next best thing.

My son, however, is less of a social learner.  He likes things concrete or logical.  He also loves stories, but lacks patience.  So, to him, having to figure out the meaning of the stories simply by listening to them and viewing the accompanying animated videos proved less appealing than being given a translation would have done.  Yes, my oldest boy wants to be given his proverbial fish on a platter, it seems.

My eight-year-old, though, simply likes to dip into Spanish waters with delight.  Like her brother, she , too, likes that "you can record your own voice and you get to hear stories".  She is proud of her gains in Spanish, stating:

I am learning how to speak Spanish.  I can say "auntie", "Uncle", "Mommy", "Daddy", "brother", "sister", numbers, greetings and other things.  I like speaking Spanish!

She does wish, though, that there was more built-in review from lesson to lesson.  For while each lesson has a lot of repetition of its target concept, few include review of prior concepts.  She does not like this and says, "One bad things is that the new stories do not review the old stuff each time."  She and her brothers noticed by the time we got to the story that went with the greetings unit that the stories really do not contain language learned in prior lessons.  My children have commented in several  occasions that they wish the repetition and review included in the program would cross unit lines, weaving the content of one unit into the next. 

 

My youngest, at five, did not offer any quotes about the program, but he sure did share a lot of giggles when using the record feature with his siblings and he also could oft be heard saying, "My turn. My turn," when we all cuddled together to do the program activities and quizzes.  Indeed, even though the program is meant for children in grades 3-5, my youngest, a kindergartner, gets things from it, too.

I appreciate that the program:

• appeals to my children through using stories, songs, simple computer activities, and, of course, the most-loved record feature.

• weaves Spanish culture lessons in with Spanish speaking lessons.  As someone who has traveled and lived abroad, I am a big proponent of learning language in the context of culture.

• offers no fuss language learning for homeschool families.  As long as you have high-speed internet, you are good to go.  You do not need to know Spanish yourself.  You do not need to download anything.  You just log in, listen, speak, and learn.

Learn More

• Middlebury Interactive Languages offers Spanish, French, Chinese and German at elementary, middle and high school levels, to include some AP ones.  

• Read what 85 Schoolhouse Review Crew families thought about different Middlebury Interactive Languages programs at each grade-range level. 

• Find Middlebury Interactive Languages on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+.

Speaking.  Listening.  Reading.  Writing.  Language.  Culture.  Ease.  I aim for these things when learning world language with my children.  If you do, too, might Middlebury Interactive Languages be an ideal option in your home?