allymom Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I'd love to hear all of your rave reviews...or not so raving reviews. I'm probably going to order this for my older 4 yr. old in the next few days. I think she's very ready for it and it looks really fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 My daughter loves it. She has learned so much and she loves the zebra puppet. I don't think the consumable workbook is anything special. It does have craft ideas but we rarely use those ideas. I love the learning games that go with each letter. We're still working on the lower case letters but also listening for the beginning sounds of words. She has gone through it slower than I expected at first. It took her some time to master some of the skills like rhyming and sounds but she did eventually get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 "My daughter loves it. She has learned so much and she loves the zebra puppet. I don't think the consumable workbook is anything special. It does have craft ideas but we rarely use those ideas. I love the learning games that go with each letter." I echo that. We are selling ours and dd asked if we can do it. I told her we already finished. She said, "Let's do it again!" Good endorsement, I think. (we think Ziggy is essential :001_smile:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SewLittleTime Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 My dd is loving it! She is only on the lesson 7, but she looking forward to her reading time each day. She really likes the games matching the rhyming words with Ziggy. I'm looking forward to a great year with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeterbug Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I agree, there is nothing special about the activity book, and I find it very annoying you can't make copies and must buy a new one for each child. Wish they sold it as a pdf! We love the zebra (we have our own zebra puppet), and the lessons are good. I can't give you a glowing review, but here is a link to another thread that can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 "My daughter loves it. She has learned so much and she loves the zebra puppet. I don't think the consumable workbook is anything special. It does have craft ideas but we rarely use those ideas. I love the learning games that go with each letter." I echo that. We are selling ours and dd asked if we can do it. I told her we already finished. She said, "Let's do it again!" Good endorsement, I think. (we think Ziggy is essential :001_smile:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachelpants Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Do it!!! Buy the basic package and get the zebra puppet on Amazon (it was cheaper, and the same puppet)....just use a recipe box for the cards :) here is the puppet http://www.amazon.com/Folkmanis-Zebra-13in-Stage-Puppet/dp/B000OHIVKU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346331948&sr=8-1&keywords=folkmanis+zebra+puppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nertsmommy Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 DS and DD love Ziggy! The puppet is nicely made. They want him for all their lessons. The alphabet activity book we skip because they already know it. They would probably would enjoy the crafts in it if they didn't already know the material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinD Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 My son loves it! We didn't care for the alphabet crafts so much, but he will happily spend a long time playing the games, especially the rhyming. I didn't think he'd like the zebra puppet but he loves it! The program's worth every penny, IMO, and we use AAS and AAR with my middle school child too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 We just started it this week, so not lots of experience yet, but so far I love it! ds needed some more pre-reading skills and we are blowing through it fast, but I am so glad I broke down and got it. I can't wait to do it with dd2! 4 is a perfect age for it too. DS is using it for K, but he will start level 1 as soon as he is ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromA2Z Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 My ds4.25 loves it. Unlike others, the activity book is HIS favorite. He's always asking to do another sheet. He already knew his letters and sounds before we began, but I felt the language exercises were essential. We do the activity book differently as we do the uppercase, lowercase, and sound for each letter then move to the next letter. We do the language exercises in order. We also play with the phonogram cards regularly and do all the sounds for each letter. Again this is b/c he already knows the initial sounds. I love the language exercises, their progression and review. I think my ds is the perfectionist type and loves doing things that come easily to him (activity sheets) but he's been more resistant to working on the language exercises. But Ziggy always cajoles him out of this and he ends up doing them, laughing and giving Ziggy high-fives. We're going to be starting RIghtstart next week and I'm thinking I'll have Ziggy teach the lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InLieuofPreschool Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 We *love* it!! I use it with my just turned 3 yo and my 4.5yo. I've done 3 reviews of it on my blog --> A Pre-Reading Curriculum for Preschool and A Day With All About Reading AND Why I Love All About Reading's Pre-Reading Program for Preschoolers (and this one has a giveaway for a Deluxe package -- which ends tonight!