1. LightSail for Homeschool has Fantastic Support

The first feature that I really appreciate is the amount of support you get from the platform. I easily get totally overwhelmed by sites that are full of different pages, tabs, and features. LightSail has solved this by creating a helpful welcome video, which pops up as soon as you sign in.

The video is bookmarked so that you can easily go back and rewatch certain parts or even skip parts that aren’t relevant. This was a cool feature because I wanted to explore each item in depth before going back to the video. There are also small play buttons dotted around, which play short videos about a particular element.

2. The Power of the Power Challenge

Another amazing feature is the Power Challenge, which is a placement test that your child takes when they begin with the platform. We did the challenge over a few days, with some free reading in between. Once done, the boys got their Lexile Score, which gets updated every 15 days.

A Lexile Score is the way LightSail suggests books at the correct level for each reader. Dominic is a slightly stronger reader, and it was clear from his result. Now he has access to books that are at the right level, but also challenging enough to help him to improve.

3. LightSail is a Comprehensive Homeschool Reading Curriculum

I have always been a big fan of online homeschooling and electronic resources. I adore books but they can be expensive, especially if you have kids who are avid readers like mine. And as their tastes and abilities change, it can be hard to keep up!

The sheer size of the LightSail libraries offers kids everything they could possibly want to read. My boys are going through a bugs and creepy crawlers stage at the moment. So what we’ve been doing is using the search feature to find books and video clips on the subject.

I love how delighted they are to have the power to search for and find exactly what they want. It’s another way for them to take ownership of their learning. And with the ChildSafe content controls, there’s no worry that they will come across anything that could frighten or upset them.

ChildSafe content controls means that kids can safely search for any books they like.

4. Power Texts Help Kids to Improve

Power Texts are another super feature of LightSail. These are books and resources that are at the correct Lexile level for your child. I love seeing my kids reading a text with confidence and I know they feel proud of themselves too.

The Flip-Flop Mode requires kids to read a Power Text, and then allows them to read in Free Mode. This works really well for us because my kids are ADHD and can easily flit from book to book. With this tool I know that they’re reading a text that will help them to improve their skills. And then they can go wild after that.

5. This Homeschool Reading Curriculum also Encourages Authentic Writing

LightSail for Homeschoolers goes further than just offering lots of great reading, but can also link an authentic writing task once a book has been completed. As a teacher, I know how important it is to teach children how to produce authentic writing.

This type of writing is more engaging, more interesting and more useful than writing for the sake of writing. And when it follows on from a book that was enjoyable to read, it becomes even more powerful!

There’s also a super fun Informal Writing Workshop. Here kids spin a wheel and are prompted to write things like a tweet, comment or hashtag. Scroll down the writing page and give it a try. It’s so much fun!