How LeapReader is helping my little Miss E

I've hinted before on the blog that Miss E finds reading incredibly hard and we have been wondering for the past few years if she has dyslexia. She is such a bright little girl and really wants to do well, learn and fit in but reading just will not click for her - d's are sounded as p's. Z's are written backwards and she tries to read right to left.

For quite some time she was so negative about her reading skills that she used to hit herself and call herself stupid and it has taken a lot of praise, reinforcement and even stern words to help her realise how clever she is and that just because she finds reading hard she is not stupid (as she suggests). It must be extra hard for her having a brother and twin sister who are both book worms and read at far beyond their years.

As a keen reader myself I do want all my children to enjoy books and of course it is a skill Miss E needs to master as best she can but I don't want it to become a chore so I have been looking for ways to make it fun for her. We did in fact find out earlier this year that Miss E does display some classic signs of dyslexia and she came up as mild risk as there are many tasks which involve fine motor skills that she excels at and this lowers her risk of dyslexia (for some reason!).

Over the last few months some of the things we have tried with Miss E that have helped have been to read together - she reads a page and then I read a page, we use a paper cut our cursor, so she just reveals one word at a time and can stay focused on that one and listening to audio books whilst following the paper version with her finger.

But the thing that seems to be making her smile, the one she is going back to time and time again and the one that made me want to cry is the LeapReader.  I better start by explaining why I wanted to cry.... as Miss E was exploring the Tangled book and playing the games after the story had been read to her, she was answering the questions with the help of the LeapReader pen and she got them all right and it congratulated and praised her and I could just tell as she turned to me with a big smile that she felt good and it had hit a chord with her that has taken me a long time to convince her of. She felt capable.

What is the LeapReader?
It is like a jumbo pen that you charge via your computer USB port and you can store audio books, trivia quizzes and music on it and is aimed at 4-8 year olds. Your child can wear headphones to listen in privacy or listen aloud but the best thing is to use the LeapReader with one of the compatible interactive books and they can decide how to listen to the story. The purple book icon reads the page to you, the yellow triangle will read the whole book and you can glide over a word for that to be read to you.  This is perfect for Miss E as she does not feel forced to read and I've watched her let the LeapReader read a page or two to her and then she will try and sound out some words and follow the written word.


The LeapReader was easy for Miss E to control herself, it took just moments to explain to her about using the home button to choose between modes and then the backward and forward button to choose what book to listen to and of course the play/ pause button too. Also being a pen like device it did not matter that Miss E is left handed and Miss M right, they could both use it with no issues.

There are literally hundreds of different downloads and books that you can purchase to use with your LeapReader and from what I understand if you had the books that worked with the older tag reader these also work with the LeapReader. The books are broken down into four series so that you can easily identify where your child is at - Get ready to read, followed by Early Reading, then Read on Your Own and Learn through Reading too.

It certainly is a system designed to help your little one learn to read (by sounding out the phonics with them), write on the special paper with mess-free ink magically appearing and develop good listening skills which also improve comprehension and imagination.

The LeapReader came with a sampler activity book which my children really enjoyed and the ability to download an audio book, music album and trivia challenge and of course the USB charging cable. The RRP is £40 but I found it for as low as £29.95 and it is available in green or lilac colour.

Setting up the LeapReader was simple. I had to charge it via the supplied cable and then install the LeapFrog connect application onto my PC or Mac, this did not take too long and it guided me through what to do. It now means I have a parent portal to be able to keep track of what progress Miss E is making and I can manage which content is current on the LeapReader and which is stored in my account.

Reviewing Tangled Interactive Book
LeapFrog have launched a book club on their Facebook page and the book of the month for August is Disney Tangled. This can be purchased for £12.99 and it is a great book, hardbacked to last and 25 pages long. The classic story is still there but it has been compacted to make it easy for the recommended 4-7 year old reading age. Although my daughters are at the oldest part of the age range it still captivated them, Miss E was nowhere near the point where she could read some of the words but Miss M could read it and enjoy it easily.

The pages are glossy and thick and feel durable and the characters look endearing and captivated my girls. It is not too samish and there is something nice to look at one every page. The text is clear and easy to read and the pages do not feel too cluttered with words, it is a good balance and I imagine if you get the book at the younger age range it will grow with your childs reading skills over the years.

