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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Crossbow Reading Rulers Review -TOS

I recently got the chance to review some lovely reading rulers from Crossbow.  I had never used them before myself or with my kiddos.  My kids immediately loved the colors that we received and wanted to start using them.  Of course they are beginning readers and wanted to use them upside down so we had to show them how to properly place them over the words on the page.  Once they got the hang of it they were off!

The lovely rulers we received.

Close up of one of the rulers.
 Crossbow Rulers are marketed through the Crossbow Education website along with other products including sand timers and colored overlays.  They specialize in reading aids for children with dyslexia and visual stress issues.  Over 40% of schools in the UK use their reading rulers.  I recently had the chance to talk with my cousin who lives in England and is a teacher(of math not reading, but still).  When I asked her about them she did say that her girls used them when they were in primary school!
Even our youngest at not quite 2 really loved these.  She'd point out the A's on her page through it.
 We received the 10 pack of duo window eye level readers in multicolor to try out.  Each of my children ended up with a special color that they preferred.  It was interesting to see whether they chose the color that is their favorite or one that actually seemed to help them read and see better. 

At 4 he's not reading yet but he loved picking out letters in his book with his.
 The multi pack included 10 colors including yellow, celery, grass, jade, aqua, sky, purple, magenta, pink & orange.  The rulers are recommended for all ages and as you can see from the pictures my children ages not quite 2 up to almost 8 absolutely loved them.  The reading rulers are 2.75 inches wide by 8 inches long.  There is a small reading window used for one line at a time on top and a wider window on the bottom for more advanced readers who stay on focus better.  The 10 pack of rulers sells for $16.95 on the Crossbow website. 

Showing how lower level readers use the ruler.

Sorry for the picture but showing my just starting youngest reader using his.
 As my children age the rulers can age with them.  They can easily move from using the top smaller window to using the larger bottom window to read a paragraph at a time.  Young readers, especially those with dyslexia, have trouble learning to focus on only one word and then one line at a time.   They also have trouble with reading from left to right.  These rulers help them to focus on only what they are reading. 
Our oldest at 7 is showing signs of dyslexia.  She loved reading with these and seemed to have less troubles.
 Did I mention these are small and easily can go with you where ever you go?  My kiddos were using them as their book marks as well which I thought was a very good idea!

Hmm, it twisted my picture, but again showing how we use them.
 Our thoughts on this product are simple.  We loved it!  Each of my children was thrilled with reading through the colors.  They actually sat and focused on their reading and for the most part did very well reading with their rulers.  I think we will most likely continue to use the rulers for years.  Each child has latched onto their favorite ruler and uses it for their personal reading as well as school reading.  At night it is not uncommon for me to find their rulers either under their pillow or on their dresser where they can easily access them when they wake up!

I love that my children are all excited about reading and doing so well with the rulers! 

Patrick loved the blue ruler for his reading books.
You can read other reviews from member of the Crew by visiting the Crew webpage.  It also contains some additional information on the Crossbow Rulers and the Crossbow company as well as links to all the different reviews. 

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine. 
My opinion has not been influenced or altered in anyway by the company and only includes my honest thoughts on the product.
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15 comments:

  1. How cool! I have never seen these before. We sometimes use a 3x5 card or something similar. I love how these have the ruler but are clear on the bottom portion. They look like they work well!

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  2. What a great tool! Thanks for sharing, I might have to check into these for my son!

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  3. The school I work with is big on using "tracking fingers" to make kids follow the words. I find that they often read like robots because they tap the words. This would be so much better! I may have to look into some for when I do the reading lessons!

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  4. I've never seen anything like this...it looks like a really great product! your kids look like they really enjoy them!

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  5. Wow! These are awesome! I've never heard of them. It looks like they really help kids learning to read. Great review!

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  6. I used to put my finger on the line I was reading. These sound much easier to use.

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  7. These would be perfect for my daughter who is learning to read.

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  8. My Grandson has trouble with reading-this is worth a try! I have forwarded the page link of this review to his mom.
    writer61@yahoo.com

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  9. Looks perfect. They are not as hard as normal rulers, different colors and they look clear so kids can see under it to line it with other things if needed
    seyma_bennett@hotmail.com

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  10. I have never even heard of these before. I love to read and hate the thought of anyone not being able to read too. Anything that helps children (or adults) learn to read is wonderful as far as I am concerned.

    jbafaith at yahoo dot com

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  11. I have always told my children that if they could read they could do anything. I have six grown great readers with children who love to read.

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  12. Very cool. I have made them for my kids but I do love all the colors they come in

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  13. It's amazing the new ways they are coming up with to help people with reading and learning disabilities!

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  14. Those look really neat! What a great idea!

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