Perfect Reading & Beautiful Handwriting: An Everyday Education Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Learning to read and write is a very beautiful thing.  It comes with tears and arguments for sure, but once it starts to click, those bright eyes of knowledge are simply beautiful.  As with anything, there are all types of reading and writing programs. Some have lots of bells and whistles while others are very minimalist.  Now that two of my three children are readers and I see my 3 year old bending toward it, I have a greater appreciation for the minimalist approach.  Today we are reviewing just such a program - the Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting ebook from Everyday Education, LLC. 

What We Received:
We received access to a single download of the Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting ebook: The Intelligent Parent's Complete Step-by-Step Program for Teaching Any Child How to Read in 60 Days!  This is a 218 page ebook that teaches children how to read while providing a model for handwriting that is simple yet beautiful.  As a digital file, it is reproducible and useful for multiple children or repeated practice. The first five chapters include 60 reading lessons with handwriting practice.  Chapter 6 focuses deeper on handwriting.

How It Works:
As is stated in the beginning of this book, you can use Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting in at least four different ways:

• To Teach Young Children How to Read and Write
• To Teach Children With Reading Difficulties to Read Effectively
• To Teach Children To Have Fast, Legible, Attractive Handwriting
• To Teach Yourself Beautiful Handwriting

If your child is new to reading then starting at the beginning is ideal. Each lesson focuses on a collection of words that share a similar sound or grouping.  Typically there is a reading page and then one or two handwriting practice pages.  While some fast paced students could theoretically do one lesson per day, it is not really recommended that way.  In the Charlotte Mason tradition, short lessons are found to be more effective and these lessons are great for revisiting as long as is necessary.

If handwriting is your main focus for this program, the practicing pages are conveniently separated from the instruction pages so that you aren't forced to print unnecessary portions.  As the handwriting progresses, it delves further into calligraphy ideas which is great for all ages.  It discusses slanted lettering, joining letters, edged pens, etc. Learning to slant your letters is something I have always been able to do, but I honestly have never thought very much about it.  Along with a uniquely lined handwriting practice pages, this program plainly and simply provides a beautiful framework for enhancing your own writing abilities. 

How We Used It:

My 6 year old daughter is an avid reader so we had no need for that portion, but her handwriting still needs a lot of practice.  I printed the handwriting practice pages without the instruction pages in order for her to practice.  While reading is not something she struggles with, it was so fun to watch her read the silly sentences and get so tickled by it that she ran and showed her brother on multiple occasions.  "Yell at a pig, have a big fig. Pet a fox, kiss an ox. A big black blob is on a block."

What We Thought: 
This program is very flexible to suit all levels of learning.  It is comprehensive, but easily split apart as needed.  The reading aspect is minimal, basic and adaptable to any situation. The font used is very accurate to actual handwriting that is clean and clear, but easily shifts into joining letters eventually.  The goofy sentences are fun and effective for children learning to read (and beyond) and my kids cracked up at them!  In my experience, learning to read doesn't require a lot of bells and whistles, but consistent instruction and lots of being reading time together.  This program has it down to a fine art all while combining handwriting instruction too.  I highly recommend this for new readers and writers!

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Do you have a brand new reader or a special needs student?  Check out the other reviews to see other perspectives on this product!

Horses In History by Mattie Richardson: An Appaloosy Books Review

History buffs and horse lovers, this one is for you! Last month we were introduced to Author Mattie Richardson/Appaloosy Books and Mattie Richardson's Horses in History Series through the Homeschool Review Crew.  This historical fiction series gives the reader a trip back in time through the horse's point of view.  My horse-loving 9 year old was beyond excited to review these books and he was not disappointed.  The periodic pleading for a horse of his own will now increase thanks to this delightful book series.

What We Received:

We were sent 4 paperback books: Appaloosy, Dusty's Trail, Golden Sunrise, and Day and Night - all of which were signed by the author.  The author also sent a nice email that included a digital copy of her brand new 98-page Day and Night Enrichment Guide for the Day and Night book.

How It Works:

These books are written with 8-14 year old readers in mind. Each of these books is set somewhere in the 1800's depicting a historical event through the eyes of horses.  At the beginning of each book is a list of words and their definitions that are used in the book, but might be unfamiliar to the reader.  In Golden Sunrise, a story about a horse's experience at the Battle of the Alamo, `the list contains Spanish words.  Appaloosy, a story depicting the Nez Perce War, defines words from the native Nez Perce language.  At the end of each book, the author includes  'A Blast from the Past' section where she discusses the actual events the story was based around.  At the end of Dusty's Trail the reader can learn about the American Quartera Horse and the Pony Express.  Day and Night concludes with information about the Civil War.

