Elementary Language Arts with Eclectic Foundations: Level B ~ {Curriculum Review}

My six year old son started wrapping his last Language Arts program at the beginning of this year, and I was beginning to wonder what we should move into next. His reading skills were definitely at the 1st/2nd grade level, and he was asking for cursive work. I knew he liked poetry, and was ready to start learning the parts of grammar--he's been hearing and helping his older brother do his for a few months now. I wasn't sure if I could find something that would fit the needs of my son--and if possible, be an all-in-one program. When I heard about the chance to review Eclectic Foundations Language Arts Level B program for elementary from the company Eclectic Foundations, I hoped that it would be just what we needed.

About Eclectic Foundations

Eclectic Foundations is a curriculum company determined to offer biblical worldview options for language arts. At the center of their program are the classic The McGuffey Readers--part of the Eclectic Education Series. This series of textbooks were widely used in public school from 1836 up until about 1960. Containing biblical morality teachings in their text, they were a way for teachers to

Ultimate Phonics Reading Program from Spencer Learning {Product Review}

I am always on the lookout for programs that will provide independent learning opportunities for my boys. Baby Britches especially appreciates being able to work on things on his own. When I had the chance to review Ultimate Phonics Reading Program from Spencer Learning, I hoped that it would provide some great independent practice of his new reading skills--strengthening them in the process.

About the Ultimate Phonics Reading Program

Ultimate Phonics Reading Program is a software download from Spencer Learning. It was designed to teach better reading--especially to those struggling readers of any age--with difficulties like dyslexia or other challenges. Removing the fluff and focusing on the phonics rules and methods, the program gets to the heart of the matter of reading skills.

This is an accelerate reading program for beginning and struggling readers of all ages. The program removes the habit of word memorizing (sight words anyone?!),  guessing, and skipping. With just a few hours of time each week, the results will be impressive! It's designed to be suitable for anyone from beginning readers and those learning ESL, to the struggling readers with dyslexia or autism.

This program is a SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD requiring you to be running Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP; or for Macs, OSX 10.5.8 or higher.

I reviewed this software download with my youngest son age 6.

What Were Our Thoughts?

The program was very easy to download to my computer, and even though it was on my older laptop, it didn't take very long at all to install. A few days after the installation, I was given the license key which was easy to add to the program. The program definitely is for the early reader, or an ESL learner with its very basic set up. It introduces sound, then simple words for basic phonetic practice, followed with simple sentences for reading. All of the sounds and words can be hover over to HEAR the phonics or actual words. There is the option to look ahead to further lessons to find the lesson you need for your child. The program is absolutely an independent option, as there isn't anything that ISN'T available for hovering to hear the sounds. That makes it very nice for children/adults struggling to still read the words, who might usually need assistance.

I know that the program prides itself on no fluff, but for us, we don't mind fluff. And we actually really like fun programs for teaching this type of thing. This program was like just endless words--like automated flashcards really. I know that flashcards are good, but they are more just for review use in our family, not something to use as a primary teaching resource. The program was actually rather...boring in my opinion. My youngest didn't seem to mind though. He just liked the independence factor.

Another thing...ahem. The voice for the program sounds just like BEN STEIN on Ferris Bueller's Day Off and I just couldn't STAND hearing it. Fortunately, headphones can be used. But really I would have expected less of a monotone--more interesting voice to do this program. It is partially what contributed to the "boring"ness of it.  But I also know this might JUST be me talking! So take it with a grain of salt! LOL

And because I think hearing it in action will help you "see" how it works, I took a video of Baby Britches using the program:

And here is him working through the sentences...


Will we continue to use this program? 
Because it's a simple download for my computer and Baby Britches can use extra help--even with it being "boring"--yes. I plan on having him continue to use the program for about 10-15 minutes during our school day for extra reinforcement. I also love that I can search for a phonic blend and jump to it. This is what I plan on doing to match our reading curriculum. We just learned "ea says eh" like bread and weather. So tomorrow I will pull up the "ea" sound and let him review it. (with headphones. LOL)

Can use this to do a search for the sounds you are looking for

Would I Recommend Ultimate Phonics Reading Program?

