All About Spelling~ TOS Crew Review

Last Spring, a good friend of mine raved on and on about a spelling program [All About Spelling] that she was using. She was seeing some amazing results in her children and she knew I was looking for a program to 'play catch-up' with my daughter [5th grader] and to use as a starter program with my son [2nd grader], so she encouraged me to look into using this spelling program as well. Needless to say, I was beyond excited when I realized All About Spelling [AAS] was 'on deck' to be reviewed! And I was even more excited when I found out I would be reviewing Levels 1 & 2.

Here is what I received from AAS:

1. Starter Kit [Letter tiles, Magnets for letter tiles& Phonogram CD-ROM] $26.95
2. Level One (includes Teacher's Manual and One Student Material Packet) $29.95
   
3. Level Two (includes Teacher's Manual and One Student Material Packet) $39.95

My first 'struggle' was do I start my 5th grader at Level 1? She can spell, but I know she has gaps. I found my answer quickly on the FAQ page! It led me to a wonderful article titled, Should We Start in Level 1 or 2? According to the article...ASS is a building block program (one level builds upon the previous one), so they strongly recommend that you start all students on Level One. I still felt a little uneasy about starting my daughter, who actually spells pretty good, at the VERY beginning. Then I read this statement:

If your student needs remedial spelling...

The All About Spelling program is perfect for the student who needs remedial work. All holes in his knowledge of spelling are filled in. You can move as quickly or as slowly as your student needs. If you are working with an older student , he probably understands some of the concepts but not others. In this case, very quickly skim the parts that he already knows and slow down on the parts that he needs to learn.

That calmed my anxiety and I set forth with the 'set-up phase'. At the beginning of each manual there is a section titled Preparing for Level _______. It completely outlines everything you need to gather, read, organize, and set-up. The Starter Kit, which is used in all 6 Levels, is GREAT! The tiles work very well with the magnets! I purchased a large, 2'X3', magnetic dry erase board that is the perfect size...plenty of room for the magnets and room to 'work', plus room for me to write, if needed. The Phonogram CD-Rom was a 'life-saver' for this 'phonogram-challenged' mom (with a deep-rooted, Texas accent)...I learned a lot!

It took about an hour to carefully follow the directions [I listened to the CD-ROM while I cut out the tiles and organized the cards]. I LOVE the organization of this program...a breath of fresh air! I cannot tell you how many programs I have considered buying, but decided it would be too difficult to set-up and use OR have bought a program and soon put it on the shelf [to gather dust] because it was too complicated to set-up. I'm an intelligent person, but I like things that are simple, yet amazing...ASS is both! The set-up phase built my confidence in the program even more, and I was ready to begin.

The day-to-day lessons were an absolute breeze! As a matter of fact, several times I re-read that day's lesson plan to make sure I did everything right. It took ZERO set-up time! Each lesson clearly states:

1. WHAT you will teach during that lesson.
2. What you need to teach that lesson (i.e., tiles, tokens [colored disks included in the materials pack, word cards).

My daughter moved through Level 1 very quickly. She surprised me by knowing some phonograms I thought she needed to learn! And there were a few she did not know [that I thought she did], so it worked out great to begin at Level 1!! Once Level 1 was completed, we jumped right into Level 2 and she will be ready for Level 3 soon. I'm going to start my son in Level 1 next week. You can have two children in the same level at the same time, but you will need to buy an additional material packet {$14.95 for Level 1, $19.95 for Level 2}.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with this fabulous spelling program! It truly 'teaches' your child the how & why of spelling. Even though my daughter was already a 'pretty good' speller, I definitely saw a difference in her spelling skills after working through Level 1! And most importantly...her spelling confidence shot up tremendously! I'm hearing her say, "Oh, I know how to spell that" a lot more often.

I know this program would be a blessing to those of you that have children that struggle in spelling. On the home page of the website, founder Marie Rippel, outlines Why All About Spelling Works:

• All About Spelling is multi-sensory.
  
