Free, FANTASTIC phonics readers from Miz Katz N. Ratz

I'm so excited to tell you about these wonderful FREE phonics readers I recently discovered.

But first, why am I excited about phonics readers when I recently wrote, "a heavy focus on phonics isn't the ONLY way, or even the best way, for children to learn how to read"? Well, okay, last time I wrote about learning to read I may have discounted phonics a little too much, perhaps. I would still very much argue that reading programs that focus exclusively on teaching phonics miss the mark! Especially for visual learners (more on them next time). However, I also concede that fluent readers must decode new words that they encounter. After all, comprehension depends first on being able to recognize a word and then on understanding it in it's context. So, phonics comes into the picture in the decoding part of things.

So, I started looking for an approach to phonics that is different from the drill and repetition that my daughter hates and that doesn't help her anyway. She may remember that W-H-E-R-E is the word "where" during one particular lesson, but probably won't recognize it next time she sees it in a book. Looking at words and sounding out their component sounds simple isn't the key that opens the door to her memory.  For an auditory learner like me it is: I see letters and immediately hear the sounds they make. A visual learner like Aurelia sees the letters and, well, sees a bunch of letters. And then she has to try to translate them into their sounds, and it is an arduous process. (But like I said, more on visual learners next time.)

Anyway, I started looking more closely at the Montessori approach to reading instruction, which is extremely phonetic, which led me to Reading Bear, another wonderful, FREE phonics resource online. Reading Bear takes a Montessori approach and offers 50 video presentations that build vocabulary and demonstrate sounding out words.

I thought, hey, this is GREAT! What's more visual than a video, right? Well, maybe. Except that Reading Bear still approaches things in an essentially auditory way. That is, the focus is exclusively on combining sounds to build words. Sounding words out. Which, again, isn't the best approach for visual learners. I did try out a few presentations with the girls, and they seemed to enjoy the time we spent together viewing them, but got bored with it pretty quickly and hated the quiz portion. So, I kept on looking.

Then lo and behold I found these amazing FREE phonics readers at a website called Progressive Phonics. They were not easy to find; I got to them circuitously from a link in the resources section of a Montessori homeschooling support website. Am I glad I did!! These little books are a treasure!

Firstly, they are funny! And funny = memorable. And enjoyable! I don't know about anybody else's kids, by I know my kids LOVE to laugh! If it makes them laugh, they will be eager to do it again and again. Here are three of the pages which Cicely and Aurelia found unbelievably, laugh-out-loud funny (which are thankfully WAY funnier than the knock-knock jokes the girls tell at the dinner table): 

 

    

Secondly, they are comprehensive. As their website explains, "Many phonics programs quit after teaching long vowels and maybe a few silent letters. We include ALL varieties of vowels, ALL common silent letters, consonant AND vowel digraphs, plus important grammatical basics without which independent reading of English is impossible (punctuation, contractions, syllables, question words, plurals and possessives)." They teach the rule-breakers, as well, and include all 220 Dolch sight words.  Here's a great example of just how comprehensive they are. They demonstrate the two different ways (voiced and unvoiced) to pronounce the TH sound : 

   

I have yet to come across another phonics program that covers all that in such a concise, articulate way, and that does not depend on tedious drill and repetition.  

Fourthly, they are extremely clear in the way they explain things. Here is an example from the first of the Alphabetti books intended for the earliest beginners:

     

I LOVE the idea of making letter shapes with your hands; such a great way to add a kinesthetic dimension to this learning!  For one more example of clarity, from the Intermediate phonics series, here's the introduction to the SH sound: 

THANK YOU! An explanation that is simple and straightforward and makes sense to the CHILD who is reading the book alongside mom, dad, or teacher!! An explanation that doesn't muddy the waters with jargon like "phonogram" or "digraph" or leave it all helplessly at "because that's just the way the English language works." This woman is my new best friend. 

Fourthly, these books are visually appealing. The pictures are really delightful. Simple and charming. And the design and formatting of each book is perfect. The fonts are easy to read, and the pages are uncluttered so there are no distractions. Ever looked at a DK or Usborne book, with so many different text bubbles, photos/illustrations, and captions that you don't know where to aim your eyes next? Well, these are NOT like that!

