A couple of months back, I was invited by K5 Learning to try out their reading and math program. Just what I needed that time when I was not regularly homeschooling my child. I posted about it here.
So, here’s our review of the program. (Disclaimer: We were not able to finish the entire program because my persistent kid would just do this when she wants. Will tell you why in the review below.)
What we liked about K5 Learning Program:
You design your own program. You get to choose the level of your child after having her assessed, then choose which skills you’d want to focus on. I did this because I know which skills we should work on already since I’ve been teaching her already.
Free worksheets. For busy moms who want easy access to a library of worksheets, K5 had them all compiled for you. Just click and print, or save for future printing.
Compiles valuable resource on their Blog section. As a homeschooling and career mom, researching material for our lessons can be quite overwhelming. K5’s blog combines a great mix of external links, internal resources, and tips and tricks for the parent and the student, all in one website.
What we think can be improved:
Audio and sound bytes. This might be really minor, but I have a sound-sensitive child so perhaps I should take note of this. At one point, she told me to turn the sound off before we begin the K5 lesson. There’s this fanfare sound which ends each exercise that bothers her ears. So, I did turn off the sound, and she finished the activity. Though in the next lessons, we needed to listen to the sound for her reading, I was able to talk her out of it. I once noticed that the male voice sounded like a female, so maybe this can be improved as well.
Pacing of each exercise. Shorter instructions and extros, perhaps? We can’t move on to the next unless the sound byte is done with her dialogue or her counting or the instructions.
iPad app. Oh yes, this would be a very welcome improvement! Everyone turns on their iPad cos you just click and go. My daughter has all her writing and math supplements in her iPad. I do hope K5 considers this!
Certain sections I appreciated, like the reading comprehension and prediction, although I must say that some exercises there could still be improved. I had a hard time explaining the “what could happen next” exercise, mainly because the illustrations given were not that clear and comprehensible at first sight.
I’d recommend this program to supplement your child’s learning. I would still want Aria to try it, maybe in the next two years when she can better manipulate the mouse or trackpad on her own. I have, in the meantime, saved the worksheets for our homeschooling activities.
K5 learning is a good substitute to your kid’s computer time. Mix the learning and the playing in this program. The best news is, K5 is not only for kids, but for adults as well, giving us a wealth of information and ideas on how to successfully guide our child in his learning journey.
Why don’t you try it for yourselves? Get a 14-day free trial and optional assessment through this link and let me know how it goes.
~ Touringkitty