Today I am back with a review of Ooka Island Adventure reading program for Mosaic Reviews. I was given a free two month trial to try out the program and share my review with you lovely people.

About Ooka Island

“Ooka Island Inc. is an educational company committed to using science-based reading methods and technology to increase literacy skills for children. Our goal is to teach children to read fluently and well through reading instruction that is fun and compelling.”

Ooka Island was founded by Dr. Kay MacPhee and Jim Barber. Dr. MacPhee spent 25 years developing techniques to help hearing-impaired students develop language skills and learn to read. She was directly inspired by her son, who was born profoundly deaf. And if there is one thing I’ve learned in life, there is nothing quite as passionate as a motivated parent. Amen?

Jim Barber authored all 95 of the Ooka Island Books and is the creative brain behind Ooka Island. You can read more about the credentials of the Ooka Island team on their website.

Ooka Island Adventure

The part of the program that I reviewed is the Ooka Island Adventure game. It is a Pre-K to Second grade learn-to-read game. You install the program onto your computer, log in with your password, and then Zobot guides your student through the program. The program keeps track of your student’s scores and skills, which you can monitor in the Ooka Island Lighthouse online. While this part is online, the program itself is self-contained so you do not have to worry about little fingers clicking around and finding things they should be seeing on the internet.

The Ooka Island learning flow cycle goes like this: the student is guided through lessons by Zobot, then reads an ebook, and then they have a free play session. Progress is automatically saved so if a lesson is interrupted, your student will not have to start all over again. This is handy for younger computer users who do not understand the process of “saving” their progress.

Also, all the activities on Ooka Island are point and click, so those who don’t know how to use the keyboard can use this without problems.

Pricing & Other Ooka Island Products

The pricing for Ooka Island Adventure depends on how you will use the program. For example, for an individual student to use the program, the cost is $12.95/month or $124.95/year. For a family edition that includes 2-4 students, the cost is $19.95/month or $149.95/year. Ooka Island Adventure is available for schools as well.

For homeschoolers, there are a variety of helps to go along with the game. You can download a guidebook. You can also print coloring pages to go along with some of the books, maps and completion certificates to track the ebook reading progress, and workbooks to help with vocabulary and reading comprehension. There is even a free sing-along song app that you can download.

Ooka Island Adventure is not the only product offered. There are also many book packages available.

What Did I Think?

Oh, boy. My daughter loved this game. She repeatedly said, “This is awesome!” as she played. Her favorite part of the game was the Cave of Sounds. She asked daily to play the game.

What I loved most was the ability to track how she is doing without having to sit there the whole time. I loved that she loved it. I liked that I saw progress being made. The game is engaging and fun, my student doesn’t enjoy sitting to do reading lessons. Often times her reading lessons include her wiggling around as she reads. With the game, her eyes, hands, and brain are engaged.

The only thing I go back and forth on is the pricing. For one student, $12.95/month seems kind of high. I do like the flexibility and lower initial expense of monthly payments verses the lump sum of a year. It is more cost effective if you have more than one student (essentially 2 students = $10/month, 3 students = $7/month, and 4 students = $5/month). I would like to see better pricing for those with only one student.

Overall, I really like the program and am considering keeping it for my soon-to-be 2nd grader. If you would like to try it, you can save an additional 30% through June 1, 2013 (you need to click through that link to save the 30%).

Today’s review is brought to you courtesy of Mosaic Reviews. I received the Etiquette for Beginners Combo pack so that I could provide you all with a review of the product. No other compensation was received, nor is a positive review required.

About The Etiquette Factory

The Etiquette Factory was created by Monica Irvine. She is a certified Etiquette Instructor who specializes in etiquette training for children from preschool through high school. The program she created is a three phase system designed to change the world, one child at a time. She is passionate about giving parents the tools they need to teach proper etiquette to their children.

Mrs. Irvine believes good manners are vital to both the personal and future professional success of a child. I tend to agree with her. How many of us have had to deal with rude people who we then avoid dealing with in the future? We don’t want to raise our children to be that type of person.

Why Etiquette Matters for Christians

The Etiquette Factory is not a specifically Christian company or product. There are no Bible references that I found in my materials. That said, I would like to address why I think etiquette should matter to Christians (like me). I will keep it short.

• “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
• If we want the world to see children as a blessing, we need to be active in training our children to BE a blessing. I’m not saying that a child is a blessing only under certain circumstances. I simply see this as a chance to “bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you“ (See Matthew 5:44 for the full verse).

I’ll move on from that now.

The Etiquette Factory Products

Like I mentioned before, I received the Etiquette for Beginner’s Combo pack (which you can find on their website). Included in this pack are the DVDs, teacher’s manual, etiquette jukebox CD, and four of the “Set Right” placemats. This set retails for $69.95. It is a 12 week program that covers what etiquette is, saying hello, kindness, sharing, magic words, cleaning up, table manners, good hygeine, the “no” word, sincere apologies, being a guest, and the power of words.

Each week there is a DVD lesson which contains a story read by Mary Manners, a song to reinforce the lesson, an activity, and a treat. All of these take less than 20 minutes each day.

Also available are: Etiquette Intermediate, Etiquette Masters, Life Skills Video Online Learning program, Time Timer, Kid Budget, and a variety of posters.

What Did I Think?

My kids thought Mary Manners was funny and they liked the songs. They LOVED the placemats and started implementing the “rules” on them immediately. The placemats are my favorite product from this kit. The DVD stories engaged my kids and they were able to answer the questions that followed easily.

The program is laid out in an easy-to-follow format and I liked that it didn’t take gobs of time each day.

What I did not like is that the cost feels high. The placemats are awesome, but they cost $16 for 4. If you buy the 3 Phase Learning program package, you get all three levels of training, the CD, and four of the placemats. If I were to buy this program, this would be the option I would choose. You would then have etiquette training materials for the school life of your student.

I was not particularly fond of the treats. One was making magic wands when learning the magic words (please, thank you, and you’re welcome). Another has you making a ghost in the graveyard treat that doesn’t really have anything to do with the lesson. Overall, my issue is the amount candy, fruit roll-ups, and pudding involved. I realize these are treats, but my kids really have no lack of treats in their lives.

I enjoyed reviewing The Etiquette Factory. The DVD, CD, and placemats were my favorites. Take a look at the website and see what you think!

You can also find The Etiquette Factory on Facebook and Twitter.