The Day and Night Enrichment Guide we were given is a huge resource! Within the 98 pages, the author includes reading comprehension questions. vocabulary, history reading segments, A Soldier's Life - goes over varying aspects of a soldier's life, geography, horses and history, Living History - a craft or game section, a creating your own story section, and a biography section.  There are 8 parts of this guide and each part includes the above activities.  For more advanced students are some suggestions for deeper study.  This guide is an entire history unit all by itself and a great resource for enhancing the reading of Day and Night.

What We Thought:

My 9 year old loves horses to his very core so he was predisposed to love these books anyway, but we have been very pleased and impressed by Ms. Richardson and her series.  J was excited about the stories being told from the horses' perspectives.  In Day and Night, the chapters trade off telling Shiloh and Tucker's (siblings) experiences from both sides of the Civil War. He said that element made it more fun to read because while reading about one he was wondering what was going on with the other one. The vocabulary words kept any of the unfamiliar subject matter still accessible and great for learning.  As a parent, I want my children to love what they are reading so this fit that perfectly.  As a reader, I am so impressed that the author wrote her first book at 13!  The idea is so charming and fun to read and her enthusiasm for history is evidenced in each book.  We are fans and will be glad to add this to our curriculum library!

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Is your family not really into history or horses? Check out some of the other reviews through the link below to see what other readers thought of these books.

The Shepherd's Stone and The Lion's Roar: A Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Review

We have had the pleasure of reviewing books from The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series two times before and each time the kids adore them!  WorthyKids Books has brought joy to our house again with the next two installments, Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Shepherd's Stone (Book 5) and Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Lion's Roar (Book 6).  If your elementary students have never read any of these books, today is the day to start!  As Christian parents, we want Bible stories to come alive to our kids, but ancient words on a page sometimes get stuck in translation.  Each book magically transports Peter and Mary to Biblical times where they race against the clock to solve secrets of the scrolls before they are stuck back in time! They kids get to spy on events like Noah's ark and the battle at Jericho, bringing a kid's eye view to some of the most fantastical events in our history.

What We Received:

We received the next two books in the series.  Both are paperback and over 100 pages and at least 12 chapters.  There are great black and white illustrations at least every 3 or 4 pages.

The Shepherd's Stone takes the kids to David as a shepherd boy and a pack of wolves, they witness the kingdom of Israel and it's enemies the Philistines.  The kids get the chance to hear about David's faith and where his strength comes from!  

In The Lion's Roar, they travel to Babylon where they meet Shadrach and hear about he and his friends' trial by fire years ago.  Then they are introduced to Daniel and the trouble he's having with the high priest.  As the children hide from the high priest with some help from a local friend, Hannah, they witness Daniel's  commitment to God and punishment to the lion's den. 

Who Is It For?

The reading levels of each book is around 2nd grade.  My 8 year old races through each book in a day because he is voracious reader, but also because he loves a good adventure book.  They are simple enough for 6 year old to read and enjoyable enough for 3rd grader to beg for.  As the author continues to add books, I'm certain my son will want to read them despite their ease simply because he's invested now.

What the Kids Thought:

It goes without saying that my 6 and 8 year old enjoy reading these books. When I asked them why, I was told it was because it had to do with the Bible.  They really seemed to connect with these familiar Bible stories presented from a different eye view.  It certainly helped that the series reminded them of certain other book series about a brother and sister that go on adventures to different times.  

What Mom Thought:

In addition to the Biblical reinforcement, the books make a point to label Satan and his forces within each story and then highlights how the children deal with that.  It's been a good exercise for my kids to wrestle with how they deal with Satan's temptations in their own life.  So much more than a fun book!

Would you like a chance to win all 7 of the books in this series? There is a giveaway going on right now! Follow this link to enter: http://bit.ly/ScrollsSweepstakes

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Wondering what other families thought? Check out everyone else's reviews at the link below!

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: Books 3 & 4 Review

Growing up as a lover of books, it was always a magical feeling when you found a favorite book series. A great book is hard to come by, but then great subsequent books are gold!   In 2017, we reviewed the first two books in a great series that J just loved!  This time we were given the third and fourth books in the series The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls by M.J. Thomas from WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.   This time around was a little more exciting because miss Z was ready to start reading the series on her own so we pulled the first two out for her!

