All Blog Posts (130)

Starting level 2 soon

Hi! I just discovered this blog although we are finishing Level 1 soon. I am a grandma raising and homeschooling my now 9 yo grandson. He has actually enjoyed Level 1 and his spelling has greatly improved as well as his willingness to write or type. He is proud of his improved spelling ability. We look forward to level 2! Continue

Added by Velma Beale on March 11, 2010 at 11:11pm — No Comments

New Journey

Hi there! My name is Denise and I am a mommy of 4, two of which I will be home schooling! My DD's are 8 and almost 10. My DH and I just pulled our girls from PS last week and we have them enrolled in a CRS called Family Christian Academy that has a campus right here in Madison, TN where we reside. We just received our work boxes that we will be using with the Workbox System and now I am ISO which curriculum we will use. So far I think we will be using an eclectic curriculum.

I am nervo… Continue

Added by Denise K Coes on March 9, 2010 at 3:12pm — 2 Comments

Spelling and handwriting

We've been struggling with a frustration level here with the handwriting not being nice. I'm trying to encourage better writing, had been just happy that my 12 y old ds can now spell! We are in lesson 10 of book 2. We have started to really pick up speed with spelling.

I tell everyone about AAS, it is so helpful to us dealing with dysgraphia. I'm trying not to frustrate him but he needs to practice handwriting to gain the fine motor skills he apparently lacks.

… Continue

Added by Shelly Browne on February 26, 2010 at 10:20am — 5 Comments

When a Leisurely Trail Ride Goes Bad

When you're a parent, you spend a good part of your life comparing your children to others. That's normal, and almost all parents do it -- we use comparison as a gauge to measure our child's progress and development.

… Continue

Added by Marie Rippel on February 26, 2010 at 8:30am — 16 Comments

The sounds of 'A'

I'm just wondering if I'm missing something. Both of my daughters are using AAS Level 1 and one of them is about to finish it. One thing that I have noticed that seems to be missing is teaching one of the sounds of the letter 'A'. Why is the short-u sound of 'A' not listed on the yellow phonogram card, like in the word "America." Is this sound taught later on in a different level? We love the program and the girls always ask to do spelling first, but this is one thing that has been bugging me

… Continue

Added by Brenna Taylor on February 19, 2010 at 10:31am — 2 Comments

Ok, So my first post here - My Workboxes!

Ok so here are my workboxes. Yay! They are done, Finally! Well with the exception of redoing a few of my strips. Lol! I honestly have changed my workboxes from the original system. You can view Sue Patricks system at the link here: http://www.workboxsystem.com/ I don't discourage her system at all... However, I am incline to say that her system is not for everybody. If you have alot of kids or little space you will want to make some minor… Continue

Added by Tiffany Cones on January 20, 2010 at 7:34pm — 4 Comments

About Me

http://coneshomeschool101.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-workboxes.html I am wife to wonderful hubby of 6 1/2 years, mommy to 4 [1 step never see] a homeschooling mom to 2 soon to be 3 of our 4 kids. You can also find me at The Homeschool Lounge and on my blog at blog spot noted above. I have schooled for going on 3 years but seems like an eternity, Lol. Researched for 11 1/2 years. New to the chatterbee. If I am not he… Continue

Added by Tiffany Cones on January 20, 2010 at 7:30pm — 1 Comment

Hands-on homeschooling for the craft-impaired

JW, Max, and Mary press wet papyrus as part of a project focusing on papermaking in Egypt. I admit it: Our homeschool is not what you might call "crafty." To some of my friends, this is the ultimate irony. After all, my favorite off duty pastimes are of the crafty variety… Continue

Added by Heather on January 20, 2010 at 5:30pm — 1 Comment

Reading logs ... what's the point?

