That’s great that you found what works for you! If you ever decide to look at other programs if your needs change or as your kids get older, you might look at Spelling You See. It’s very Charlotte Mason in approach, in my opinion, although it’s not really advertised as such. Basically the student spends a week with a short passage doing copy work and marking various phonemes in all the words in that passage, then does a dictation day at the end. It’s very easy to implement, totally open and go, and takes 10-15 min each day. My son really struggles in spelling and this program has helped tremendously. I initially felt guilty for not doing All About Spelling, because it’s kind of the gold standard, but Spelling You See has worked so well for us. I agree with you though that a kid who doesn’t struggle with phonics and/or spelling may not need an intensive separate spelling curriculum.
You’re right! Spelling You See does sound very Charlotte Mason in its approach! If we ever need to go back to a formal spelling curriculum, I will absolutely have that at the top of my list to research! Thank you for the recommendation! 🥰 and don’t feel bad about not using AAS, it sounds like you found what works best for your child and that’s the most important thing! 🙌
This was so great to see! It’s so funny cause you and me both seem to be stumbling upon the same curriculums at the same time! I am still not super sure on the McGuffey readers, but I really like the way you are using it! I just bought Writing with Ease and it’s a beautiful way that teaches us how to use a book of our choice and how to turn it into narration, copywork, and dictation. My workload has been much lighter now that I said goodbye to Ambleside and I have been trying to find what works. I started Write by Number and I LOVE how it teacher proper sentence structuring for writing. Also I wanted to asks you, have you ever heard of First Language Lessons? It’s very nice actually! Perfect charlotte mason language arts that goes over nouns,adjectives, poetry, memory, and sentence diagramming... I really have been enjoying it but I have been feeling like I need something more for grammar and spelling. So I think McGuffey would be so great for me to fill that in! I have so much interest in charlotte mason and I hope I am able to get a good grasp on it for homeschooling ❤
We are absolutely loving the McGuffey Readers and the Charlotte Mason approach we are using alongside them. It did take me a little to get the hang of it and to figure out what worked best for us, but once we did, it just clicked! Highly recommend the McGuffey readers! I also have Writing with Ease (the book that covers all 4 years and the fundamentals it recommends we cover, not the workbooks) and I love it as a reference guide for myself when I’m picking out copywork for my oldest! So much good information in that book! My oldest is also loving First Language Lessons level 1 this year! You are right! We are very similar in our approach to homeschooling! 🥰😂 You will get the hang of it! Just keep doing what you’re doing: trial and error to find your perfect style, curriculum and rhythm that works for you and your kiddos 🥰
I wasn't sure if you knew but if it's within a year you can return anything to All About Learning Press. They don't care if it's all broken down or anything. We ended up returning our AAS last year.
Interesting... I just added in AAS this year for 3rd grader. She also picked up reading super easily and was doing fine with a traditional "word list" type spelling program, but I started to notice toward the end of last year as she started writing more, that making that reverse phonics leap was breaking down for her. She could see that the word she was trying to write wasn't spelled correctly but couldn't come up with the possible phonograms for the sounds she was hearing, and she would get super frustrated. It was starting to hold back her writing. She didn't want to ask for spelling help all the time and she also didn't want to just spell it wrong (perfectionism... seriously). Anyway we started at Level 2 this year (I didn't buy the activity book - we just do the cards and the app) The words are pretty simple for her, but I have seen progress on her stopping to break a word down and work out the spelling when she is doing her dictations or just writing. I think the focus on the phonograms is what she needed. You might hold on to it....
I’m so glad AAS has worked so well for your daughter! It really is a great program! If we ever have to go back to a more formal spelling curriculum I may consider using AAS in the way you are using it (just the teacher guide and working through the phonetical rules). Since we take a Charlotte Mason approach with our school, my daughter does a lot of spelling practice in every subject through copywork, narration and dictation. So I think using AAS in its entirety was just too fatiguing for her 🥴. I’ll be interested to see how she does over the next year or two, using just the Charlotte Mason approach and McGuffey Readers. If it’s not working, we will definitely head back to AAS or I might check out Spelling You See 🥰
That’s great that you found what works for you! If you ever decide to look at other programs if your needs change or as your kids get older, you might look at Spelling You See. It’s very Charlotte Mason in approach, in my opinion, although it’s not really advertised as such. Basically the student spends a week with a short passage doing copy work and marking various phonemes in all the words in that passage, then does a dictation day at the end.
