Become a CHEEReader and encourage your players with some great messages! How would you like to start every day with a positive message from someone you care about? Here at Ooka Island we believe young learners would like to as well. If you are an account manager (parent or teacher) here is your opportunity to get involved and be an important part of a child’s Ooka Island Adventure!

The Ooka Island Adventure has a built in CHEEReader encouragement system that enables a parent or teacher to send a positive message to the young learners each time they log in.

Options include sending one of 24 specific encouraging messages, or sending CHEEReader messages automatically for the duration of the game. You can even send in-game currency (Ooka Mist) to your little hero as a reward or encouragement.

By becoming an Ooka Island CHEEReader you can communicate positive and encouraging messages to the player throughout the game. Here are some examples of the safe, pre-created, encouraging messages you can send:

1. Great job!

2. Hooray for you.

3. I am proud of you.

4. Wow, you are smart.

5. You are a great reader.

For the account manager (parent or teacher), the process involves the following steps:

1. Log into the Ooka Lighthouse using your account manager name and password and then click on the top header ‘CHEEReader’ button.

2. Choose your young learner’s account from the drop down box.

3. Type in the name of the person who will be sending the messages (Mom or Dad, Grammy or Grampa, Mrs. Smith, etc.), so that the player will know who sent the CHEEReader message.

4. Choose to enable the messages to be sent automatically for the duration of the game, or choose up to five specific messages to be sent the next five times the young learner logs in to the Ooka Island Adventure.

5. Click the ‘Send Message’ button at the bottom.

Here are the actual CHEEReader messages you can send your Ooka Islander:

Want more information on becoming a CHEEReader? Just check out this link:

Thank you for providing the children you care about with the Ooka Island Adventure, to help them become successful lifelong learners.

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In the Cave of Sounds activity, the player navigates through an underground cave and learns to recognize single sounds and to connect these sounds and letters. In later levels of the game, the player learns to identify initial and final consonant sounds in syllables and words.

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Ooka Island wholeheartedly supports Emma and Julia Mogus and their important mission to help children learn to read. They are teen sisters on a mission to bring books and improve literacy among Aboriginal youth in remote northern Ontario communities. They have sent over 17,500 books to all 49 communities of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Ooka Island recently donated a complete library of 95 Ooka Island books to this worthy cause and look forward to continued involvement with Emma and Julia!

Check out this video to see what Books With No Bounds is all about:

Cammy Barber, Executive Vice President of Ooka Island, is seen in the picture below packing Ooka Island Adventure books for Emma and Julia, two sisters on a mission to bring books and improve literacy in support of the Kashechewan Kindergarten.

St. Andrews School is an elementary school located in Kashechewan, Ontario. Kashechewan is a remote, fly in, native community on the James Bay Coast. In December 2012, vandals broke into the kindergarten portable and completely destroyed three classrooms and three washrooms. This meant that classes had to be cancelled until late January for the approximately 75 kindergarten students. Emma and Julia chose this site for the Ooka Island Learn-to-Read program. The damage to the kindergarten portable can be seen in the image below.

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https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/ooka-tunes-sing-along-songs/id491765620?mt=8

Children and parents love the music in the Ooka Island Adventure. Here’s what parents are saying:

“The songs are fantastic!”

Lisa, Riverains

“…She also loves the music and songs and I find that both of us seem to start humming the theme song throughout the day.”

Jessica,  Orange Marmalade Mama

“The music is so catchy (we all get the theme song stuck in our heads), and she always ASKS to play Ooka Island…”

Jennifer, Quiverfull Family

“Catchy little song, huh? I have this anthem committed to memory, because my lil’ Caleb has taken an extended “working” vacation on Ooka Island.”

Angela, The Wellspring of Life

Below are the lyrics to The Treasure Chest Song. It’s a song that was written to inspire children to appreciate the uniqueness of others and to let them know that bullying is wrong. This song provides an opportunity for a parent or teacher to have a conversation with the child (or children) about these important issues.

Everyone needs to be themselves and be their very best

Everyone has value inside of them like a hidden treasure chest

But bullies being mean make everything a mess

Open up your treasure chest and treat everyone the best

Open up your treasure chest

And treat everyone the best

The Fliggs are sometimes bullies and they push the Elves around

They tease them and they’re mean to them and they bring the party down

The Fliggs will learn that it’s never right to make somebody frown

Make a friend instead and open up your treasure chest right now

Open up your treasure chest right now

Make friends with everyone right now

It’s pretty easy to see that it makes no sense to make an enemy

It’s so fun when everyone you see wants to be a friend to you and me

When you are playing games you should never call anyone bad names

We know that it’s a waste of time to spoil the fun when we’re feeling fine

It’s wrong to be a bully and make somebody frown

All they do is spoil the fun and bring the party down

If someone’s different from you, it’s a chance to learn about something new

Be a friend to them and open up your treasure chest right now

Be a friend to everyone right now

Open up your treasure chest right now

Want all of the Ooka Tunes and accompanying videos for FREE for your iPhone or iPad? Young learners will sing-along to all of their favorite songs from The Ooka Island Adventure. Join the Ooka Elves, the Fliggs, and Fliggnorance on the dance floor underneath a giant disco ball. Young learners tap buttons to choose sing-along videos that are fun and educational. Each Ooka Tune has the lyrics highlighted to help children sing-along from the very start!

