TOS Review – Rocket Phonics

“It was my little sister’s birthday. We were going to give her a party.”

“I like to look at my fish. My fish likes to look at me. My fish is my friend.”

Little Critter’s Read-It-Yourself by Mercer Mayer

These are two of the sentences that my 6 year old daughter read to me today. She also asked me if she could read the entire 192 pages of this book. Both of my kids love to be read to but have never really "caught the reading bug", so this makes me a very happy Mommy. I work at a library and LOVE to read. I really want to instill that love into my children. 4 weeks ago before we started Rocket Phonics Bella was reading only 3 letter words like cat, hat and the. As you can see, her reading has improved immensely in the short time we have been using this amazing program.

Rocket Phonics is written by Stephen Guffanti, M.D. and we were graciously given the complete program to review for the TOS crew. So far, this has been my favorite item because it has been such a success. We agree with the website that it is fast, fun and easy to use. It is made for kids ages 4-10 and your child will be reading words after the very first lesson. We have studied phonics for the last year and as I stated before, she was able to read only consonant-vowel-consonant words. The problem with the English language is that there are so many different sounds that letters make and it confuses those learning to read. Rocket Phonics uses pictures to help your child learn the sounds. Even though I have loved using this with my 6 year old, I feel like it might be a little advanced for someone just beginning to read. I think we have moved very quickly because she already knew the sounds of the alphabet and all we had to learn were the special sounds this program uses. I guess if you moved slower it would be doable for a beginner reader because of all the extras you get with this. I love the fact that I don't have to do any planning with this program. Everything is there for me when we start our reading for the day.

Here’s what Dr. Guffanti has to say about his program.

With Rocket Phonics, English becomes a logical, phonetic language in which each letter has only one sound. Rocket Phonics gives your child helpers. The helpers show your child how to pronounce each word so your child can read all the words in his or her spoken vocabulary! As your child learns, and no longer needs the helpers, we gradually remove them. The Rocket Phonics books includes classic stories written at first to sixth grade reading level.

Our favorite part of the program is the Bingo games that are included with the program. Bella also liked the treasure hunt for words. One day we played Go Fish for 45 minutes before she was reading to stop. It is a lot of fun to hide words on the actual item and see her eyes light up when she can “read” the words. It makes learning so much more fun. Even my 10 year old likes to play the Bingo game with Bella. We also enjoy the beginner writer lessons that come in the supplements.

Our family has used several different reading programs and know from experience that they can be very expensive. Rocket Phonics is one of the least expensive ones we have used at only $160. You can also choose to pay in three installments of $53.34. Shipping is $15.00 using priority mail. This has proven itself to be successful in only a few short weeks but if you feel like it isn't a great fit for your family, it comes with a complete 90 day money back guarantee. Nothing to lose.

Of course we haven’t been able to use everything because we have only been using this for a short while. But, what we have used we have really enjoyed. Reading has became a pleasurable time of our day instead of a a fight. We put the Play and Read cards onto a metal ring so that they do not get lost. It didn’t take very long at all for Bella to know all of the sounds that are introduced in this program. Of course, she already knew the basic alphabet sounds and only had to learn the special ones introduced in the program.

When you purchase this you will get: (You can also see this on the website)

2 big Rocket Phonics readers

Two sets of Play & Read symbol cards

• Bingo chips
• Rocket Peeker
• Bingo sheets and Word lists for testing
• New! Big-movement games for preschoolers and active learners -- and bonuses, below

As a special gift with your purchase you will receive three free bonuses valued at over $100

Free Bonus Gift #1: Free 28 bonus gifts: With your purchase, you’ll receive by email free each week for 28 weeks a bonus gift to your kit. New! Now incuded: Spelling Strategy— multi-sensory, developed by spelling specialists, and nearly foolproof! Also, 12 Writing Lessons, perfect for kindergarten or first grade. You and your child will be thrilled with each week’s additional stories, riddles, games, beginning reading tips and more. There's extra practice for each grade level! ($69.95 value)

Free Bonus Gift #2: Two Rocket Phonics Treasure Hunts: The rhyming clues are written both with and without Rocket Phonics’ unique helpers, so very early readers can read beyond their grade levels to figure out clues and find the treasure. Your children will love these. Prizes, such as sticky hands, kazoos, etc., are all included and ready for fun. ($16.95 value)

Free Bonus Gift #3: Rocket Phonics Word-Find Treasure Hunt and the Rocket Phonics Phrase Game: ($19.95 value)

Of course we haven’t been able to use everything in the short time we have been using this; but, what we have used we have really enjoyed. Reading has became a pleasurable time of our day instead of a a fight. The extra practice sheets that come with your purchase are also a great added bonus. I also have to mention that this company goes above and beyond to make sure that we were able to use their program successfully. The owners were very nice and helpful at all times. You can visit their website at www.rocketphonics.com. You can also call to order at 1-888-377-4664.

We will definitely continue with this great reading program. I have agreed to do another review at the end of the program so please check back to see our progress. So far, we do not have anything bad to say about this great reading program.

You can also see what my fellow crew members have to say about this by clicking here or by using the button in my sidebar. Thanks so much and Happy Homeschooling.