The Reading Focus Card is a Winner!

The Reading Focus Card Awarded Seal of Approval

A very happy third anniversary to the Reading Focus Card (Patent 7,565,759).  We are so happy to have this product as one of our long-standing award-winners.  Developed by Brennan Innovators, LLC, the Reading Focus Card exemplifies the spirit of the Kidlutions Solutions for Kids Award, which is granted to products that change lives. The Reading Focus Card continues to make a difference in lives of struggling and new readers world wide!

How It Helps

The Reading Focus Card is a non-invasive and inexpensive reading aid.  It helps kids with a variety of learning styles by providing differentiated instruction for such issues as: ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, autism, low vision issues and stroke-related difficulties.  It can even help young readers because it promotes left to right reading.  

The Reading Focus Card can be used with e-readers (the shorter version is perfect for Kindle) and e-tablets (the long version works great with iPads, Android tablets, etc.)  This tool has so much versatility!

The Reading Focus Card is Now Tech Savvy

The Reading Focus Card App in Action (above).

The card and reading window size adjustments, as well 

as the color options of both will be nearly unlimited.

It appears we have more to celebrate than an anniversary, however! The Reading Focus Card is now available in an app (Patent 8,360,779)! Seems too good to be true, but it's not! I'd say Brennan Innovators, LLC, is aptly named.  The company is a front runner in innovation and taking things to the next level.

The current desktop app is for PCs and Mac computers and laptops. You can find it HERE. As soon as the iTunes link is available we will share it right here, so be sure to check back.

Complete List of Links

Here is the complete set of links for accessing and downloading the new Reading Focus Cards app (Patent 8,360,779):

 

1. For Windows PCs:

Visit the Microsoft Windows Store and search for the app called "Reading Focus Cards."  (No URLs are ever provided for apps in the Windows Store.)

 

2. Another option to access this Windows PC version:

Visit Gumroad at https://gumroad.com/l/ReadingFocusCards

 

3. For Macs:

Visit the Mac App Store and search for "Read and Focus" or go directly to

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/read-and-focus/id920617853?mt=12

Compatibility with iPads and other mobile devices is hoped for in the near future. With Brennan Innovators, LLC, you can bet future developments are in the works!

It Keeps Getting Better

The Reading Focus Card continues to show its value, not only for reading, but also for use in math, for reading charts and graphs, as well as for easier viewing of stock quotes.  (The video below provides more information.)  The Reading Focus Card is available in two different sizes and the reading filter color can also be customized. 

A very cool feature on the company's site also allows you to change the background color of the page, when you visit! I LOVE that! Don't think it matters so much? Check it out for yourself HERE.

Learn More About the Reading Focus Card

Advantages of Using the Reading Focus Card 

Brennan Innovators, LLC website lists the following advantages to using the Reading Focus Card:

• Enables a reader to more easily focus when reading a line of text
• Promotes better concentration and comprehension
• Is non-invasive with no side effects because no medication is involved
• Is portable and easy to store in pocket or purse
• Can double as a bookmark for easiest access
• Can also be stored on a binder ring to prevent loss
• Promotes accurate placeholder work as in column addition or long division
• Assists with reading charts, graphs, and stock quotes
• Is non-mechanical requiring no energy/maintenance
• Is easy on the eyes—pastel (soothing) or bright (for added emphasis)
• Is very inexpensive to purchase and/or repurchase
• Is very easy to use! 

     Explore More 

    See our previous posts on this gem of a product, and learn more about 
    Joan Brennan, the genius behind the product!

Original Winning Post

First Year Anniversary Post

Second Year Anniversary Post

Congratulations, Brennan Innovators, LLC, and the Reading Focus Card!

We are so happy to have you as part of the Kidlutions family!

The Reading Focus Card is a Game-Changer

Happy Anniversary, Reading Focus Card!



Somebody's having another anniversary with the Kidlutions Seal of Approval and it's the Reading Focus Card (Patent 7,565,759).  That's right, a resource so powerful and so unique, it's patented.

Can you imagine a world without reading?  Neither can I!  That is just one of the reasons why Kidlutions continues to bestow its Seal of Approval upon the Reading Focus Card.

Game-Changer

This simple, affordable tool has been a game-changer to many.  Kids and adults alike have found the ease of use and portability of this tool to contribute to the overall success in using it.  It can fit in a pencil case, a purse or a back pocket. This tool provides a unique, unobtrusive aid to individuals who might otherwise give up reading because of the struggles they experience.  And you don't even have to leave home to get it.  The Reading Focus Card is available on www.FocusAndRead.com.  I can tell you firsthand that this tool is heads above what was used by kids when I was a special ed social worker in the schools.

The Genius Behind the Invention

Joan Brennan, Inventor/Educator

Joan Brennan, the inventor of the Reading Focus Card, is more than just a name.  She's a real, breathing person who cares an awful lot.  Her blog, Help for Struggling Readers, offers an amazing array of resources on a consistent basis.  Joan is about as generous as they come, too.  She's sharing all of her incredible information on facebook, twitter and pinterest.  Be sure to catch her there!

Don't Just Take My Word for It

Not only did the Reading Focus Card pass muster with our reviewers and me, there is a plethora of satisfied customers out there, using the Reading Focus Card every day.  And it's making a big difference.  See what they have to say here on focusandread.com.