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series follows Peter, his sister Mary and their dog Hank as they journey back in time to critical moments in Biblical history through ancient scrolls they find and must solve.  Through these journeys, the siblings get a fly on the wall view of God's power and plan with the help of their uncle Solomon and Michael the archangel.  In the first two books they witnessed the Creation and Noah building the ark.  The next two books follow chronologically as well.

• The Great Escape (Book #3) takes Peter and Mary back to Exodus and the Israelites trouble with Pharoah in Egypt.  Between the plagues, the Great Magician making trouble for them and the countdown to the parting of the Red Sea, the kids experience a lot! 

• Journey to Jericho (Book #4) gives Peter and Mary the chance to be spies and help sneak Rahab and her family out of Jericho before the Israelites conquer the city.  Keeping their cover, learning to be spies and dealing with the Man in Black always trying to get in the way makes it a high alert adventure!

The target age is 6-9, reading grade level 1-4, depending on the book.  J (8), avid reader, finished each book in a couple of hours.  Miss Z (5) new reader, took a few days, but once she got passed the first couple of chapters, she was hooked and seemed to speed up.  In the back of each book, there is a page that asks, "Do you want to read more about the events in this story?" It then lists the chapters where you can find the specific events mentioned in the Bible.  For even more fun, Book #6  The Shepherd's Stone, was just released in December. J has already been begging for it!

What We Liked

I love the joining of Biblical events with modern life!  As a kid, I always felt a disconnect between the Bible stories and my real life.  In addition to greater access to spiritual materials, I feel like the approach the author takes in these books allows my kids to be more invested than I was at that age.

The kids love the adventure.  Since it includes a boy and a girl it can't really be categorized as a boy book or girl book and each story builds on each other leaving them excited for the next story.  Since they were already familiar with the Bible stories, they enjoy recognizing the familiar people and events sprinkled throughout.  J (8) always noted when satan (or who he expected to be acting as satan) was involved.

They are clean, Biblically accurate, creative and fun!  Buying the set would be a perfect birthday or Christmas present!

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Wondering if we might be a little biased?  It's always possible! There were 60 families reviewing these books so feel free to check out some of there reviews through the link below to get a bigger perspective.

How To Raise Your Kids To Be Readers

The Race Car is almost 2 and has followed suit with the big kids in wanting to read books before, during and after breakfast in the mornings.  I hadn't really paid much attention to it until the big kids were spending the night at their grandparents house and the Race Car started asking for books all on his own.  Besides the fact that an ability and desire to read is oh so important for any person's education, one of my biggest fears in regards to my kids and their education has always been that they would hate reading, especially the boys.  You always hear the stereo-type of boys hating to read and my brothers were that way so I just figured it would be a problem.

Well, so far so good is the state of affairs in our house, I guess.  Two out of three kids are reading on their own and I always have to make them put a book down in order to get them to listen well.  The third seems to be well on his way, as far as I can tell.  So, yay, but I can tell you with certainly that it doesn't just happen, as if they are all born with it like they are born with brown eyes.  There are some things we have discovered that really encourage a healthy reading environment that I thought might help other parents wanting the same thing.


Remove Obstacles.  While you can't force anyone to love something, you can remove the obstacles that could hinder them from loving it.  That includes distractions, limited access, and, of course, learning difficulties.  If the television is always on in your house, wouldn't you have a hard time focusing on books with ease?  If you never were given new books or didn't go to the library very often, would you get excited about reading the same thing all the time?  If reading is hard and stressful, you wouldn't look forward to it either! Put effort into making reading a positive, natural experience by having screen-free times of the day, setting aside time to work on any learning difficulties, and make regular trips to the library!

Read Aloud.  Most parents know it is good to read to your child before they can read for themselves.  Once they start school and learn to read themselves, it is easy and very tempting to quit.  You might think they don't need it anymore, but they do!  Reading aloud feeds their development through  vocabulary, sophisticated language, moral lessons, and enjoyable time spent with you.  Bedtime reading is a nightly ritual with all three kids and has been since J was born 8 1/2 years ago.  We often read storybooks with the Race Car and after he's in bed, we read whatever chapter book we're working on at the time with the big kids for a while.

Read Yourself.  Trust me when I say, I know how hard it is to find time to just read for fun. Still, if your kids never see you pick up a book, it's easy to think it really shouldn't be required of, much less enjoyed by them.  Mr. Butler is always bringing home various books from the library and at least perusing them. 

Every person and family is different, but one thing is pretty consistent: Instilling a love of something in children is infinitely easier when they are surrounded by others who support and love it too.  

