Sharing: Reading Kingdom

 

zxczReading Kingdom is an online literacy program that teaches K-3 students how to read and write to a 3rd grade level. Students begin by taking a survey to determine their proficiency level, which ensures that students start with material that is an appropriate difficulty. The Reading Kingdom teaches six skills: sequencing, motor skills, sounds, meaning, grammar, and comprehension. For students who need it, the program starts with the basic sequencing skills that are fundamental for later literacy education. Additionally, students can learn sequencing using a digital keyboard, teaching them the location of each letter on the traditional keyboard.

Students then move on to the comprehension and writing phase. They are tasked with analyzing and completing basic phrases, transitioning up to sentences, paragraphs, and full stories. There are 5 difficulty levels with 6 books for each level. Prior to reading a book, students are taught all of the words that are going to be in that book in 4 different teaching formats. This system was designed to give students confidence as they progress through each book, as well as better identify which concepts (not just words) are causing them the most trouble.

After each level, there is a progress check to determine mastery of the previous material. If a student passes the check, they move on to the next book. If a student is still struggling with certain concepts, the program delivers reading and writing challenges specific to those concepts. The Reading Kingdom provides a detailed report on each student’s progress that can be accessed by teachers and parents on the website.

After a free 30-day trial, parents must pay $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year, and every additional child on the account gets a 50% discount. Teachers and schools can take advantage of significant discounts by contacting the company.

The Reading Kingdom team is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The  program was released in 2011. They won the homeschool.com Top Home School Curriculum Award in 2013.

CHECK THEM OUT HERE: http://www.ReadingKingdom.com

#ReadingKingdom

 

How To Bring New Design Into Your Home

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Are you tired of your same old home? Do you wish you could change it just a bit (or a lot) and make it exciting and fresh? It’s not a new thing – after a while, people get bored of the same old furniture, same old walls, and same old carpets, and they start thinking about making a change. If you’re feeling restless and want to change something about your home, we offer you a few solutions which might help you make a decision.

Are you ready to change?

Before you call in decorators and declare war on your old wallpapers, you should ask yourself what is it that you actually want to change in your home? Are little things driving you mad or you’re looking to make the space more functional? There are two ways for you to change your home: use little things to spice up and refresh your living space, or do a big renovation that can actually increase the market value of your home. So, before you start changing anything, ask yourself how big of a change are you thinking about and try to see how much time and money you are willing to spend on this little project? Since most people don’t really have the money to renovate every time a new trend appears, little changes can be enough to completely transform your living space.

Out with the old, in with the new furniture

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One of the easiest ways to brighten up your home is to change your furniture. If you can’t actually afford entire living room furniture sets, there are easy and cheap ways to repurpose your old furniture and give it new life. These useful mini makeovers can turn trash into treasure with a little bit of paint and a pinch of creativity, and the results will astonish you. Paint the drawers on your old desk ‘ombre’ to make it look brand new, and apply a fresh coat of paint and a bit of wrapping paper to transform your old bar cart into a little work of art. You can also buy a trendy new piece of furniture and rearrange the tables and armchairs so that the room looks like something out of a magazine.

Garage makeover

Garages are difficult – they’re often small storage units which you use to keep your tools, car, and all the things you rarely use in your household (suitcases filled with old files, kitchen appliances which you swear you’ll use again, etc). If you’re looking for a way to make the space more useful, you can think about transforming it into a small apartment, music studio, or even a home theatre. The process of knock down rebuild in Brisbane can be involved, so make sure you have proper permits. Also, it would be a good idea to hire a team of professionals specialized in demolishing and rebuilding to ensure you’re getting the space of your dreams in a safe way.

Mix it up

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Another simple way to make your home more dynamic and interesting is to mix different styles. Still, if you mix too much you’ll risk getting a chaotic home with a bunch of colours which will tire your eyes. Use dominant colours, that will allow you to add colourful details without causing confusion. Also, you’ll want to keep the scale in mind – you don’t need huge armchairs next to delicate wooden coffee tables and minimalist lamps. By adding new flooring, you’ll introduce a new style into your space.

There are so many ways to show to the world and other people who you are: the way you dress, your choice of books and music, your job, and especially your home. These things can reflect not only your likes and preferences, but also your social standing. Whether you’re into minimalism or the concept of ‘luxury living’, your home is always a reflection of who you are, your safe haven and your comfort zone, and you should take good care of it.

Upgrade Your Home With These 4 Home Tech Solutions

You have lived enough in the dark ages. It’s time to make your life a whole lot easier by simply installing a couple of gadgets around your home. Regardless if you want a smart air conditioning system, virtual assistant or something else, smart home tech has advanced so much in the past couple of years and it has become affordable to almost everyone that there really is no reason not to upgrade your home. For all of you who don’t know what gadgets to get, we have put together a list of the most interesting ones to give you a little look at what smart home tech has to offer.

electronic_lock_with_number_padNo more keys

Keys are a thing of the past. Let us introduce you to keyless locks. With these locks, you won’t need stacks of keys for each door and you won’t need to worry about losing them and then having to change the lock.

Keyless locks have a couple of types. The first and the most popular one is a fingerprint reader lock. This technology was something we’ve only seen in the movies not so long ago, but today it is available to everyone. Install one of these cool locks and you will never have to worry about forgetting your keys. The second type is a key card lock. A bit older technology, but still infinitely more cool and secure than regular keys, the key card will let you store all your keys in one piece of plastic. Lastly, we have code locks. A lot of companies use this system, but it is making its way to residential buildings.