On numerous pages throughout the book there are games and Miss E loved these, they were often questions which checked her comprehension of the book and at others they looked for her to use her common sense to answer a question. At the back there is a maze which times how long you took to take the right route and the twins liked to challenge each other and see who could be the fastest.

Probably the part that made Miss E laugh the most was the 'Wanted! Flynn Rider' poster. You can fill in the blanks by choosing words from a list of adjectives and then it will read it out to you and she got some really funny combinations, like Flynn's nose being green and his hair being scary. It was great to hear her laughing at something that was also helping her with her reading difficulty.

There really does seem to continually be new things to learn and explore from the book, I just figured out that if you touch the characters on the pages with the LeapReader you get to hear aloud what they are thinking, which gives a nice extra element to the story.

When you first purchase the book you will need to download the audio which accompanies it, you do this by plugging in your LeapReader to your PC and choosing the relevant book in your LeapFrog Connect application, it was easy and quick to do.

Conclusion
The girls and myself were both impressed with the LeapReader and I will definitely invest in more books. The next on the hit list is the Human Body discovery pack as the girls really enjoyed the taster page that came with their Leapreader.

Disclosure: We were sent a LeapReader and the Tangled book free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

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Leapster Explorer- Perfect for on the go!

I have to say that I am feeling very grateful to LeapFrog at the moment, they kindly sent us a Leapster Explorer console to test out and my twinnies are loving it.  I have had to remind JJ that it is for the girls and to keep his mitts off.  Whilst the Leapster Explorer is designed for children aged 4- 9 years JJ has his own toys that the girls are not allowed, so fairs fair!

We have a LeapPad already and the girls really enjoy that so I have to say I wondered if the Explorer console would hold any interest but actually Miss E in particular does not want to put it down.  I can honestly say that her DS has not been picked up once in the last three weeks since we received this.

What is a Leapster Explorer?
The console itself is a great size for small hands, not too heavy, it is easy to grip and use. The screen is full colour and superb quality, I pleased to see that the pen is attached to the console otherwise I fear it might have been lost fairly quickly.  I had a worry that the console might use up the battery life really quickly but I have been so pleased, we have now had it 3 weeks and have not had to change the batteries yet, despite loads of use and a couple of long car journeys.  It is far more battery economical than the LeapPad.

The console has a RRP of £59.99 but you can pick a new one up on Amazon for as little as £41.69 and I think that represents superb value. They are available in green or pink to suit your child's tastes and they require 4 x AA batteries, which are not supplied.

What about the games?
The LeapFrog educational games are so engaging that they make the kids want to learn and play.  Miss E is happy to sit and do some drawing on her console but Miss M really engages with the games, especially the Tangled one which we received, she loves this and what is super is that it is really helping her phonics, spelling and reading.  I have seen such an improvement in the last week or two when we read her school books and I am convinced the Leapster Explorer has helped with that.  I just need to help Miss E engage more with it in that way now as she hates traditional reading, so making it fun with her seems the way to go.

It is also fantastic that the games cartridges and downloads can be used across the range.  I was most happy when I connected the Explorer to my laptop for the first time to find that it automatically added itself to my LeapFrog account and I was able to put our previously downloaded games onto this console too - result!

The cartridge games retail for about £17.99 each and the download app card is £9.98 for 2 applet downloads, depending on your child's choice of app this could get you one or two games, ebooks or videos.

Why is it good for on the go?
I don't know about you buy my kids are not big fans of long car journeys.  Back at the beginning of April we travelled for 5 hours in the car and boy do I wish we had the Explorer Console then.  We have done a couple of hour long journeys since having the console and we have to take the egg timer so the girls know when to swap as they are so engaged in their play it is the only way we can stop arguments.. 

As the games are intuitive and you can set the learning level on the console it means that the girls are just able to turn on their console and play, no worrying about asking Mum or their older brother to help them.  This Independence has made on the go play and lean ring much easier and certainly more stress free for dh and I.

As previously mentioned it is really battery economical too and you do not have to try and worry about recharging after an hour or so.

I couldn't even get her to look up at me, she was too engrossed!

How do I know what they are learning?
There is parental peace of mind with the LeapFrog range as you can see your child's learning journey by connecting the console to your laptop or PC. The console is so easy to connect, it really is plug and play, you just download the connect software and you are ready to go.  Then from the same place you can download your free games when you first connect and buy more downloads at a later date if you so wish. The downloads are fun too and all have a learning element, we have the Sugar bugs which is a fun way to teach your child about the importance of dental hygiene and the jewel train which is great for developing problem solving skills.