Mary, involved in her favorite activity. The loss was almost physically painful. For four years I had faithfully taken down the name and author of each and every book read by my oldest three children. I noted Newbery Medal winners and the ilk. I indicated series. And… Continue

Added by Heather on January 8, 2010 at 6:00pm — 2 Comments

I Shocked Myself! :)

Are you the type of person who hams it up for the camera, or do you prefer to be the one holding the camera? I'm definitely in the second category. So this month, I was SHOCKED when I found myself in front of a video camera. That's what passion does for you—it makes you comfortable doing things you never thought you could! Do you have a passion? Has it made you do things you thought you couldn't? If so, I'd love to hear about it—post a comment and tell us!

… Continue

Added by Marie Rippel on December 14, 2009 at 1:00pm — 7 Comments

Lesson Video

For a long time, I've wanted to put together a video showing how we "do" an AAS lesson in our house. So here it is! I'm sure it doesn't quite look like everyone else's lessons, but I'm hoping this might give a little glimpse into how AAS works for those who are investigating. So - enjoy! Continue

Added by HeatherH on December 11, 2009 at 10:48pm — 2 Comments

habit vs. rabbit

Is there any guideline/rule to help a student know when to double the consonant in 2 syllable (both closed) words? This seems to be very inconsistent and confusing when presenting wordlists for my student to spell. Continue

Added by Alicia Hedges on December 9, 2009 at 11:16pm — 1 Comment

Portmanteaus - Words from A Large Leather Suitcase

I love to play with words, and when I get together with friends who share my literary bent, we have some pretty esoteric conversations. Like the conversation I had with my French-Canadian friend, James, about portmanteau.

What in the world is a Portmanteau, you ask?… Continue

Added by Marie Rippel on December 4, 2009 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment

Arranging Spelling Facts so They Are Easy to Learn

Imagine that a teacher brings to her class a bag of flour, a packet of yeast, a bowl of tomato sauce, and various piles of cheese, sausage, and dried herbs. She unceremoniously dumps the food onto an empty desk in front of the room. All wholesome ingredients, but her students know that they are expected t… Continue

Added by Marie Rippel on November 18, 2009 at 1:19pm — 3 Comments

Glad to be part of this group

I am so excited to develop new ways to support spelling and writing. I know I will learn a lot from this group. Thanks for providing this forum. Continue

Added by Bev "Greenie" Greenberg on November 17, 2009 at 8:12am — 2 Comments

AAS Level 4 - Australian Adjustments

All About Spelling Level 4 Australian Adjustments Note: We use five distinct sounds of A. I teach them: short a (bat) long a (baby) ah (bath) aw (water) oh (swan) Step 3, page 32 Change “Mom” to “Mum” Step 6, page 41 Rule breaker – “pretty” Note: The “t” is sounded as “t” in our speech. Step 7, page 46 and page 48 Eliminate the word “worry” and use this word in step 15 as it follows the same pronunciation pattern. Step 8, page 52 Teach Mr and Mrs (Note,… Continue

Added by Miranda on November 17, 2009 at 12:33am — No Comments

AAS Level 3 - Australian Adjustments

Hi everyone I've listed below all of the changes that I have made for level 2. There are very few here. I've put it here in case it is useful to other non-US users of AAS. Please let me know if there is anything else to add. Miranda All About Spelling Level 3 Australian Adjustments Note: We use five distinct sounds of A. I teach them: short a (bat) long a (baby) ah (bath) aw (water) oh (swan) Step 11, page 66 Dictate sentences – change “Mom” to “Mum” Step 12, page 70… Continue

Added by Miranda on November 17, 2009 at 12:14am — No Comments

AAS Level 1 - Changes for Australian Usage

Hi everyone I've listed below all of the changes that I have made for level 1 to reflect our more British spelling and pronunciation. I've put it here in case it is useful to other non-US users of AAS. Please let me know if there is anything else to add. Miranda All About Spelling Level 1 Australian Adjustments Note: We use five distinct sounds of A. Change phonogram card and sound card to reflect the additional sounds. I teach them: short a (bat) long a (baby) ah (bath) aw (water… Continue

