Talking Fingers--Read Write and Type!!

Imagine an online computer game that will help your kids improve reading, writing, spelling and typing skills. Imagine a program that they BEG to do and is educational too. Imagine a program that you can customize to each of your kids capabilities. Imagine a program that you can track their progress. Talking Fingers has developed just that program in "Read Write and Type".

"Read, Write and Type" is an educational software that uses ears, eyes, mouth and fingers to teach students to do just that -- "Read, Write and Type". All this at a fairly affordable price of just $35 for one user, $55 for two users, and just $15 more for each additional user. The program is designed for Kindergarten through 3rd graders. The software introduces each of the 40 phonemes found in the English language one at a time and teaches them the sound of the letter as well as how to type it on the keyboard. As the child moves through the program they are taught to sound out words phonetically for reading and spelling. As the child progresses through the program new activities are added to test their comprehension and fluency. They are tested at various times while moving through the program. The parent sets the "passing level" for each child. If the child does not pass they are moved through some review exercises until they pass the "Spaceship Challenge".

OUR THOUGHTS:

I set up both Paul and Zachary with their own logins for this program. They were both very excited to get started. Zachary is 5 and just starting to learn to read. Paul is 9 and a very good reader but he has been wanting to learn how to type, and all kids can use a review of phonemes!

For Zachary he knows his letter sounds and is starting to focus on putting letters together to form words but it has been a very difficult process for him. I was hopeful that the allure of a computer game would help him want to learn to read. I was correct. He definitely LOVES the game and asks to play every day. However, it is very tough for him. After only the first lesson I told him he did not have to use the correct fingers. His hands are just not large enough to reach the keys on the keyboard correctly. That combined with his fine motor skills still developing I knew the typing was going to be a little too frustrating for him and I am much more concerned about his phonics then I am his typing skills at this point. After the third day of working through the program with him he broke his right wrist on the monkey bars so using the correct fingers was definitely not an option. Zach progressed through the first 5 or 6 phonemes with me by his side and it really helped to concrete some of his phonics skills. After that he starting working through it on his own just calling me when he got stuck or just plain frustrated (for anyone who knows Zach that was quite often...he is easily frustrated.) He is now taking a little longer to get through each group of letters and I have set his passing level very low to encourage him. But he is getting through them and really enjoying it.

For Paul I knew the phonics/reading part would be super easy, and I was write, but he also begs to play everyday and loves the certificates he gets after completing a group of phonemes. He is loving learning how to type. And, as an added bonus he is getting a great review of phonemes. It has also helped him with some of his spelling difficulties. Paul's passing level is much higher than Zach's since it is mostly review for him and I expect more from a 9 year old.

For me my favorite part of the program is that I can check on their progress. I do have to check in on Paul and watch him type occasionally, but all the other stuff can be looked at online with my own log in.

RWT Lesson Progress

90	100	100	96	90	100	90	93	100	100	100	100	90	100	100	96	100	90	90	93	The "B"
Level 1 / 2 16 Sep 10				Level 3 21 Sep 10				Level 4 27 Sep 10				Level 5 30 Sep 10				Level 6 8 Oct 10				Level 7 in progress				Level 8 incomplete				Level 9 incomplete				Level 10 incomplete
Passing grade at 90%									= Phonics = Reading = Spelling = Average
Failing grade									= Phonics = Reading = Spelling = Average

So, head on over to their website and check out what they have to offer. They also offer a more advanced program that I hope to be able to get for Paul in the near future.

Don't forget to take a look at reviews from other TOS crew members here.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for my honest opinion of the product. There was no other compensation given for the review.

LanSchool Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review a program called Lanschool. It was a very new and exciting program to review. It is designed to use on multiple computers in either a home or classroom setting. With one computer being the "parent/teacher" computer and the others being the "student/child" computers. A home license with 3 years of technical support and updates is $99. You can take a look at their website and see all the various options they have that would work for your home or school.

We are very careful with our kids "screen time" and at their young ages they are very limited on the amount of time and what they can do on the computer. Mostly they use the computer for educational games for very short time periods during the school day. Paul is starting to use the computer for some research as well as writing reports. As they grow and are able to use the computer more we will be in need of some monitoring software. Lanschool fits that bill. Lanschool is not a filtering software to control where your kids can go on the internet. Instead, it is a monitoring software that does the following:

- Use thumbnails to monitor what is happening on all your home computers

- Track the internet history of all your home computers

- Logs every keystroke on all your home computers

- Limit access to programs, the web, applications, USB, printing and so much more on all

your home computers

- Chat with other family members

- Provide help through remote control

- Blank the screens to reduce distraction and gain attention

- Ask questions, take polls, and even create and administer tests that will be graded for you.

