Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Review of BrillKids Little Reader







So it's day 7 of using BrillKid
s Little Reader and Jett loves it!

It's an online reading program that supports the Doman method of teaching your baby to read. In fact, it's exactly how I would have designed it if they had asked my opinion!
There's a free 14-day trial going on right now, if you want to check it out for yourself. (Click above link.)

When we first started the program, Jett's whole body shook with excitement. He was a little scared of the big words on the screen because he associates large print with "yelling" because that is what happens in books (and Readeez) when huge letters appear. (Maybe I'm a little overly enthusiastic or dramatic when I read to him??) But once he realized that no one was shouting (and I turned the volume down), he loved it!

Now I just say, "Jett, want Little Reader?" and he smiles and crawls over to me. The program has 6 months of lessons if done 5 days a week. We're going to do it 7 days a week just because he really likes it and it takes such little time anyway. It's only maybe two 5 to 15 minute lessons a day (depending on how fast you click the mouse or how many times you read the word, etc.). So Jett doesn't get tired of it and cries out with displeasure when it's over.

Little Reader is great for our kids because it approaches reading in many different ways with words, pictures, videos and audio. Love this multi-sensory teaching method! Children with DS really respond well when learning is approached in a variety of ways.

LR uses large sized words, in different, but readable fonts with different colors and flashes them on the screen in the fast flashing method. Then they show a picture and the word; then they show a video clip with the word.

The words are read by a cheerful child, a gentle-sounding male and a very enthusiastic female. Plus you can record and use your own voice.


Cool too, you can add your own videos and photos and words! I haven't had a chance to customize it yet, but I did look at that section and it seemed pretty easy.

Another great feature is that it only works if you are sitting with your child because you have to click the mouse between tasks. (Maybe your baby can click the mouse--mine prefers to slide it across the room or chew on it.) This way you can read the word out loud in addition to the recorded voices. Jett thinks it's so funny when words are whispered, spoken with accents or in high or low pitched voices. (He loves sounds.) Plus, your child will feel nice and secure and cozy in your lap, which is great positive reinforcement for reading.


They have a series of action words which Jett started doing right away. Previously, he wouldn't touch his own body (he always touched ours) to show body parts, but he watched them do it and now he touches his eyes, ears, nose, chin, mouth, teeth and lips!!! (Although sometimes he cheats and just touches his cheek for everything.)
Remember, it's only been seven days and he does all the actions already.

If I had the money, I would have started it when Jett was 12 months old. I think it can be used for any age that doesn't yet know how to read. Up to 4, 5 or 6 years old for a typical child.
Jett just turned 19 months old and I feel that he easily could have started this at 16 months and really gotten a lot out of it. Probably sooner, but he really did love the flash cards and me reading books to him all the time (which I still do, of course!). I didn't have proof that he could recognize any sight words until about 16 months old when he started pointing to the word "hug" so that he would get a hug. But I'm sure he would have benefited from even earlier exposure.

It's also great for his speech because he tries to copy everything that they say. The only time he is quiet is when they do the fast flashing of the pictures or words. He watches intently and is uncharacteristically silent.

One thing, I couldn't get it to work on my Mac so I had to use my husband's computer. Tech support did say it was possible to use it on a Mac, but you'd have to do it a different way and I was too eager to get started to mess with it. Eventually, I will try to see if I can get it on my laptop because that would really come in handy.


It does cost $149 for six months of lessons. We do get a discount for special needs children, though, so check out the post below on how to get it.

Really, I just love it.
It's so easy and convenient to use. It's going to save me so much time and I know that he is learning what the words mean while learning how to say and read it. That was one thing I was worried about: I can teach him the sight word, but it's harder to teach him the vocabulary. This way he learns both simultaneously.

I'm just so excited and it gives me the peace of mind that he has a whole reading plan for the next six months. Now I have to look into their math program! (And find Jett's birth certificate... They need that in order to get a discount!)

Disclaimer: I was provided this product in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. I was not paid for this review, nor required to write a positive review.

