All About Spelling

I am not sure where to even start. We were sent a large box from All About Spelling and I was very excited. Spelling is something I wanted to focus on this year with my kids and I was trying a little of this a little of that. All About Spelling is a comprehensive spelling program and I couldn't believe all that they had sent me.

We recieved four levels and it was a little bit overwhelming. Each level comes with a teacher's guide along with over 200 cards to cut out, the tiles to cut and apply to the magnets, etc. I spent over 2 hours getting ready and that was just my first level. I still had three to go! I used little index file boxes to store the cards for each level to make it easy to find what we needed for each lesson. The good news is that they are coming out with perforated cards very soon and this will be a big help in getting set up. The other good news is that once you are set up that is it!

The book that comes with is completely scripted and easy to follow. This was particularly important to me as a first year homeschooler. The lesson tells which card to pull and what to have your student do. A magnetic board is needed for the lessons. The book gives a diagram of how to place the letter and letter group magnetic tiles. You can use the curriculum just using the tiles without magnets but I have found that it is much easier to keep the tiles all in one place. We have been using a large cookie sheet.

I found the levels to be very easy to implement and was thrilled every day we would use it and I could see progress being made. I know that spelling can come more naturally for some and I am one of those people. I have some not so natural spellers in my house that and I wasn't sure what to use or where to start other than the typical list handed out on Monday and test on Friday. As a natural speller, even I am learning rules that I did not know but just sort of did. It will make me more of an effective teacher as well as increasing my kids' spelling abilities.

I love that this program incorporates three styles of learning. Auditory, visual and kinesthetic. There is the student hearing what they are to do, seeing it in front of them and then using a tactile method to spell in front of them. This program teaches why a word is spelled the way it is and builds on sounds and blends. The proof is definitely in the pudding on this one. We are seeing results in our house.

I found the program to be a bit on the pricey side at first but honestly, after using the program, I found it to be worth every penny. The levels range in price from $29.95-$39.95 and that includes a teacher's manual and student material guide. You will need a student guide for each child and they range from $12.95-$17.95. The magnets are $5.95 (highly recommend) and the letter tiles are $9.95. A benefit of this program is that everything is used over and over again and only new student material guides will be needed.

I know that we will continue to use All About Spelling in our homeschool for years to come. Head on over to their site to see if it's something that would work for you.