Rock ‘N Learn! : Phonics DVD's 1 &2 (Review & giveaway)

I am home schooling my Kindergartner and my Pre-school aged children this year. It can be a challenge home schooling when 3 of the kids are ages 5 and under. I was very thankful to review for Rock 'N Learn! I really like the DVD's that they sent me. Teaching phonics, sounds of letters, spelling, etc. can be a challenge ~ and a big job! Rock 'N Learn has put together great DVD's that teaches these concepts so great! I was very impressed with these videos.

Rock 'N Learn starts off with teaching the vowels: a,e,i, o, u and sometimes y. Learning the vowels, consonants, and other parts of speech are taught in the Rock 'N Learn DVD's by fun, and catchy worded songs. My kids had a great time dancing and singing along to the songs. (All the while they are learning). The video also has sounding out words, and with this, the video shows the letter, the word, the mouth movements, and a picture. I really like how Rock 'N Learn put this together. Kids get a visual of the letter, picture and word (for the visual learner)
and they can watch how the mouth forms the word, which can help kids work on their pronunciation. Some kids really learn well by watching the mouth move with the words/sounds/letters. Check out this video clip of my kids watching the Rock N' Learn video:


I know that these videos will be very helpful with teaching phonics, and introducing reading to my kids. I think these videos are very educational and very helpful. I recommend these videos!
Rock 'N Learn Phonics (volume 1) has short sounds, consonants, blends & diagraphs, word families, silent e, and read-along stories. The DVD is approximately 70 minutes long. You can also visit free-phonics-worksheets.com for printable resources to go with the phonics programs from Rock N' Learn, as well.
Rock 'N Learn Phonics (volume 2) has long vowels, vowel combinations, syllables, ending sounds, silent consonants, and read-along stories.

The Rock 'N Learn videos are so great for a resource to teach your kids the basics to letters, sounds, and reading readiness. The DVD's have catchy songs and my kids love them.

Check out Rock 'N Learn's Facebook page.

***ENTER TO WIN***
This contest is open to bloggers and non-bloggers of the United States & Canada, and the contest is open until midnight October 23rd, 2010. To enter, go to the Rock 'n Learn website and check out what they have to offer. Comment here about what you found out and sounded interesting to you.

**For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter and/or become a fan on facebook, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment about something you found helpful for teaching phonics/reading to your kids. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

This review was provided from Rock 'N Learn. They have provided me with 2 Phonics DVD's to review and information to share with my readers. I am sponsored to offer a giveaway for my readers through this review (same 2 DVD's for one winner). I was given the product for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.

Enter to win a New Book from Phenix & Phenix publishing! (Review and 3 giveaways!)

“I’m Up in a Tree” – My kids and I enjoyed this imaginative story about a little boy who climbed up in a tree, and now cannot get down. Meeting new characters who give their own advice on how he should get down, the little boy must make a big decision. Will he listen to the little cat, or the bird who flies out, or will he wait for his Dad to come to his rescue? The kids and I really enjoyed the rhyming story line, especially my preschooler, because he is totally into rhyming right now.

Mark Alden Johnson’s “I’m Up in a Tree” (Bridgeway Books, January 2010) is a fun way to teach kids early to resist peer pressure and make their own choices. (List Price: $14.95; Reading level: Ages 4-8; Hardcover: 32 pages; Publisher: Bridgeway Books (January 19, 2010); Language: English)
About the Author:

Mark Alden Johnson has been a writer at heart since a very young age. Even as a kid, he would invent imaginative stories and proudly present them to his parents – and anyone else he could find. Johnson started writing children’s stories just for his kids and their friends when they were young, but after he published his first book, Little Fish Lou (Outskirts Press), he knew writing was a passion he wanted to pursue. A native of northern Nevada, Johnson attended West Nevada College, where he took a wide variety of courses. Currently, he works for a local utility company in Dayton, Nev., where he lives with his wife and three kids.

“Feeding Penny Pig” – This is a cute story about a grandmother Mimi trying to find the perfect gift to give her grand daughter, Laney. With the choice of a lonely piggy bank, Laney is thrilled to have a new pet to "feed" coins to. Laney is given daily chores from her parents with the reward of payment, so she can feed the hungry Penny Pig. “Feeding Penny Pig” (Mimi’s Funhouse LLC, November 2009), teaches Laney responsibility and the value of earning and saving money, and also that working can be fun! (List Price: $14.95; Reading level: Ages 9-12; Hardcover: 32 pages; Publisher: Mimi’s Funhouse LLC (November 22, 2009); Language: English)

About the Author:
Jeannine Fox, or “Mimi” as her granddaughters call her, is a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Public Accountant. She has been practicing financial planning in the Houston area since 1981. Fox is the branch manager of The Planning Team in Houston and a branch manager and investment advisor representative of NEXT Financial Group, Inc. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in business from the University of Alabama and an MBA with concentrations in finance and accounting from the University of Houston. Fox has also been a featured guest on a variety of radio and television shows, and a contributor for The Money Paper, Southwest Airline’s Spirit magazine, Financial Planner magazine, Senior Spirit and USA Today. She currently lives in Magnolia, Texas, where she enjoys spending time with her family.

