Endorsements

Good morning,

I wanted to take a few minutes and share with you how grateful we are, how blessed we have been, and how awesome using your program has been.

I am sure with countless conferences, you don’t necessarily remember faces from one place to another, but I met you both in Hartford this past spring. I attended Kristen’s seminar and after lengthy conversations, much thought and prayer, and a great conversation with my charming spouse – ended up buying the whole program. It was mostly to benefit my daughter Meghan, who is 9 and was reading at a ‘just barely’ 1st grade level.

So why am I writing? She just now finished her THIRD Magic Tree House book in one month. That is huge, huge, HUGE! (I’m thinking extra capital letters surely convey the excitement in this house over her accomplishments!) To go from barely reading Green Eggs & Ham to reading an easy chapter book in 8 months – it’s a pretty big deal. (Can I tell you she even did ‘the voices’ of the main characters? How great is that?)

Your program has really made all the difference. I was clear that my current strategies were not working – that was a no brainer. I even knew that she needed more multi-sensory activities – and we were working on it. However, what was specifically very helpful was the assessments that allowed me to pinpoint really specific areas of weakness and target those, along with the preplanned activities that released me from having to be supermom. All those activities written out had an unexpected benefit – it was easy for my husband to come alongside and reinforce what I was doing too. Car ride to church? Let’s rhyme! Going to the park? Let’s find things that end with ____.

It is so encouraging to see her ‘getting it’ and to be able to pick up a book and just read. Do we still have a ways to go? Sure, but seeing the light at the end of a tunnel is priceless. She feels as we’ve always known her to be: very smart.

Thank you!

Valorie

Dear Kristen,

 

I just had to send you a quick note to say, “Thank you!” 

 

We started using your curriculum with Michael.  This is the first time he is having fun learning.  He can’t wait to get started each day.  He has combined a few of the activities into one big “game.”  While we play the phoneme memory game we also move our game pieces around the “Sorry” board when a match is made – but not before we have to read a blend card.  Today Michael added Sight Word cards into our game.  When you chose a sight word card, you had to read it and find a picture which started with the same sound to make a match.

 

He is enjoying the High Noon book we are reading – Space Pirates from the Near-Star Planets.  We have been doing echoing this week.  We still don’t get very far each day, but we are making progress.  Tonight at bed time, he tried to read from the next Star Wars book I will be reading to him at bed time.  He actually read some of the words and sounded out a few of the others.  I am not sure if Michael has ever tried to read on his own before.  

 

Based on your recommendation, we chose to use Mystery of History for Michael’s history curriculum this year.  He is absolutely loving this so far.  We have begun our “Wall of Fame” on a long piece of yarn strung in the stairwell heading up to the kids’ rooms.

 

I know we have a long way to go yet, but thank you for helping us have a great start to this school year.

 

Serving HIM Together,

Andy & Donna