Related Posts

Reading Program Reviews
Teaching Your Baby to Read
Jett "Reading" at 16 Months
Teaching Your Young Child to Read High Interest Books
Books to Read to Your Baby
BrillKids is offering discounts for Special Needs
Readeez: Songs Supporting Reading Free Download
Readeez Sale!
Some TV is Good for Our Kids!
My TV/Video Strategy
Teach Your Baby Math

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Jett "Reading" at 16 Months


I took a video of Jett last night "reading."
As you can see, he is turning the book right side up, opening it the right way, he skips the introduction pages and goes to the title page and "reads" it by pointing (with his thumb) to the words and vocalizing. Then he turns the page glances at the left side and then reads the wrong page first then stops and reads the left side and then the right side.
I had to stop the video because my husband laughed and Jett looked up and saw me and yelled for me to read it to him.
These skills he exhibits are strong indicators of reading readiness and the fact that he's pointing to single something out reveals a more mature understanding of two-dimensions (that you can't take it off the page like a real object, but it is a representation of a real object).
This video doesn't show it, but he points to a word and vocalizes and then the next word, so he recognizes 1) text as being different from a picture and 2) that a sound is associated with text. (I know he knows this, but it would be easy to argue that he's just copying my actions.) It's really hard to get a video of him because he loves your interaction and is interested in the camera, but I'm trying! In order to get this video, I had to hide around a corner and to put a book out that he's not allowed to read on his own (it's not a board book).
To encourage the love of reading, and promote reading readiness, I followed neurodevelopmental principles as well as supplementation to improve his retention and cognition as outlined in these related posts.

Related Posts

Teaching Your Baby to Read

Teaching Your Young Child to Read High Interest Bo...

Books to Read to Your Baby

My TV/Video Strategy

BrillKids is offering discounts for Special Needs ...

Improve Your Child's Vision

Readeez Sale!

Some TV is Good for Our Kids!

Parent's Resources for Guidance on Down Syndrome

Get Your Own Neurodevelopmentalist

Jett's Complete Supplementation List

Saturday, April 9, 2011

When to Teach Your Baby to Read

Once your baby is starting to move, his eyes start learning to work together and convergence (the eyes moving in sync) and depth perception are developed, this is when the brain learns to control the eyes.

If you see that your baby is having problems with convergence such as lazy eye or crossed-eyes, please see the post Exercises for Crossed Eyes.

According to neurodevelopmentalist, Kay Ness, once your baby has good central detail vision and convergence, he is ready to take in large amounts of information visually. At this stage, flashing cards with big pictures on them will fascinate him.

And, once your baby is identifying many pictures, it is time to introduce visual language: that is, sight words. Babies love to learn! Babies can learn to read and speak at the same time. The brain of a young child is "wired" to learn language and cares little whether that language is visual or auditory! Jett loves learning to read. Play is learning. And he greets every one of his flash cards with a big smile.

See Related Posts:

Teach Your Baby to Read
Teach Your Child to Read High Interest Books
Books to Read to Your Baby
Readeez: Songs Supporting Reading
Improve Your Child's Vision
Exercises for Crossed Eyes
Prozac Cures Lazy Eye!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Readeez: Songs Supporting Reading Free Download

Readeez makes songs that show the words at the same time they are sung. Really cute, fun songs too. Jett loves them!!

Since the first Readeez DVD was released in 2008, parents (and children of all ages) have been singing their praises. These are videos your kids will truly look forward to watching. And you'll want them to watch, as both phonics and sight words are taught automatically, elegantly, joyfully, with every syllable.

Readeez are a natural complement for parents using flashcards or online reading programs. In fact, a Readee is rather like a succession of flashcards, with the added mnemonic boosts of melody and rhythm. It's an immersive, intuitive way to improve your child's decoding skills, with an approach similar to the way babies learn to understand spoken language.

Free Sampler Download. If you've wondered what Readeez video downloads are like, or wanted to make sure they work in your favorite iDevice, you can now snag three of our best-loved vids in one file. Free. The songs? Modes of Transportation, Circle and Square, and Meet The Clock. One from each DVD. Free. Right now. Go get 'em!

Friday, May 13 is Official Galactic Release Day for Readeez Volume Three. Our latest collection will be available as a DVD (for U.S. and Canadian buyers) and worldwide as an Omneez digital video download—the format that plays on your computer as well as most iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches and AppleTVs.

If I may be so bold: RV3 is a must-have for Readeez fans. New songs, new characters, special guest stars, more useful facts than you can shake a stick at—all presented in the signature Readeez style families dig so very much.

Instant Pre-Order Bonus: Want to see three brand new, available-nowhere-else Readeez right now? Just pre-order Volume Three (the DVD or the Download) for May 13 delivery and you'll get an instant download of three toe-tapping, word-reading tunes: Seven Fun-Filled Days, Great Big Drum and A Bunch of Months.

Introducing Olivia. Two of those new songs feature the talents of Casey McCann, founder/director of Atlanta's Eclectic Music. Casey provides the voice of teacher/librarian Olivia Longlife. She adds a bright, sunshine-y new timbre to the Readeez experience. Oh, and she's also my wife. (Casey is. Not Olivia. That would be weird.)