• All About Spelling is logical.
  
• Contains NO gaps.
• The program is mastery-based, not grade-level based, so when students master a specific concept, they move on.
• All About Spelling has continual review.
• Finally, the program is clear.

The website also has some wonderful articles on teaching spelling. One article that I found extremely helpful was Teaching Spelling in Your Homeschool. And the section on dyslexia might be beneficial to those of you that have a dyslexic child, or for those that think your child might be dyslexic. You can also sign-up for the Spelling Newsletter.

I'm positive that you will LOVE this spelling program! And the company is as well...they offer an Unconditional One Year Guarantee! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to review All About Spelling...my search for 'the best spelling curriculum' is over!

To read more reviews, including from those that have children that struggle with spelling, go HERE.




I received this product for free in exchange for my review as a member of the Crew. No further compensation was received and I offer my honest opinion.

American Heritage Education Foundation ~TOS Crew Review

"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."

James Madison

American Heritage Education Foundation sent us a CD titled America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty~ K-12 Teacher Lesson Plan Resource. It is a K-12 Teacher Lesson Plan resource for social studies, U. S. history, U. S. government, political science, economics, geography and speech. It includes three levels: Elementary School, Middle School, and High School.

According to the American Heritage Education Foundation website:
"The resource aims not simply to present historical facts but to provide opportunities for students to explore and understand the factual and philosophical significance and meaning behind events, causes, and effects—the whys—relating to and influencing the early history of the United States."

We will definitely use this CD as a supplement to our American History study next school year. As I looked over the Elementary level, I saw MANY wonderful lesson plans that I can easily work in to my plans. This is a super product for ALL, whether you homeschool or not. AND the best part? It's FREE! Yes, FREE for all! Go HERE and get your copy today! You will be amazed at the knowledge you and your children gain!

"A people can only be free, happy and great in proportion to the virtue and intelligence of the people."

Stephen F. Austin

I received this product for free in exchange for my review as a member of the Crew. No further compensation was received and I offer my honest opinion.

Exploramania "GyMathtics" ~TOS Crew Review

According to Exploramania..."Everyone can GET FIT! GET SMART! HAVE FUN!"

Exploramania is a company that develops products that deliver enriching and powerful educational experiences for children! As a part of the TOS Crew, we received a DVD, from Exploramania, titled Gymathtics. It is one of two DVDs in the Exploracise collection. According to the website, Exercise + Education + FUN = Exploracise!

The DVD is unique in that it teaches math and healthy lifestyle concepts while performing a complete [30 minute] exercise routine. The exercise program is great for kids of all ages. The math facts target 2nd-5th grade levels.

Some of the Math topics covered include:

• Even and odd Numbers
• Counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s.
• Prime Numbers
• Place Value
• Pattterns
• Triangles

Overall, we enJOYed it! My children had fun and the exercise was a great workout! They also learned while exercising, which according to research enhances retention! At $24.99, it seems a little pricey, but if you are looking for an exercise DVD to add to your collection, you will be happy with the product!

Exploramania has lots of educational, fun products...check them out HERE.

And don't forget you can read more great reviews, from my wonderful crew mates, HERE.

I received this product for free in exchange for my review as a member of the Crew. No further compensation was received and I offer my honest opinion.

AVKO~ TOS Crew Review

AVKO [Audio, Visual, Kinesthetic, Oral] Educational Research Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded, in 1974, by Don McCabe. It's mission is “to provide free and low-cost resources to home and school educators in order to achieve literacy for all, even despite learning challenges or dyslexia.” The site specializes in teaching children with dyslexia how to read, spell, write and even type. AVKO creates materials and books using a multi-sensory approach, combining the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic approaches.

As a member of the TOS Crew, I received a one-year membership from AVKO, in return for an honest review of the membership benefits. I have to admit that the website is a bit overwhelming when you first look at it...SO many good resources! But it is well-organized and once I spent some time navigating it, I found it to be user-friendly. The free e-books, that come with the membership, are amazing and well worth the $25 annual membership. I've been quite pleased with the membership!

