Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Book Adventure

For my readers and friends who have children in grades K-8 (either going to a school or homeschooling), you might like to check out an online service called Book Adventure.

"Book Adventure is a FREE reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book lists from over 7,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes."

The quizzes appear to be memory oriented, so this may not be for everyone. Those parents who prefer a more discussion-oriented approach may not like the question and answer style. But some kids would find it a fun thing to do, and it might also help improve reading test scores, as well as encouraging more reading.

As with anything with your grade schooler, you will want to check it out and be involved. Maybe there are certain books you want your child to read or certain books you don't want him to read. You can still control this. The books are not on the website, only the quizzes.

You also may want to discuss the prizes with your child beforehand. I remember when one of my kids used this program, he didn't bother with the prizes, but there had been a candy bar he was thinking of trying for, until we learned you had to visit a certain kind of store in order to redeem the coupon. This would be a good opportunity to teach the children about advertising and prizes, that there's often a catch or hidden expense, even in otherwise-free situations. I do see they have a six-month subscription for Highlights magazine as one of the prizes. If you like Highlights (I loved reading it in doctor's offices as a child), and if you don't mind renewing the subscription if your child falls in love with it, then it might be a good prize to encourage.

If you're interested, check it out. If you use it, I'd love to know what you think.

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