A New Year’s Resolution That I Finally Kept

I first started using Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read with my son as one of this year’s--many--New Year’s Resolutions. But unlike other resolutions, such as losing weight and getting my Master’s degree, this was one I actually followed through with.

It was a time of new beginnings. Eli was five and had just started Kindergarten. Since his birthday is late, my husband and I had planned to give him the “gift of a year” and hold off sending him to Kindergarten until he was six. We had enrolled him in a private early childhood school, but it turned out that it wasn’t a good match for him. So, after some consideration and a whole lot of angst, we pulled Eli out of the private setting in December and enrolled him in public Kindergarten. It was January and he had already missed half of the year.

When the public school evaluated Eli, they found he wasn’t reading, nor was he able to sound out (or decode) words at all. Unfortunately, as anyone who lives in New England knows, Mother Nature hasn’t been terribly supportive of kids going to school in 2011. During the first month of Kindergarten, we practically had more snow days than school days. While the kids loved it, all of the time off made this already Type-A mommy stress out even more. I couldn’t imagine how my little guy was ever going to catch up. My husband and I began to entertain the idea of holding him back for another year of Kindergarten.

At the same time, my company had just purchased Hooked on Phonics. I had heard about the reading program, but had never used it myself. So, we decided to give it a try with Eli. It couldn’t hurt, right? When I popped in the Kindergarten Level 1 DVD for the first time, my son (who normally isn’t allowed to watch TV) was mesmerized. “More!” he demanded when it was over. As a mom who works full time outside the home, I thought, “This is great!” and I promptly made dinner. Then feeling a tad guilty, I left the mac ‘n cheese on the table and spent a few minutes to go through the workbook lesson with him. Afterward (no kidding!) he read his first little “story.” Sure, it wasn’t a Pulitzer Prize winner. It pretty much consisted of “Hat. Cat. Pat cat. Cat sat . . .” But I’m telling you, he DID it himself! He was hooked. So what if dinner was cold? My kid actually read something! What more can I ask?

Did You Know...

Did you know that the DVDs for the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read program have a bunch of extra learning videos to supplement the videos for the lessons? On the main menu of the DVD, just click on the "Extras" box for the Pre-K and Kindergarten levels and the "Shared Reading" box for the First Grade and Second Grade levels. Here's an example of one of the videos:

Everybody Sing The Alphabet With Me Video

For more info: http://www.tryhookedonphonics.com

This new ABC Song is part of the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read program.

Sorry, it's been a while!

It's been a while since we've posted anything to the Hooked on Phonics blog. Here's an update on some of the things Hooked on Phonics has been working on:

1. We're finishing up a new infomercial that will launch at the beginning of 2012. We're very excited about the new infomercial and we hope you enjoy it.
2. We've got some great new deals that we'll be sharing next week for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
3. We've been working to get Hooked on Phonics on the shelves of several major retailers. Please be sure to visit your local Target or Barnes and Noble to find our products.

We'll start posting more frequently again, we promise!

Columbus Day Fun for You and Your Child

Happy Columbus Day!

While you may not have a chance to experience New York City's amazing Columbus Day parade in person, there's no reason you can't take time out to enjoy this special day with your child -- and celebrate the spirit of exploration and discovery that Christopher Columbus stands for!

Why not go on an exploring adventure in your neighborhood, or a local park? Head down to the library for a peek at the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria? Or try one of these other fun Columbus Day activities that your child will definitely love.

Get out and start exploring!

Everyone Loves a Mystery, Especially Kids

Who doesn't love a mystery? I'm sure there's someone (it's a mystery to me who it could be...) but it's certainly not young readers -- they love them!

Mysteries are a great way to teach young readers critical thinking and problem solving, and the thrill of the chase as you tear through a real page turner is one reason our love of books will be forever strong.

The year 2010 has been designated the "Year of the Children's Mystery Book," and each October, KidsLoveAMystery.com celebrates mysteries with online games, teaching tools and fun activities to share with your kids.

Do you have a favorite mystery series? Be sure to share it. I still have a treasured box of Hardy Boys books in the attic...or is it the basement? Another mystery to be solved!

Some other recommendations include Gordon Korman's 39 Clues series, R.L. Stein's Goosebumps series, the Encyclopedia Brown series from Donald J. Sobol, and Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House books.

And speaking of mysteries, here's one for you, dear reader. What actress played Nancy Drew, one of the most popular children's mystery characters of all-time, and also starred in the television drama "Dynasty"?

Not a difficult case to solve, if you had a TV in the 80s...or www.imdb.com.

The Perfect Learning Tool for Kids...And They Deliver!

No, I'm not talking about pizza. (Though if you're ever stuck for a way to explain to your kids how a pie chart works, I recommend a half plain, half pepperoni.)

One of the best ways to engage your kids with reading and language -- and in the process, give them a real-time sense of the world around them -- is with the daily newspaper.

In honor of National Newspaper Week, take some time to share your local paper with your child. There's so many ways a newspaper can encourage learning, creativity and curiosity. Things like:

1. Try a word search. Has your child just learned a new vocabulary word? Pick an article and see if you can find the word there, or words that start with the same letter, or words that mean the same thing.

2. Make me laugh. Give your child a section of the paper, and take one yourself. See who can find something funny the fastest.

3. Shopping list. Look through circulars or advertisements and see if you can find brands or items you use in your home.

4. Learning the "5 W's". Read an article together, or have your child read one aloud. Then try to identify the basic tenants of any good story: who, what, where, when, and why.

5. Time capsule. Does your child have a birthday coming up, or an other special day to remember? Make sure you save a newspaper from that day, or look online for headlines from the day he or she was born. Or, share the headlines from the day YOU were born. ("Daddy, who was Richard Nixon? And what's AM radio?")

And even when you're done reading, the fun isn't over. Paper mache anyone? Super-cool newspaper hats? A boat that actually floats?

Plus, here's a great printout to make your own newspaper story, along with a colorful picture, courtesy of Crayola.

Long live newspapers!