Reading Eggs: A Workbook Review

If you are a regular reader, you might remember our review of Reading Eggs last year.  Both kids loved the online reading and math program and still beg to use it.  It really is a great program, but - like many online programs - it doesn't take the place of pencil and paper.  That physical connection activates the brain in important ways that an online program can't do 100%.  This time the Reading Eggs program has a new workbook option that corresponds with the online lessons which provides for that in-hand element.  Just as Reading Eggs includes Math Seeds, there are both reading (K-5) and math (K-2) workbooks to choose from.  Miss Z is working through Kindergarten right now so our choice was 200 Essential Reading Skills for Kindergarten.  

The major attractive quality of Reading Eggs and Math Seeds is that it delivers a fun program that teaches your kids well.  Parents and kids BOTH are pleased.  So, when considering the workbooks, we have to ask if they will do the same?  Are they fun AND teaching students well?  Let's take a look! 

The online program does a great job of providing a variety of activities for the students to do that all point towards a greater understanding reading and math.   The workbook follows that example with pages of slightly different activities,  but an overarching path to, in this case, reading.  A lot of programs stick with two or three kinds of exercises, which can get boring to those busy minds sometimes.  The online program and reading workbooks easily utilize over ten different kinds.  The book itself is bright and colorful, just like the online program with appropriately sized words and pictures.  Miss Z can read some words already, but not everything.  The directions are short and simple, while the activities are easily understood without reading very much.

My educational approach in our home school tends to shy away from complete online curriculum because I feel strongly that my kids need to be grounded in offline activities.  Screens and online media have such a strong pull already, without online school creating more problems.  That being said, Reading Eggs and Math Seeds - especially with these new workbooks - are a great program that could be used as a complete curriculum if you chose to.  With your subscription, you have access to a section called Bonus Material which includes printable worksheets and an entire grade level lesson plan, like below:

Have you thought about trying Reading Eggs, but still find yourself feeling unsure it would be a good fit for you?  Right now, my readers are being given 4 weeks FREE of Reading Eggs which is plenty of time to decide if it meets your needs.  I'm also giving a 10% off coupon toward any of their new workbooks with the code:  WK10SGF5U04 It's a great time to take a test drive!

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Interested in a different grade level?  Check out the other Crew member reviews on the different grades!

Reading Kingdom: An Online Reading Program Review

When I began my master's program about 15 years ago, I remember being exposed to the heated debate surrounding the most effective teaching method in reading.  Some championed phonics, others were devoted to whole-language approaches.  At the time, I really didn't understand why a combination of many methods wasn't a major part of the discussion.  Now that miss Z is learning to read, I can confirm that both her and her brother learn very differently.  J instinctively understood phonics and readily picked up on various rules.  Miss Z has struggled a little more with phonics and needed more interaction than just reading on a page.   This latest review from Reading Kingdom  has given me a deeper appreciation for their differing needs in developing reading skills.

Reading Kingdom is an online subscription K-3 Reading Program that was developed by Dr. Marion Blank, a literacy expert.  Instead of just focusing on phonics or whole-language methods, Reading Kingdom incorporates 6 skills (Sequencing, Motor Skills, Sounds, Meaning, Grammar, & Comprehension) to provide a full reading and writing education.  It also provides an extensive reporting feature that keeps you up to date with each student's progress.  One of the things that sets Reading Kingdom apart is it's focus on meaning and real world exposure to reading through immersion rather than grouping words together simply based on sound or category.  In this way, the program works to incorporate elements of writing in with the reading sometimes far sooner than other methods.

Our Experience

Both of the kids used this product and had a tough time at first with it solely because it relies heavily on typing and computer skills, something they had some but not a lot of experience with.  In the beginning the students take a placement test and because of their lacking keyboard skills, they were both placed at level 1.  I knew going in that the use of the keyboard was involved but perhaps in my rush to dive in I didn't pay attention to how much of a factor it was.  One thing I learned was that you can change the settings on how long of a reaction time is allowed for answers.  My kids might know the right answers but took too long to find it on the keyboard.  Once we sorted that out and the kids got more used to using the keyboard in this way, things went a lot smoother.  Plus, they both have improved their typing skills tremendously!

Each lesson focuses on one word and requires the student to repeatedly interact with it in different ways.  For my older reader, the repetition got old and wasn't always super engaging to him, though he didn't complain about it.  For my beginning reader, though, the repetition seemed to be just what she needed.  Overall, both kids enjoyed working through this program and benefited from it's reality based lessons.  

