Review: All About Spelling Beehive Reader

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a copy of All About Spelling's Beehive Reader 1 ($19.95) to check out. Earlier this year we were given Level One of the All About Spelling program to check out. The Beehive Reader fits in with that program.

This was a high quality hardcover book with 10 short stories inside (160 pages). The illustrations inside were whimsical and well done. Since I don't have an emerging reader at the moment, I used the book in a slightly different manner.

I sat and read the stories to J6. Before beginning, I would pick a letter or let him pick one. For instance, the letter might be 'a.' Then as I read the story to him, he would need to point out all of the occurrences of that particular letter on each page. This helped him quite a bit in recognizing letters within words.

Overall this is an adorable book. To see samples of the book, click over to "Look Inside This Book." If one is using All About Spelling, then this is a nice supplement to use since it fits with the word lists that are taught.

Be sure to click back to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to read more reviews (65 and counting!).



*Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. All opinions shared are my own. TOS Crew Members are given the product free of charge in exchange for our unbiased opinion of the product.

Review: All About Spelling

All About Spelling (AAS) is a phonogram based spelling program that is the newest offering to the TOS Homeschool Crew. I was pretty interested in reviewing this program as it sounded very similar to what we already used (Spell to Write and Read) but simpler in implementing and teaching.

AAS is a full-scripted, multisensory program that begins by teaching the student the 26 basic phonograms which most of us as A-Z. It then adds in the other phonograms once this base is established.

I was given both Level 1 which comes with one material pack ($29.95) well as Level 2 and its accompanying material pack as well ($39.95). There was also a starter kit included which contained letter tiles, magnets for the tiles, and a CD with all the pronunciations of all the phonograms ($26.95). The CD is especially nice to have as it helps in saying the right sound for each phonogram.

Level 1 covers:

How to say and write the first 32 phonograms

How to segment words into their individual sounds

Short and long vowel sounds

How to identify and count syllables in a word

How to choose between c and k at the beginning of a word

When to double f, l, and s

How to spell /k/ at the end of a word

How to form plural words by adding s or es

Compound words

Open and closed syllable types

and more!

The Level 1 material pack contains:

Phonogram flashcards to help learn how to read the phonograms

Sounds cards to help learn how to write the phonograms

Key cards to learn the spelling rules

Word cards to help master the words

12 Index box dividers

5 tokens used while learning to segment words

Progress chart

Completion certificate

The flashcards come already perforated and simply need to be separated and sorted behind the appropriate index card divider. The letter tiles do need to be cut apart, but they come printed on sturdy plastic already laminated. If you purchase the starter pack, it also comes with magnets so that all the letter tiles can be magnetized. This makes for a more interactive way of using the letter tiles during lessons.

Click HERE to see what Level 2 covers. It continues right where Level 1 leaves off. Click HERE to see what the Level 2 materials list contains.

There are currently five levels of AAS released with Level 6 scheduled to come out later this year. There is a materials packet for each level as well. Each item may be purchased individually but they also come in sets. Click HERE to see their pricing and to watch a video on what you need to begin teaching.

There is a FAQ section on their site as well that will help one figure out what level to place a new student in as well as other frequently asked questions.

This is a good program if you want to teach your student a phonogram based way of learning how to spell but you want something very easy to implement. With fully scripted lesson plans, once the program materials are set up, it's as simple as opening the book and reading the lessons. I like how little prep time for the teacher there is with this program. I spent a nice relaxing afternoon watching a movie while I organized all the materials. The teacher guide even takes you step-by-step through on how to do this.

But don't take my word for any of this, check out all the other reviews by my fellow Crew members over at the TOS Homeschool Blog.

*Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. All opinions shared are my own. TOS Crew Members are given the product free of charge in exchange for our unbiased opinion of the product.

Review: SpellQuizzer

I've been trying out a neat spelling software with my boys. It's called SpellQuizzer. SpellQuizzer is a very simple program that allows you to test your children on their spelling or vocabulary words. The neat part is that you can record the words so that when your children practice their words, they hear you speaking. You simply record your spelling lists, name it, & then have your children sit down at the computer to take them. It really is that simple.

I must say that I had a lot of fun recording the spelling lists. We use Spell to Write and Read along with The W.I.S.E. Guide for spelling and phonics. Each boy has a list of twenty words that they work on at a time. Each word also has a sentence to give the context of the word. I sat down one evening in the living room where our PC is located and recorded seven lists. I even did this while my family was sitting here watching TV. There was no discernible background noise - well, as long as my five year old wasn't using his "outside voice" that is.