Added by Miranda on November 16, 2009 at 11:38pm — 4 Comments

AAS Level 2 Adjustments for Australian spelling

Hi everyone I've listed below all of the changes that I have made for level 2 to reflect our more British spelling and pronunciation. (Note - "spelt" is correct here according to my Australian Oxford Dictionary!) I've put it here in case it is useful to other non-US users of AAS. Please let me know if there is anything else to add. Miranda All About Spelling Level 2 Australian Adjustments Note: We use five distinct sounds of A. I teach them: short a (bat) long a (baby) ah (bath) a… Continue

Added by Miranda on November 16, 2009 at 11:30pm — 2 Comments

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Max examining a strand of dry papyrus during our study of ancient Egypt. I don't usually follow the local school system calendar too closely. One of the best parts of homeschooling is the ability to set our own schedule, after all. But one tradition I do… Continue

Added by Heather on November 5, 2009 at 5:11pm — 3 Comments

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Latest Activity

Merry replied to Marie Rippel's discussion 'Favorite multisensory math programs'

Exactly why we are going to use VT next year too!

39 minutes ago

siloam replied to Marie Rippel's discussion 'Favorite multisensory math programs'

VT is Video Text: http://www.videotext.com/homeschool.htm Yep, given my girls are so visually oriented I had to admit that they might actually learn better from it too. The little bitty text in most the books I bought is not appealing, that is for…

1 hour ago

called2beamom replied to Marie Rippel's discussion 'Favorite multisensory math programs'

What is VT? I just found out that my library has Life of Fred so I've put the 1st 2 books on hold so I will be able to check them out before I buy! You might want to check your library. I'm not sure LOF will work for my daughter with dyslexia unle…

1 hour ago

siloam replied to Marie Rippel's discussion 'Favorite multisensory math programs'

Beth, I actually still haven't bought it. It is still on my list of things I would love to see in hand, but it has slipped a little. Only because after my oldest dd, all the rest have reading issues that, well they aren't that bad, but LOF just se…

2 hours ago

Linda Rose replied to Ann Haker's discussion 'Tips and Tricks' in the group All About Spelling - Level 2

the e, i, or y rule has been ingrained in my DC brain's b/c of the electric company with it's many songs and plays on words. there is a really annoying one about eiy with g to make soft g and it really helps them remember it. i would also caution a…

3 hours ago

SewLittleTime replied to Ann Haker's discussion 'Tips and Tricks' in the group All About Spelling - Level 2

Love you tips!

3 hours ago

Merry replied to Michelle Robb-Aubey's discussion 'New here~'

Hi Michelle, welcome! So glad you found us :-). How wonderful that AAS is helping your 16 yo! If you don't find what you are looking for on here, feel free to ask, that's what we're here for! Merry :-)

3 hours ago

Charity replied to Ann Haker's discussion 'Tips and Tricks' in the group All About Spelling - Level 2

Great tips! Thanks!

4 hours ago

called2beamom replied to Marie Rippel's discussion 'Favorite multisensory math programs'

Hey Heather, just wondering what you think about Life of Fred at this point. I just came across it and think it might be a good fit for my son who is a good reader and loves silliness. He is good at math but gets bored with all the repetition in Mat…

5 hours ago

Karen B. replied to Ann Haker's discussion 'Tips and Tricks' in the group All About Spelling - Level 2

Those are great tips. Something I have done with the kids I tutor to help them remember when "c" or "g" is supposed to be soft is to teach them "e, i, e, i, y" set to the Old McDonald tune. It has worked like a charm! I hope a lot more of you will s…

5 hours ago

Ann Haker added a discussion to the group All About Spelling - Level 2

Tips and Tricks

I've been using All About Spelling with our 7-year-old boy for about two and a half months now. Here are some of the tips I've picked up:1) If you use a magnet board on a nice table, go to an office store and by a big piece of foam core (that's the…

6 hours ago

Ann Haker joined Marie Rippel's group

All About Spelling - Level 2

Support and encouragement for users of All About Spelling Level 2.

6 hours ago