Reading is not my nine-year-old’s favorite subject. But, it’s one that I want him to be successful at. So, we keep trying a variety of programs and books, looking for something to help him unlock the love of reading.
I had the opportunity to try out the new workbooks from Reading Eggs. Since this child is still below grade level, I opted for the 200 Essential Reading Skills for Second Grade workbook. It’s been a good fit!
What Is This Product?
I received a three-month subscription to the online portion of Reading Eggs. I also received a physical workbook, which is in color. Since the workbook took some time to arrive, I also received a PDF version so we could print pages out and get started.
The workbook is 217 pages. Each day, the student is meant to do one page. At the back of the workbook, you’ll find the answers to every page, which is very helpful!
Throughout the book, students cover a variety of essential language arts skills. Each week follows a similar pattern, which is great for kids who thrive on routines, like this particular child of mine.
What It Covers
The first two days are comprehension focused. Typically, the child reads a passage and answers questions about it. There are hints to help the student use think marks to help aid understanding. In the picture below, the yellow boxes are tips for using think marks.
Days 3 and 4 each week focus on spelling. The student learns a new spelling pattern, and completes a variety of activities focusing on words in that pattern. They might:
- Copy each word
- Unscramble letters to make a word
- Underline spelling mistakes
- Create a silly story with the spelling words
- Sort the words
- Complete sentences using a spelling word
- Answer questions using a challenge word
There are other activities as well, but that’ll give you a good idea of the variety included.
Day 5 is the grammar day. Students learn grade appropriate grammar and usage skills, like possessive nouns, using quotation marks and other punctuation, parts of speech, and more.
What’s the Online Program?
I also received access to Reading Eggs online. This was my son’s favorite part of this program.
He took the placement tests, and scored right about where I thought he would. Then, he worked through a lesson a couple of days each week. The Dashboard was easy for him to navigate, and he was very independent in using this program.
On days when he didn’t work through the online lessons, I had him do either a day of spelling or the driving tests. The driving tests were his absolute favorite! After completing a short test, he got to play a minute or two at a racing game.
That was really motivating for him, and a couple of days he asked to do this after his lesson as well.
The online program also includes other programs besides Reading Eggs, though we didn’t explore them at this time. I know some of my fellow crew mates have students who really like the Mathseeds part. The new workbooks from Reading Eggs also have a math line, which look really nice as well!
What I Thought of Reading Eggs
I must say, I really like the workbook. It’s sturdy, arranged nicely, and really does focus on essential language arts and reading skills.
I like that it’s color coded. Day one of each week has a blue header, and the other days each have their own color. This is a small detail, but one I appreciated.
The material was appropriate for the age level it was designed for. The reading passages definitely seemed like a second grade level. Each lesson was complete (ie it taught a skill), but short. It only took about ten minutes each day to finish. This was a great aspect of it!
The online portion, while fun for my child, still isn’t my favorite homeschool learning product on the market. The games seem a bit cheesy to me, and the lessons take a long time to get through. (Especially with our slow internet…) But, it did motivate him to want to do reading for school, so that is valuable. It’s definitely a good fit for many people.
To learn more about these awesome new workbooks, and the online subscription to Reading Eggs, please click on the banner below.