Hooked On Phonics
First things first. HOP is NOT for dummy kids. Granted, they can take a slower learning child and improve their learning abilities 5 fold and that is great! HOP is more than that. They can take an average to just above average child and help them achieve goals that they may have thought impossible.
My child, nine (9) years old come this October is what I would consider an average to borderline above average student. Nothing below a C but not many A's. Mostly B's to B-'s. This is not what I expected for my son. I suppose you could say that my goals were more detailed that his at such a young age. I got help and got the right help.
After watching about ten million hooked on Phonic's TV ads and managing to put aside my inhibitions and pride, I decided to check them out. I want my son to be in the top of his class so bad and I am willing to do whatever it takes to get him there. His main problem is self control. (he looooves to talk) and he does not pay sufficient attention to detail on his work, or in picking up after himself. He is sloppy and the irritates the teachers more than it does me, I believe. This is how I came around to typing the words "hooked on phonics" in the google search engine and as the pages loaded,
I sort of choked on my own water I was drinking. I was afraid, ashamed, and apprehensive at the same time. I should not have been. I had a very large, pleasant surprise awaiting me.
What did I find on the Hooked on Phonics site?:
Once the page loads, and it does not take long, you will find a very simplistic beginning. You will see their logo and then you will find three choices for you to decide to click onto. Those would be:
Improve your child's reading is four weeks, better grades in 60 days, and make math fun. Yes, as simple as that.
My son's grades are okay but not as good as I feel they should be. One of his major problems is his reading. He reads wonderfully. He pronounces words that high school students should have difficulty with, but he can't remember a darn thing he reads. Ask him immediately after reading a paragraph what he read and he draws a blank. I knew this would be the right program for us.
This program, the one that I chose was designed to help a child at third grade reading level or higher can help develop reading comprehension and other skills needed for success in school with fun lessons to build homework, organizational, and test-taking strategies. And it HAS! The child is getting better every day. I would like to review the phonics itself but I must finish reviewing the HOP online site and save the HOP review for a later time.
The plan that I chose cost me $300 rounded off. I paid in full but there is a payment plan available for parents as well. You pay $59 down and then $59 a month until paid for. A great deal and considering the magnitude of success this program has with children, well worth the price. Maybe even under priced a bit. You could not get a tutor that cheap. Right?
A free gift was included with the materials and it was a CD ROM featuring over 360 issues of National Geographic. It's been great and will be of great help when it comes to essays and reports.
The program comes in easy to understand lesson plans. Here is a list of what came with our order: (as per HOP's site, quoted.:
Everything your child needs to succeed in school.
4 interactive CD-ROMs provide 20 fun lessons with over 100 entertaining activities and 80 exciting stories.
School Tools workbooks include homework guides for outlining chapters and writing awesome book reports.
The Do-What, Do-When Book is your child's daily planner and helps get schedules under control.
The easy-to-use Style File eliminates piles and keeps papers organized.
Note Notes are color-coded sticky tabs your child can use to mark places in articles or books as important, confusing, or great ideas.
The Spelling Tool uses a multicolumn erasable whiteboard to help your child study for spelling tests.
The Parent's Toolbox contains everything you need to get your child started--The Complete Parent's Guide and Introductory Video.
As you can tell, we received quite a bit for the $300 bucks. I have been tempted to order another area of learning from them.
How long will it take?
Quoted: Hooked on School Success can be used 15 to 20 minutes a night, 3 or 4 times a week. The program tracks progress, so your child can complete a full lesson or just an individual activity and pick up where he left off. And your child can work independently. All at home. All on his schedule. All at his own pace.
We or shall I say, my son has not completed it yet but he is right on schedule if not a bit ahead. And I want to tell you that it is working like a charm.
HOP states if this program does not work for your child they will give you 60 days to ask for a complete refund, minus shipping. I have not plans to return ours since it has been everything they claimed it would be.
Shipping is quick and all the materials are as they claim to be. No complaints here, what so ever. All materials are packed well and arrived without a blemish. Thank you UPS!
Customer service is wonderful. If you have any questions what so ever, you may call them at : 1-800-532-3607 (Dept. 59) or use their online *live* chat. I haven't used the chat but have called them on more than one occasion and let me tell you, these people are very professional and extremely friendly. They are eager to help you and your child reach the goals that you and s/he have set.