See Related Posts:
When to Teach Your Baby to Read
Teach Your Baby to Read
Teach Your Child to Read High Interest Books
Books to Read to Your Baby
Improve Your Child's Vision

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Teaching Your Young Child to Read High Interest Books

By Kay Ness & Cyndi Ringoen



Copyright 1999



http://senc.us/TeachHighInterestBooks.html



Find a book that your child really likes. Get at least 2 copies if you can. The book should meet the following criteria: 1. few words 2. large print 3. pictures separated from the words as much as possible 4. not too visually busy 5. of extremely high interest to your child.



Choose 5 high interest words from the book. Make flashcards of these words. For the first week, flash those 5 words for the child in 1/2 minute sessions for at least 4 sessions a day. Make it quick, short sessions.



Highlight those 5 words every place that word appears in the book. Read the book to the child once a day. For the first couple of days, you read the highlighted words. The third day, the child is to read the highlighted words. If the child still doesn’t know them, simply say them yourself and move on. Keep flashing those words.



The second week, pick 5 more words to highlight and make flashcards for them. Flash all 10 cards for the child at least 3 times each in 4 sessions a day. Proceed as before except now the child is responsible for reading 10 words.



The next week, add 5 more words and do as above. Continue to add 5 words/week until the whole book is highlighted (all in the same color) and the child can read the book. If the child misses a word, simply say the word and move forward. If the child becomes bored before you’ve added all the words, move to another book.



Read the unhighlighted book with the child and have him read as many words as he can. Once you’ve gone through the whole book, select another book and do the same. Soon the child will be reading two books!



NOTE: If the child is learning the words very quickly, you can do more than 5 words a week. If he is not learning them that quickly, then drop back to 3 words a week or fewer if you sense this is necessary.



As the auditory processing approaches 6, let us know and we will add in the phonics rules and the reading will really take off.



Read to your child from another book at least 30 minutes a day. This could be done in 2 fifteen minute sessions or 3 ten minute sessions if he won’t sit still for 30 minutes. But do be consistent and expose the child to much written and oral language.



See Related Posts:

When to Teach Your Baby to Read

Teach Your Baby to Read

Books to Read to Your Baby

Readeez: Songs Supporting Reading

Improve Your Child's Vision

Books to Read to Your Baby

For babies learning to read, any book with a few large pictures, few large words (more than an inch is great) in mostly lower case, bright colors and tactile stimulation, if possible, will work well.

When you read, point to each word. Allow them to turn the page. (I put my thumb behind the next page on top so it's easier for him to turn it from the bottom.) Try not to prompt them to turn the page. Jett loves to decide when to turn the page and it allows me to know for sure that he's engaged.

If you do purchase these books online, make sure you buy the largest size. Some of these are also made as smaller board books.

You can get discounted books at: Bookcloseouts.com, amazon.com, and half.com

These are some of Jett's favorites (in order of preference):

Farm Animals , Wild Animals, Bugs & Insects, Sea Animals (a Touch & Learn series by Hinkler books) bright colors, bright clear photographs, big words and tactile stimulation.

Yip! Snap! Yap! by Charles Fuge (Big, bold words. Fun, colorful pictures with no background. Nice sturdy pages.)

Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee (Big words. Simple pictures with little background.)

Hooray For Fish! by Lucy Cousins (Big, bold words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures.)

Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia (Big words that repeat. Fun pictures.)

Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka (Few, big words. Simple pictures with little background.)

Simple First Words series by Priddy Books (He loves everything about this book such as the huge font, simple photographs, & buttons that speak the word when he presses it. It's great because I can leave it on the floor and he can't destroy it. Also good for fine motor skills. Don't leave in the car because the plastic behind the battery can warp and mess up the contact.)
The Dog from Arf to Zzzz by Harper Collins Publishing (A few big words. Photographs w/no background.)

This Little Chick by John Lawrence (Big words with sounds and repeating. Fun, colorful pictures.)

Scrubba Dub by Bernadette Pons (Has more words than I'd like, but Jett still loves it. Words are okay sized and the pictures are detailed.)

Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready For Bed? by Barney Saltzberg (Cute book. Has some all caps, though.)

Seven Hungry Babies by Candace Fleming (Fun story. Some big sized words, some small words. Has great, bright, expressive illustrations. Jett loves the "sound" words.)

In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming (Big, bold font, lots of sound words. Fun, colorful, simple, but abstract pictures. Jett loves it!)

Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley (Big letters, very cute story, pictures very expressive but are a little detailed.)