Finally, they are FREE! As I said, the woman behind this series is my new best friend because she must be an AWESOME person to make something like this available for free. Just because she saw a need for it. And she's humble. She doesn't even put herself out there to garner lots of praise and recognition. She calls herself Miz Katz N. Ratz.

So if you or anyone you know of is looking for a funny, memorable, enjoyable, comprehensive, delightful, uncluttered, clear and FREE phonics resource - I highly recommend these FANTASTIC books. 

Check them out at www.progressivephonics.com!

Sulfation, fation.. for Detoxification...

We've had a breatkthrough!!! It has taken almost a year and half to get here, but HOORAY!

In a previous post I mentioned how Aurelia was reacting to phenols and talked about phenolsulfurtransferase (PST) and how not having enough sulfur available in her body was blocking detoxification of phenols, etc. Well, after lots and lots of reading and researching and trying some new supplements we've been blown away by the results!!

Visual Instruction Posters To The Rescue!

Over the years I've read a lot about how visual supports can help toddlers and right-brained or visual learners understand concepts, follow instructions, and make transitions easier. When I was teaching, a visual schedule hung on the board to inform the students what would happen when during the school day. It seemed to help keep them on track. Nowadays, when we begin our homeschool lessons, Aurelia turns around strips in a pocket chart so she can know at a glance how much she's accomplished and how much she has left to do. It seems to help keep her on track.

Field Trip :: Storybook Theater

Last week we went to see Storybook Theater's production of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  Storybook Theater produces interactive musicals for children 3-10 years old. Although they may be a little heavy on the moral of the story, they are also very funny!  

Reading Without Tears

Phonics lessons bore my daughter to tears. While understanding how the sounds of our language combine to form words is essential to learning how to read, I'm convinced that a heavy focus on phonics isn't the ONLY way, or even the best way, for children to learn how to read.  

Homeschooling In The Corner

Oh, Organization. I chase you like a dog chases its tail. To have everything in its place I first need a place for everything. Not so easy living in a 900 sq. ft. condo. We don't have a spare room to convert into a classroom. We're lacking in closet space. We've been keeping materials under the coffee table, on a bookshelf, and in various places all around the house. Until one day I had an idea.

Of Enzymes and Epsom Salts

I've recently read Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Conditions by Karen DeFelice, and wow!  What an informative and, oddly enough, humorous, book. If you have any interest in learning nitty-gritty details about how digestion works, or what can happen when it goes wrong, I recommend this book. And she is very humorous.

Video :: Fork Knitting

One of my favorite things to do is to knit. I'm eager to teach my kids to knit, too. But where to start?  Managing two sticks and a string really is too difficult and frustrating for very young hands to master. It's a challenge for many adults! So, a knitting fork, or lucet, is an ideal tool for a young child to use in the beginning.  

Food Wizardry :: F'egg Nog

I loved egg nog when I was a kid. Once a year at the holidays, my dad would mix up rich, frothy goodness in our old Waring blender with the clover shaped glass container (With the blades that would not come out for cleaning - remember those?) He'd pour it out - raw eggs and all - into glasses and sprinkle nutmeg on the bubbly top. YUM! Alas, the salmonella in eggs scare of the 1980's ended those homemade egg nog hey days, and I never have liked the store bought stuff. It tastes completely artificial to me, like chemically engineered nutmeg ickiness. I haven't enjoyed a glass of delicious egg nog for a quarter of a century.  Until yesterday!  

Video :: Impromptu Folk Sing

Recently a friend gave Aurelia a little guitar cut out of a cereal box.  This gift prompted much pretend strumming and minstrel singing around the house.  A couple of days later, she asked Max if he would teach her how to play the guitar on his Martin backbacker that lives in a case in our closet.  I was busy on the computer when I heard guitar strumming and singing in the living room.  I listened for a few moments, and then grabbed the camera to capture the last of the impromptu folk song Max and Aurelia were making together.