All this can be done without going to each individual computer, but by just pulling up Lanschool on your "teacher" computer and looking at all the "student" computers you have. Currently I have mine pulled up and am watching my younger two play a game on the computer in the schoolroom and my oldest is watching a video on George Washington on the computer/tv in the living room. I can just pop over to Lanschool and make sure they are still doing what they are supposed to be doing. The other tool we have used it for is to give warnings on when their computer time is up. My younger ones can't read yet but they do know that when a message pops up then their time is almost up. My oldest loves when I send him a quick word of encouragement of just an "I Love You" while he is working.

Although we did enjoy Lanschool, I don't feel we are the target audience for this software. We used a couple of the features but it can do so much more then what we were able to use it for. I really think that it is designed and works best for older students and/or students who use the computer alot in their schooling. I can see it being a great tool to monitor and help with research as we get in to that more. I also loved the test taking feature and we did use that a couple of times, but more for fun, since we don't do a great deal of testing yet. As a middle school teacher in my former life I can see how this would be great for a classroom setting.

So, head on over to their website and check out what they have to offer. The technical support and customer service is phenomenal and I am sure they will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

Don't forget to take a look at reviews from other TOS crew members here.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for my honest opinion of the product. There was no other compensation given for the review.

Happy Fall!

To "celebrate" the first day of fall we had a "Happy Fall" day in our homeschool. Here is what I managed to get pictures of:

We started our day with some of our favorite "fall" books and the kids colored fun fall pictures

All of our books were about leaves so we then took a walk outside to find some cool leaves...it's still HOT here so not many leaves have fallen but we were able to find a few. Of course, because there are boys involved, finding leaves digressed in to burning leaves with a magnifying glass...

We then created some cool "leaf suncatchers" with our leaf finds, wax paper, and crayon shavings.

I didn't get a lot of pictures of this because a hot iron was involved. The kids loved this craft.

We also did our scarecrow puzzle and there was some regular school involved.

We also completed foam jack-o-lanterns to hang from our ceiling as well as started some leaves that we will finish tomorrow. Nothing fancy, but the kids loved this painting, cutting, and gluing craft. Here are the "work in progress" pics.

And the completed projects!

We are now ready for fall -- hopefully the temperatures will cooperate with us and NOT reach the low-mid 90's!!!

Pyramath Review

Memorizing Math facts has always been a bit of a challenge for Paul. He knows the concept but because the facts aren't memorized he can't recall them quickly. We have worked on addition and subtraction facts for a couple of years now and continue to review them regularly. Now we add in our multiplication and division facts for almost daily review. We have used flash cards, various computer games and just simply saying the facts over and over. Now we have added Pyramath to our repertoire of tools to review math facts with.

PyraMath Decks Include:

• 54 Math Learning Cards
• Each card clearly numbered
• Each card clearly labeled with 4 mathematical symbols
  addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
• Each card clearly marked with English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Roman, and French numerical translation and symbols.

At only $6.95 a deck this is a great value and can be used for many years and for multiple children, making it an even better deal.

Paul and I really enjoy this game and play it often. We have taken along with us to play while waiting for the other two to do gymnastics. We played it often the weeks that we didn't do as much school because of Molly's tonsillectomy and it is a regular visitor to his workboxes on a normal school day. It has helped him sharpen his math facts while having fun at the same time. It is definitely a game that will be used often for years to come! There are many different ways to play the game and Paul even played it alone a couple of times.

The company, Brainy Attic, that makes Pyramath also makes many other great card games for kids that help with Math and Language skills. I know we will be purchasing the Fraction game soon! There are also some online games that you can try. We haven't tried them since I try to limit the kids computer time but I have heard great things about the games online. Don't forget to take a look at reviews from other TOS crew members here.

Disclaimer: I received this item for free in exchange for my honest opinion of the product. There was no other compensation given for the review.

I am in love....

Now, most of you have probably been using this for years, but I just found out about a WONDERFUL site called "Homeschool Share", and I am in love. It has all sorts of unit study ideas and they even have ideas to use for multi-age groups. AND, the best part is it's FREE!!!! I am so excited. I have been thinking about taking a different direction with Zach and now I know what I am doing....unit studies....next week we are going to start a unit study using our Curious George books. All the kids are going to love it! Again, the best part is IT'S FREE. It lists a ton of ideas for all the different subjects and most of the activities don't require any materials that we don't already have. So, if you haven't checked it out take a look at what we will be doing next week here!