barker creek - Stuff Parents Need

Darah is showing some clears signs of readiness for learning to read. One of the clearest signs is that she is growing increasingly frustrated when she sits down to read that she can’t actually read the words. Tim and I read to her every day, but I can tell that she wishes she could read to herself. She often points to letters she recognizes on the page, or points to certain words and asks what they say.

Darah’s teachers have also reported back to us that she seems particularly interested in the language lessons in the classroom, and spends a great deal of time working on her letter sounds. We’ve been working on having similar lessons in our house so that she can continue working on something that interests her so much, and so that she can make strides on the path to reading.

Barker Creek is a website that has many award-winning educational products that are ideal for the classroom and for home. I took a bit of time recently to flip through their catalog. I was extremely impressed by the comprehensive selection of products that teachers and homeschooling parents would love to see in their classrooms. Even if you don’t fit into either category, they still have TONS of stuff that can provide educational enrichment to your child!

Want to see what we’ve been enjoying from Barker Creek?

Check out the Magnetic Kidphonics Activity Set, currently available for $49.99. It comes with the following elements:

magnetic a-z pictures (one picture for each letter in the alphabet)
magnetic uppercase letters
magnetic lowercase letters
magnetic Kidboard

We have both really enjoyed sitting down together to work on matching pictures with letter sounds. What we do is pick out a picture, then identify the letter sound it begins with and search for that sound. We don’t put the focus on the name of the letter, but instead, on the sound it makes, as I have learned that reading readiness skills are enhanced by looking at letters and thinking of their sounds even before thinking of their official names.

Darah really loves the Kidboard, and being able to make her own charts of pictures and corresponding letter sounds. Here you will see her latest completed board!

In addition to the letters and pictures, we also received the Learning Magnets Numbers and Math Signs set. This is going to be useful for several years, and we’ll be able to practice number identification, and later on addition, subtraction, division and multiplication! This set is available for $9.99.

We also received the Magnetic Kidmath Critter Counter Set, available for $9.99. I LOVE these magnets, as they make the abstract concept of math very tangible, using bugs as examples of quantities. Montessori education states that students are going to really learn a concept once it becomes tangible, and can be understood using all the senses. I believe these magnets are a step in that direction!

I highly recommend these tools for helping with reading and math readiness. My child is enjoying them and really seems to focus when she has her magnets and her Kidboard out for a lesson. I will also say that the quality of the magnets is quite good! I’d love to hear what you all are doing (or did in the past) to help your children learn to read and learn about math.

Don’t miss out on the weekly web-only specials at Barker Creek. They offer a variety of products at 50% off every week. Woo hoo!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Magnetic Kidphonics Activity Set!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.