As regular readers will know, we are trying Reading Eggs to help both Evey and Gabe with their literacy and numeracy. Yes, you read that right, numeracy. The Reading Eggs program has, in addition to the three interconnected reading programs, Mathseeds a math program for children ages 3-9.
Let’s start with Evey, who is happy for me to share the fact that she is a very reluctant reader. When Evey took the initial reading assessment before starting Reading Eggs she made little effort with any of the questions and as a result, was placed at a level much lower than her actual abilities. Once she began using the program and realized she was working way below where she was able, Evey asked if she could redo the assessment and that this time “I will try my best.”
Fortunately, Reading Eggs has thought of this eventuality and you can have your child retake the assessment at any time. One word of caution on this point. When your child retakes the assessment, all of their previous progress is wiped and they begin afresh. For this reason, only go down this route if you genuinely believe your child hasn’t really tried and as a result is working way below their ability.
If, on the other hand, you just need to bump your child up or down a couple of lessons then there is also an option to do so.
Evey’s Reading Eggs Progress – Reading Eggspress
Evey is currently reading both fiction and non-fiction books within Reading Eggs. The lessons she is taking right now focus on comprehension, including:
- Drawing conclusions
- Inference
- Character development
- Figurative language
- Visualization
- Audience and purpose
This is one of the things I like about Reading Eggs. It is not just about learning how letters form words, it goes much further and leads kids slowly from letter sounds, though sight words and reading sentences, all the way through to analyzing and making considered judgments about what they have read.
We are very aware that Evey is capable of storming through the Reading Eggspress program and finishing it quite quickly if she felt motivated to. Unfortunately, this is not so, and that is not an issue with Reading Eggs. In fact, Evey has done more in this reading program than any other.
No, it is purely that Evey’s learning style does not include sitting and doing anything she perceives to be “school work.”
Gabe’s Progress With Reading Eggs
Gabe has thoroughly enjoyed his time on Reading Eggs so far. So much so that I now often find he has set himself down at the table, fired up the lap-top, logged in to Reading Eggs and is working away without any prompting at all. In fact, if anything, it has become important for us to make sure Gabe has finished with the laptop well before it is time to begin our bedtime routine. This gives him time to decompress before being our end of day wind-down.
So far Gabe has gone from knowing 6 sight words to recognising 21 which is a significant leap forward for him. He has a test score average of 79%, mainly because we have managed to move him past the unhealthy stage of want to retake the quizzes over and over iso that he had a 100% score on each one.
The Reading Eggs Parent Dashboard
All of the statistical information for both of the kiddos is easy to locate and understand thanks to the Reading Eggs parent dashboard.
Although we both sit and work with the littles on Reading Eggs, we also promote independent work so it is helpful to be able to see which of the books they have read and what they will be learning in their next lesson. In addition, for statistically driven people like me, seeing numbers that clearly show one of the children has made progress from this quantifiable point to that quantifiable point is exactly what I need to see.
Additional Reading Eggs Resources
I wrote extensively about the additional resources available to both students and parents in the online program.
As well as those worksheets, books, etc. which are included in the online Reading Eggs program, there are additional resources such as:
- Activity Books: Available both individually and in bundles, the activity books mirror the levels in the Reading Eggs but have different material to the online activities so your little one is not simply repeating online work in hard copy form they are reinforcing the skills they have learned.
- Workbooks: The workbooks are more substantial than the activity books and cover the curriculum for an entire grade level.
- FlashCards And Puzzles: We particularly like flashcards for on-the-fly learning and reinforcement. Not only that but Gabe is a puzzle junkie so any chance to grab an educational one such as the Reading Eggs Alphabet Puzzle is fine by me.
- Book Packs: The Reading Eggs Book Packs contain activity books, reading charts and stickers, reading books, flashcards and more. Each pack is designed to reinforce the lessons in the Reading Eggs online program, with the packs split to reflect specific Reading Eggs levels.
The Last Word
So far we are all enjoying our Reading Eggs experience. Well, Evey is enjoying it as much as she enjoys any learning – so that counts in our house!
Tune in in December for the next update.
