Monday, March 7, 2011

My Princess of the Reading Kingdom

Photobucket

It is certainly no secret that our Princess has struggled with reading.  For a little girl who has always enjoyed listening to stories read aloud, the magic of unlocking the written word for herself has eluded her.  She learned the alphabet and the individual sounds that letters make early (before she was 4) -- but has had the hardest time making those letters form words that she could understand.

It has saddened my heart to watch  her struggle over the years.   NOT because I was upset that she couldn't yet read because I know that "for everything there is a season" and it WILL click; but because at the ripe old ages of 8 and 9, she has had to deal with peer pressure in the activities of life.  Watching your child endure the laughter of others is enough to break a mother's heart.

As you know, I've purposed to make this year a  fun year of education at Long Leaf Academy -- and I have prayed for just the right things to unlock the mysteries of reading real words for our Princess.  She continues to go twice a week to her "Reading Club" of one-on-one tutoring and we have been blessed with the chance to review the online program Reading Kingdom for an encouraging reinforcement at home.

Designed by Dr. Marion Blank, a leading literacy expert, Reading Kingdom is an interactive,  subscription-based, online reading program.  A creative tool to teach children ages 4-10 how to read and write, it is compatible with any curriculum you may currently be using. In an engaging atmosphere and using a multi-faceted approach, Reading Kingdom will take your child through the 6 skills essential to reading and will assist them with sequencing, motor skills, sounds, meaning, grammar and comprehension.

6 Skills

As your child works through the program, it self-adjusts based on their skill level -- making sure to reinforce those things they need the most help with and (if used consistently) will teach your child to read and write on a 3rd Grade Level!  Since every child is unique and has a unique learning style, Reading Kingdom provides a one-of-a-kind learning environment.

So, how did it work for us?  After I set up our account, my Princess logged on and immediately began the Introduction to Reading and Writing.  She did an initial Keyboard Training Session and then moved into her Skills Survey (see screenshot below).   Learning to listen patiently and follow directions precisely has been an ongoing struggle for her. These are character traits that we continually focus on in ALL areas of her life, so it was no surprise that she would need to slow down here in order to do her very best.

Photobucket

The learning sessions last about 15 minutes per day and hold the Princess' attention the entire time she is working on a session.  There have even been times that she finished one session and asked to repeat it or move on to the next.  She easily mastered the Seeing Sequences Section and moved smoothly into Letter Land.  The lack of patience that I mentioned before has had her camped out in Letter Land, but she is making great strides in learning letter placement on the computer keyboard -- an added benefit to Reading Kingdom in my opinion!
Photobucket

An animal lover, the Princess' very favorite part of Reading Kingdom has been the sweet Owl friend that serves as a guide to see her through the program.  She enjoys working on Reading Kingdom each day -- and does so without a fuss.  We have been blessed with its addition to our daily schedule and I am seeing results as her reading skills come into "season."  Best of all, SHE is seeing results and that makes all the difference in the world.

You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial and see your Prince or Princess get excited about all that Reading Kingdom has to offer.  After you have enjoyed Reading Kingdom during the trial period, you can subscribe for $19.99 a month (with no monthly minimum) or $199.99 for a 12-month subscription.  If you have more than one child in your family that can benefit from Reading Kingdom, they can be added to your account for an additional $9.99 a month.  There is currently a special deal when you purchase a 12-month subscription, so be sure to check it out here.

For more information, you can also check out Reading Kingdom on FaceBook.



 

~~I was given the opportunity to use and review Reading Kingdom as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew.  The opinions stated are mine and mine alone.  I was not paid to share my thoughts and feelings with you.  I encourage you to check out the Crew Review and see what other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew thought of  Reading Kingdom HERE .~~ Pin It Now!

9 comments:

  1. It's so hard for a parent to watch a child struggle with reading skills! I'm so glad our program has helped, and thank you for the wonderful review! Please keep in touch and let us know how she is doing as she goes through more of the program.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I’m out on enjoying my blog walk and wanted to stop by to say hi. I’m now following you :)
    Hope you have an amazing day!!
    ~ Nanette
    http://thejoysofhomeschooling.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. After browsing some of your posts, I want to say that if our son was a bit older, I would find your blog a good resource. Thank you for sharing about different products to help make others aware...and for such a detailed review. 8^)

    ReplyDelete
  4. [...] Each Friday we’re featuring reviews of homeschooling moms using the Reading Kingdom with their kiddos. Click the their names to visit their blogs, and be sure to follow our Reading Kingdom Twitter list featuring some of our homeschooling parents. “My son Connor loved Reading Kingdom from the start. The combination of computer time, cute animated animals, fun sounds, and tons of encouragement and praise made for reading instruction that seemed more like playtime than work, and for an active, seven-year-old boy who would much rather play than read, that’s a good thing. Connor looked-forward to his “Reading Kingdom time” every day, sometimes twice a day, and over the past few weeks his reading has improved. He is recognizing words from Reading Kingdom in books we read at bedtime, but more than anything, he is reading with more confidence, and a more confident beginning reader is a more willing beginning reader; and a more willing reader is a more practiced, better reader! In Connor’s own words, “Mommy, I can READ!” Jennifer McQuillan “My son has enjoyed doing the program and his motor coordination on the keyboard and mouse have improved. My daughter has also enjoyed using the program. For children who have struggled with traditional methods of reading instruction, this may be just the program they need. Reading Kingdom can also be a valuable supplement to other reading programs to help learn words that do not follow phonetic rules. And after some initial guidance from the parent, children will be able to use the program independently which helps boost their confidence in learning.” Jill Stanish “The animations and colorful graphics kept his interest to the point of giggles sometimes. The confidence and pride he is taking in these daily lessons only encourages a love for reading…I can’t wait to see where these lessons take him over the next year!” Amber Hockman “Honestly I cannot say enough good things about this reading program. All five of my younger children have absolutely loved it. They fight over who’s turn it is to use it. Then come and tell when so and so is doing it longer than just one lesson. It’s comical really. Even my almost 3 year old loves it. She isn’t doing much besides learning to use the mouse and keyboard but I’m ok with that for now. It’s a valuable skill in and of itself. My 4 and 6 year old have mastered using the mouse through this program and have now moved on to typing skills. My 2 older kids 7 and 8 have moved onto letter land and are learning a ton. Even my son who is dyslexic seems to be doing well with it. The best thing about this program in my opinion is that it actually customizes the program to your child making it neither too hard nor too easy. I’ve not seen another program that does that.” Angel Morris “An animal lover, the Princess’ very favorite part of Reading Kingdom has been the sweet Owl friend that serves as a guide to see her through the program. She enjoys working on Reading Kingdom each day — and does so without a fuss. We have been blessed with its addition to our daily schedule and I am seeing results as her reading skills come into “season.” Best of all, SHE is seeing results and that makes all the difference in the world.” Lynn McInnis [...]

    ReplyDelete
  5. CNA Training...

    Hi there! Quick question that's entirely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My site looks weird when viewing from my iphone4. I'm trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to fix this issue. If you have any sugges...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Property Lawyers...

    [...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Zaklady Bukmacherskie...

    I was wondering if you ever considered changing the structure of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of t...

    ReplyDelete
  8. CArs...

    Hello! Quick question that's completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My site looks weird when viewing from my iphone. I'm trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to correct this issue. If you have any s...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Alveo...

    I'm truly enjoying the design and layout of your website. It's a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Exceptional work!...

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your heart with me!