Hello! I was wondering if anyone would offer me any insight on AAS vs. SYS. My son is 7 and a proficient reader which I know doesn't necessarily correlate to a good speller. In his case, he is. At his last assessment, he was able to decode words on almost a 7th grade level. Please know, this isn't a bragging statement. I'm thoroughly confused on what to do next. Last year, we used the spelling from Sonlight's Language Arts 2 program. Although spelling was a non-issue, he is a reluctant writer so I felt like this level was a bit advanced in terms of writing whereas the spelling offered zero challenge. We've decided to elevate to the next level of the language arts when the time comes because eventually he will get more comfortable with writing and we will go at his pace which is paramount because he is a perfectionist. So, I wanted to find a different spelling program to add to their language arts program. We haven't used AAS and starting from the beginning as they recommend (but I fully understand not missing foundational information) will be a challenge for him because he will get bored. I recently looked into SYS. I was very excited about it until I gave him the assessment. According to their guidelines, he will be at the last level which I worry about putting that pressure on a just turned 7 year old. It's like the language arts 2 we were doing with him when he was 6....he comprehends, he reads beyond that level, he spells every word correctly the first time but his brain wasn't mature enough to handle the workload so he got frustrated and discouraged. My daughter is 5 1/2 and appears to be reluctant reader therefore I won't have a problem placing her in a level but again, I'm having trouble deciding between the 2 programs. My father was taught sight words and to this day, if it's not a word he recognizes, he doesn't have the skills or confidence to break it down therefore learning new things or expanding on new ideas is a challenge for him so he doesn't read anything he doesn't have to. This breaks my heart because I'm a lover of books and I'm raising little bookheads so I want to make sure my daughter doesn't get stuck in the mindset as my dad. That's what appealed to me about AAS BUT since she is a reluctant reader, SYS seems like it would engage her. I apologize for such a lengthy post! I appreciate you taking the time to read it and value any advice you would share. Have a great day!!!

Hello! I was wondering if anyone would offer me any insight on AAS vs. SYS. My son is 7 and a proficient reader which I know doesn't necessarily correlate to a good speller. In his case, he is. At his last assessment, he was able to decode words on almost a 7th grade level. Please know, this isn't a bragging statement. I'm thoroughly confused on what to do next. Last year, we used the spelling from Sonlight's Language Arts 2 program. Although spelling was a non-issue, he is a reluctant writer so I felt like this level was a bit advanced in terms of writing whereas the spelling offered zero challenge. We've decided to elevate to the next level of the language arts when the time comes because eventually he will get more comfortable with writing and we will go at his pace which is paramount because he is a perfectionist. So, I wanted to find a different spelling program to add to their language arts program. We haven't used AAS and starting from the beginning as they recommend (but I fully understand not missing foundational information) will be a challenge for him because he will get bored. I recently looked into SYS. I was very excited about it until I gave him the assessment. According to their guidelines, he will be at the last level which I worry about putting that pressure on a just turned 7 year old. It's like the language arts 2 we were doing with him when he was 6....he comprehends, he reads beyond that level, he spells every word correctly the first time but his brain wasn't mature enough to handle the workload so he got frustrated and discouraged. My daughter is 5 1/2 and appears to be reluctant reader therefore I won't have a problem placing her in a level but again, I'm having trouble deciding between the 2 programs. My father was taught sight words and to this day, if it's not a word he recognizes, he doesn't have the skills or confidence to break it down therefore learning new things or expanding on new ideas is a challenge for him so he doesn't read anything he doesn't have to. This breaks my heart because I'm a lover of books and I'm raising little bookheads so I want to make sure my daughter doesn't get stuck in the mindset as my dad. That's what appealed to me about AAS BUT since she is a reluctant reader, SYS seems like it would engage her. I apologize for such a lengthy post! I appreciate you taking the time to read it and value any advice you would share. Have a great day!!!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your insight!

