Ooka Island {Review}

We had the chance to review Ooka Island, which is a fun Pre-K (starting as young as age 3) to 2nd Grade learn-to-read program for PC and Mac. It features a Home Edition, School Edition, and Homeschool Edition. It is a fun way for kids to learn phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Their goal is to teach children to learn to read fluently and well through online instruction that is fun and interesting.
Since we have three kids in the target age range for Ooka Island, it has been particularly fun for our family because they are able to learn together. As a homeschooling mom, I often try to use the “one room schoolhouse” approach as much as possible particularly because our oldest two children (ages 7 and 5) are on the same academic level, and our 3 year old is just a couple of years younger. So, when there is a program like Ooka Island where they can actually work together that is really exciting for me! The best part is, they worked WELL together! They were taking turns, helping each other, and having fun! Of course, they were learning along the way as well!
Check out the video introduction to Ooka Island:

It looks fun, right? Our kids LOVE it! Although they are learning as they go, they really enjoy their time on Ooka Island. Many times I have to insist it is time to do other things. I love that Ooka Island uses a positive approach to teaching. They get rewarded with the bonus games, stickers, and a lot of positive reinforcement along the way. The whole story line of Ooka Island makes every child a hero!
Reading has been a challenging subject for our oldest in particular who is on the Autism spectrum, so positive reinforcement and a lot of praise really does a lot to encourage him. He also gets extra encouragement knowing he is helping his little brother learn letters and letter sounds, too! He feels really special.
Ooka Island also offers offline components as well such as: downloadable book paths, reward certificates, and downloadable books. They also have ebooks and workbooks to complement them.
*Update! 10/4/2013* After our initial review Ooka Island graciously offered us the opportunity to review it further with each child having their own hero. The kids were thrilled! The older two did still help our preschooler once in a while because they both tend to be the ever watchful older siblings, but overall, they really enjoyed exploring Ooka Island on their own as well. It was a big incentive to encourage further learning!
This also allowed me learn more about the Ooka Lighthouse, which is the parent dashboard. I was able to track the progress of each child as well as send them messages of encouragement! It is really neat! I love that they offer a Homeschool Edition and that they understand our needs. Their membership options include a monthly and yearly price for an individual child as well as a monthly and yearly price for up to four children! So often memberships offer discounts for additional students, but they are still rather high. Plus the discounted rate is still PER CHILD! So one rate for up to four children is wonderful!
Ooka Island is both fun and educational, and they really offer so many options!

For More Information:

Visit the Ooka Island Website
Connect with Ooka Island on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

*Educents Special!!* {ended July 2013}

Right now Ooka Island is on special on Educents for 50% off a 6 month subscription! The deal only lasts a few days, so be sure to take advantage now and get your kids started on their Ooka Island Adventure!