November 16, 2013

StudyDog: Learn to Read Online for Kids

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Reviews Reading Website

The StudyDog Website

Looking for a way to make learning to read more interesting and interactive? Now you can with the help of Study Dog.

Aimed at Pre-K to Grade 2 children, this website provides a structured and scaffolded approach to the five areas of reading- Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension.

I tried out this website with my 6yr old who is currently in Primary 1 (Grade 1)

Doggie boy has been working through the different lessons and scenarios since a month back. He has made steady progress and has earned quite a bit of gold from completing the various lessons. He enjoys helping StudyDog as he goes through the different tasks given. Everyday when Doggie boy returns from school he would request to go on the PC to do the next lesson of StudyDog.

The scenario at the start of the lesson

Each lesson starts with a short clip introducing the scenario before the series of activities start.

Screenshot of the lesson

In this particular lesson Doggie boy had to look out for the word always and suck up the mouse which was carrying the card that says “always” pressing the button on the tube in the center of the screen. After the mice is suck through the tube the card that it was carrying would be deposited into the basket if it was the correct card.

Screenshot from an earlier lesson

As you can see from the screenshot above of a previous lesson, each lesson that has been completed successfully would see a medal appear in the bar below. There is about 15 exercises in each lesson which Doggie boy has to go through to complete the whole lesson.

Reading Progress Chart

Over at the Parents Center I can monitor Doggie boy’s progress by looking at the different reports that are generated every lesson which Doggie boy completes. The report also tells me his level of proficiency for each level.

The skill chart

There is also a skill chart shown which allows me to know which are his weak areas and were to give him extra practice. As you can see from the chart above Doggie boy needs help in improving his oral comprehension.

My Thoughts

I found this a really cool website to help strengthen Doggie boy’s reading ability. He is able to navigate this website by himself without much difficulty and really enjoys going through the different lessons.

Do consider getting a subscription for your child as it is less then $72/yr when paid in full. There are also month by month subscription options making it affordable for most. A subscription would certainly make a great Christmas gift this year.

Disclaimer: I received a free one year account of StudyDog for review purposes. Opinions are 100% my own.

November 14, 2013

Supercamp 2013- A Fun Camp for Kids 8-18

Dominique Advertorials, Parenting and Kids Supercamp

Snapshot of last year’s supercamp

Are you looking for a way to meaningful engage your child this year end school holidays? Are you concerned that your child is spending too much time texting, playing Minecraft, watching YouTube videos, on Facebook or aimlessly idling away their holidays?

I certainly am!! I don’t want my boys to waste away their 7 weeks of end of year school vacations. I want their vacation to be filled with activities which are both exciting and educational for them.

Their school vacation should be a time where by they learn how to be more self motivated and discipline to apply themselves to studies and increase their self confidence level. It should be a time whereby they are able to build up their life skills. This is where Supercamp comes in.

The Supercamp website

What is Supercamp?

Founded by Bobbi DePorter in 1982 the aim was to teach students important life-skills that they could use for the rest of the lives while making learning fun and meaningful. Adopting cutting -edge learning technology from Georgi Lazanov and life-lessons from the world’s greatest achievers, Bobbi developed an innovative and engaging 7-day- life-skills and academic skills program- Supercamp.

Speed reading, study skills, writing, maths, creativity and critical thinking with important life skills in the areas of communication, leadership, relationships, self-worth, personal responsibility, goal setting and more are all explored at the 7 day camp.

How they teach.

The camp leaders put activities together in a fast an fun way so students learn with speed, little effort and with lots of ACTION and fun. The elements of fun, games, color, positive thinking, physical fitness and emotional health are all combined to provide the child with a high-impact, powerful learning experience.

What your child would learn at the camp

At the camp your child would pick up both life-skills and academic skills. His resilience will be molded together with his self motivation and sense of responsibility. He too will learn how to foster better relationships with others.

All this is done through getting the child to understand the following through a series of activities.

– how to manage their energy peak during exams

– creative problem solving

– troubleshooting problems given real life scenarios

At the camp your child will be able to use their newly acquired skill set over and over again till it becomes second nature to them under the guidance of the team leaders

What Makes Supercamp Singapore So Special

Supercamp Singapore only runs once a year as they passionately believe in giving students the very best. It is the ONLY in-depth life skills program in Singapore. Applying the techniques from Bobbi’s accelerated learning inventions, first introduced in 1982. one is able to find out the deep “WHY” or your child- WHY study harder, WHY learn more, WHY push during the 7 day intensive camp.

It has been Singapore’s best kept secret which is unanimously loved by parents and kids. Past campers love it so much that they have been returning to Supercamp year after year.

Parents whose kids went to Supercamp have seen that their quiet and introvert kids have become more confident and have broken out of their shell. They make friends more easily, volunteer for leadership positions in school and are also more self motivated to study well. With the right attitude in life the parents need not worry and stress up so much over their kids.

Special for Dominique’s Desk Readers

I’ve worked out a special discount package with Supercamp Singapore just for you, my loyal readers.

When you sign your child up for Supercamp by clicking the link below, you will receive a special $300 discount.

Here’s the secret link: http://www.supercamp.sg/dominiquedesk

On the page, you’ll find a special coupon code. When you register, key in the coupon code and you’ll enjoy the special $300 off!

Click the link above to find out more – now!

Disclaimer: I’m participating in a campaign by Supercamp All opinions are 100% my own.This post has a Compensation Level of 13. Please visit Dominique’s Disclosure page for more information.