{Mosaic Reviews} Ooka Island

In our home, our kids don't spend a lot of time on the computer yet.  Our oldest boys spend a little time learning keyboarding skills, typing writing assignments, playing educational games, and looking up Lego sets.  There is always a bit of fussing when the older boys get to "play" on the computer and the younger ones don't have a chance. 

 

Well, the tables definitely turned when we were reviewing Ooka Island, a learn to read game adventure.  Isaac (age 7) and Sadie (age 3) had a chance to try out this exciting program.  In fact, as you can see, everyone was quite interested!  Even our cat, Hwin...he, he!

 

 

So, what is Ooka Island?

 

Ooka Island is a guided learn to read adventure geared for children ages 3-7 based on years of literacy research by Dr. Kay MacPhee both from a professional and personal level. 

 

Ooka Island incorporates science based reading methods using the Eye/Ear Reading Method where children use both visual and auditory skills to improve their literacy.  The Eye/Ear Method helps children obtain mastery skills in five important areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

 

Ooka Island is an adaptive learn to read program.  Using the READirect algorithm, the program adapts to each child's strengths and weaknesses allowing them to make steady progress forward or repeat skills where they struggle.  When a child is playing Ooka Island, if they master a skill, READirect will move them forward in the game.  If they need more practice in a certain area, READirect will adjust for their needs and give more opportunities to practice those skills moving toward mastery. 

 



 

When we first set up our accounts, Sadie and Isaac were able to create their own character that looked like themselves.  The characters in Ooka Island are colorful, cute, and sometimes funny and surprising!  The character's voices were clear to understand and easy on the ears.

 

Sadie began Ooka Island at the very beginning level of play because she is three and that fit her skill level perfectly.  Because Isaac has growing reading skills, we were able to complete the Ooka Compass Reading Assessment that provided a variety of activities to assess his reading level and place him at a more accurate level of the game.  This is a wonderful aspect of Ooka Island!  Isaac didn't spend any time wading through unnecessary steps to get him to a place where he was actually learning and building new literacy skills.  From the very first time Isaac played the game, he was being challenged!

 

Ooka Island moves players through the Learning Flow Cycle which contains three parts. 

 

In Part 1: Guided Play, children work through skill building activities focused on phonemic awareness and phonics.  Sadie and Isaac loved playing these games.  I think this was their favorite part of the whole Ooka Island adventure.  I'm not sure I would have been able to convince Isaac, my first grader, that he was actually "doing school" while playing the games!  Ooka Island was a great way to reinforce our homeschool phonics lessons in a brand new way!

When children enter Part 2: e-Reader of the Learning Flow Cycle, they are transported to the Popcorn Library where they are presented with a leveled reader, again based on their individual skills.  This part focuses on concept of word, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.  While absolutely necessary, Isaac struggled with keeping a good attitude in this step.  This felt more like "school" to him and he just wanted to play the games.  But I encouraged him along reminding him that once he was finished with this part, he would unlock the next step - free play!  Sadie, on the other hand, really enjoyed this section and I don't think she saw it as anything other than another game to play.

Part 3: Free Play gives players a chance to play just for fun, read books from the Popcorn Library, or play activities that continue with their skill building and mastery.  Both Sadie and Isaac loved visiting the Mist Mart where they could select new costumes and clothing for their game characters.  I definitely heard the most giggling at this stage!

I think it is important to note, too, that no matter where you stop playing your game, Ooka Island remembers that spot and brings you right back to where you ended.  I think this eliminates the frustration of feeling like you're not making progress.

 

I was able to track each child's progress through Ooka Island's online progress reports via The Ooka Lighthouse which included The Report Card (a snapshot of progress), Reading Comprehension Report, Accuracy Analysis, Book Progress, and Red Line/Blue Line Trends (to show a reading break through).

 

On a fun note, I appreciated being able to send each of my children encouraging messages from the CHEEReader each time they logged in to play.  Both Sadie and Isaac would get so excited and say, "Mama, you sent me a message!" 

 

Sadie and Isaac really enjoyed playing Ooka Island!  At times, I'm not sure who was logged in as the player and they worked together at the games.  I know Isaac felt a sense of pride that he could help "teach" Sadie her letters and sounds  building his confidence.  In the seven hours Sadie was logged in to play, I have seen improvement in her ability to recognize and correctly name the alphabet and a few sounds that she didn't already know.  Isaac is making leaps and bounds in his reading skills and I'm confident that Ooka Island has helped him move closer toward becoming a fluent reader. 

 

Ooka Island is OOKARIFIC!!!



If you're interested in Ooka Island for your family, be sure to check their website for pricing and a variety of other resources available for you (sing along songs, activity pages, motivational tools, and so on).

And here's a bonus just for you from the good people at Ooka Island...a 30% discount on your purchase!!!  Just follow the link!!!

