I’m not sure where Jodi is.  There is a gal who looks a lot like Jodi in our house.  Thinner, though. 

She actually began planning for the 2011-2012 school year. 

Jaw dropping.  I know.

Not only did she initiate the quest for the perfect curriculum; but she also prepared the garden soil for its first planting this past weekend.  Sprouts are growing according to a schedule in the green house.

A miracle has occurred.

Whoever this new woman is, I hope she stays — she is getting a lot done around the Granola home. 

Perhaps Jodi read Miss Nelson is Missing.  Thankfully, Viola Swamp isn’t the substitute.  However the replacement is on top of her game. 

And so is her son.

Introducing the newest graduate of All About Spelling Level 1.

I will admit that many parts of Level 1 were a review from our Saxon Phonics days.  I don’t believe it was a wasted review. 

In fact, our review of All About Spelling Level 1 solidified what Asher already had in his bag of tricks, and it reinforced some of those crazy phonetic concepts that were precariously hung in the vault of Asher’s memories (and mine, to be quite honest.)

Due to planning for next year . . . perhaps knowing that a homeschooling convention is just around the corner (hello curriculum hands-on fun fair), has made me my “double” plan ahead. 

I was overwhelmed by the choices at the homeschooling convention last year . . .

Should we score a babysitter during the convention this year, I want to be prepared.  I have toyed with the idea of mapping out the booths we should visit. 

All About Learning Press won’t be at our homeschooling conference.   That’s ok, though.  It is already in our home to stay. 

Asher loves it.  It works for us. 

Now sometimes I tweak individual lessons.  For example, Asher would much rather write his words out than move the magnetic tiles. 

And rather than use a pencil and paper, our eye doctor has recommend that Asher use a chalkboard to help with letter reversals. 

The chalkboard doesn’t encourage nice and neat handwriting, but the sound and texture of the chalk meeting the chalkboard has given his brain a peg with which to hang his letters on . . . and the letter reversals have stopped. 

This week we will begin All About Spelling Level 2.

I have most of my supplies, including What Am I?

But I need to order Queen Bee.

Here is what we are going to be learning next.

• The open and closed syllable types
• How to divide words into syllables
• How to spell multi-syllable words
• When y can say /î/
• How Silent E can make a vowel long
• The vowel-consonant-e syllable type
• Two spellings for the sound of /z/
• The two sounds of long u
• The difference between hard and soft c and g
• Ways to spell long e
• That English words don’t end in i, j, u, or v
• The most common way to spell the sound of /er/
• When to use oi/oy, aw/au, and ow/ou

Asher already knows many of these concepts.  We will be revisiting previously learned concepts.  There is a part of me, the completive part of me, that wants to skip all of this . . . you know . . . to keep up with the Jones’. 

But what is best for my child?  Mastery.  Working at his pace for fluency.  He is already a grade ahead of his age. 

Why rush the school years?  Keep reminding me of that.

How do you tweak your All About Reading?  What tricks do you use to make your curriculum do-able for your child?

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