Just go to this link for the FREE download:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/ooka-tunes-sing-along-songs/id491765620?mt=8

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Great line-up of special speakers this year too.  Keynote Speakers  Among them are Michelle Rhee, CEO and Founder of Students First and Geoffrey Canada, Children’s Advocate and Founder and CEO of Harlem Children’s Zone.

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Have you ever come home tired after a long day and found your children waiting for you with boundless energy, ready to jump on your back, ready to be lifted up, ready to play hide and seek? Although you may be mentally and physically drained, you muster up some energy and hide behind the curtains, chase them around the house and you even pretend that you don’t see your youngest child “hiding” in plain view under the coffee table. Children never tire of playing hide and seek, anywhere and anytime.

That situation inspired me to write Where is Boo? an Emergent Level I book in our Ooka Island Books library. Through the book’s illustrations, the reader can see where Boo is hiding while Kayla and Jayden are looking for him. This makes the young reader feel like they know something that Kayla and Jayden do not. As a parent, I’ve lived many of these Ooka Island stories. Remembering when my kids were younger and watching them play is where many story ideas for Ooka Island books come from.

Another Emergent Level I book, Bug on Fire, resulted from watching my neighbor’s toddler try to figure out exactly what a firefly was one summer evening in the backyard. The little girl was intrigued and suggested that it had been lit on fire. It’s interesting to think about what must be going on in a young mind when they experience curious new things, like fireflies, for the first time. Will it burn me if I touch it? How did it catch on fire? Is this how light bulbs work?

I wrote You Can Do It, Boo! after seeing a little boy at Chuck E. Cheese. With his little legs shaking this particular youngster stood peering down into the ball pit. His face was filled with anxiety and smeared pizza sauce. It was his first time jumping in and you could tell he was worried because he couldn’t see the bottom. Maybe, he possibly thought, I will jump in and disappear into this bottomless pit of colorful plastic balls, never to be seen again! Children and parents stood around the ball pit yelling encouragement. “You can do it!” they yelled. This was the inspiration for You Can Do It, Boo! a book about Boo conquering a challenge. Boo was cautious, but with a little positive encouragement from Kayla and Jayden, he took the plunge. Even as an adult I appreciate encouraging, supportive friends to help me jump into challenging situations sometimes.

If you have a young learner ready to jump into reading—make it a great experience by using the Ooka Island Reading Program. We offer every e-reader book that is in the Ooka Island Adventure learn-to-read computer game in our paperback library as well. You can purchase these books separate from the computer game on our e-commerce website. http://store.ookaisland.com/ca/en/store/emergent

I encourage you to check out Ooka Island Books to jumpstart your young learner into the wonderful world of reading!

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Now, stop for a minute and imagine what your child might be feeling at the same time.  Think it could also be STRESS?   Kids everywhere find the process of learning to read challenging—why wouldn’t they?  Just like learning to ride a bike, it takes considerable time and practice of all sorts of new skills (in this case, phonemic, phonetic, and comprehension) in order to achieve mastery.     Along the way, reluctance can set in as the tasks become seemingly daunting and the happy-go-lucky child can turn into one who rebels against reading.

To make matters even scarier, according to a recent attention-grabbing headline, “Stress Can Make You Worse at Reading!”   Oh, no!!  We’re trying to help our children learn to read, not cause them stress that could then make the process even more difficult!!!

Consider the following questions:

• Does your child struggle to read?
• Does reading aloud cause your child stress?
• Does reading in front of a group (especially a class of peers) cause your child stress?
• Would you consider your child a ‘reluctant reader’?

If the answer to any/all of these questions is YES, then your child might have what we call “RRSS”:  Reluctant Reader Stress Syndrome.   What is the cure for RRSS?!

The Ooka Island Learn-to-Read Adventure, of course!

According to this site, reading is a skill that takes time to fully develop.  And for some children, that time is arduous and frustrating instead of being exciting and enjoyable. ..Helping a student who is struggling with reading begins with understanding the difficulties.  In general, a reading difficulty represents a breakdown somewhere in the process of learning to read.

The experts behind the creation of the Ooka Island Learn-to-Read Adventure created this online literacy program to target young students before any breakdowns in the process of learning to read arise, or as soon as there are any signs of stress when reading.    The interactive computer program is anchored in the fundamental building blocks of literacy and provides hours of engaging practice in the skills needed to achieve reading mastery.   The exciting trip the Ooka Adventurer takes around the island captivates the young child while at the same time training him in the eye/ear reading method that leads to the development of being a lifelong reader.    Time spent learning to read on Ooka Island is time spent in a positive, encouraging environment that is not only a stress-buster but also is a proven success in developing mastery in, and love for, reading.

Say no to reluctant readers and reading stress!   Check out Ooka Island today!

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Learning to read is an amazing adventure in itself.   You probably can’t remember the moment in your past when nonsense symbols transformed into meaningful words, but I feel confident in stating that it was your most important accomplishment to date.  Reading is a lifelong skill, a skill that opens the door to success and allows a person to become a full participant in life.