You are able to see if your child is engaging with the system at the appropriate age level and then of course you can change the settings if you need to challenge them more and there are additional sheets that you can print off to work in conjunction with the games.

Would I recommend the LeapFrog Explorer?
100% yes.  I am so pleased with the way the twins have engaged with it and they are not even 5 years yet.  It feels good that they will still get another few years entertainment from it yet.

Plus Points -

• Sturdy, easy for small hands to use
• Intuitive and no hassle to set up
• Online learning journey for the parents to monitor their child
• Great variety of games and aps to buy
• Super fun for your kids and educational too
• Makes long journeys great fun and much more relaxing for the parents
• Super customer service, I know this from past experience
• Economical on battery use and you can buy an adapter for use at home

The downside -

• My girls wanted to play on it a little too much!  So as parents we have to monitor and limit their screen time.
• I was seriously having trouble thinking of any negatives, I suppose for some the initial outlay cost may be a bit much but to be honest when you can pick one up for about £40 I think it represents excellent value for money.

Disclaimer:  We were sent this console and 3 games for the purposes of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

The LeapPad Explorer's a Hit at our House!

There has been a revolution in my house, the young ladies have discovered digital gadgets and it is all my fault.  For 4 years I have kept them away from all things electronic and insisted they stay my babies and play with traditional toys and their imagination only but I think their starting at school full-time has made me realise that my 4 year olds are growing up and that in this day and age that means them getting to grips with all the new gadgets.


So when we were offered a brand new LeapPad from Leap Frog to review I eagerly said yes and now I have bedlam, two young girls wanting to play on the tablet.  Will they play together?  Oh no, they both want it on their own and the kitchen timer has become my best friend, as I time how long they are allowed. The only thing I can be grateful for is that at near 8 and with the savvy of a 10 year old JJ is not that interested in it and has gone back to the laptop and his DS.

Being the complete novice I am I asked Dh what makes the LeapPad better than JJ's DS?  Why is it needed?  and he informed me that it is far better for youngsters like our girls as it is educational as well as fun. Each of the games give verbal instructions as you start and play them so that the little ones do not have to fathom it out for themselves. Also the screen is much larger and better quality than those of the small hand-held games consoles.

As well as using the pre-loaded content such as the art studio, story studio and pet pad you can also download games, e-books and videos for your children to enjoy.  The prices starts from £3.50 for a download and that is really reasonable. The kids are enjoying Jewel Train and Vegetable Stew at the moment. The part that JJ does enjoy is the built in camera and video recorder. He is loving using the software which allows him to manipulate the photos and make us all look like Father Christmas or a gruesome ghoul!

I have to be honest and say the part that has driven me crazy is that the LeapPad is not rechargeable, it has gobbled up AA batteries like there is no tomorrow. This is an expensive business, so I will need to invest in a 9V charger so the kids can play with it plugged in to the electricity.

The LeapPad retails for £79.99 and is available from all good toy retailers as well as from Leap Frog direct. If you had a Leapster previously then all the games are compatible and you can use them in your LeapPad too, to that's a bonus. I can see this being the must have Christmas present for 2011!

In a nutshell:
Look and design   5/5
Ease of use for a young child    5/5
Educational Value   5/5
Interest factor for a young child   5/5
Interest factor for an older child  2/5 (guide age is 4 - 9 years)
Diversity and quality of games/ books/ videos available  5/5
A complete hit in our house!

I'll leave you with some fun facts you didn’t know about LeapPad!
• You can record 120 minutes of video, which equals a feature length film longer than any of the three Toy Story movies, or for our budding geniuses, 3 short film submissions for an Oscar.
• Children can take 30,000 pictures, which is approximately one picture a day for 82 years.
• Children can make 1,548,288 combinations of pets, which is 91 times more animals than the 17,000 at Berlin Zoological Garden, home to more animals than any other zoo in the world.
• Create 15,000 pieces of art, which is more than double the number of existing paintings created by Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, O’Keefe, Michelangelo, da Vinci and Dali combined.


Disclosure:  We were provided with a LeapPad and £15 download card for the purposes of this review.  I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.