K5 Learning is an online program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. It provides enrichment for math and reading. I was given a six month subscription to the program and signed up my youngest son, who is in kindergarten.

To begin, the lessons are set at your student's grade level. It is recommended that you have the student take the assessments and this will allow them to be placed at the appropriate skill level. Once placed on the correct level, the lessons are able to be completed pretty independently. The lessons use colorful graphics and cartoon characters to explain math and phonics concepts, and the characters teach the concept by talking in addition to using graphics, making K5 Learning a good option for non-readers.

Reading skills are divided into five different areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. There are 1,500 tutorials and activities. Math skills are divided into three different areas: numbers and operations, geometry, and measurement. There are 1,200 lessons and activities. In both areas, the student works at their skill level as determined by the assessments, not their grade level, so instruction is relevant to the student.

Spelling and math facts are also included in the subscription. The spelling program creates quizzes based on the student's grade level and past quizzes. During the quiz, the student can hear the word, view it in a sample sentence, read a definition, and even see a picture if it's a noun. Students know immediately whether or not they spelled a word correctly, and if they missed it they are given hints on how to fix it. Parents can also input specific spelling words if they wish. For the math facts program, students are drilled on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Once again, K5 Learning adapts the questions it asks the student based upon their responses.

There is a dashboard that allows parents to easily view their student's progress, time spent, and grade level for each skill level. Parents can assign specific lessons to their students, and they can request an assessment or change levels at any time.

My son enjoyed this program. He's the youngest of five, so often times his schooling gets pushed to the side while I work with his older brothers. K5 Learning has helped to reduce some of my guilt. He likes math more than reading, so he really enjoyed the math area and was more inclined to spend time working on math when I told him he could go to the website. According to the report, his math skills improved a little more than an entire grade level. He didn't enjoy the reading area as much (but I think that's more of a quirk of this particular child than a commentary on the reading area), but even with the limited time spent, his reading skills improved. Because of his age, we didn't utilize the spelling or math facts areas.

You can sign up for a 14 day free trial. If you decide to join, it is $25 a month or $199 for an annual subscription. If you're looking for a supplement program for your child, I would check out K5 Learning. It is both engaging and effective.

Product Review by Courtney Larson, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April, 2012