{Homeschool} Learning Board

 I am so thankful to have a dedicated spot for our school area in our family room.  It's not a separate room in our home but I'm not sure I'd want that anyhow.  I like that I can be in our kitchen or living room and still see what's happening with everyone.  Our school area is a great place to work and leave books, projects, etc. out when we move onto something else...like meals.  Do you know how much I appreciate not needing to clear our table every time I serve a meal?! 

 

 

Because we have a school area, I'm getting on board with the idea of having "schoolish" type things hanging on the walls.  In the past I've been totally opposed to that idea but there are some things that we need to review every day.  It is much easier to simply glance at our new learning board than it is to pull out a binder full of review pages.

 

I thrifted the cork board (and really, really nice wooden) frame ($4) and covered it with wrapping paper to hide the many, many pin holes in the matte board.  I photocopied items from Isaac's Saxon 1 Math books that we need to review every day and put it all together on the board.

 

 

 

Typical school day...doesn't it look so idyllic?!  Ha, ha!

 

We do have our shining moments like this.  And then we have our not-so-shiney moments, too!

 

 

 

Isaac wanted to teach Sadie the ABC's.  I love these large foam letters better than any other ABC manipulative we've tried.  I picked them up at The Dollar General several years ago for $1 per package.  Each package had 26 letters and I must have purchased five or six packages.  They are lightweight, colorful, store easily, and have held up really well.

 

Here's Isaac's (almost) finished board waiting to be hung on the wall.  I need to add his birthday, our address, and phone number.  I still have space to add other items and will change things around as needed.  So far, it has proven to be very handy! 

As a bonus, this board has added a touch of color in this room.  It's just what we needed in so many ways!

Home School Academy

This year, our family decided to take advantage of a local homeschool co-op that meets for a full school day.  The boys were very excited with a sprinkle of apprehension on their first day.  Mama, on the other hand, was full of apprehension with a sprinkle of "I think this will be a good fit for us this year..."

 

Heading out the door on their first day!  New monogrammed L.L. Bean backpacks received as birthday gifts from Grandpa and Grandma Farwell, lunch bags, and new school supplies... 

 

 

The boys have attended classes for six weeks...our seventh week, the end of the first quarter, was cancelled in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy's wrath in our area.  Thankfully, we escaped unscathed from the storm...we didn't even lose power though other streets around us did!  We took time to pray as a family before bedtime...something we are doing more and more often.  Praise God!  It was neat to talk with the kids the next morning about how God had answered our prayers for our family and our home to be safe as well as those around us.  God even kept all the food in our fridge and freezer safe, too!  I am trying to share the Scripture below with the kids each time we see our prayers answered (even if our prayers are answered contrary to how we wanted a situation to turn out).

 

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."  James 5:16 (NIV) 

 

Elijah and Luke have adjusted quite well to going to school one day a week.  They attend their classes and bring home assignments or reading to be completed before the next class.  This set-up has eased my "teacher load" this fall and is working wonderfully!  They enjoy P.E., History (focused on our government and election process this quarter), Science (Chemistry), Art/Performing Arts, Lego Robotics Club, and Writing/Literature.  I am thrilled for them as I see so much progress being made specifically in their writing skills!  In that class, they are required to write in a journal at least four times per week.  At the end of each quarter they turn in a "final" paper based on one of their journal entries.  This quarter they both wrote excellent fictional stories in the style of Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series.  I worked alongside them, typing, encouraging, and making suggestions as their stories progressed over several drafts to the final paper.  One of the biggest things I learned during this process is that we really need to get them working on typing skills!  Beyond that, it was just plain fun! 

 

Isaac has had a harder time adjusting to being at school all day.  This really is his first time being away for such a long period of time without someone that he knows well being right there with him.  The director and his teachers have been so encouraging to both Isaac and myself.  I have appreciated their willingness to help us work through this issue by offering suggestions to help him not be anxious or sad.  I visited his class twice during lunch time to give him a chance to see a familiar face.  His teacher has allowed him to call home just to hear my reassuring voice.  Each time Elijah or Luke see Isaac in passing, they stop and talk with him for a second.  We also found that tucking a special trinket in is pocket filled to the brim and overflowing with Mama's hugs and kisses was quite effective.  Anytime Isaac would start to feel sad, he could reach in his pocket and get some Mama-love.  He had a good day on the sixth week of school!  Imagine my delight when he was actually disappointed that school was cancelled for the storm on Tuesday.  I believe we are over the hump!  Praise God!

 

While the boys are at school, I have been able to make dr. appointments, run errands, work on projects at home, or just "be" while adjusting to life with our newborn, Silas.  I imagine that as life settles in a bit more with the baby, Sadie, Silas, and I will have some great adventures...just Mama and the littles!  I am thankful for this time to really dote on them as I find the other four days of the week to be quite busy with homeschool and keeping up with the rest of life's responsibilities.