If you are looking for a traditional online reading program, this might not be for you.  If traditional methods don't seem to be working for your student, I absolutely recommend giving Reading Kingdom a try.  This research-based program at its core seems to be looking for your child's gaps in order to fill them in.  Some of the Crew members also reviewed their ASD Reading Program designed for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Consider reading some of their reviews if this applies to your family. 

Reading Kingdom on Social Media: 

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/readingkingdom
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/readingkingdom 
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/readingkingdom/

Something To Be Said For Slowness

One of the best sounds in the world - as a mom and an educator - is the pleadings of children saying, "Just a little more?  Please???" after I reach the end of a chapter.  Tonight it was especially urgent because we're reading Sarah Witcher's Story by Elizabeth Yates, where a young girl, Sarah, gets lost in the woods and the entire community is searching for her.  We had already stretched the book over several sittings and their emotions had just about had it, I think.  So, of course we read just enough to know they were going to find her and then everyone could manage to sleep.

In the this competitive and high traffic world, we all just want to do well, to feel normal and not get left behind.  So we try to do more, go more and ultimately be more, but then we forget how much is gained in the slowness.  The one curriculum that we have used consistently since J started is My Father's World and, like a lot of homeschool curriculum, read aloud books are a standard practice.  My sensitivity to pressure (of any kind) causes me to get caught up in worry about to-do lists and doing enough.  So things like reading together takes time that the shameful side of me says could be used to clean something.  But of course I know better.  Having my big 7 year old and the whippy 4 year old clinging to me out of fear and excitement about the fate of a character in a book is far more valuable and steadying than a clean sink or organized closet.  This thing we're doing as parents - shaping their hearts toward the world and toward God is such a huge thing.  When your back aches and eyes droop from the exhaustion of it all, it is easy to forget what it's for.

Another thing that this year has brought has been more puzzles.  Nobody is pregnant in our house, no huge renovation projects are in process, and it's just too cold and dark after dinner to do much else.  So, our brains are getting a little exercise and our pace is soothingly slowed.  There's something to be said for slowing life down a bit. :)

The Magic Stories: A Reading Program Review

One time someone asked me if being a member of the Review Crew and my kids starting various educational programs, but not necessarily finishing them was detrimental to their learning.  Honestly, I had never thought about it that way, but I've after having thought about it I'm sure the answer is no.  For one thing, sometimes we do either finish a program in the review period or continue using it afterwards.  Still, even in the cases where we might not, the educational exposure is more opportunities to learn and exercise mentally.  Our latest review is a good example of this.  The Magic Stories from Allsaid & Dunn, LLC, publishers of The Reading Game and authors of the Wordly Wise series was completely unfamiliar to me and something we started on in the middle of other curriculum already in progress.  And yet, for the first time ever, I walked by J as he was reading The Magic Hole and he was laughing.  He loves reading, don't get me wrong, but I don't think I've ever caught him laughing at something he's read unless it was Calvin & Hobbes! Needless to say, new venues for learning are always welcome here.

The latest venue, The Magic Stories is a digital product intended for 2nd and 3rd graders that includes 6 stories approximately 20 pages long, corresponding vocabulary cards and exercises for each story, and pre and post sight word assessment worksheets for each story.  The student is expected to take a pre-assessment, read the story, work through the exercises and then take the post-assessment.  Hopefully, the student will have improved.  The vocabulary in each story increases in difficulty so reading them in order is recommended, but the assessment worksheets are great for determining your child's level of readiness for the individual stories.  The exercises and worksheets are designed to be used with the stories, of course, but the vocabulary cards can be used long after you've finished with The Magic Stories program for review and refreshing.

While my avid reader loves to consume just about anything, he is definitely ready to work on comprehension.  The Exercises included with each story are great for digging into content.  Each story includes The Maze, Finish the Sentence, Imagine, and Finish the Story. My favorite is the Maze.  It presents true or false statements that, if answered correctly, will lead you successfully to the finish.  I thought it was a really fun take on the maze concept!  J loves reading, but slowing down to comprehend isn't always his favorite thing to do.  Having different kinds of exercises available covering the same content really does make it more palatable for him. 

There are also some helpful free resources on the website like instructions, the assessment worksheets I already mentioned, Running Record Sheets that assess reading fluency and a running record sheet for a classroom or group of students.  If this sounds like something your reader could use, my readers will receive 25% off by using the coupon code raisingreaders at checkout.   For the amount of content and exercises you receive, $16.95 is a great price! Getting 25% off makes it even better.

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