Are you ready for Spring? I know I am, but it seems like every time it starts to feel nice outside it’s cold again by the next day. Thankfully, at Castaway Bay you can enjoy a Castaway Bay getaway where it is always a nice 82 degrees. It’s the perfect staycation to recover from the winter “blahs” and fun for the whole family!
Due to our oldest son’s special needs he has had challenges with reading so although he is 9 and Read, Write & Type is geared for K-2, I knew this was something that would be ideal for him to try! This program from Talking Fingers Inc. covers spelling, phonics, reading and typing. It has special features for those that have reading difficulties as well as learning disabilities and even English as a second language.
For our Talking Fingers Review we received a one-year subscription to Read, Write & Type. It is accessed online, and all account information is saved online, so it can be accessed from anywhere, and you can pick up right where you are. We’ve used it on both a Windows PC and Windows Laptop with Windows 10, and everything has run well. Students and parents each have their own account log-ins.
In the parent dashboard I have access to add students as well as manage our account. There is a User Manual which was helpful for getting everything set up for our son. There is also an Administrator Guide, which seems it would be most helpful for those that will have more than one Administrator and students. We only needed one Administrator, of course.
From the parent dashboard I can also edit settings for Brayden. I can choose the times and days he is allowed to log in as well as the pass level. The pass level is set at a default of 70%, which I’ve kept. If he were to fall below the 70% it would send them back to previous games to practice and improve those skills. Each setting has a little “?” beside it that you can hover over to learn more about what that setting is or does.
When the student logs on to their account, it goes straight to a start screen. I found this to be a little confusing because I have used many online programs that have a student dashboard as well. I felt like I was doing something wrong, but that is the only screen it goes to and there aren’t any other options. So, now we just know and click Start. It starts with a fun, exciting song for a fun introduction.
I do find the student area to be a bit confusing. There are different things to click on, but it isn’t really intuitive. There is a little box with a star on it as well as letters they have finished that can be clicked on where we can see and print out his certificates. I believe you have to be logged in to the student’s account to view and print the certificates because I haven’t found this option in the parent dashboard, and I’m glad we found it on his account! The certificates are really easy to print as you just have to click on the printer icon.
Brayden has been learning how to type while also learning to spell. Typing is taught using the correct fingers and style. Letter sounds are emphasized as well, which I think would be perfect for younger kids. If your child does need to jump ahead, it can be adjusted in the parent area. I debated doing this but wanted to get a feel for the program first, so he’s been working on it from the beginning, which I actually think is good for him so he can learn how to type correctly.
Overall, I do feel this is a good program for beginning and struggling readers. I do find that both the parent and student areas are tricky to navigate, and there is a learning curve until you get used to the setup. Brayden has really been liking the program, and each lesson can be finished in less than 10 minutes. Generally we only do one lesson per day, but he could easily do two or even three at one time.
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I can’t personally attest for the ESL component of Read, Write & Type, but many different members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed it. They have been using it with different age children as well! Be sure to check out their reviews by clicking on the button below!
Disclosure: I received the products mentioned to facilitate my review. Regardless, I only recommend products I feel would be good for my readers. All opinions are my own and those of my family.
Once upon a time I was a gum chewer. It’s a really great stress reliever! I stopped chewing gum a few years ago, though, when I started to become more aware of the ingredients in different products. Many gums have all kinds of nasty ingredients like food dyes and artificial sweeteners. I have a particular dislike for artificial sweeteners because so often they are advertised as “safe” when really they are far from it.
I think many people are more aware of the dangers of aspartame and mostly try to avoid it. Many, though, have turned to sucralose, which is a chlorocarbon. I’ve been able to link sucralose to triggering my migraines and Fibromyalgia flare ups. I’m so glad I decided to turn away from unnatural ingredients anyway after learning more about the dangers in all those artificial ingredients! Phew!
So what is one to do? There are actually many advantages to chewing gum! Chewing sugarless gum after a meal stimulates bacteria-fighting saliva and dislodges food particles for example. And now I have found a sugarless and aspartame-free gum that is ALSO free of other artificial sweeteners like sucralose as well! Talk about an exciting find! Do you want to know what makes it even more exciting, though?
PÜR Gum is vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, nut-free, diabetic friendly and dairy free, too! All their ingredients are certified, so you can count on them to be “pür!” Plus it is naturally sweetened with Xylitol, which is good for your teeth!
For my review I received the four varieties of PÜR gum: Wintergreen, Pomegranate Mint, Spearmint, and Peppermint. Wintergreen is always a personal favorite of mine, but I was most eager to try the Pomegranate Mint because I was intrigued by the idea of pomegranate and mint! It did not disappoint! It does have that hint of pomegranate but with a cooling mint as well! It is really a unique combination, and I might have to say it’s my favorite!
The other three varieties were definitely nice as well, though, and didn’t disappoint either! In fact, I was really impressed with how long the flavor lasts for me! One thing I always disliked about chewing gum was how quickly it would lose flavor, but PÜR gum held up pretty well for the length I could chew it and still have flavor! My husband commented on how long the flavor lasts for him as well. My mouth feels fresh and cool when I’m chewing them and for quite a while afterwards.
Something else that was pleasantly surprising is that PÜR gum doesn’t hurt my teeth. Long story short, I have some major issues with my teeth, and they are extremely sensitive. Not once did chewing PÜR gum ever make them react! That was a big deal to me particularly considering how long I would be chewing it!
I am so happy I was introduced to PÜR gum and can chew gum again! I am also happy that I discovered this safer alternative for our kids as well because they have become very curious about gum lately! Now there is a gum they can chew, too, and I don’t have to worry about all the harmful ingredients!
With Christmas right around the corner PÜR gum would make a great gift! They would be perfect stocking stuffers or a nice addition to a mug or basket. You can feel good knowing you’re giving a gift with safe ingredients that they will love, too! You can purchase PÜR gum on Amazon
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We had a chance to review a Big Grips Frame and Stand for our kids’ iPad 2. I was really intrigued when I first saw Big Grips. They offer something unique I had never seen before! They are made for kids because they are big and can be gripped more easily, which means less dropping! Plus with the stand you can use the frame in many different ways! Here is a picture from their website showing a few examples:
We received a purple frame and stand. The texture really is amazing, and our special needs children that all have some level of sensory seeking behaviors instantly took to the soft, squishy material. I did notice a difference in the way they were able to hold it as well. They all have difficulty with fine motor skills and dropping items are common – including the iPad. Even if we have their iPad protected it still makes me nervous when it is dropped! Since using the Big Grips we haven’t had any drops, which has been a pleasant surprise! It seems to be more comfortable for them to hold in general as well.
If they are doing something that takes a little longer we can simply use the stand to set it up, so they don’t even have to hold it at all! We don’t have cable, but they do watch shows on occasion on Netflix, so the stand is perfect for movie watching or even for working on homeschool/education apps at their desk.
Big Grips are also:
We are big fans of the Big Grip for all of the reasons above. We definitely require something durable, and the fact that it’s also lightweight is definitely an advantage. Anything that is resistant to mess (and germs) and easy to clean is almost necessary in our home. As many times as I remind the kids to wash their hands before using the iPad and make sure we keep it away from food and mess it always seems to get messy anyway. So I’m grateful it cleans up easily. Plus, the ease of putting it on and taking it off makes it easy to make sure the iPad itself is clean as well since I check that regularly!
Big Grips come in a variety of bright colors and are available for a variety of devices. They even have a bag that fits the Frame to make taking the iPad on the go even easier!
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Although Big Grips cannot guarantee the protection of your iPad, they do offer a 1 year limited warranty on their products.