 

I'm thankful for how well our school year is going so far.  I feel like it is going to be our best year ever.  The Lord is answering my prayers, too!

 

"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."  James 5:16 (NLT)



Homeschooling with the Little-er Ones

I'm thankful for a great start to our sixth year homeschooling.  If our first six weeks is any indication of success, we will be very successful this year!  I just know it!!!

 

I'm very happy with our curriculum choices, our decision to participate in a full day co-op once a week, and the fact that we actually did start school in mid-August.  In fact, as much as I am ready to meet our little man, I'm a little sad that our school routine will be altered because it is working so well for us.

 

 

Sadie takes time most mornings to color, glue, cut, watch her ABC video (a Leapfrog DVD), play play dough, paint, and convince at least one brother to read her a book or two.  When she's not busy doing that, she often can be found on the couch with her favorite toys piled all around her chatting away and singing as if the whole world was listening...

 

A friend had recommended several preschool skills books that she enjoyed using with her daughter.  I hesitated purchasing them online given that they were $8.00 - $14.00 each.  However, when I found them at The Christmas Tree Shop this summer, I snatched them up at $3.50 - $4.50 each.  Sadie loved making pizza this morning though I ended up cutting the pieces out for her.  She cuts but only in straight lines right now!  She said, "I'm too little to cut out pepperoni, but I sure like to glue them...and eat them." 

 

 

 

Isaac is progressing very quickly with his reading skills.  It's "clicking" with him and we are both very excited to work on phonics and spelling every day (The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, Explode the Code, All About Spelling).  Here he is playing bingo with sight word print outs from Confessions of a Homeschooler .  He also enjoys math as well giggling throughout when I express surprise - some honest, some for fun - at his correct answers (Saxon Math 1).

 

I'm constantly reminded of my need to seek the Lord for help both as a mama and as my children's teacher.  God has been faithful to bless our efforts even when I've failed in my own humanness and sin.  Mike and I are committed to making the best decisions for our family and for each of our children.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to "do life" with my kids day in and day out.  We are a stronger, tight-knit family because of it.

 

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 16:3

Cafeteria Math - Homeschool Style

I'm not a mama that does a lot of hands-on or crafting stuff in our normal school routine. So when the inspiration strikes, I usually go for it! Today was one of those days and the activity was met with great success. The boys LOVED it! I prepared everything while they were getting their late-morning outdoor romp and surprised them when they came in for lunch.

We've been practicing adding three addends together. Eli and Luke "get it" but it's always good to keep practicing! When the older boys were little I would set up a snack shop (pretzels, carrot sticks, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, etc.) and they could purchase items for 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, etc. One the note cards below, you'll see prices for foods. The blue prices are obviously for the older boys. Isaac's prices are in orange.

Making its debut appearance is cafeteria math - homeschool style. I'm still working on a catchy title. "Cafeteria Math: Yummy, Healthy, and Expensive!" or "Cafeteria Math: The Place to be Nickel and Dimed for Everything!" or "Cafeteria Math: Outrageous Price and Flavor!" (Can you hear me crackin' myself up?! Yes. I am a dork.)

When it was time to pay their bill, I got out my wad of hundreds...er...our Monopoly money for the paper money and real coins. After they added up their items (I had them add the cost of 3 items at a time), they had to give me the correct bills and coins. We also wrote out their total amounts in word form and filled out play checks. Luke's meal cost $1,826.29. Elijah's meal cost $1,148.40. Isaac's meal cost $0.28. He, he!

I totally rocked this one...he, he! Isaac handed me coins every time he went back for more. I think he was intentionally taking one thing at time so he could keep buying more! Sadie just loves eating...especially red peppers. Luke said it was tons of fun and asked to do it again. Elijah, while admitting that he enjoyed it, thought that next time I ought to price things "a little more sensibly..." Oh my, so characteristically them!!!

Math Fact Tables

The Dollar Tree has knocked it out of the park again! These posters are perfect for helping the boys practice skip counting, addition tables, and multiplication tables.

But since I'm high on design (ha, ha) they don't quite fit into my decorating scheme in the dining room aka the school room. I revolt at the idea of hanging school-type posters in our living areas.

I cut them up to fit our needs...now we have flashcard sized fact cards! SCORE! Much prettier than the few I had made and the other ones I was neglecting to make!

With such a bargain, I got one set for each boy...now there's no excuse for not practicing our facts!

We've also really been enjoying our Schoolhouse Rock dvd during lunch time for review!