Kitty's Cuddles by Jane Cabrera

Cat the Cat Who is That?
by Mo Willems (Big, bold words. Colorful, simple pictures.)

Snow
by Manya Stojic (Large, bold words. More words than the other books listed. Cute pictures.)

Rain
by Manya Stojic (Large, bold words. Jett loves that you whisper, purr and shout some of the words. Cute pictures.)

Starry Safari
by Linda Ashman, Illustrated by Jeff Mack (Big, bold, fun words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures but are a little stylized for little babies.)

The Icky Sticky Frog by Dawn Bentley, illustrated by Salina Yoon. (Big, bold words, but the font is a little stylized. About 17 words on a page, more for an older baby. Cute story, has sound words and repetition. Fun, colorful, simple pictures & a cute cover with a tongue to play with and googley eyes.)

Pig-a-Boo!
by Dorothea DePrisco and Treesha Runnells (Bold words, some good sized, some small. Has animal sounds in the text. Fun, colorful pictures with flaps and textures.)

Wiggle Your Toes (Big, bold words, cute simple pictures and fun tactile touches.)

Peekaboo Zoo by Lamaze. (A lift-the-flap book with big, bold words and simple, colorful pictures.)

Bouncing Time by Patrician Hubbell and Melissa Sweet (Big words, 3-19 per page. The word "bounce" is bolded and colored on every page. It's fun to bounce your baby every time you read the word. Fun, cute pictures.)

Emily Loves to Bounce by Stephen Michael King (Decently sized bolded words, cute pictures.)

Leaves, Leaves by Salina Yoon (Board book with nice sized words. Rhymns, but a little boring. Fun, colorful, simple pictures and flaps.)

I Love You as Big as the World by Tim Warnes

Meeow and the Big Box
by Sebastien Braun (Nice big letters! Simple illustrations.)

Five Little Pumpkins by Iris Van Renbach (Big, bold words with rhyming. Pictures are a little too busy and detailed for young babies.)

That's not my teddy... by Fiona Watt, Illustrated by Rachel Wells. (Board book with big words. Colorful, simple pictures with textures to touch. Great for young babies.)

Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley (Nice sized words, about 10 a page includes actions best for older babies. Detailed pictures better for older babies.)

Oops! by David Shannon

Cuddle Time by Libby Gleeson, Illustrated by Julie Vivas (Decent sized words and cute story/pictures.)

Emily Won't Take a Bath by Domitille de Pressense (Big, bold colorful words, a little wordy for the youngest babies. Simple pictures a little too thinly lined for young babies eyes.) Other Emily titles: Emily and the Snails, Emily Wet the Bed, Emily Won't Eat.

Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews (Strangely written book and pictures are odd too. But, nice sized words and very simple, bright pictures. Jett enjoys this one a lot, although we don't.)

animals bright baby series by priddy books

Baby Food by Margaret Miller (Words are a little small, but the pictures are great.)

Baby Faces by Margaret Miller

Lunch
by Denise Fleming (Big, bold words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures a little too abstract for young babies.)

Read it, Don't Eat It! by Ian Schoenherr

Can you growl like a bear? by John Butler

A Potty for Me! by Karen Katz (Cute, bright pictures & large words. It would appear that the pages are sturdy enough for unsupervised reading, but Jett ripped them out, so you can't leave it accessible.)

Time For Bed by Mem Fox, Illustrated by Jane Dyer (Nice sized words, pictures are a bit detailed for young babies.)

Spots Feathers and Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri (Nice big letters! Simple pictures. Story is a bit boring.)

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert (Some pages have great big words. Other pages are for older children. Super fun images.)

Happy Birthday Lulu! by Caroline Uff

Wolf's Coming! by Joe Kulka (Fairly big words. Colorful, detailed pictures.)

Spring is Here by Taro Gomi (Big words. Very simple pictures.)

Animal worlds : an early learning lift-the-flap book illustrated by
Helen Cann (Can't play with by themselves, may rip the flaps off.)

Hide and snake Keith Baker

Spot Goes to the Farm (etc.) by Eric Hill (Jett doesn't like the Spot books that say, "No!" when you open the flaps. But he enjoys all the other ones a lot.)

Pig takes a bath by Michael Dahl (Has some capitalization, though.)

Panda Big and Panda Small by Jane Cabrera (Big, bold words. Simple, cute colorful pictures. Nice sturdy pages.)

Shout! Shout it out! by Denise Fleming (Big, bold words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures, but maybe a little abstract for young babies. Also has capital ABCs and numbers, which is probably better for older children. Jett likes it so I go ahead and read it to him anyway.)

Mommy Hugs by Karen Katz (Big, bold words. Fun, colorful, simple pictures.)

