Make Reading Time Fly with Mark-My-Time Digital Bookmarks

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

I love reading. There’s nothing quite like finding a book that sucks you into the story, making you want to stay up late into the night and into the morning turning page after page. There are some books that I’ve ready tens of times, ranging from Harry Potter to Emma to Da Vinci Code. But reading wasn’t always so fun. I was the kid who in 3rd grade, pretended to read 200 pages in one night to get a gold star during Book Month. They made parents sign slips for the number of pages that were read after that. In sixth grade, my dad had me reading the “classics” with a notebook right next to the book so I could write down all of the words I didn’t know and then look up the definitions later. Fun, right? NO. Not fun. But in the end, I’m grateful that my parents impressed upon me the importance of reading. If they hadn’t strongly suggested (ie. told me) to read when I was younger, I might not have developed the passion for it that I have now.

If you find yourself the parent of a child who isn’t the most eager to read, you should consider getting him/her a Mark-My-Time digital bookmark. The Mark-My-Time digital bookmark is a great tool to help kids (and parents) track the amount of time the child has read during the day. Available in six bright colors, the digital bookmark not only keeps pages and measures time, but is also a digital clock. It’s built out of a durable and sturdy plastic, so it should be able to withstand trips in backpacks or accidental drops. The battery is included in the packaging, so all your need to do to get started is pull out the plastic to turn the bookmark on.

After powering up the bookmark, there are easy to follow instructions for how to set the clock and the different timer modes. There are two options for measuring time – a programmable countdown timer that beeps when the time is reached, or a cumulative time that will continue to count up until it’s reset. The start/stop button is a bright big orange button, so it’s easy for the kids to turn the timer on and off without having to fumble too much with the other buttons, which the parents can use to set the clock or to set the amount of time the child needs to read.

If things get a little busy in the afternoons, like they so often can, the Mark-My-Time digital bookmark can help moms and dads make sure that each child is getting in their reading time (or multi-purpose the timer for math time, writing time, etc.) Since the kids have the ability to start and stop time, they will feel like they have control of their own progress, encouraging them to read more or show off how much time they’ve spent reading. One could say that the Mark-My-Time digital bookmark is kid-tested and parent approved having recently won several  awards and receiving the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval.

When I proudly showed my bright pink digital bookmark to one of my testers, she smiled and said “I have one of those!” She has a purple Mark-My-Time digital bookmark the helps her keep track of the reading she needs to do for school. She now also has my pink one so she can keep track of two books!

If you would like to add this great reading tool to your child’s get-smart toolkit, the Mark-My-Time digital bookmark is part of the What’s Cooking at DD Holiday Gift Pack Giveaway and is also available for purchase online a www.markmytime.com or amazon.com. Coming in at under $9 this is a great stocking stuffer that will surely be put to good use and could help your child discover the joys of reading.

Disclaimer: No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a sample Mark-My-Time digital bookmark to use and test for the purpose of this review. This did not influence my opinions.

Tags: For Kids, Technology, review