Want a great reading product geared towards kids with learning challenges, disabilities or… ATTITUDE! The Tales of Davy Jones products, (there are several related CDs, downloads and a workbook), get kids excited about a story – so excited they want to read. Yes, you read that correctly, they want to read! Please check out this Tales of Davy Jones review!
How? Well, when kids listen to (and read along with the Treasure Guide) the abridged audio story, it gets them hooked – and to the point where they want to read even more. That’s when the unabridged story “GARRETT & THE FEATHERED SERPENT” comes into play – as its 3x as long as the CD story and offers additional story lines, new characters, subplots, additional details and more.
AWARDED THE MOM’S CHOICE AWARD for excellence in FAMILY FRIENDLY MEDIA!
Also, the audio is featured as an in-flight entertainment option on Air Canada, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Lufthansa, and Swiss Air!
And did I mention the products are faith based? They are – and they are very wholesome.
Below are pics of the CD and the accompanying Treasure Guide. The Treasure Guide consists of story text, as well as workbook-type content.
FYI, a little bit about the story – BTW, this is Episode 1 – I can’t wait for Episode 2!:
- Garrett Spencer, a young boy, has only 1 good leg, he’s never had a friend, and he’s never been to a real school.
- The family has just bought a fishing boat and has moved to Shiloh’s Island. The Spencer family is forced to live in a cave on Shiloh’s Island because no one will rent them a room.
- Shiloh’s Island is renown not only for fishing but for its history of pirates, treasure caves and legendary sea monsters (which all make for a great story).
- The kids on Shiloh’s Island are bullies, but Garrett stands up to them and earns their respect.
- Shortly after they arrive, Garrett rescues the legendary feathered sea creature, Quetzalcoatl, from the ravages of a hurricane/certain death, and for the first time in his life, he has a best friend.
- Throughout the story, Garrett understands the importance of prayer.
- Garrett learns that sometimes what you wish/pray for – even though it sounds wonderful – really isn’t the best thing for you.
Check out the video below!
Tales of Davy Jones Review – What do I like about the Davy Jones products?
- They’re reading products – but with very little effort, they’re also STEM/STEAM products.
- These products work well for ALL learning styles (there are audio, visual, and hands-on components/materials/ideas).
- I love the phrase “READ along and WATCH with your EARS – SEE with your IMAGINATION”.
- Regarding the reading part of that phrase – my daughter is so enthralled by the CD/story, she often reads ahead of the CD – as she wants to know what’s going to happen next. Think about this – the story is so exciting, she doesn’t want to wait mere seconds to hear what is going to happen next. Best of all, she has discovered that reading in some ways, is better than listening to a CD (it’s faster)!
- Regarding the see with your imagination part of the phrase – it was explained to me that audio is a wonderful way to engage your imagination and visualize the story. That’s because audio requires the listener to visualize…to actually see in their mind, what is being described (unlike TV where everything is given to you). This in turn, increases reading skills as kids start putting the pictures in their mind with the words they’re reading and they begin to “see” what they’re reading (vs. kids that read perfectly but don’t make the connection between the words).
- The descriptive adjectives help the listener really visualize the story – examples include glowering storm and rapier like claws.
- Every once in a while a word is used that your child might not be familiar with and s/he will want to look it up. For instance – leeward. Yep – we looked that one up!
- Plus, did you know that there are studies that show that kids with ADD/ADHD respond well to audio learning? There are articles/blogs on the Tales of Davy Jones website about this, if you want to learn more.
- My daughter really enjoys the drawing and coloring opportunities, as well as some of the hands-on enrichment tasks. She just asked her Dad to make a model ship with her – a task where math and engineering will be emphasized. BOOYA!
- The story is very suspenseful,interesting, and entertaining …. as a result, my kids want to read (or listen to) more…. and more…and more. I guarantee – your kids aren’t going to be bored. In fact, I bet they’re going to realize how exciting reading can be! WOW – a product that pulls this off is impressive! 🙂
- The products work for a wide range of ages – I won’t tell you how old I am, but I am transfixed by the story!
- The audio has great production value – with quality music, sound effects, a full cast of voice actors, and more. I really LOVE the tune that starts off the CD. It’s haunting yet beautiful.
- By listening to the CD, kids get an idea of how to write a story themselves (we’re going to use this book for a writing course, for this very reason). Students learn the importance of adjectives, adverbs, descriptive phrases, and the importance of leaving the reader wanting more at the end of each chapter and at the end of a story (we so want to read Episode 2!)
- And we’re going to use this resource for a theater class as well! If you look at the text below, you’ll see how easy this will be.
- The Treasure Guide/Learning Adventure Log is a wonderful resource for checking a child’s reading comprehension, for learning vocabulary, and more (see pages below).
- I like that the Learning Adventure Log has a Belongs to: line – it’s always good when kids have ownership of their work.
- The Adventure Log is a workbook – but it’s not called a workbook which is kind of genius. Kids read – Arr Maties! Welcome aboard! We’re about to cast off in search of adventure and treasures you’ll carry for a lifetime! That doesn’t even sound like a workbook, does it? Genius!! 🙂
- There’s pre-text vocabulary/questions that access prior knowledge before the story begins – that’s nice. If you want, you can start with a lesson before anything else, so kids know the vocabulary.
- I like the Making Connections section of the Log – where kids make connections between the story and their own life.
- I also appreciate the opportunities for independent study. As mentioned previously, the workbook offers ideas/opportunities for enrichment and many opportunities to turn this reading material into STEM or STEAM material.
- The main character and hero, is a disabled boy. This helps kids relate to those who might have special needs/challenges. Also, the story shows that the boy has been able to adapt and flourish despite his disability, which of course, is a broader life lesson.
Tales of Davy Jones review – In closing, if your kids are reluctant readers or if you like homeschooling resources that can be used in a variety of ways, you should give these products a look-see. Our family loves them.
Did you like this Tales of Davy Jones review? We really enjoyed writing it for you. You can check out our other reviews here: https://www.howtohomeschool.net/curriculum-reviews
- Tales of Davy Jones