What Makes the Reading Focus Card Different?

The following was excerpted directly from focusandread.com .

What To Look for in an Educational Tool

Children and adults with attention deficiencies need tools to help focus on individual words.  It is difficult for them to first focus to read a full sentence and then process its correct meaning.  Many basic, educational methods fail to provide 3 basic parameters needed to be effective and aid struggling readers:

1.  A good reading aid for kids and adults must help them focus more easily on a specific part of a page.
2.  The tool should allow them to concentrate on individual words when needed.
3.  Such a device needs to encourage the eye to move easily from left to right and from one line of text to another.
4. The ideal reading tool should be research-based. 

The Reading Focus Card is a reading aid that provides all of the above and helps kids and adults of any age to experience more reading success. The Reading Focus Card is also an effective learning tool for kids and adults who need supportive tools and learning strategies to focus their attention on printed material at hand and the exact meaning of that material.

So there you have it folks.  The Reading Focus is the real deal.  Get one for your struggling reader today.

Read other related posts:

The Reading Focus Card Changes Lives

Helping Kids Focus and Read

The Take Your Pix® Board Book Photo Albums: Purposeful Fun

Laura Miranti and her daughter who inspired the

Take Your Pix® board book albums.

A picture paints a thousand words. Since the dawn of man, we have attempted to communicate with each other in pictures. We've never lost that desire to view images and in particular, images of people we love, places that we've been and occasions that are important in our lives. It is just as important to the youngsters in our lives. Only problem is, most parents are hesitant to hand over archival quality scrapbooks and albums for little ones to explore, tug on, rip at and even drool on.

All of that changes with the sturdy Take Your Pix® board book photo albums! These awesome board book albums offer an adorable and durable alternative to traditional photo albums, making them perfect for little hands and exploring minds! They are so well-constructed and sturdy, which, as most parents and educators know, equals a quality product.

This version has the title, "My First Photos", with flocked letters.

It makes for a wonderful tactile experience!

For Laura Miranti, the creator of the Take Your Pix® board book photo albums, this invention was a labor of love. She was inspired by her young daughter, who had some developmental delays and needed some support to catch up to her peers. One of the specialists that worked with Laura's daughter recommended using photos of family, friends and objects that were familiar to her. Laura was hard pressed to find a photo album that would hold up to the kind of "love" a young child would bestow upon such a book, so she created the Take Your Pix® board book photo albums.

A mother's love knows no bounds. While developed out of the love for her daughter and the necessity for a product that would serve a most important purpose, the Take Your Pix® board book photo albums have translated into a product that appeals to the masses. Young children adore seeing photos of themselves and the people and things they love. And according to the company's website, "Studies have shown that young children only have object recognition with photos. This means that before the age of two, they can not relate a drawing of an object with the actual object, but they can relate a photo of the object with the actual object." That has huge implications when it comes to helping our youngest children learn to communicate.

How this Product Changes Lives

The The Take Your Pix® board book album has so many applications, which makes it so valuable to so many. There really is no end to the way in which these board book albums can be used. We'll share a few ideas here, and if you have an idea to add, feel free to share them in our comments section.

1. Use it to help kids begin to identify objects in their daily lives: chair, book, bed, mommy, daddy, tree, dog, brother, sister, toothbrush, etc. All children need to learn these skills, and repetition works wonders!

2. Use it for alphabet and number recognition. You can scrapbook right on the pages with stickers and other doo-dads, and add picture of an object that begins with that letter. The company's website has some great examples.

3. Use it as a bridge for young children who have relatives and family members that live a distance. This will help young children better get to know what Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Rosie look like, even though they aren't part of their daily lives.

4. Use it for young children experiencing separation anxiety when they are at daycare. Pictures can be included of the child with mom and dad, with the daycare provider, doing fun things at daycare, and then getting picked back up at the end of the day. (Mommy and Daddy always come back to get me!)

5. For young children struggling to get ready in the mornings for preschool, make a book that shows the steps it takes (getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, getting shoes and coat on, etc). For a child having difficulty getting ready for bed a night, show similar steps. The possibilities are endless here.

6. For children with special needs such as autism and other issues that impede communication, the Take Your Pix® board book albums can offer unparalleled assistance. A key support and adaptation for children on the autism spectrum is the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), which I am very familiar with as a behavioral health consultant to early childhood programming. The PECS system goes a long way towards reducing frustration, anger and behavioral symptoms, by allowing children with limited communication skills to be able to convey their needs. Having seen this system in action, I know firsthand how wonderful it is. The company's website has a nice post on this topic.

7. Another grand use of the Take Your Pix® board book albums is for creating Social Stories. These stories are also used for children with special needs, including autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), etc. You can find some great examples of social stories here.

8. As originally intended, the Take Your Pix® can help kids with delays begin to communicate their wants, desires and needs.
One thing is for sure, no matter how you utilize your Take Your Pix® board book albums, it does provide you with purposeful fun. When learning is attached to fun, we are much more likely to be able to recall the information.

Welcome to the Kidlutions family, Laura and Take Your Pix®! We are so glad to have you aboard!