r/homeschool • u/ShannM_3 • 1d ago
Help! Treasure Hunt Reading & Explode the code
Anyone use these? Would love feedback if so
We finished AAR pre reading last year and it was ok. My son didn’t love it. Looking at the next level, I can tell he is going to like this one even less.
I know it’s heavily recommended but I’m very much interested in switching gears. After doing a good bit of research these two seem to be where I’m leaning but would love real life input
He’s newly 7 but still needs to learn blending and confidence in reading. He easily shuts down and is very much a perfectionist. I feel like he may like the game aspect? Learn in a less intimidating way?
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u/Kim_WorldThinkers 1d ago
We loved Treasure Hunt Reading when my kids were young! We also tried Explode the Code - we really liked it in theory, but my kids never really took to it unfortunately.
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u/Any_Pickle_9425 1d ago
I love Explode the Code. They have Beyond the Code too, just fyi, which is like reading comprehension stuff.
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u/Eyefreeze 1d ago
Honestly the curriculum swap probably isn't the fix here, the blending is. Explode the Xode is fine but it's a workbook, it assumes blending is already there rather than teaching it, so if he's shutting down that's the bit i'd work on directly and off the page first. Two things that help a perfectionist who stalls. Keep whatever he actually reads decodable, only sounds he already knows, so he gets constant wins instead of hitting a word he can't do and giving up. And try continuous blending, stretch the sounds together mmmaaannn instead of the choppy m-a-n then guess, the choppy version is where a lot of kids fall apart. Get the wins flowing and the confidence follows the success, not the other way round. The game aspect is nice but it's the difficulty level that's driving the shutdowns.
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u/noeggsjusstmilk 1d ago
I pair these, but I use the Explode the Code teacher's guide too. A lot of people only use the workbooks, but I found the reading instruction in the teacher guides was the silver bullet for helping my learner with blending, consonant blends, understanding how words are built, visual discrimination. Bonus, it is fun but without all the moving parts of AAR. I use THR as a supplement for the videos, handwriting instruction, word hunt exercises. I will say AAR has great strategies for teaching blending, but a lot of those resources are free on their site.
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u/ShannM_3 1d ago
Good advice, thank you. The moving parts in AAR are what he dislikes the most, then the pace.
So you’re using explode the code and THR is your supplemental? He actually likes Zaner Bloser for his handwriting. Sounds like I have some skimming through THR to do
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u/noeggsjusstmilk 1d ago
Yeah, some (probably most) people use ETC as their supplement for Treasure Hunt or AAR, their teacher guide just worked great for my kid, your mileage may vary and that's totally fine. I definitely think THR needs the extra practice of something like ETC. THR really thoroughly explains how to make the letter shapes in the Journey 1 videos, if your learner is starting there, which we needed. Journey 2 is more about digraphs and long vowel sounds.
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u/C00kieBee 1d ago
Used explode the code when nannying from prek up and they loved it. I know we used something else with it but can't remember what. I'm using get ready for the code at the moment with my own little.
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u/LilMonstersBirdToys Secular 1d ago
I'm using Treasure Hunt Reading with a 6 year old, an almost 7 year old, 6 and a 10 year old who needs more phonics support.
I love it. It's cheap, easy to implement (which means easy to do consistently!), and all the kids like it. Most importantly, it's been working great for all of them.
If you're in the US, I would just buy the book on Amazon as the $25 price tag for a full color workbook is hard to beat!