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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Reading Rule(r)s!!!

This is a review that will be short and sweet.  We will see if I am actually capable of that, right, Karen?

We got a chance to try out the Eye Level Reading Rulers by Crossbow Education.



See their logo?  Here is their explanation for it:

"Why Crossbow?" Well, we do believe that our stuff hits the target, but more than that, we're Christians. We believe that the symbols of the Cross and the Rainbow stand for the most powerful, life-changing truths on this earth: broadly, "Jesus died in my place, (for my sins)", and "God keeps His promises". We endeavour to maintain a Christian ethos in the way we run our company, and we hope you find this reflected in the quality of our products and the level of our service.


Isn't that cool?  Anyway, Crossbow Education is one of the leaders in tools and teaching aids for people with dyslexia or visual stress.  None of my kids have dyslexia....but A-girl definitely has visual stress when she has large amounts of reading.



She has trouble tracking words, and sometimes she has to work so hard to keep focused that she gives herself headaches.....and ends up remembering little to nothing of what she has just "read".

A-girl has used a similar tool before with some success.....but the Reading Rulers with their variety of colors available worked great for her.

The Eye Level Reading Rulers are just what they sound like.

They look like this:



We got to try out their 10 pack which has 10 different colors.  The one above is celery.  You can see that they have a little sliver of a clear portion (by my hand) and then a colored portion.  The idea is that you slide these along as you read and it will make it easier for your eyes to follow and keep track of what you are reading.  You use the wider strip for paragraphs and the skinnier one to help with single lines or sentences.  There is a shiny side and matte side....see what works best for you.

A-girl used these the most of anyone, so I asked her to write a little about what she thought of the Eye Level Reading Ruler.

I used magenta and pink the most because those were the colors that worked for me.  I did try all the other colors....which I recommend....before you decide on just one.  They really helped me with any book I was reading because they just fit on the page no matter the size of the book.  Even if you don't like reading, it will jive up your reading. 


I actually asked L-girl to use this for right now, because, we are pretty sure she needs glasses, but we haven't gotten her into the eye doctor yet to confirm our self diagnosis.  We have just noticed that she is squinting more and that her reading comprehension and abilities have decreased.

It has really helped.  We will still be taking her in for what, I am sure, (thanks to her genetic pool) is the inevitable prescription for eye glasses....but it has really helped her not strain her eyes in the meantime.

Ava's favorite colors, like she said were the magenta and pink rulers.



L-girl liked the celery the best.


A-girl has used hers so much that she did get a small scratch on the surface of her ruler.  Probably because she uses it as a bookmark.  The company recommends putting them in a plastic bag to protect them from scratching....but, we thought that was too much of a hassle to really do....so, we will just get replacements, as necessary, for her.

I have seen a huge difference in both of the girls reading ....I don't know....do I want to say "abilities"?  I have for sure noticed a spike in their comprehension since they have been using these. I have also noticed that A-girl does NOT get stressed out about the amount of reading I assign her in school.  The Eye Level Reading Ruler is well worth the investment....and something we will keep on using after the review.

You can get the Reading Rulers in packs of 5, 10 or 30.  The pack of ten, which we used is $16.95. 

You have the option of ordering them all in the same colors, or their most popular colors.  I would recommend getting the variety pack first and just experimenting to see which one or ones works best and then stocking up on them. 

The fact that they are just 6 inches long makes it convenient to carry them around and they are also discreet, in case you don't want anybody to see you using them....but, on the flip side....their size also makes them easy to lose.  So, you may want to stock up on your favorite colors.

Crossbow has a lot of other products, so, if you have someone that has visual stress or dyslexia, go take a look around.  I think if I was still working in an office, I would invest in one of the  the computer screen glare thingies.

See what other TOS reviewers thought of Reading Rulers.



Disclaimer:  We received the 10 pack of Reading Rulers for free, in exchange for an honest review.




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