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Thursday, February 10, 2011

February's Fantastic Finds



Today's Fantastic Find for February is Funnix!

Funnix is a reading program developed in part by Seigfried Englemann, author of such reading curriculum "classics" as Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Reading Mastery, and Horizons. I haven't read Reading Mastery or Horizons, but ...100 Easy Lessons is a very gentle approach to reading, although, truth be told, it can be very dry. I don't know anyone who's actually made it to Lesson 100, although if you do, you're reading at a 2nd grade level.

So, Funnix is developed after those programs, and is computer based. MUCH better, since we found ...100 Easy Lessons so dry, and my kids just love Computer Time! It's still a very gentle approach, teaching kids slowly through their letters, sounds, and writing, and teaching them the basics of reading left to right.

Each kid is going to be different. I started my first two on ...100 Easy Lessons way too early, and we bombed it. I figured I wouldn't start Sean until he was 6 or 7, maybe 5, if he seemed interested. But, Funnix was offering a free download of their $249 program through the month of January. Since it was free, I downloaded it. Sean wanted to start right away! And for an almost-4-year old, he's doing quite well! I was shocked. The program will definitely work with later learners, too, and with those who are older, but have difficulty reading.

Funnix
is a large download--2 GB. I mean, it's huge. It comes with 3 different programs, Lessons 1-40, Lessons 41-120, and Funnix 2, plus PDF downloads of 2 workbooks and a Teacher's Manual.

Funnix has lowered their prices, which makes it MUCH more affordable to everyone! What would have cost you $286 before (the $249 Funnix program, plus two optional workbooks), now will cost you only $42.50! But, they're reworking the site. It should be up in a couple of weeks again.

I strongly recommend Funnix. It's a sound program to help a parent give their child a strong foundation in their reading.

4 comments:

  1. I downloaded it when it was free also. My daughter enjoys it!

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  2. wow - what a great post, I've never heard of it before! THANKS!

    Stef
    Thanks for linking up to The Homeschool Village!

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  3. I downloaded it when it was free too, but I haven't actually used it yet. (Things have been CRAZY around here, and I didn't download until January 31!)

    It sounds like a great program for my K-er. I'm going to have to print out the accompanying pages, click those shortcuts, and let her go!

    ~Jennifer

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  4. Thanks for letting us know your experiences with Funnix! It's always good to hear what's working well in your family! That was an amazing giveaway, and it looks like the current Funnix prices are very reasonable. Thanks for sharing!
    Deb @ LivingMontessoriNow.com

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