The Organic Approach to Reading (OAR) program has been successfully used for 30 years at The Children's Playhouse and 8 years at The International Sahaja Yoga School. Unlike traditional reading programs, OAR follows children's neurological development and ensures all children learn to read through a sequential approach focusing on phonemic awareness and sound blending, not memorizing letters. This allows children as young as 2 to begin learning to read and results in readers under age 4 who can read words through blending sounds rather than memorization.

1. The OAR reading program has been followed at The Children's
Playhouse for the past 30 years and at The International Sahaja
Yoga School for the past eight years with universal and
astounding success. OAR is The Organic Approach to Reading
and it's success is not actually a surprise because it is based on
the nature of brain function.
Unlike almost every beginning reading program utilized in
American preschools, Headstart Programs and elementary school
programs, it is not a hit or miss program that works with some
children and not with others. No child is left behind with OAR
because teachers are trained to follow a hierarchy of
developmental steps, each reinforcing the previous step which are
all based on the organization of the written language as well as
the neuropsychological requirements for learning and retaining
each step.
Children as young as two can begin the OAR journey, a
journey that includes music, fun games and the use of a variety of
modalities for reinforcement. OAR follows a unique and
meaningful sequence, very different than the traditional abc
approach to reading acquisition. OAR's primary focus is the
development of phonemic awareness, or the sounds of spoken and
written words. Since the mastery of the written word is based
on the blending of spoken sounds that are associated with
letters, OAR does not spend 26 weeks focussing on each letter of
the alphabet. We follow a sequence of sounds that very quickly
leads to word formation. When we introduce sounds, we do not
generalize the sound to other words starting with the same sound
as in other phonics programs nor do we teach the letter name
which is merely a distraction to our purpose. Children learn each
sound through a variety of manipulative games and songs. These

2. activities reinforce the associations that have taken place
neurologically.
Children at this stage know nothing about blending sounds
- a challenging brain function initially. They nevertheless are
introduced to the concept that sounds can be blended to make
words after the first three sounds are introduced. As more
sounds are learned, the children are shown how more words can
be made. Gradually they begin the process of blending sounds
into words. A door has been opened.
Sounds continue to be introduced, following a logical
sequence that leads to the discovery of other words that can be
made. Letter squares gradually replace the picture/sounds that
have become our friends. More games and songs are introduced
to establish and reinforce the newly acquired skill of sound
blending. Once this skill has been mastered, children soar ahead,
excited with their mastery of the fundamental skill required for
reading acquisition.
You will notice that "sight words" have not been
mentioned. It is only after there is a basic vocabulary of about
25 words that can be read, through sound blending, not rote
memorization, that a few sight words are introduced for the
purpose of reading sentences. Wahlah - a reader is born! And
this reader may be under age 4.
OAR also introduces writing, following the same recognition
of the neurological requirements to master the written word.
Written letters are organized into four basic groups of similar
patterns so that they are not seen as 26 discreet forms to learn.
Pre-writing skills are established before the delicate art of
printing is introduced.