“How Lil’ Eddie Learns to Read” – This is a great book to introduce reading to your preschooler/kindergartner. There are sections in this book: "Help for parents" which give helpful information on how to work with your kids to help them learn to read.

“How Lil’ Eddie Learns to Read” (Synergy Books, February 2010), is Rima H. Corral's newest children's book. She introduces readers to a little boy named Eddie who receives a book on his third birthday. Inspired by this gift, Eddie decides he wants to learn to read. The book follows Lil’ Eddie and his family as they help him learn to read through books, games and a neighborhood reading club. Corral hopes this book will encourage parents to help their kids learn reading skills before entering kindergarten (List Price: $18.95; Reading level: Ages 9-12; Hardcover: 48 pages; Publisher: Synergy Books (February 2, 2010); Language: English)
About the Author:
Rima H. Corral is a beloved entertainer, as well as creator and producer of the Houston PBS children’s television program, Rima, Fuego and the Children, which airs nationwide. With degrees in music and general education, Rima has more than twenty-five years of experience as an early childhood educator. This is her first children’s book.

Enter to win!!

Phenix & Phenix has offerend to sponsor a giveaway! There will be three winners.

This contest is open to bloggers and non-bloggers of the United States. Contest is open until March 23, 2010. To enter, leave a comment about which book you would like to win. Please list your first choice with each comment.**For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter and/or become a fan on facebook, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment about another children's book you enjoy with your kids. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

This post was written for Phenix & Phenix Publishing who provided the three books for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary books.

Alphabotz Flash Cards (great for education): Review and Giveaway!

Being a home educator, I am always trying to find great products to encourage learning, is fun and creative for teaching/learning, and my kids will enjoy it. I was sent a box of Alphabotz flashcards to review, and I found these cards colorful, creative, fun, FULL of learning opportunities, and ways to teach (that is fun, not boring).
The Alphabotz flashcards have a robot character on the top of each card. On top of the robot's head is a picture of an item. The picture of the robot is to install a memory trigger for your children to help them remember a certain sound or letter. With 26 letters of the alphabet, there are 46 cards to the Alphabotz cards. Not only do the Alphabotz flash cards introduce the alphabet, there are also different phonetic sounds displayed.

These flash cards are perfect for me, considering Caleb is currently a "pre-schooler," and Madelyn isn't too far behind. They are learning together, essentially, with being home. They love playing with the cards and saying what is on them. Caleb is really liking to sound out his letters, know what letter makes which words, and so on. So the Alphabot Flash cards are a hit, and they are working to help him learn. He will eventually put together that the letters/sounds will belong to the words he is speaking...therefore promoting reading. That is the intent of these cards.
Caleb is learning how to spell and write his name, and we have been "finding the letters" of his name in the Alphabotz cards.
The Alphabotz Superphonic Decoder Cards were just named to Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products of 2009 list! I think that this award is well deserved. I recommend these flashcards for your younger child/preschooler. Older kids can have fun with these cards, too...(included in the box is a list of games to play).

Enter to win!

The company has offered to sponsor a giveaway for my readers! This giveaway is open to residents of the USA (bloggers/non-bloggers), and will end on November 25th, 2009. TO ENTER: go to the website and find out something you find interesting about the cards or company. For an additional entry, you can "become a friend of Alphabotz on Facebook". You can come back once each day throughout the contest and enter again by just leaving a friendly comment relevant to the contest, but you MUST do the first entry.

**For extra chances you can: blog this contest, add my button to your site, subscribe to my blog, twitter this contest, and/or visit everyday and add another friendly comment. Lots of chances to win! Don't forget to put the extra comments for the "extra" work. Good luck!**

This review was sponsored by Alphabotz Superphonic Decoder Cards. They have supplied me with a free product to keep for my personal opinion and option to share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review. They have offered to sponsor a giveaway for a prize for my readers.

Piano for Preschoolers

I took piano lessons for over 14 years, and I can honestly say that practicing wasn't something I looked forward to or enjoyed. When I first started out, there was so much to learn and so much that seemed so hard! It is a challenge to learn to read music, especially for the younger children. I was impressed when I took out the materials from Piano for Preschoolers (basic coarse). There is a song music book with 17 songs in it that accompanies a 17-track CD. Plus, there is a lesson book for the parent/teacher that has 19 lessons in it. To help preschoolers learn how to play, they use the two keyboard color strip guides. You just place the color guides onto your keys, and kids can learn from color rather than notes on a staff. What is nice about the color strips included in the kit, one fits a piano, and one fits a mini keyboard. That is a special bonus, because you can get your child practicing piano while on the road. They don't even know they are practicing that way!
Piano for Preschoolers costs $39.95 for the Basic Course, and I think this is a valuable price to get your preschooler interested in piano playing. The Basic coarse is designed for ages 3-8. Piano is a great instrument because it teaches math skills with counting. I really like the Piano for Preschoolers approach with teaching young ones, by color. Not only are they learning their colors, they are putting it to music. The kids get exposed to the keys, and can start to get comfortable where the notes are. There are a few lessons in the back of the book that actually teach the notes on the staff (spaces and lines) so that your child is ready to move on to reading piano music. I am excited to be doing this program with my child, and it is so much fun seeing him get excited about learning how to play piano!
Piano for preschoolers offer other products for purchase too, like songbooks, mini keyboards, and a few different gift packages.