Mom-ninja. Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 Worth the money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arboreal TJ Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 It's fun! I enjoy it, my kids enjoy it, it gets used, it is loved BUT it's not necessary. IMHO AAR Pre1 is an enjoyable luxury, if it's in the budget definitely give it whirl, you'll love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arboreal TJ Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genny Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 imho no,,,,I bought it and didn't use. We started with aar 1. My kids already knew their letter sounds from leapfrog letter factory dvd. I would just use the video and skip to aar level 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted May 3, 2013 Author Share Posted May 3, 2013 How much rhyming and phonological awareness type activities are there? I wish there were samples to look at. Unless I'm not finding them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arboreal TJ Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 I don't recall a lesson without rhyming or phonological awareness. My twins in AAR2 enjoy sitting through AAR Pre1 lessons with their sister. My dd knows all her letters and letter sounds, even so there are some Pre1 lessons she's not ready for, we gloss over those lessons with the intent to come back to them next year. I bought the Pre1 so dd could "do school" like her big brothers. It's a hit, but not entirely necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromA2Z Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 I'm with the enjoyable luxury. I didn't want to start my kids on phonics instruction younger than 4.5. But my eldest was itching to do more. He knew his sounds and letters already but the phonological exercises really stretched him and gave him a firm foundation for phonics. My ds 3.5 is now using it (he also knows his letters and sounds). Both ds loved to do the activity sheets. My eldest still does one with his brother (even though he's done them before). Phonological exercises improve their understanding of what words are and how they are formed. Ziggy makes them fun! (We use Ziggy all the time even when he's not called for). It has made for a very gentle intro to more formal schooling. It gave my eldest confidence going into phonics. (Youngest is still using). We use LoE foundations which has pretty much the same type of phonological exercises built in. Because they were review for my ds he was confident about the rest of the lesson which was new to him. It is worth the money? I bought it used and will be using it with 3 kids. So for my house it definitely was. If I was buying it new for 1 kid, I'd really have to think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 How much rhyming and phonological awareness type activities are there? I wish there were samples to look at. Unless I'm not finding them. There is a phonological awareness game in every lesson. That is when you use the puppet--to teach the games. SO FUN! For me, it was absolutely worth every penny, and I recommend it to everyone I know. I used it with three kids, and when we finished, they were already to read. It was open-and-go, no prep, and FUN. That was exactly what I was looking for in a letters/reading readiness type program. It was perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xixstar Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 How much rhyming and phonological awareness type activities are there? I wish there were samples to look at. Unless I'm not finding them. Lots of examples on the website: http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/all-about-reading-pre-reading/ I found the samples very helpful and pretty thorough too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 Lots of examples on the website: http://www.allaboutl...ng-pre-reading/ I found the samples very helpful and pretty thorough too. Geesh! How did I miss that? Thanks. I think I'm going to get it. It's been recommended on the Learning Challenges board as I suspect my preschooler may be dyslexic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdownie Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 We have thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it used so the cost wasn't quite so high, and I only got the basic set. However, dd flew through it and started level 1 and is reading simple cvc words already. I have two more kids to use it with too, so it will be well worth it for us. While you can find coloring pages with the letters of the alphabet pretty easily, I feel like one of the best things about the program is the amount of phonics awareness games etc. My dd LOVES counting syllables and figuring out which sound is the middle of a word etc, and that is primarily due to going through AAR Pre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Instead of using AAR-Pre, I've found this book helpful/handy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0673629864/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It covers lots of phonemic awareness activities, oral blending/games, listening & rhyming skills. Pair it with ETC A/B/C and you got a decent knock-off. :p (Plus you can find it used, pretty cheap...or at least I did!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Would it work for a child that doesn't have phonological awareness yet? Or must they have that to start? My daughter knows the letters and sounds, but can't identify the beginning sound of a word, for instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticadea Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 it works to teach that sort of phonemic awareness, also sentence length, word counting, syllable clapping, etc. each lesson (78 total) does something for phonemic awareness. that's primarily what we're using it for. she knows her letters and sounds and doesn't really like coloring often. but she loves loves the silly puppet and I like the clarity of instruction for me. my 2.5 year old is accidentally learning her letters too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Worth it here! We loved it! We are using it for the 2nd time through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allymom Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 There is a phonological awareness game in every lesson. That is when you use the puppet--to teach the games. SO FUN! For me, it was absolutely worth every penny, and I recommend it to everyone I know. I used it with three kids, and when we finished, they were already to read. It was open-and-go, no prep, and FUN. That was exactly what I was looking for in a letters/reading readiness type program. It was perfect! I agree 100%. My kids don't seem to "just learn" their letters with videos. This has been worth every penny for us! We love the program and recommend the puppet as well. ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn121 Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I hope so. I just ordered it. :D I went through the placement test with my DD and she did not have a lot of the level one skills. She may fly through it but she is only just accepting that in order to learn to read I have to be involved. She likes to be in control. ETA: It did not sit well with me calling my 5 year old a control freak. LOL So I changed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 It's worth using, in my opinion, but not worth the price. We used it briefly (before dd learned all her letter sounds from Starfall in about three days, lol) and dd enjoyed it, but I think it's overpriced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kesmom Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 I've been using it this year with my 4 year old. We enjoy it a lot, but honestly we only use student materials and the teacher's manual. You could save money by only buying those 2 items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn121 Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Well we got it yesterday and started it today because DD just had too. She is beside herself with the puppet and the letter charts that are now on the wall. I hope that the excitement carries. I have never seen her focus so well as she did today. We shall see if it lasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 I have a frog puppet. Can I just use my frog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn121 Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Yes you could. As far as I can tell the frog is only mentioned by name in the teacher's manual :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAmomof4 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Haha my daughter was terrified of the puppet as soon as she saw it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateHW Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Warning: It's a very DANGEROUS program! Lol, my son has nearly fallen off his chair during every lesson because of giggling and playing with Ziggy. :lol: (Our zebra is a rare carnivorous zebra who likes to nibble on fingers.) So be careful, use your puppet with caution! I highly recommend it, my son LOVES it! I think he has finally figured out what rhyming is, thanks to all the games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jenny_K Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 I thought it was worth the money. It taught things I wouldn't have thought of teaching on my own. My little boy struggled with some of the concepts as first, but the concepts were reviewed enough that he was able to catch on and master each one. I think it was a good pre-reading course and would recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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