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time4tea
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 6:17am | IP Logged
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I just finished looking at this over at the All About Spelling site. My first impressions are that it looks very complete and carefully put together. However, it is also expensive (nearly $100.00 for the basic set and over $100.00 for the deluxe) and I am not sure that it is really that different from other reading programs out there to warrant paying the high price. Finally, (and this will sound silly) I am not sure if I will like pretending I am "Ziggy the Zebra" during the lessons. I understand some adults and kids enjoy that kind of role play, but I know I will feel ridiculous 
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 7:26am | IP Logged
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The puppet threw me, Tea. Personally, as a former classroom teacher I could see where using a puppet to get everyone's attention would be a great tool. But then I would put it away before starting a lesson. Here at home, my kids would be totally distracted by the puppet, wanting to play with it instead of paying attention to the lesson. Maybe I'm just too serious of a person though! Other than the puppet thing I thought the program looked good, just a little expensive. (I guess one could buy the individual components and not get the puppet?)
I always worry about paying so much money for something and then not having the time to actually implement it! I mentioned I was looking at Delightful Reading in the other thread and I have the same worries about that!
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Becky
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 8:22am | IP Logged
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Well, Tea, I just spent some more time over at the All About Reading site and I see that the puppet is really just an extra. It does not come with the basic kit.
I also see, after viewing the samples more carefully that it looks like a really neat program! UGH! Now I need to talk myself out of it! There's still the time factor and the money factor...
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Becky
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time4tea
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 9:21am | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
I just spent some more time over at the All About Reading site and I see that the puppet is really just an extra. It does not come with the basic kit.
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Well, yes and no. She does work the puppet into the actual lessons, so she says that if you don't want to buy the one from the site, you will need to provide your own or I guess find a way to work around that part of the lesson so that you just don't use it (I wouldn't use it -  I just couldn't imagine myself actually doing it!).
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Aagot
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 9:50am | IP Logged
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There is a money back guarentee.
Try it and send it back if you don't like it.
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 10:10am | IP Logged
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Gee Thanks Aagot! You're supposed to talk me out of buying it!   Just kidding.
Tea, I guess I'm not looking very carefully, I didn't see that. I think, if I bought this, (which I would blame on you and Aagot! ) I would just say what the puppet was supposed to say in my own words. I'm not sure what the big deal is with the puppet. Alternatively, I'd introduce the first lesson with a puppet, put it away, and tell my ds he could play with it at the end of the lessons if he did a good job paying attention.
I noticed that the deluxe kit, besides the puppet, also comes with a bag (don't need) and an activity box. Is that just a decorated box, or is there more to it?
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Becky
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time4tea
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 10:12am | IP Logged
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Well, yes, but I don't think I can come up with the $$ even to try it! Also, I have this horrible problem with hanging on to curriculum that I think I might - just might - need somewhere down the road, so I never (or hardly ever!) send things back
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time4tea
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 10:14am | IP Logged
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Becky,
The box is for storing the various cards in, just like AAS. You could probably use any box for that, probably just a regular index card box would work.
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 11:30am | IP Logged
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Thinking about this some more, I'm asking myself what it is about this program, and Delightful Reading that I find so intriguing. I think it is that fact that all of the various components are put together to make a complete program and I don't have to worry about adding in anything. It's also very colorful and fun looking. I start to think how it would really simplify teaching my ds to read. But really, as I said in this thread:
"I taught my dd to read with no program at all. I just taught her the basic phonograms using index cards with the letters printed on them. Then I taught her to combine the letters in combinations like at, op, in, it, us ... We added a letter to the beginning to make short words and once she could do that comfortably, we started using the various readers I have around here."
I'm attracted to all the bells and whistles these programs have to offer, but I'm not sure they are really necessary. I should learn my lesson! I thought LLATL looked great too. It's been collecting dust around here for years!
Okay, so I've come full circle in this short thread that I didn't even start. Sorry about that Tea. I see that I hi-jacked. I'm such a sucker for discussing new curricula. I tend to think out loud so I talk too much!
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time4tea
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 1:12pm | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
I'm attracted to all the bells and whistles these programs have to offer, but I'm not sure they are really necessary. I should learn my lesson! I thought LLATL looked great too. It's been collecting dust around here for years! |
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Yup, guilty of the same here !
You know, Becky, what you were mentioning about how you taught your dd to read is basically what Little Stories for Little Folks does if you follow the program from the beginning, which I never have. I have always only used it as a follow on to something else. So maybe that's what I should do, is just get LSLF again and do lots of read alouds. It would be a lot less expensive than many of the other options, and probably just as good!
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Aagot
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 9:48pm | IP Logged
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Oops, sorry about that, I fell down on the job
So, if I am suppose to talk you out of it... how is this:
Don't buy any new curriculum. See what has worked in the past and stick with it! And why, Tea, are you looking at stuff if you don't have the money??? 
Sorry, so with you on this one. I do it all the time!
Seriously, what I would do is look at the samples (or find someone's to borrow) and see what it is that is so attractive to you. Do you like the games? They don't look like they would be that hard/expensive to replicate and you have all summer to plan. If you school all year, sign your kids up for VBS and sit in the car/library/pew preparing (saves on the wasted time driving home and back).
And while you all are doing that, I'll take a peek at the AAR set that I bought, just to look at, and see if I can be more helpful Don't laugh yourselves silly now!
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time4tea
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| Posted: May 03 2011 at 10:14pm | IP Logged
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Aagot wrote:
And why, Tea, are you looking at stuff if you don't have the money???
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Sorry, I should clarify here! I have the money to purchase some well-considered additions to our homeschool materials. What I don't have is extra money to spend on having an item shipped to me just to have a look at it That's why I was hoping to glean reviews here from others who may have seen or tried this set first. While i understand that they offer a money back guarantee, you always lose the shipping to and from (plus insurance when shipping it back), and then there is often a wait (sometimes considerable) before you get your refund. So, I'd rather be reasonably sure I will like something before I invest any money in it  It's just not worth the frustration to "buy and see".
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 04 2011 at 7:09am | IP Logged
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Well, I went to adoration yesterday afternoon and just put next year in the Lord's hands. Then Tea, I was flipping through the CHC catalog again and came up with the same thing you did. I already decided to get LSFLF for my now 1st grader that is just not reading up to snuff. I just got to thinking, why not use it for both of them at different levels? I never had the complete program - just the actual readers that were given to me years ago. I've since lost the 2nd level (or gave them away?) so I really need to buy the whole program. I guess there is more to it than the readers themselves.
Great minds think alike!
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Becky
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 04 2011 at 7:11am | IP Logged
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Aagot wrote:
And why, Tea, are you looking at stuff if you don't have the money???
Sorry, so with you on this one. I do it all the time!
And while you all are doing that, I'll take a peek at the AAR set that I bought, just to look at, and see if I can be more helpful Don't laugh yourselves silly now!
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Maybe we need to start a support group for curriculum junkies!
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Becky
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time4tea
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| Posted: May 04 2011 at 10:06pm | IP Logged
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Becky,
I am going to do that as well - buy the set of LSLF for next year. More and more, I am thinking I will be going with CHC for a lot of things for next year. Maybe I really should get thinking about that Yahoo! group
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Anyone seen/use All About Reading?