**editted to add: I ordered Addition Songs and Multiplication Songs for the boys and they just came in the mail. As soon as I opened the package, Luke yelled, "Run away so we don't have to listen to them!" HA!!! That's why I plan to use them in the car! Joke's on them!!! (insert evil homeschooling mama laugh!!!!!!!!) But Sadie is getting her groove on to them right now, so my guess is that she'll have them memorized long before the boys.

In Your Face Cow

Time for an art project!!! I loved this project when I first saw it here... I've always had an odd affection for cows...maybe because I love milk or maybe because I grew up surrounded by dairy farms or maybe just because I'm weird. I still don't mind their nose tickling stench...smells like home. Not literally, but it reminds me of Independence and Hallsport, old neighbors, bike hikes with friends (Annie), the General Store where we bought penny candy and 10 cent popsicles, the crick where we swam and explored, and the church where my faith began to grow. I no longer own all the cow figurines and paraphernalia I had as a child, but now I've got something better! Great cow art by my boys!

Elijah, 8 years

Luke, 6 years

Isaac's UGLY cow (with a little assistance with drawing), 4 years

Watercolor Christmas Trees

We spent some time this afternoon creating these Christmas trees. All you need is watercolor paper, watercolors, white tempera paint, and a sharpie! I might have to hang these up in place of our usual Christmas tree. A real Christmas tree with all its falling needles is not the best option for helping to keep the house clean during this selling season. Although, I do think we might take up a friend's offer of an artificial tree this year! Can't NOT have a tree...

Elijah

Luke

Isaac's - I took a different approach with him because he tends to get mostly water and little color when painting. I drew the shapes on construction paper for him to cut out and he glued them in place. The hole punch made great little snowflakes!

Art Projects

Luke - self portrait with waving hands

Eli - self portrait with waving hands

Overlapping Bubbles - Eli

Autumn Night in Tissue Paper

Pockets of Goodness

More pockets of goodness in our crazy, un-routined school year...it's gotta get better, right?!

Elijah LOVES his art class at homeschool co-op.

A fun project from Art Projects for Kids...we love art and I hope to do lots more this year. After all, isn't that the beauty of homeschooling...the ability to spend more time on a child's interest. But we all love it!!!

Luke's art project from homeschool co-op...a study in reflections.

Luke reviewing sight words as fast as he can and trying to beat the clock. Isaac spending time with mama in the big chair "stealing" my cards every time he says a letter name and sound correctly by repeating what he hears. LOTS of giggles from the boy and lots of pretend tears from mama watching my card pile dwindle as quickly as his grew.


Spelling is a BIG HIT this year...who knew???!!! I appreciate the fact that I am able to teach Elijah and Luke together this year for a lot of subjects making "assignments" or "requirements" to suit each boy's grade and skill level. In the case of spelling, though, they are working together and doing quite well! And take a look at Luke's handwriting! Much improved over his Kindergarten year!

Apple prints and writing "a" and "A." Oh, and eating apples while doing it! Too bad the apples in the oatmeal didn't go over well...it was saved for two boys for lunch and eaten. Don't think we'll have that particular problem again (and I'm NOT saying that I'll never serve it again)...that's the good part!!! There IS a positive to every situation!

Reading and snuggling and Curious George with Isaac. Boy, oh boy, he's a sweet boy! He is absolutely LOVING the pockets of goodness we share together during the day.

Staying committed to the Lord and to each other. Relying of God when I feel like I'm giving my all and it is still not working. Abiding in Christ. We will begin to have more positive, productive days than the other. We CAN and WILL establish a routine.

...after vacation.

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12: 9-10

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

Isaiah 26:3

"Be still, and know that I am God..."

Psalm 46:10

Monarch Butterfly

We've had a bit of a rocky start to our school year...not finding a good routine yet. I feel somewhat scatterbrained. The following posts are reminders to me that in the midst of the chaos, learning new curriculum, managing a sweet and curious baby girl, adding some very hands-on preschool activities, re-learning how to be diligent students and a disciplined mama all the while longing to be outdoors where we spent the entire summer, there have been some really great things happening, too. I find it easy to focus on the negative and I do want to be real, but I also need to encourage myself right now with positive things!

Our neighbor, a teacher in our local school district (and a supporter of homeschooling!), gave us a caterpillar larvae on our first day of school in the container with the milkweed. How thoughtful! Everyday for the past two weeks we've watched it transform into a butterfly. What a marvelous design by our Creator God. I was simply in awe. Sometimes I feel like I am learning and seeing these things for the first time. AMAZING! The Monarch emerged from its chrysalis on Saturday and while we were quite excited to finally see the butterfly, it was sad to let her go.

Not sure how long he stood there and watched the butterfly hanging out in the tree...a LONG time. He has a hard time saying good-bye. Kind of like his mom.

We drew Monarchs for our science notebooks and as thank you notes for our kind neighbor.

A great start to science...