Safari Animals & Polar Animals by Paul Hess (Pictures aren't simple, but Jett enjoys them.)

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee (Big words with concepts that are not concrete. Nice, but detailed pictures.)

Where is the green sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek (Fairly big words. Simple pictures, but not very colorful.)

Watch Me Throw the Ball by Mo Willems (It's 56 paged story with nice big words and very simple pictures. At 19 months, Jett loves this book. Great for beginning readers as well.)

Do Monkeys Tweet? by Melanie Walsh (Big bold words. Simple pictures.)

dreaming by Elaine Greenstein (Big words with some numbers. Pictures that are a bit abstract and somewhat detailed for little ones. No faces or pictures of things that young babies could really identify.)

Odds and evens : a numbers book by Heidi Goennel (Not my favorite)

I Can Be Anything! by Jerry Spinelli

Snowflake Kisses and Gingerbread Smiles
by Toni Trent Parker (Big words, nice photographs, a little wordy.)

The Very Best Daddy of All
by Marion Dane Bauer

A Busy Day
Big Hug Series by John Grace and Illustrated by Stuart Trotter (Fairly big words, simple pictures, about two words per page)

If...
by Sara Perry (Nice sized words, pictures are a bit detailed [and strange!] for young babies.)

Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings by Matthew Van Fleet (Can't play with alone, can be ripped.)

First the Egg


Maisy Dresses Up by Lucy Cousins (Big bold words and colorful pictures. Story a little boring. Surely the other Maisy books are more fun to read.)

Together
by Jane Simmons

Baby Animals by Nicola Tuxworth (Big words, great photographs.)

My Shimmery Fun Time Book by Salina Yoon (Big words, one under every cute, simple picture.)

Deep in the Rainforest by Gwen Pascoe, Illustrated by Veronica Jefferis (Words are nice and big and repeat throughout the book. Pictures are detailed but they also separate the pictures so you can talk about them.)

What Color? (Some words are decent sized, some small. Single sentence on a page with other pages that have words under the pictures. Nice clear photographs.)

The Beginner's Guide to Bears by Gillian Shields & Sebastien Braun (Has nice sized words, but it's a little wordy. It's not a favorite.)

Other books that may fit the criteria that I haven't seen in person:

Brimax Babies' series for ages 6-24 months. One word per page. I understand that the print is still a bit small but better than most books.
Where's Mom
by Libby Gleeson
The Great Big Scary Dog by Libby Gleeson
A Quiet Walk Big Hug Series by John Grace
Hide and Seek Counting Big Hug Series by John Grace
Rainbow Colors Big Hug Series by John Grace
When I Grow Up by Al Yankovic
Ten in the Bed by Jane Cabrera
Mommy Carry Me Please by Jane Cabrera (Print is a little small.)
If You're Happy & You Know It by Jane Cabrera
Old Mother Hubbard by Jane Cabrera

In a the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming

Count! by Denise Fleming

Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming

Where Once There Was A Wood by Denise Fleming

Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming

Momma Cat Has Three Kittens by Denise Fleming

Country Animals by Lucy Cousins
See Related Posts
Jett "Reading" at 16 Months
When to Teach Your Baby to Read
Teach Your Baby to Read
Teach Your Child to Read High Interest Books
Readeez: Songs Supporting Reading
Improve Your Child's Vision

BrillKids is offering discounts for Special Needs Kids

Brillkid's Little Reader program is now being offered from 30 to 100% off for kids with special needs. You can check out the details here:

http://downsyndromeupupupandaway.blogspot.com/2011/03/exciting-announcement-from-brillkids.html

As a very special treat this Mothers' Day, BrillKids is giving away a 5% discount coupon which you can use to get valuable savings when you purchase from the BrillKids Online Store!

Get 5% off on your Online Store purchase!

To get your Mothers' Day discount, all you need to do is enter or copy-paste your discount code in the "Discount Code" box and click on the "Apply Coupon Codes" button when you checkout at the BrillKids Online Store.

This special offer is available starting today and is valid only until May 31, 2011.

Mothers' Day Discount Code: bkmom2011

This discount can be applied to only one product from the BrillKids Online Store and cannot be used together with other BrillKids discount coupons. The 5% discount does not cover any applicable shipping rates.

Visit the Online Store now and get a 5% discount on your purchase starting today until May 31, 2011!


Go to the Online Store

See Related Posts:

When to Teach Your Baby to Read
Teach Your Baby to Read
Teach Your Child to Read High Interest Books
Books to Read to Your Baby
Readeez: Songs Supporting Reading