Reading with Colored Glasses - A New TOS Review!

Do you have a child who has trouble staying focused while they are reading? Maybe they suffer from dyslexia, visual stress, or something else. Well Crossbow Education is a company you will want to check out.  They have a variety of multi-sensory products created to help students achieve their best! Crossbow has also won a myriad of awards for their products including Educational Supplier of the Year 2012.

The Product:
Although they have many products including Sand Timers and Smart Trays the product we received to review are Reading Rulers.  I never knew the official name for them, but I've been a fan of these since I began teaching my own children to learn how to read.

So what exactly is a Reading Ruler? It is a plastic colored text overlay that is about 6 inches in length, the size of a mini ruler. The plastic is both durable and flexible making it the perfect bookmark and will be there whenever you need to use it.  The Eye Level Reading Rulers come in a pack of ten colors so everyone can have their own and probably in a color that they approve. ;) The rulers combine both transparent and opaque tinted plastic that can highlight an area of text (about the size of this paragraph) or underline one line of text.

The ten colors you can choose from are: yellow, celery, grass, jade, aqua, sky, purple, magenta, pink, and orange.  These colors were not randomly chosen, but were chosen for the "optimum choice between tints while recognizing the areas of the spectrum that are most frequently beneficial."  Once you receive the pack you can go through all the colors to see which one (or ones) might help reduce the visual stress on your eyes through reading. One side of the Reading Ruler is a matte finish while the other is more of a glossy giving you another individual choice.

The set of ten rulers is $16.95 and you can choose all of one color, one of every color, or even 2 sets of the five most popular colors - completely up to you, but I'd chose one of each if you have never used a Reading Ruler. And don't think these are just for your children.  You may find that by using one of the rulers that you too will have a significant amount of visual stress lifted.  I read a testimonial about one of Crossbow's General Managers who had joined the company was shocked that they had made such a difference in his reading - and he was in his mid-forties!

Our Experience:
When we received the package of the rulers, my girls were ready to choose their favorite colors.  I was truly hoping that it would help Audrie with her reading. Since you has trouble staying focused on the line she is on and forgets to keep her finger under the word she is supposed to be saying.  So I told her to try out the Reading Ruler and see if it helped.  This is what she says:

 "I like my Reading Ruler.  I picked purple - it's my favorite color.  I put it on the page where I am reading and it makes it easier to read the line and stay focused.  I use the small size more then the bigger side, that way I can just read one line at a time. I think it helps me from messing up in my reading."

I also told Arianna to pick one.  She uses it when she's reading her library books or required reading books during reading time.

"When I first got it I used the sentence strip.  It was easier and I liked it more then the bigger space. I chose pink/rose, mainly because it's my favorite color.  It mostly helps me stay on the right spot on the page. I like the glossy side and I think it helps me see the words better.  I also thought that it was the front."

I even told Stephen to try one out.  He grew up not liking to read and struggling some with dyslexia.  I wasn't able to get a quote from him, but that's probably due to his work schedule.  I'm not sure he's had time to read for an extensive period of time, but I'm hoping that the ruler might help with page glare due to the matte finish.

I have told the girls that they can have more then one ruler, but they haven't taken me up on the offer.  I have been able to watch the girls use the ruler during the course of their school day and I was able to catch some pictures.

 

My Thoughts:
If you have a student who struggles with reading, may have some eye strain or other visual stress, or has dyslexia you will want to check out this product.  They are constructed very well and believe they will last a LONG time.

You can also check out Crossbow Education on Facebook and Twitter. You can also contact them if you have any further questions.  And as always, click the link below to read how other Crew members used the Reading Ruler in their homes.

*** I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2011-2012 Crew and receive free products and services in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of money for any of my reviews. My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs and experiences with the products and services that I receive.***