Yes, with reservations. As it's advertised, this is not a cute fluffy program. It is a tool for helping children learn their phonics with tried and true repetition units. If you want something that "doesn't beat around the bush" and just gets down to the heart of the matter--learning the phonics, then this is a great program for you. If you want something for your child to be able to work on independently for extra phonics work--then yes! If you are wanting it to be colorful, game-like, and fun...not so much. It is absolutely a perfect SUPPLEMENT for any beginning reading program.

This is a download, which means you can use it anytime, whether or not you have internet available. It doesn't appear to take up much room which is something I appreciate.

Want to Know More?

We have been reviewing the Ultimate Phonics Reading Program from Spencer Learning the last several weeks. You have seen our opinion on the program, but why not check out what some of the other crew members thought about it?!
If you want to know more about the program or Spencer Learning, make sure you follow them on these social media outlets:

Facebook * Twitter (@spencerlearning)

Farm Adventures with Books, Crafts and FREE Printables

Black cattle. Green tractors. Wrangler jeans and Justin boots. Throw in a LOT of dirt, two little boys and one hunk of a man, and you've just described my life here on the farm! It was with great pleasure that we discovered that the theme for April's Poppins Book Nook was...Down on the Farm! This was right up our alley, so we naturally enjoyed exploring all things relating to our rural world AND I had fun whipping up a few simple farm theme printables to go along with our studies this month!

The Books

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Okay. Most books relating to a farm involve...cows. Well that's NOT something we really need to learn a lot about because we are SURROUNDED by them (remember we are Black Angus farm). So I tried to find books relating to farms that weren't focused on cows...but rather more like chickens. We don't have any chickens on the farm...yet.

Chickens to the Rescue
By John Himmelman

There is a fabulous series by John Himmelman called Barnyard Rescue and we enjoyed this book from the series. It is full of hilariousness and Baby Britches adored yelling "Chickens to the Rescue!" when it was time in the book. The plot is simple... The amazing chickens on the Greenstalk farm race to help various family members and farm animals every day of the week---except Sunday when things change!

I highly recommend this book--the boys do too as we've read it multiple times since we brought it home from the library! Now I'm seeking the rest of the series: Cows to the Rescue, Pigs to the Rescue, and Ducks to the Rescue! Make sure you find this book the next time you go to the library!

Tuttle's Red Barn
by Richard Michelson; illustrated by Mary Azarian

Tuttle's Red Barn is non-fiction "Story of America's Oldest Family Farm" beginning with the arrival in Dover, New Hampshire in 1632 by John Tuttle. The book follows every successive generation of Tuttle as the farm is passed down through the youngest son. You get to see twelve generations of the Tuttle family as they go through the many milestone of American history--from the Revolutionary War, to the Underground Railroad, to being part of the Industrial Revolution! It's a fascinating look at the history of one family as the world moved around them and the changes they made.

The Millionth Egg
by Bernice Myers

This is a rare edition that doesn't seem to be available online, but is a library edition, so you might be able to find it at your library. This is the story of a group of intelligent chickens who are getting ready to celebrate the arrival of the farm's millionth egg. Margaret is hanging crepe paper. Judy is blowing up balloons. But Rhoda brings things to a screeching halt with her news--the farmer is tearing down the barn! All looks lost as each chicken ponders her fate...but will Rhoda's big idea save the day? It's a great story and the boys loved finding all the different things going on within each illustration.

Portrait of a Farm Family
by Raymond Bial

This is a non-fiction book chronicling the daily life and routine for the Steidinger farm, a 55 cow dairy heading into it's fourth generation. The book follows the family from milking the cows, to taking care of all the livestock to the harvesting of all the farmland. It talks about the challenges of running a farm in today's culture (as of 1995) and the rewards that a rural lifestyle brings. The boys enjoyed seeing another farm that is different from ours, but shares a lot of similarities and challenges.

