Reading Rainbow

When class starts with 20 first graders launching an app and singing, "I can go anywhere..." you know you have found a gem!

Growing up, Reading Rainbow was my favorite television show and the app does not disappoint this loyal fan. The Reading Rainbow app is AMAZING! Last year, the primary students at Eagle Cliffs did a "Read-A-Thon." Part of the funds raised were used to purchase a subscription to Reading Rainbow for every kindergarten through second grade classroom. The subscription allows for each student to have access to hundreds of books and videos collected by Reading Rainbow. But you don't have to take my word for it.... watch the trailer below to see what this app has to offer.


I have been using the Reading Rainbow app in my classroom for 3 years now. It was one of the first apps I introduced this year and Reading Rainbow continues to be part of our everyday reading routine. The app is filled with incredible fiction and nonfiction books that are read aloud to the children by terrific, fluent readers. There is also an amazing library of videos that build background knowledge and take the children on interesting virtual field trips. The kids are so engaged in reading anytime they are logged in. Their eyes light up as they "turn" through the pages of the digital books. You can hear giggles as students listen to funny stories and "WOW"s when the students see and hear something interesting. They are recommending books to each other and are proud of the stickers they have collected for reading books in the app. Just yesterday, we used Reading Rainbow for our opening activity. At the end of the 20 minutes of reading, I asked each of the first graders to take a photo of something they read that morning. The children uploaded their screenshots to a Padlet and wrote a quick sentence about their reading.

Created with Padlet

We shared the Padlet in class. Can you guess what the students wanted next? They were begging for more reading time because now they wanted to try the books and videos that their friends recommended! You can get a Reading Rainbow subscription at home for $4.99 per month. Visit their website for more information: https://www.readingrainbow.com/.