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificat Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 A lone voice here so far, but we just returned AAR Pre-1 yesterday. I found it to be a lot of money (nearly $140 after shipping and tax) for what you actually receive. As many have said in past threads, the activity book is ok, but you can get letter activities anywhere. For us (I was using it with my 4 year old son) - the best part was the rhyming activities using the cards. We would play concentration with several lessons worth of cards together to match the rhyming words. He also enjoyed a few of the silly things like Ziggy saying the wrong word, and correcting Ziggy's mistake. I believe it was too easy for my son, and we may have been better off with AAR1 - but now we have moved on to something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Here is my review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Love it here too. We are on lesson 12 so far, so I can't speak of effectiveness, but Ds loves it! Still having trouble remembering letter names, but we are still plugging away. I am really glad I bought the deluxe set with the puppet. Silly, I know, but that is the highlight for him. We are supplementing with Leap Frog Letter Factory and Starfall for reinforcement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I have a video review of it on my blog. http://enchantedwinterhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/03/because-everyone-and-their-dog-are.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 We adore it! We are almost finished, and IMO the activity book pages get better as you go. The phonemic awareness games are really the meat of the program, though. They have been really helpful to all of mine. I don't think I'll have much to sell when we finish. My kids have informed me that we are KEEPING the puppet, the Zigzag Zebra book, and the posters. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeterbug Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 We're going to be starting RIghtstart next week and I'm thinking I'll have Ziggy teach the lessons. You need a different puppet! Larry the Lion? Gerald the Giraffe? Max the Monkey? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvmy3kids Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I'd love to hear all of your rave reviews...or not so raving reviews. I'm probably going to order this for my older 4 yr. old in the next few days. I think she's very ready for it and it looks really fun. I had bought it for my son a while ago and we never used it because he progressed quickly from Leapfrog DVD's, Then we moved into ETC, Primary Phonics, and OPGTR. This year we are adding in AAS. I'm trying to sell mine! Still wrapped in plastic and never used :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromA2Z Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 You need a different puppet! Larry the Lion? Gerald the Giraffe? Max the Monkey? :D Oh so tempting....a puppet for each subject. I got my set used and did have to buy Ziggy from Amazon since the original owner didn't want to give him up. I'll have to see what else they have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromA2Z Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 OK that was a mistake, Folkmanis has way too many cute puppets.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnointedHsMom Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Another vote for WE LOVE IT!! We are doing Level 1 now. My son loved Pre-1 though. He loves loves loves Ziggy! He really enjoyed the Pre-1 workbook too. I'm sure some could take it or leave it but my son really enjoyed the art part of the pages. The lesson activities are awesome for teaching those big 5 skills. I really had no idea how important those skills are but after watching my older son struggling to learn to read I realize that he hadn't mastered many of those big 5 skills and I can't help but wonder how it would have been different for him if he had mastered those. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnointedHsMom Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 OK that was a mistake, Folkmanis has way too many cute puppets.:tongue_smilie: Isn't it wonderful?! I was just looking at all of them on Amazon the other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allymom Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 Thanks for all the reviews! I thought my thread had got buried with no replies, so I ordered the deluxe package earlier today before reading any of this thread. But it sounds like I made the right choice anyway. My dd loves arts/crafts, cutting/glueing, and worksheets, so I think she'll enjoy the worksheets even though, as many said, they're nothing special. I get that and could tell from the website preview that they weren't. But all the other skills are just as important and I prefer to have it all laid out for me. She doesn't know most of her letters yet, but does know some and is asking me about reading every day now. She asks me what words say and repeats them, she's picks out sounds in words that she does know. So I think this level will suit her perfectly, not being too easy or too hard. In Lieu of Preschool, I read your blog posts about it the other day and it was really helpful to see how a whole lesson flows for you guys. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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