Hello all! So we homeschooled this year for the first time. To get the hang of it, we didn't settle in on curriculum or anything...we just plucked ideas out of the sky and ran with it. My oldest is 5 1/2 and is a super strong reader (according to the books he is reading, he is at 2nd grade level I guess although chapter books, even the illustrated ones, he reads and understands... he just prefers other books) and he has a knack for math.(He is doing carry over addition and subtraction already which I don't think I did until 2nd grade.) I am not great at planning ahead or keeping records. Hopefully as we evolve as a homeschool family, I will be able to better customize what the kiddos are learning but for now, I want to have preplanned curriculum until I gain confidence. I was wondering what experience anyone has had with Sonlight. I work from home and we are intensely involved with other activities so I was wondering how much time was involved. My youngest is 4 but I'd like to teach them together as much as possible. My only concern is as far as I can see with Sonlight's 1st grade program, my son is beyond the reading, writing and math portion. I don't mind a good review because we weren't operating systemically when he was first learning those subjects so an overhaul would be a good idea. If we get into 1st grade of Sonlight and then realize some parts of it aren't challanging, is it easy to supplement or should we look at something all together different? Thanks for taking the time to help out this first time homeschooling mama that's nervous and scared! Be well!

Hello all! So we homeschooled this year for the first time. To get the hang of it, we didn't settle in on curriculum or anything...we just plucked ideas out of the sky and ran with it. My oldest is 5 1/2 and is a super strong reader (according to the books he is reading 2nd grade I guess although chapter books, even the illustrated ones, he reads and understands... he just prefers other books) and has a knack for math.(He is doing carry over addition and subtraction already which I don't think I did until 2nd grade.) I am not great at planning ahead or keeping records. Hopefully as we evolve as a homeschool family, I will be able to more customize what the kiddos are learning but for now, I want to have preplanned curriculum until I gain confidence. I was wondering what experience anyone has had with Sonlight. I work from home and we are intensely involved with other activities so I was wondering how much time was involved. My youngest is 4 but I'd like to teach them together as much as possible. My only concern is as far as I can see with Sonlight's 1st grade program, my son is beyond the reading, writing and math portion. I don't mind a good review because we weren't operating systemically when he was first learning those subjects. Is it easy to supplement with Sonlight or should we look at something all together different? Thanks for taking the time to help out this first time homeschooling mama that's nervous and scared! Be well!

Now there's a wrinkle I didn't forsee. The time involved could present a problem for us. I will need to look in to that and also Weaver has you mentioned. Quick questions about All About Reading/Spelling. My oldest is already reading at a second grade level and I am picking a group of words each week as spelling words. I didn't realize that you didn't start both programs at the same time. I am a little worried that I am going to pick a level he is already beyond or pick a level too difficult and end up discouraging him. How do I know where he falls on that scale?

Now there's a wrinkle I didn't forsee. The time involved could present a problem for us. I will need to look in to that and also Weaver has you mentioned. Quick questions about All About Reading/Spelling. My oldest is already reading at a second grade level and I am picking a group of words each week as spelling words. I didn't realize that you didn't start both programs at the same time. I am a little worried that I am going to pick a level he is already beyond or pick a level too difficult and end up discouraging him. How do I know where he falls on that scale?

That'd be great! I didn't realize how much time and parent involvement there is. That might be a challenge for us so any insight you can offer would be great!

Hello All! We are homeschooling for this first time this year. My oldest is in Kindergarten so I have taken the last few months to wing it. I thought unschooling would be a good fit for us since I work from home and we are heavily involved in other activities but what I am discovering is 1) I am not a plan-aheader nor a good record keeper despite my good intentions and 2) I keep myself up at night wondering if what I am teaching is on target with what my oldest should be learning. After reading Cathy Duffy's book, I think I am starting to get interested in KONOS and I didn't know if anyone has any experience with that. I love the idea of being able to teach multiple kids with different ages. I understand that as a whole, you will still need to pick a math which we are leaning towards Math-U-See in addition to reading and spelling programs which we are leaning towards All About Reading and All About Spelling respectively. Any advice or insights anyone has would be greatly appreciated! We don't really know anyone that homeschools so we feel a bit out of our element :) THANKS!!!!

Hello everyone! Our family is new to homeschool and honestly I am bit overwhelmed at the moment. Our oldest is going to start Kindergarten although I'd like to get started on the curriculum now. The problem I'm facing is I am lost in the world of curriculum. It's been on my to do list for months to sit down and pick it but I'm terrified I'm making the wrong choice. I was hoping someone out there could tell me what curriculum they chose and why they like it. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I am at a lost for words. Thank you ALL so much for the outpour of support and wonderful information! I am humbled by all the incredible advice and encouragement. I have some amazing ideas to ponder and I appreciate the questions that allowed me to look inward. I am still very moved by all the warmth and kindness you have all shown me. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart! I feel at peace and I have all of you to thank.