Control hub

If you hate having ten, twenty light switches around your house and memorizing what each turns on, then you should definitely install a central control station also known as control hub. You will have all your lights, appliances, basically every piece of electronics in your home under one perfectly-sized touch screen.

You can turn the lights downstairs, start your washing machine, increase the heating or cooling, turn on the computer, etc. Control hub lets you do all this and much more.

furniture-998265_960_720TVs built into the walls

Long gone are the days of TVs sitting on a TV stand in the middle of the room. Let us introduce you to wall-mounted TVs that are literally hidden behind the paintings. You may have seen this tech in some millionaire’s home, but today it is easily affordable to everyone.

You can get any type of flat screen TV, mount it behind the painting or inside of the wall and once you turn it on it will pop out. Also, there are a couple of technical things you need to check before you mount your TV in a wall. Go talk to Brisbane’s TV wall mounting experts and they will help you determine what you can and cannot do when mounting your TV.

Smart thermostat

Last on our list is the smart or automated thermostat. These things are great. Not only will it track the movement around the house and adjust the temperature according to what rooms are occupied or not, but it will also remember your schedule and heat up or cool down the house right before you get back from your work. On top of that, the smart thermostat will save you so much energy because it turns on and off depending if you are home or not.

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And that is all from us. As you can see technology has come far and it’s only getting started. Who knows what we can expect in the near future, what gadgets will run our homes, but until then let’s enjoy what we have now.

 

 

 

Potential Warning Signs Of Cancer That People Too Often Ignore!

1. Lump or Bumps

In case you notice a lump that is growing in any part of the body, consult your doctor immediately! Your doctor will send you to a specialist for any test if they think that the lump may indicate cancer.

2. Change in Skin Moles

If you notice any changes in your moles, freckles` or warts appearance, check with your doctor. These changes may indicate skin cancer which is highly treatable if detected on time.

3. Variation in Bladder Activity

If you notice any blood in your urine or feel pain while peeing, consult your doctor right away. These symptoms may be a sign of bladder, prostate, or kidney cancer.

4. Change in Bowel Habits

Any change in your bowel movement, such as timing, size, and amount, doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with cancer. In most cases, it is a result of certain foods or medications you are taking. However, if it happens on regular basis, consult your doctor.

5. Cough and Hoarseness

A persistent cough for more than three weeks seeks medical attention. Symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pain may indicate a severe or acute condition, such as pneumonia.

6. Difficulty Swallowing

Throat constriction may be nervous or immune system issue. However, it may be a harbinger condition which includes cancer in the throat, esophagus, or stomach.

7. Long-Lasting Sore Throat

In case you are experiencing a persistent sore throat, it could indicate something more severe such as laryngeal or throat cancer.

8. Unexplained Pain

Pain is the usual body response to any health problem. Long-lasting pain could be anything from bone, ovarian cancer, or simply nothing. As explained by The American Cancer Society, pain from cancer means that it has already spread in your body. By this point, you must consult your doctor.

9. Unexplained Weight Loss

If you have lost a lot of weights which simply cannot be explained by stress, changes to your diet or exercise, consult your doctor immediately. Weight lose of 10 pounds of more can indicate cancer. It is very common with patients who have pancreatic, esophageal, lung, or stomach cancer.

10. Bleeding

  • Get checked ASAP if you have unexplained bleeding, such as:
  • Blood from your back passage
  • Blood when coughing
  • Bleeding in between periods
  • Blood in urine

11. Frequent fevers or infections

In some cases, a persistent or prolonged fever may be an indicator of a cancerous condition like lymphoma. Leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells, can also cause symptoms such as frequent infections, fevers, fatigue, and pain in the bones or joints,

12. Weakness and fatigue

Weakness and fatigue that last for a prolonged period must be evaluated by a doctor because it can be a sign of many types of cancers.

13. Chronic heartburn

Heartburn is mostly a symptom of acid reflux disease, but if it is persistent, it may be a sign of Barrett’s esophagus or esophageal cancer. According to a study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the inflammation of the tissue lining of the esophagus caused by chronic heartburn increases the risk of esophageal cancer. Furthermore, another study conducted by the researchers from Rhode Island Hospital has shown that there is a connection between Barrett’s esophagus and the development of esophageal cancer.

14. Jaundice

Jaundice is a medical term which describes the yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes caused by high blood bilirubin levels. Although it is usually a symptom of liver or gallbladder disease, sometimes it can also be caused by pancreatic cancer.

15. Changes in nails  

Sometimes, unusual changes in fingernails may be an indicator of many types of cancers such as skin, liver, or lung cancer. Some of the warning signs include:

  • Black or brown spots under your nails may be a sign of skin cancer.
  • Clubbing of the fingers or toes (enlarged ends of the nails) is linked to lung cancer.
  • Pale or white nails is usually a sign of decreased liver function, but in some cases, it may also indicate to the development of liver cancer.

16. Wheezing and Shortness of Breath

Although wheezing and shortness of breath are usually associated with other medical conditions, in some cases, these symptoms can also indicate the presence of lung cancer.

Source: Potential Warning Signs of Cancer that People Too Often Ignore!

Delicious Cupcake M&M’s Treat

16603108_1268257409919995_1105910241931124931_nHow cool are these? Here we find plastic wine glasses filled with M&M’s at the bottom topped with an iced cupcake. Another version of this idea is to put ice cream at the bottom and top with a cupcake unwrapped from its wrapper. Your guess will be in heaven enjoying these goodies.