It’s very easy to implement, totally open and go, and takes 10-15 min each day. My son really struggles in spelling and this program has helped tremendously. I initially felt guilty for not doing All About Spelling, because it’s kind of the gold standard, but Spelling You See has worked so well for us. I agree with you though that a kid who doesn’t struggle with phonics and/or spelling may not need an intensive separate spelling curriculum.
You’re right! Spelling You See does sound very Charlotte Mason in its approach! If we ever need to go back to a formal spelling curriculum, I will absolutely have that at the top of my list to research! Thank you for the recommendation! 🥰 and don’t feel bad about not using AAS, it sounds like you found what works best for your child and that’s the most important thing! 🙌
This was so great to see! It’s so funny cause you and me both seem to be stumbling upon the same curriculums at the same time! I am still not super sure on the McGuffey readers, but I really like the way you are using it! I just bought Writing with Ease and it’s a beautiful way that teaches us how to use a book of our choice and how to turn it into narration, copywork, and dictation. My workload has been much lighter now that I said goodbye to Ambleside and I have been trying to find what works.
I started Write by Number and I LOVE how it teacher proper sentence structuring for writing. Also I wanted to asks you, have you ever heard of First Language Lessons? It’s very nice actually! Perfect charlotte mason language arts that goes over nouns,adjectives, poetry, memory, and sentence diagramming... I really have been enjoying it but I have been feeling like I need something more for grammar and spelling. So I think McGuffey would be so great for me to fill that in! I have so much interest in charlotte mason and I hope I am able to get a good grasp on it for homeschooling ❤
We are absolutely loving the McGuffey Readers and the Charlotte Mason approach we are using alongside them. It did take me a little to get the hang of it and to figure out what worked best for us, but once we did, it just clicked! Highly recommend the McGuffey readers! I also have Writing with Ease (the book that covers all 4 years and the fundamentals it recommends we cover, not the workbooks) and I love it as a reference guide for myself when I’m picking out copywork for my oldest! So much good information in that book! My oldest is also loving First Language Lessons level 1 this year! You are right! We are very similar in our approach to homeschooling! 🥰😂 You will get the hang of it! Just keep doing what you’re doing: trial and error to find your perfect style, curriculum and rhythm that works for you and your kiddos 🥰
I use the old version of AAS. No workbook/busywork. I don't need to add all that to my life.
I wasn't sure if you knew but if it's within a year you can return anything to All About Learning Press. They don't care if it's all broken down or anything. We ended up returning our AAS last year.
Oh that’s great information! Thank you for letting me know!
Interesting... I just added in AAS this year for 3rd grader. She also picked up reading super easily and was doing fine with a traditional "word list" type spelling program, but I started to notice toward the end of last year as she started writing more, that making that reverse phonics leap was breaking down for her. She could see that the word she was trying to write wasn't spelled correctly but couldn't come up with the possible phonograms for the sounds she was hearing, and she would get super frustrated. It was starting to hold back her writing. She didn't want to ask for spelling help all the time and she also didn't want to just spell it wrong (perfectionism... seriously). Anyway we started at Level 2 this year (I didn't buy the activity book - we just do the cards and the app) The words are pretty simple for her, but I have seen progress on her stopping to break a word down and work out the spelling when she is doing her dictations or just writing. I think the focus on the phonograms is what she needed. You might hold on to it....
I’m so glad AAS has worked so well for your daughter! It really is a great program! If we ever have to go back to a more formal spelling curriculum I may consider using AAS in the way you are using it (just the teacher guide and working through the phonetical rules). Since we take a Charlotte Mason approach with our school, my daughter does a lot of spelling practice in every subject through copywork, narration and dictation. So I think using AAS in its entirety was just too fatiguing for her 🥴. I’ll be interested to see how she does over the next year or two, using just the Charlotte Mason approach and McGuffey Readers. If it’s not working, we will definitely head back to AAS or I might check out Spelling You See 🥰