Spelling FUN!

I am a Natural Speller (as opposed to a Nature-al Mama?  LOL!), I’ve never struggled to know how to spell words.  I generally aced all my spelling tests as a student - or was mortified if I got so much as ONE mistake… in fact, Spelling Bees are about the only insect I can abide!

My daughter has not been so blessed.  Kenzi struggles with dysgraphia… which is like dyslexia, only with graphing (as in writing… her input works, but output is busted!).  AND, one of the biggest challenges for dysgraphic students (besides their poor penmanship) is spelling.  So… I was very excited to be given the opportunity to review not only the All About Spelling curriculum, but also their fantastic BRAND NEW e-book about Homophones (those quirky words that sound the same.. like their, they’re and there). 

FIRST I want to tell you about the program itself…  All About Spelling is a very hands on course, using flashcards, magnet board, an interactive CD, and games to help your child master the spelling rules.  Kenzi is 13… and modifying level 1 of this course met her needs… we went a little faster than you would go with a student in the early grades, of course, but it wasn’t “baby-ish” at all (believe me, I’d have had the whole hands on hip, rolling eyes, “MUH-om” thing going on if it were! LOL!).  The program got her thinking about the patterns she hears, about sound blends and how to really break a word down.  She loved the CD with a guide for pronouncing the different sounds and blends (as simplistic as you might think that is.. you’d be very surprised!) and helps her see the “groups” in spelling.  She gave it a thumbs up as one of her favourite products so far this review year!

I am looking forward to using this with my Littles starting next year when Greyson is in grade 1… since he’s already reading and obviously need some spelling work, having spelled McKenzie “Muckemse” the other day on a picture he drew for her.  *grin*

All About Spelling is available in 4 levels, each only $29.95 a set (a set including the teachers manual, perforated index cards to reinforce learning, a set of magnet tiles, and a very helpful CD to aid the student in proper pronunciation.)  This set will easily do a child in the younger grades for a full year, but as I mentioned can EASILY be used to help an older student who is embarrassed by poor spelling.  Worth every cent… you will not be disappointed!

All About Homophones is an e-book by All About Spelling… Marie Rippel confesses a life long love of word patterns, specifically homophones - I was tickled, because I am a closet homophone lover too!  I tend to be a perfectionist and it drives me nuts when people mix up homophones, but hopefully, with the help of this fantastic book, your children will never be one of “those people”!  LOL!   In this book are templates for graphic organizers to help your child cement the learning, worksheets for the most common homophone mix-ups, even some puzzle and card games to make practicing fun!  To make it even easier for the teaching parent, Marie has broken down the homophones lists and worksheets into grade appropriate sections (of course she does encourage you to follow your child’s lead on this… ).

All About Homophones is newly launched on and as a special treat for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew’s readers, Marie is offering all our
readers $10 off any order at http://www.all-about-homophones.com/! To receive the discount, visitors to the site need to enter “FUN” in the customer code box during checkout. The coupon code is good for one week, through February 2, 2009.  The All About Homophones ebook is only $17.95 with this limited time coupon, and will truly bless any child (or gee, I know a few adults who could benefit from it too! LOL!) struggling with those tricky sound-alikes! Don’t wait - get your copy now!!!

Blessings!     

ps, I’d like to mention… spelling and typing are two different beasts… I’m not only fluent in spelling, but also in TYPO!  LOL!                

As a review blogger,  I am provided a free copy of the book, curriculum or product to test and use in order to write an honest review. I receive no other compensation and the opinions I share are my own and not influenced by the company in question.

This entry was posted on 23. January 2009 at 19:58 and is filed under F is for FANTASTIC!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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