Phonics Firefly

CORRECTED COMMENT (What I composed in the original comment somehow appeared with errors I did not write). I bought this product in 2001for my then four-year-old, who is now a homeschool grad of 19. The Phonics Firefly has gone through THREE children, finally biting the dust in 2014, but not without teaching all of them their phonics sounds first. This toy, (or tool, really), easily launched them into reading and a love of learning. For example, my second-born has achieved two consecutive years of 4.00 in 9th and 10th grade in the largest public school in Utah. However, in recently helping my fourth-born to learn to read, I noticed a significant difference- she is STILL struggling, when encountering a new word, even a simple two-letter word, to pronounce it correctly. It dawned on me that she's never played with the friendly, positive toy that SO helped her siblings! I am relieved to find it still available new and for sale. I hope that it will still be on the market another 13 years from now, so I can buy it for my grandkids. :)

In order to begin, just press the "ON" button and then turn the large red dial to the mode of play you want. The further right you go on the dial, the more difficult the games and activities are. For instance, the very first option is for singing the alphabet song only while the letters light up in time with the tune. The next two modes deal with letter recognition, the two modes after that deal with letter sounds and then finally, the last two modes are the Word Explorer game. In the Word Explorer game, early learners can make their own three-letter words. Phonics Firefly's word bank speaks nearly every common three-letter word (over 500) in the English language! Convenient features include built-in speaker with volume control and automatic shut-off so as to conserve battery power. If you are looking for the perfect toy to help your youngster become more alpha-savvy, then I highly recommend the Phonics Firefly from Educational Insights. This fun and portable educational tool will keep your child engaged and entertained whether at home or on the go!