Make Learning Fun with Education Quizzes

The new year has well and truly begun and my children are back at school getting used to the routine of early mornings, school runs, homework and spelling tests after a wonderful Christmas holiday.

With Freddy now in Year 3, his workload is getting progressively more difficult (much to his dismay!) He is not a fan of handwriting, hates learning times tables and he doesn't really enjoy reading for pleasure. However, he gets really motivated about learning when it involves the use of a laptop or iPad. I am always on the look out for websites that will let him play while he learns. He is pretty competitive and enjoys the challenge - as long as it's online.

One website that we've been having fun with is Education Quizzes. With educational quizzes relevant to KS1, KS2, 11+, KS3 and GCSE, Education Quizzes covers all ages from reception through to teens. Quizzes are divided into subjects including maths, English, geography, history, PSHE and science, and each subject has a selection of quizzes to choose from. With multiple choice answers and helpful tips to help children consolidate their learning, these quizzes are pitched at the right level to make them both challenging and enjoyable. They make great revision aids and are written by teachers in accordance with the school curriculum. Quiz based learning is a less formal and more appealing way for children to learn and they are happy to do it as they are having fun.

Education Quizzes has a no-strings attached rolling subscription charge of £9.95 a month for families, giving full access to all the quizzes across all the age groups. This offers great value for my family as both 7 year old Freddy and his 14 year old sister can both benefit from the quizzes.

The site is a great learning resource for the home, which perfectly supports each stage of a child's education. As a parent, I think it is important to keep up with what the kids do at school and this site is a great way to do this and polish up my own skills at the same time. (Although some of the GCSE stuff is a bit beyond me now!)  Sharing the quizzes together as a family is an excellent way to support children and help boost their confidence.

Schools can also subscribe to Education Quizzes, providing all their pupils with access to the site. The school's annual subscriptions can cost as little as £2 per student and is a great way to support the home /school partnership. The school's first year subscription is currently being offered for free, so be sure to let your child's school know about Education Quizzes!

There are some free quizzes online so you can have a look around the site and try them out to see if Education Quizzes is right for your family. Find out more at www.educationquizzes.com.

Freddy has Learned to Read with Everybody Learns

Our free trial of the Lexia Core 5 reading program from Everybody Learns has sadly come to an end. In the three months that Freddy has been using it, he has averaged about 100 minutes a week online. I have been kept regularly updated on his progress and he has been rewarded with certificates for completing the levels, that he has proudly taken in to show his class teacher.

When Freddy started the program he was not making good progress with his reading. A combination of being a summer born baby, having difficulty with his eyesight and generally being a reluctant learner meant that by the end of reception he had not reached the first level of attainment and had emerging skills only.

This was not a true representation of the smart, bright, eloquent, curious and thoughtful child that my son is. 

Having access to this program allowed me to support my son's learning, reinforcing the phonics sessions he was doing at school.  The progress made on his skills was really noticeable. Even his class teacher remarked on the fact that it seemed to be coming together for Freddy. Consequently, he has virtually caught up to his peers and is holding his own, rather than lagging behind. This is a huge relief to me.

By the end of his trial Freddy could read sentences, recognise sight words and use phonics to decode and write words independently. He also showed a good understanding of vocabulary and comprehension.

I was so impressed by his progress. The course helped build new skills and consolidated them with plenty of practice, moving on only when the skill had been mastered. This complemented what he was doing at school and helped build his confidence. The fun animations unlocked as a reward for completing the levels kept Freddy fully engaged and enjoying the learning process.

As Freddy approaches the Government's Year 1 phonics test, I hope the extra work he has done at home will help him get through it, so he can start Year 2 in a good position, and not from behind.

Here are my previous posts featuring the Everybody Learns Lexia workbooks and online reading course:

http://insidethewendyhouse.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/everybody-learns-lexia-reading-and.html
http://insidethewendyhouse.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/helping-freddy-to-catch-up-at-school.html
http://insidethewendyhouse.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/everybody-learns-freddys-progress.html

Find out more about this reading course at: www.everybodylearns.co.uk. You can also let your child complete a free reading quiz and receive the test results via email with advice on improving your child's progress.

Everybody Learns - Freddy's Progress

Freddy has been trialing the Lexia Reading Core 5 home reading course.  Doing a minimum of twenty minutes three times a week, is proving just about right for him. He remains a bit reluctant, until he actually starts a session, and then he really enjoys the word games.  He has powered through levels 3 and 4 and  is currently half way through the fifth level.  Every time he completes a level he gets a certificate, which he proudly takes to school to show his teacher! 

In addition to the certificates, I get a fortnightly progress update, giving the time spent on the program, his present position against chronological age expectations, his catch up rate and the time expected to complete the course.  I am delighted to see the rate that he is now catching up to his peers. The support team are there to also offer advice and give ideas on how to further encourage the child to maximize the impact of the reading course.

Each level has a different fun theme from the rainforest to the Scottish cliffs, and has characters that help make the games fun. The content of the levels gets more advanced as the child progresses and the format of each section changes to make it more of a challenge. If a mistake is made, the child is taken back to consolidate their knowledge before moving on. At the end of each game, the child is rewarded by a fun animation.

Children learn to recognise and spell high frequency sight words; recognise, blend and segment phonics in words; learn sequencing of stories and learn vocabulary.  The progress of the games in the levels is clearly displayed, giving the child the incentive to keep going.

