Keeping It Simple

I decided to take a second to explain after all. :) We're leaving All About Spelling behind (for now). You can read under the label "All About Spelling" in my side bar how much I love this program. My earliest posts about it explain our experiences more that the later ones. (I won't even mention all the other programs that we used over the years, consistently and diligently with great optimism each time, in hopes of helping my son to read.) AAS has been a miracle. To explain why we are moving on- We have used AAS since March of 2010. My youngest two boys (6 and 9 at the time) probably represent the typical students' success using this program. They were not reading or spelling very well when we began the program. Both subjects were slightly painful to them. Almost immediately after beginning the program (within 10 lessons), they did a total turn around. They were reading notes left on the counter (something that I never had to be concerned about before!), gr...

I am inspired by an art teacher who posted not only what worked, but what did not. Very brave! I was comforted to know that even for an experienced teacher, miscalculations can be made on how well a project is going to work for a class. ONE THAT WORKED AND DID NOT WORK: Beautiful Feet Geography - I have used two of the books, Paddle to the Sea and Tree in the Trail , that are included in this study years ago with my daughter. This time I repeated Paddle to the Sea and also did Minn of the Mississippi . There was so much information packed into each page of Minn of the Mississippi that it made it difficult to use in a co op setting. If I were to read this book with just my own children, I would read one page at a time. I would also try to read every day so that the previous information was still fresh. Meeting once a week (sometimes less), I read as many as six pages in a sitting. Paddle to the Sea was more manageable. It also packed a lot of inform...

All About Spelling: I have avoided writing too much about this recently as I tend to get over the top when I really love something. After a few weeks off, I'll say it again- I love this program. I love that is spelled out (no pun intended) down to the last detail for me, that the information sticks (you have to do the review cards) with my boys, and that my boys are still progressing. This program is a matter of "just do it"- I just need to sit down, open my book and start. I don't try to plan or anticipate how long a "step" (lesson) will take. We work for about 20-30 minutes (used to be 10-20 min.) or until I can see that my boys are not staying focused- then we close our books and come back to it another day. It is just that easy. Beginning Drawing: I mentioned in a recent post that I would update on how we are liking Barry Stebbing's beginning drawing video. It is still a big "thumbs up" with our family.  I purchased the recommended...

Our new readers (level 2) from All About Spelling arrived! I have to say that I like them. The drawings are really nice (quality!), the stories are right on point with the lessons, and they are not terribly boring to read. That might not sound like high praise, but leveled readers are not known (at least in my opinion) for their high level of fascination. For any 5-7 year old, these are reasonably interesting. And, James (7yo) was very excited to see some of his old friends (characters from level 1) featured in the first story of level 2. In case anyone is wondering, with all of my AAS posts, I am just a homeschool mom who loves this product and loves to share about things that work for our family. :)

Wahoo!! We finished level 1! I have figured out that it took us about 27 weeks to finish level 1. I would knock 4 weeks off of that--- we stalled a few times during the summer and during my father-in-law's illness. We always reviewed what we had learned to date, but we did not always progress with the "steps" (the lessons or chapters are called steps in the manual). That is very close to about 1 step per week . (there are 24 steps) I know some weeks we completed more than one step and some steps took more than a week. Just to review one more time, I will give you my top ten list on this program: 1. It is teacher friendly. The teacher is walked through each step. A scripted format is even offered when teaching new concepts. 2. It progresses is a systematic, logical way. All "rules" are taught and applied. Exceptions are taught (going to be) after the rule is mastered. 3. Repetition is the key. The format of the book dictates repetition of key concep...

Spelling - We are still plugging along with All About Spelling . I can't help but mention it because it has changed our school day! I am usually suspicious of someone who claims to have "built a better mouse trap"- most of the time, the old one did the job.   But, this program works for us in a way that no other program has. Part of it is that all I have to do is get out my card box, open my book, and go! This program is teacher intensive, but all the brain work is done for me. Plus, it works for my boys!! :) James loves his reader that goes with AAS. FIAR -  Because it is a short week, we did not begin another FIAR book. We finished the few lessons in Wee Gillis that we did not complete last week- this book is pretty light (not too many lessons), so we did all the lessons under all of the subjects. That does not happen all that often.                ...

I love a new math resource. This one was posted on the FIAR forum a few days ago. I was pretty sure my boys would love the Hundreds Board Logic and Guess the Number - they tend to enjoy logic and reasoning type things. So, we spent a little time this week playing with those activities. Mathwire / Mathwire blog This video, with an All About Spelling demonstration, was also linked in a FIAR board post. I think it gives a nice idea of how the program will work. The review card component was not demonstrated which I think it too bad--- keeping that review in our day is a key to our progress. (it was not included, understandably, in the interest of time) I also should give a disclaimer to those of you with boys (especially more than one boy)- our lessons do not look at all like the ones in the demo. Same material, different kids! :) All About Spelling

We were moving a long at a steady pace, but I have found that lesson #12 brought some adjustments. We were completing one or two lessons a week. Lesson #12 took us over week and Lesson #13 will certainly take us longer than that. (James using the letter tiles) This is not at all discouraging to me. I am learning so much about my boys and how they learn!! A lot of what is presented in this program are things that we have tried before in a more haphazard way. As each step is clearly spelled out for me, I am able to be consistent in how I work with my boys. Because of this, I am able to see progress each day as we work together. I have not found anything this successful in teaching spelling (and reading) to my three boys. That's it so far!! :) All About Spelling post #1 All About Spelling Update #1

I planned to do a full update when we complete level 1, but I thought this comment by Mark (9yo) was a good indicator of how things are going. "Mom, you know I think we are reading lots of things better since we've been doing that new spelling thing." I have to admit that I don't quite get the connection. We are just in the beginning baby stages of the program. The concepts are basic K-1st level, but Mark's comment is true. My boys have not been very interested in reading for reading's sake (like my daughter who would read the toothpaste tube if nothing else was available ;)), but they are reading everything . Street signs, cereal boxes, the calendar ("hey, mom, we have park day today!"),... That is how it is going so far. I am happy with our purchase, the boys don't hate doing it (a plus), and I believe there is a marked improvement in the boys' spelling and reading. We are on "Step 11" out of 24. I'll let you know what we...

My sister asked me if there was anything on my blog about the new spelling curriculum that we have been using. I had to tell her that I had not posted or linked anything yet. So (for you Jen ;)) I will, hesitantly, mention it. I am not ready to say that All About Spelling is the best thing that we have ever used or give it an unabashed thumbs up. We are still in the first few "steps" of level one, so it too soon to know how it will pan out in a long run. But... if I am reading the situation correctly, I think it is going to be a permanent add to our homeschool day. So, what I know so far: *It is not too expensive. It cost about $60 for level 1 (starter kit + level 1 material). I can use this with all three of my boys. It is not consumable, so it can be used with the whole family. I did purchase separate student packets, but found them unnecessary. *The plans are written to hold the teacher's hand through the whole lesson. Step by step instructions are given that ...