You will need a microphone attached to your computer to get the most benefit from the program, but there is an option for those who do not have one. You may add a reminder phrase to a word. For instance, if the word you are using is "house" then the reminder phrase might be "the place we live in." I had fun recording though & would highly recommend using a microphone. I used one that my hubby had kicking around but you can use any microphone that works on your PC.

So what are the details?

SpellQuizzer allows a free 30-day trial. Once you download the software, you will see the following home screen upon start up.

Creating a list is super easy. You just follow these prompts. This is the screen you would see while creating your list. You simply continue to add words, record the word with a sentence for context, and add it to the list. Simple.

When your child sits down to work on their lists, this is how it would work.

When they click "play word," the word (if recorded) is played along with your sentence. When they are done typing it in, they click on "check spelling." If the word is correct, it moves on to the next word. If it is wrong, then they are told so along with the correct spelling. At the end of the test, they are then given the option to requiz the words they got wrong. They can continue to test until they get them all right and at that point there is large cheering. ;-)

If you would like to see demonstrations of how this works, please click HERE.

SpellQuizzer comes with a few spelling lists already loaded. Plus you can go to their website to download more spelling lists. There is even an option to export lists to other users of SpellQuizzer. This would be a neat feature to those in a co-op or using a similar spelling program.

If you chose to buy SpellQuizzer, it sells for $29.95.

What I liked:

• I am able to quiz a boy on their spelling without having to give the other boy a break from school. One can be working on the PC taking their spelling test while I'm at the table working with the other boys. This is a huge benefit actually. Given to much leeway & my boys bolt. ;-)
• I can use it with my existing spelling program. It actually will work with any spelling program.
• It is extremely user friendly. I was up & running in minutes after the download was complete.
• The license you purchase is good for life.

What I'd like to see improved/changed:

• I'd like a way to track my boys progress on the tests. Some way to print out reports.
• I'd like a way to have a separate file for each boy.

Overall I really liked this program. It was super easy to start with which is a huge bonus for me. I don't have time to sit & figure out involved programs. This was really plug & play which was wonderful. My boys were even able to sit right down & do a test as soon as I had them loaded.

Fun School

I was feeling creative today & it showed in what we did for school. The kids enjoyed it immensely.

I kept Miss L busy with this simply toddler toy....a slab of Styrofoam and golf tees. The toy hammer didn't work all that great & by the end she was just pushing them in with her hands. She loved playing with this (as did the boys).

warning: do not allow toddler to play with this unsupervised. The golf tees can be sharp.

We got in our phonics practice today by playing Clifford ABC Bingo. The boys really love playing this. I use Spell to Write & Read as my basis for our spelling & phonics instruction. It teaches the 70 different phonogram sounds. We are working on the basic sounds (especially with J playing). I call on a different boy to give me the sounds for each letter drawn & then they try to find it on their game boards. They each play two game boards & they have to cover all the letters on both boards to win.

After Bingo we moved on to Sum Swamp. I bought this game a few years ago from Hands & Hearts and we absolutely love playing it. 

There are three dice in this game - two green six sided dice & a "plus/minus" dice. Each player rolls all three dice and then does the corresponding equation to figure out how many spaces to move. If they land on a number on the board, they only roll the "plus/minus" dice. If it comes up with a plus, they  move ahead the same number of spaces as the number on the board. If they roll a minus, they go backwards. There are also "even/odd" spaces on the board. If you land here, you have to roll a single green number dice to find out if you can move. For instance, if you land on an even spot, you have to roll an even number to move ahead. If you roll an odd one, you loose your turn. My kids love the "endless loop" as well. You have to get the exact number to get out of the loop. It's a great way to practice basic addition.

Continuing with our math practice, N asked to play "Rat-a-tat-Cat." This is really a fun card game for children five and up. 

We play the simpler version which means each player gets a hand dealt like the above. The goal of the game is to get the least amount of points as possible. Each card has a point value. At the beginning of the game you know what the two end cards are but you don't know what your middle ones are. The harder version has all cards facing down.

For each turn you either take a card for the draw pile or the discard pile & make a move. If you draw from the draw pile & don't like the card, you simply discard it & play continues on. There are three "special" cards as well. There is a "peek" card which is handy in finding out what your middle cards are. There is a "swap" card which allows you to swap out one card with any player. Then there is a "draw 2" card which allows you to draw a card & use it if you like or discard it & draw again.

I think N just got a good card. He won both hands I think....must be the "card shark visor." 

My last burst of creativity....I had each of the boys stamp their spelling words. They have both been stuck on the same lists now for a couple months. I'm trying to use some more creative ways to help them learn their words. They loved doing this & have asked to do it every day. Even little J had fun stamping letters all over a sheet of paper.

It was a good day today - fun & creative.