Zoo- Phonics

When Emily was just 1 year old, my friend and former co-teacher told me about this phonics program that she was using in her classroom called Zoo- Phonics.  After talking with her and researching it, I decided that I wanted to do this with Emily.  This is a description taken from their web site.

"Zoo-phonics is a method developed to make children strong readers and spellers using a “phono” (hearing), “oral” (speaking), “visual” (seeing), “kinesthetic” (moving), and tactile (touching)—whole brain approach. Students actually learn the sounds of the alphabet and advanced phonemic concepts through an easily understood, concrete method of presentation.

Zoo-phonics uses animals drawn in the shapes of the letters for ease in memory. A related body movement is given for each letter. This concrete approach cements the sounds to the shapes of the letters. Lowercase letters and their sounds are taught first (needed 95% of the time in text), capital letters and letter names are taught later."

I introduced these animals/letters to Emily at 18 months.  I put the flash cards together and made them into a book  She learned all the motions (signals) for each letter really quickly.   She could identify most her most of her letters whenever she saw them by the time she turned two.  I continued to pull the Zoo- Phonics book out to read to her from time to time.  In the last month we have really started to go through the book everyday so she can work more on her sounds.  We play games with the animals like Memory and Bingo. 

In the last few weeks we have had a "Letter of the Day".  We talk about that Zoo-phonics animal and find things to put in our "letter box" that begin with that letter.  Then we do some art or an activity related to the letter and practice writing the letter.  She LOVES this and looks forward to it every day.  

Here are some pictures from some of our "Letter Days":

Letter A: " Allie Alligator"

Here she is doing the signal.

A is for Ashley

Letter C: "Catina Cat"

Again, she is doing the signal.

FYI, this is my clock from when I was little.  They are selling them again but this is from the 70's.

Letter E: "Ellie Elephant"

Just so you know, this is the box only.  Our Elf is at the North Pole and won't return until next year:)

Egg Painting

By the way, we were lucky enough to have letter F on the first day of February.  We had letter G on Groundhog Day.  I didn't plan it that way but it worked out well.

It really is amazing how quickly she learns the letter sounds this way.  I am so glad that she enjoys it so much because I love doing it with her:)