Mood:  a-ok

Now I know that it seems like I exude enthusiasm for every item that I review on my blog. And, I also know that I promised that I would not just point out the good in everything just to be nice to the vendor for sending me a free product. But, I am not joking, I really like Rocket Phonics! Now, having said that, at the beginning, I did have my doubts. And, there are a few minor things that, if I had my druthers, I would change. I will explain a little further in my post. But, all in all, I really think that Rocket Phonics is a great fit for, at least, Joshua, our Asperger’s child. Here’s why!

I have used (believe me when I say this!) many, many, phonics programs over the years. Some I have really liked, others I have not. One, I credit for really setting Joshua on the road to reading. However, these phonics programs have been just that, a phonics program. Rocket Phonics is so much more than a just a “phonics program”. It has much more than cutsie stories that reinforce the phonics sound of the day.  Along with the phonics sounds, Rocket Phonics also includes punctuation, thinking skills, critical thinking and more. These are all things that Joshua has experienced in the few short weeks that we have been using this program. But, since Joshua reads on a 2nd - 3rd grade level, let’s begin at the very beginning with Rocket Phonics.

Rocket Phonics is a “research-based, scientifically proven method of teaching reading” developed by Dr. Stephen Guffanti . You can begin using this program whenever you feel that your child is ready to begin learning letters and letter sounds. This can be done as early as three years of age. To teach beginning sounds, the Rocket Phonics kit contains “Play and Read Cards” with instructions on how to play simple games such as Bingo, Go Fish, Memory Games, Simon Says - even a Treasure Hunt Game! And, that’s not all! With your purchase of the Rocket Phonics kit comes 28 weeks of email bonuses and games that you can download and print out to supplement your regular materials! Their bonus gifts include more games, more stories, a complete beginning writing curriculum, spelling strategies to help you with spelling, and more. There are even YouTube videos that you can access that will give you teaching tips.

After your child learns the basic letter sounds and can put sounds together to make words, then you begin using Rocket Phonics’ unique “helpers”. Helpers are used when a word can’t be pronounced phonetically, or if there is more than one way to say a letter(s). All of the words are printed in blue except for the letters that present a difficulty. Those letters are printed in gray. When a child sees a gray letter, they know to immediately look below that letter to see how the letter is supposed to sound in that word. See the below section for a sample.

This is where I would have changed a few things. I am a perfectionist when it comes to sounding out words. For example, I think that the word “Begin” should be pronounced with a long e - be/gin. Rocket Phonics is more practical. They know that most kids are not going to pronounce it with a long e, but make more of a short I sound to pronounce it bi/gin. There are a couple of instances when I would change the way they sound out their words, but by and large, there helpers are exactly what I would use.

Later, when a child becomes more proficient at reading, they move to reading Aesop’s Fables then on to reading short chapter stories. If your child gets distracted by all of the words on the page, and needs to focus on just the word at hand, the kit includes a really cool rocket shaped “peeker” that will block out everything but the word that the child it reading. As they become more advanced, they even begin learning Latin and Spanish sounds, and common prefixes and suffixes.

This is no simple phonics program, but a complete reading curriculum. But, it all happens so quickly and easily. Rocket Phonics does not encourage you to push your children too quickly, but if you are consistent in using this program, your child could advance two or three grade levels in one year! Already, in only using this program for a few weeks, Joshua has advanced probably a half a year in his reading. And it is all plainly laid out and easy to use. I am so sold on this curriculum that I am going to begin Jacob, our three year old, on the very basic levels of this program soon. I will let you know in a later post how he and Joshua both are doing.

The price of Rocket Phonics is very comparable to other phonics curriculum. Some other curriculum want you to  buy their products piece mill. For example, levels one, two and three may all be sold separately. With Rocket Phonics you get everything for one price of $160.00 plus shipping and handling. But, that includes everything, including all of the bonus downloads. The free gifts are worth well over $100 by themselves. Rocket Phonics also has a three month payment plan of only $54 a month available, and everything is completely satisfaction guaranteed. Your Rocket Phonics Kit comes with three bonus gifts already, and even if you are not happy with the program and choose to send it back, you get to keep the bonus gifts! You really have nothing to lose, but don’t take my word for it, read the testimonials of some of the other crew members by clicking here, or go directly to the Rocket Phonics website by clicking here or on any one of the highlighted links above. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Happy home schooling!

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