Alleigh is loving every minute of being in prekindergarten and is constantly sharing different things she learned about in school with me. She definitely has a hunger for knowledge. In fact today she informed me that we live on Earth which is a planet and that there are eight planets. Oh and that "the little one Pluto isn't a planet anymore and Saturn has a lot of rings"... she is only four years old! Since she loves learning so much I thought it would be a great idea to have some educational products at home as well.
That's what led me to Learning Resources which is a leading global manufacturer of over 1,100 innovative, hands-on educational products trusted by teachers and parents and loved by children. Since I'm not a teacher it's a little difficult to know what is age appropriate when it comes to educational products. I don't want something that is too easy that it bores Alleigh or too difficult that it overwhelms her and she doesn't want to try. Luckily Learning Resources has set up their website so parents can easily find products by age, subject, or product category.
While browsing around the Learning Resources website for products that would be prekindergarten appropriate I came across the Rhyme & Sort Rockets and immediately knew they would be a hit with Alleigh. She had mentioned learning about rhyming words at school and even likes to quiz me on rhyming words by giving me three words and asking which two rhyme.
The Rhyme & Sort Rockets are recommended for ages 4 to 7 or Pre-k and up. It comes with 8 rockets and 80 real life photo cards. A photo card is placed in the rocket doorway slot then cards can be sorted into their appropriate rocket by beginning/ending sounds, syllables, and more. For younger children fewer rockets can be used at first. I have been selecting cards with pictures that I have heard Alleigh rhyme in conversations with me for the front of the rocket. I then sort through the remaining cards and find everything that rhymes with those images and set the remaining cards aside. When she reaches a card that she is having difficulty with I have her say the word out loud and then the word for each rocket until she finds the one that rhymes. I love seeing the look on her face when she figures out the rhyme all on her own and is so proud of herself.
The quality of this product is also great. The cards are nice and thick so they aren't going to bend or tear. Plus the rockets are nice and durable too. This is definitely an educational product that we will get lots of use out of and the best part is it feels like a game to Alleigh instead of learning. In fact she asks all the time if we can play the rhyming rocket game.
