All About Spelling

For those of you who read my blog, you know spelling is not my strong suit. In times past, my Mom would call me after I posted something up here to tell me what I needed to correct. That was in the days of paying per minute for long distance. I'm sure she went broke! My dad has said, he has no idea how I completed as much schooling as I have, without knowing how to spell or type, I must work hard! And on a pretty regular basis, I ask Larry how to spell something. If he's not around, I look it up in the dictionary or have recently found Dictionary.com, which is awesome! The fact that I can even get this many words posted up here amaze us all.

When I was growing up we learned sight reading. I never learned phonics. I am convinced that is why I struggle as much as I do with spelling. That and my 3rd Grade teacher let me skip spelling test when I rubbed her shoulder. The only reason I feel like I have the vocabulary I do is because I loved reading. I became creative when I couldn't spell something. I would think of multiple other words to put in it's place until I could spell one of them!

I'm a homeschool mom, which means I have to teach my children how to spell. Que Music.....DUM DUM DUM!!!! Well that's was going to be a challenge!  I knew it would be awful! I'm sure those listed above are a little scared too. To be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed! BUT I am also excited at the same time. I figured maybe now at the age of 30 something, I might be able to learn to spell as I teach them. I only have to be one step ahead in order to teach them.

A few month ago a friend suggested we give All About Spelling a try. Eden was having a hard time learning to read and AAS is recommended for struggling readers. Another homeschool mom saw the post and gave me the kit with Lessons 1&2. I was ready to try something different becasue Eden was was hating anything to do with words. We have tried three other programs without success. AAS changed words for her. Using the manipulative letters was like turning on a light bulb for her. It all clicked and she started to understand vowel and consonant sounds and blends. Her reading and confidence have improved. It’s a great program, and I have learned some phonics rules myself. Did you know c say /s/ before e, i and y? Did you know that f,l, and s double after a single vowel in a one syllable word? Well if you did good for you, but this was new news to me!

So I'm hooked on AAS!  And yes, you have to keep a close eye on what you type when you refer to AAS :)

They have a neat giveaway going on right now. Check out this link to  win Lesson 1 and all the goodies that come with it.