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
by Trinka Hakes Noble
Illustrated by Steven Kellogg

This is a must have book for any farm theme! The illustrations are so incredible--but then we adore Steven Kellogg's books. Your children will love experiencing the hilariousness that insues when Jimmy's Boa joins the class on a trip to the farm. The class trip to the farm was pretty dull until...The cow started crying...The pigs got on the school bus...And Jimmy's pet boa got loose in the hen house! What a crazy day on the farm! This book was fun to read again and will continue to be one we enjoy.

Country Road ABC
(An Illustrated Journey through America's Farmland)
by Arthur Geisert

This is a simply lovely book to look through. Using the alphabet, the readers can take a trip down a long country road to sightsee all the letters and much more. Here you will find that E is for erosion, G is for grinding feed and R is for rust. The boys loved working through the book, though they were admittedly disappointed that T wasn't for Tractor...LOL. It's a delightful ABC book and one that I reach for time and time again.

There are a lot of farm themed books out there, but we enjoyed exploring some that aren't usually on the list. For chapter books, I would add Charlotte's Web, Farmer Boy, Sarah, Plain and Tall, and Tornado to the list, as they are all delightful reads with a farm setting.

Our Craft

For our craft, we made a funny chicken to go with our two chicken books. I used the template provided HERE and then printed two sets of everything on white cardstock. I went ahead and cut out all the pieces or that would have taken forever!

The boys love these kind of crafts...mostly because they get to use markers and googly eyes.

Our Printables

We did a few printables as part of our farm theme. Baby Britches enjoyed doing this pig one I found.

Little Britches worked on one that I created myself.

But wait, that's not all! I created it and saved it to share with you! But that's not all either! I also put together a Phonics Farm series to explore some things on the farm and the letter they start with. They are geared towards pre-school/Kindergarten. Baby Britches had fun using his dot marker on them.

                                  You can snag them FREE on my teacherspayteachers store!

If you have never used teacherspayteachers.com before, it is a free site where you can download thousands of educational materials created for teachers, by teachers--and hundreds of the products are free! I highly recommend you getting an account--especially because this is where I'm going to hosting my printables at this time and I don't want you to miss any! If you choose to follow my store, you can also get notified whenever I add something new!

Down On the Farm Giveaway

Swing your partner round and round and come on down to the farm this month with the Poppins Book Nook! Every month this group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. 
This month one lucky entrant will win the Down on the Farm Bundle. The winner will enjoy two fun farm themed learning items. The two items that they will win is the Farming storybook by author Gail Gibbons and Safari Ltd Farm Babies TOOB. Let the farm themed learning fun begin!
Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the PromoSimple terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here {http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/disclosures/}.  
Just enter the PromoSimple below to win

Want to see more Farm themed posts?

Here are some more members of the Poppins Book Nook crew where you can explore THEIR farm creations!

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - 3 Dinosaurs - ABC Creative Learning - As We Walk Along the Road - Brain Power Boy - Chestnut Grove Academy - Embracing Destiny - Every Bed of Roses - Farm Fresh Adventures - Growing in God's Grace - Kathys Cluttered Mind - My Bright Firefly - Peakle Pie - Preschool Powol Packets - Pray Species - SAHM I am - Stir The Wonder - Sunny Day Family - Sweet Silly Sara - Teach Beside Me - To the Moon and Back - Tots and Me - Tree Valley Academy - Witty Hoots

Have you blogged about your farm adventures with books, crafts, or printables? We'd love to check them out! Simply add your own link to the linky below!

An InLinkz Link-up

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I hope that you will check out the books I've recommended and snag some of the printables I've created! As always, you can keep up to date with our daily adventures on Farm Fresh Adventures Facebook page, and don't forget about subscribing to my bi-weekly newsletter! Now that I'm on a roll with creating printables, I plan on offering a few exclusive ones to subscribers and you don't want to miss out!