Freddy is definitely getting to grips with recognising the beginning, medial and end sounds of words. This has improved his ability to read lots of different words.  He is still a reluctant reader when faced with a physical book, but I'm sure he will make the connection between what he is doing online and actually being able to read independently.  I think a lot of his reluctance is down to confidence after his difficult first year at school because of his eyesight. The home reading course is definitely making him more interested in reading words, so it'll just be a matter of time before that translates into reading stories for his own entertainment.

I am delighted that Freddy has been moved up a group in the phonics lessons he does at school and his teacher has reported an improvement. Fingers crossed, all this extra work will help him make the leap and he will soon be a confident and fluent reader.

everybodylearns.co.uk

Helping Freddy to catch up at school with Lexia

Freddy has recently helped review a series of reading and writing workbooks from Lexia.  I try and do some home learning with Freddy on a regular basis, because he is still struggling a little with learning to read and write.  His first year at school was hindered greatly because of a misdiagnosed eye problem resulting in him being unnecessarily patched.  Poor boy couldn't see a thing for three hours a day, and then had strained eyes all afternoon.  It didn't help him take in the visual cues needed when embarking on learning to read and write. He is now in year one and the penny is starting to drop, but he is still playing catch up.  Aside from being behind when it comes to reading and writing, Freddy is a bright spark.  He can tell you how an aeroplane flies, he can explain why tunnels are round and he can discuss the effect of gravity!  So I have no worries about him academically as a whole.  He is just playing catch up in reading and needs a little help to get there.

As well as making workbooks, Lexia has an online home reading course, which Freddy has been given three months access to.  The programme has two elements, the Lexia Reading software itself plus an ongoing pro-active support and advice service.  Progress reports are given to keep parents updated as to their child's usage and progress.  The course is suitable for pre-schoolers through to teens, with each child assessed before being given an individual personalised program to follow.

The Lexia Reading software is a phonics based program taking the form of interactive games with fun animations.  It covers a range of reading skills including phonological awareness, phonics, sight word recognition, sound-symbol correspondence, word-attack skills and comprehension.

Freddy was really eager to get going with his Lexia home reading course, which in itself is a really positive thing.  He loves using the computer, and he finds it much more appealing than using a pencil and paper!  Getting him to sit and write can sometimes prove a bit of a battle, whereas using the computer is seen as a fun activity.

I was impressed at how user friendly the program was and Freddy was able to complete his assessment completely independently before being placed at the appropriate level for his ability.  The animations and the theme of the program are very appealing, but this does not distract from the actual content, which I found to be excellent.

We have tried other online reading programs before, but I have always been frustrated by the fact that if a child got something wrong they would not be told why.  A wrong answer would just mean losing a point and the game would move on without the child really understanding why.  Lexia's home reading course has an excellent function which, if a child makes a mistake, goes on to offer further help.  It lets children look at things another way, simplifying the task until the knowledge is consolidated.  Freddy struggles with sight word recognition of high frequency words, and this function really helped him to recognise the words - their shape and their letter formation.  He was able to continue the task and he really understood what he was learning. I was very impressed by his determination to get it right and the program's ability to recognise that he needed extra help before moving on.  I also really like that children can see their progress and know how far through the level they have gone.

We are only one week into the Lexia home reading course and already I can see Freddy's confidence increase and his enthusiasm for the course is still strong.  Just 20 minutes three times a week can help a child's progress, and I am hoping that by the end of the three month programme, Freddy will have a skill base that will put him on a par with his peers.

I will continue to update my blog regarding Freddy's progress.

If you want to check out the Lexia products you can visit the website at everybodylearns.co.uk.

Mathseeds - Get a Free Four Week Trial Today!

We are fans of Reading Eggs, an online programme which features motivational reading games and phonics lessons for children aged three and up.  My little boy Freddy  is quite a reluctant learner, but as he is still only four I am not concerned!  However, he really enjoys the games with the fun characters that keep learning interesting, engaging and kid friendly. I have an annual subscription to Reading Eggs and the apps downloaded onto my phone so I can entice Freddy with some phonics fun at home.  So when we were asked to review Mathseeds on a free trial, which is an online programme designed to make mathematics fun for little ones, I was very interested in seeing how Freddy got on.  He has always been good at counting and numbers so he was very interested in getting stuck in and playing the games.

Mathseeds teaches kids aged 3-6 core maths and problem solving skills, starting with simple number and shape recognition and moving on as the child progresses.  The games are very engaging and Freddy is enjoying consolidating his knowledge and learning new skills.  The games are very user friendly and children can play independently. Children personalise an acorn avatar that moves around a map as the child completes the lessons.  You can earn acorn points which can be exchanged for accessories to further personalise the avatar and his treehouse home which gives children an incentive to complete tasks.  Freddy really enjoyed this element of the game. Cute cartoon pets are hatched at the end of each lesson, which adds an element of fun and rewards children on their progress.  Lessons can be repeated as often as necessary and children can progress at their own speed.

I am really impressed to have such an engaging and comprehensive maths programme online to support my son's learning.  He loves computer games and is happy playing on Mathseeds.  He thinks he is just having fun, which to me is the best sort of learning a child can do!

An annual subscription costs £29.95.  Mathseeds can be played on a PC or Tablet and is iPad and Android compatible.

Find out more at mathseeds.co.uk

Readers of my blog can enjoy an extended free trial using the promotional code UKB26MST. This will give you a 4 week free trial instead of the usual 2 weeks all new registrations receive.  So you can try before you buy!