The 5 FREE e-books ($400.00 worth) are:

1. The Patterns of English Spelling
2. To Teach a Dyslexic
3. Starting at Square One
4. The Teaching of Reading & Spelling
5. The Reading Teacher's List of Over 5,500 Basic Spelling Words

More membership benefits include:

• *workshop recordings from Don McCabe
• *AVKO newsletter (with freebies and discounts)
• *supplemental resources (worksheets, word games, etc.)
• *access to pre-tests and placement tests.
• *AVKO's Individualized Spelling on SpellingCity.com

Have a look at their freebies page and the membership page...I know you will enJOY this incredible website and the annual membership might be a blessing as well!

As always, you can read more reviews from my crew mates HERE.

Jean Welles Worship Guitar ~TOS Crew Review

When Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class Volume One Book and DVD came in the mail, I thought, "This is not going to be an easy review!" You see, I am 'musically challenged' and I do not know anything about teaching it! This product scared me and I did not open it right away. Once I worked up my courage...I was pleasantly surprised to find both the book and the DVD to be easy & fun to use! My son has wanted to learn guitar, so we watched the DVD together and he amazed me with the skills he quickly picked up. I learned some things as well and it greatly lessened my 'music phobia'. One thing that I love most about the program is Jean Welles desire for you to learn music as a way to worship God!

The Worship Guitar Class for Kids Volume One includes the following lesson topics: Tuning, Parts of the Guitar, Rhythm Patterns, How to read Chord Patterns, and eight songs learned over nine weekly lessons. Even the very first lesson teaches a song! There are additional practice sessions for the introduction and all 7 lessons with further clarification including helpful information such as singing on key.

You can view an introduction to the course on the website. There are over 80 products available for sale on her site.

DVD Volume 1 + Book 1 - $29.95. OR the complete 4 book/DVD series is available for $119.80. What a bargain...have you priced private guitar lessons in your area? This is a GREAT deal!

She also has a class designed for kids! You can see more reviews, by some of the other TOS Crew members, HERE!



I received this product for free in exchange for my review as a member of the Crew. No further compensation was received and I offer my honest opinion.

1st Snow ~2010!

SNOW DAY!! What a wonderful way to start the new year! It started snowing late Saturday night [Jan. 2] and has continued (on-and-off) through today...and more is on it's way! I was going to start back to school today, but I was looking for an excuse to 'ease back in' and I found it. :) Katelyn's [public school] friend spent the night last night, since schools are out, and this morning she asked if she could do school with us, so we did some stuff. It was fun!

Happy New Year!

Be JOYful, Kristi

Maestro Classics ~ TOS Review

The Tortoise and the Hare..a favorite Aesop classic with a fun musical surprise!

As part of the Homeschool Crew, I received a free copy of The Tortoise and the Hare by Maestro Classics to review. The CD features the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and is narrated by Yadu, a.k.a. Dr. Konrad Czynski.

This came in the mail the day before we were leaving on a weekend trip, so we listened to it in the car and everyone [including Mr. Pool] loved it! So much so, that I ordered 3 more titles [The Story of Swan Lake, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, & Peter and the Wolf] to put in the kid's stockings, which the kids were delighted to receive!

Maestro Classics does an incredible job of blending beautiful music with great stories. Each CD includes a booklet packed with information about the conductor & the story. The Tortoise and the Hare booklet taught us lots of information about

• instruments in an orchestra
• whole notes, half notes, quarter notes and rests
• measures
• time signatures
• the difference between a tortoise/turtle and a rabbit/hare

Overall, we found this CD to be delightful!

The CD cost $16.98.

Visit the website where you can listen to samples and take advantage of a super special ~3 CDs for $45.00 [coupon code MAESTRO45].

To read more reviews of Maestro Classics, visit the Homeschool Crew Blog.