What better way, then, to start a child on the adventure of learning to read than by making it exactly that—an adventure?  The Ooka Island Adventure, an educational game for kids in preschool through second grade, is a dynamic and interactive online experience that builds comprehension and fluency through phonic/phonemic development and language-rich text and activities.   (Your budding Ooka Adventurers won’t understand all those big words now, so basically, it’s a really cool video game where they get to explore an island full of fun activities and learn to read while doing so!)

Why should every young child become an Ooka Adventurer?

1.  IT’S EFFECTIVE

Ooka Island’s research-based Eye/Ear Method helps children learn to use both their visual and auditory skills to master the building blocks of reading comprehension and fluency.  Research has shown that a child can break into reading  in just 8 hours of playtime on the Ooka Island Adventure video game.

2.  IT’S PREVENTIVE

Ooka Island’s skill-building literacy curriculum ensures that children don’t ever fall behind and require intervention.   NAEP has reported that 68% of 4^th grade children are behind in reading.  The foundational skills developed through Ooka Island keep Adventurers focused on critical skills for reading success like concept of word, phonemics, and phonetics.

3.  IT’S ROUTINE (and a fun one at that!)

Just like sports or a musical instrument, reading development requires a focused time.  The Ooka Island Learn-to-Read System is recommended for play 20-30 minutes, 2-3 times per week.   Did you read that right?  It is indeed PLAY…just with a PURPOSE.  Once a child is making his/her way around all the island activities, the time on the computer can be spent independently.  Adults should certainly monitor the student’s progress through our innovative reporting portal but can be accomplishing other tasks while the child is experiencing all the adventure of Ooka Island! 

Check out Ooka Island and sign up for your child to take the adventure of a lifetime!

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Dragons Den Reading Game

Charlottetown-based Ooka Island Inc. will pitch their online early literacy program on the Dragons’ Den program Sunday.

The popular program will air on CBC at 8 p.m. AST. An encore airing of the program will be shown on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

“It is very exciting for our company to have the opportunity to pitch our unique products on the Dragons’ Den and get feedback from some of the most successful business leaders in the country,” said Joelle MacPhee, director of reading partnerships for Ooka Island Inc.

MacPhee said Ooka Island, formed in 2008, has combined science-based reading methods with dazzling 3-D technology to develop the only comprehensive early literacy program offered exclusively through technology for children ages three to seven.

The readers’ progress through the adventure’s 24 levels is dependent upon acquiring the skills needed to learn to read. The continuing adventure becomes customized to individual players, who are redirected to activities related to reading skills they have not yet mastered. Ooka Island Adventure products are currently being used in 22 countries world-wide.

“The results speak for themselves. Parents, teachers and school principals have seen drastic improvements in early literacy skills for their students,” said MacPhee. “As for the young students, they just love playing the game.”

While the company is unable to speak about the specifics of the show prior to airing, MacPhee said appearing in the Dragons’ Den was a unique and exhilarating experience, made even more interesting by the fact ‘Dragon’ Kevin O’Leary has a long history with the development of children’s literacy software products.

“Kevin O’Leary has a reputation for never holding back his opinions on the products that are pitched in the Den. With Ooka Island, it is safe to say he was true to form,” said MacPhee.

Ooka Island Inc. has already appeared on a reality TV business show. The company was featured in August on Backyard Inventors, a show that travels across Canada in search of everyday inventors with exceptional ideas.

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“Explore the Island at a pace customized for each particular adventurer using Ooka Island’s Adaptive Reading Software”

With Ooka Island’s focus on dynamic, adaptable, and individualized literacy instruction for young children using adaptive reading software, it is no surprise that we applaud educational innovators who also recognize the importance of breaking out of the “one size fits all” box. South Carolina’s State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Mick Zais, kicked off last school year by sounding the call that “a personalized, customized education for every student is the future of education” and that “fundamental to transforming our education system is the shifting the focus from ‘inputs’ to ‘outputs’…[which is] mastery of the subject matter.” No longer should educational decisions revolve solely around the amount of time devoted to instruction; rather, skill mastery—however long and however winding the instructional path for a given student—should be the focus.

Not only does Dr. Zais’s exhortation of a customized learning experience align with the goals of Ooka Island’s adaptable literacy program, but he also stressed the critical importance of computer-based learning, the delivery platform of the Ooka Island Adventure, in his presentation on transforming the state’s schools. On the subject of incorporating technology into curricular design and instruction, he stated that “quality computer-based learning is interactive, engaging, and automatically targeted to each student’s learning needs. It can not only supplement more traditional classrooms, but, combining the best aspects of gaming and graphics, can stand alone to deliver excellent course content.” (e.g. using adaptive reading software)

We at Ooka Island applaud Dr. Zais for going on record that adaptable, student-centered, technology-based instruction is the ticket to creating a new generation of successful students and citizens. And we are proud to say that the future is NOW for just such adaptable, student-centered, technology-based literacy instruction with the Ooka Island Learn-to-Read Adventure adaptive reading software!

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