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Maggie
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| Posted: Jan 16 2009 at 4:02pm | IP Logged
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Have any of you used the program "Sing Spell Read and Write" with your children? I have seen a "boxed" curriculum use this in their program...and didn't know if any of you had any experience with this one?
It's awfully expensive...
"Sing Spell Read and Write"
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KackyK
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| Posted: Jan 16 2009 at 4:17pm | IP Logged
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Yes...I have used it. I'd say it's not really worth the money. I don't know if you can buy this separately at all, I know they sell some replacement parts...but, the CD is awesome! I love the phonics songs they use and all my kids still sing it (even those that can read  ). Also there is a great placemat illustration thing that goes along with the songs, that's nice too. The activities are heh and the workbook pages are heh...I don't know, I got mine used from someone for about $80 and still thought that was too much after going through the whole thing. It's a lot of paper! Don't know if that helps or not.
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KackyK
Mom to 8 - 3 dd, 5ds & 4 babes in heaven
Beginning With the Assumption
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ALmom
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| Posted: Jan 16 2009 at 5:26pm | IP Logged
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Added by edit: Wow, I just looked at your Amazon link. That is an outrageous price and I don't think the program is that good or that unique. I must say that I will date myself - mine only came with cassete tapes - no CDs back then. There are plenty of other ways to get the same things across much more cheaply. I didn't pay anything close to that - and it was really the cheapest non BJU or Abeka program available back when we purchased it. I do know that I have ordered individual workbooks and replacement cards in the last 10 years so some things are sold individually. If you really wanted to try it, I wonder if you could purchase a few things individually to get a feel unless the individual pieces are really expensive too.
I have a very, very old version (1972 copyright)and we liked it - though it was more expensive than I would have liked, it was one of the cheaper and better things available (other than BJU and Abeka stuff) back when we first started homeschooling - back when phonics was totally out of favor. My oldest really liked the cutting and pasting and coloring. My boys hated it and we did other things. One child couldn't use it - eye problems and too many words for first readers. I only did the Off We Go book and the Raceway reading and games stuff.
The prize box was totally worthless and I looked for ways to loose and trash all that junk as fast as I could.
I found it helpful to have the information about not adding the uh sound onto the vowels or it could confuse, but it isn't the only source of that kind of information now and you sure don't need the whole teachers materials to use the program, imo.
Personally, the best part were the games and songs. There are phonics go fish and phonics bingo. You could find many other ways to more cheaply cut and paste letter sounds but if you get the program, these are fun for some children (not all). I'm sure anyone could make their own games, but since we have always used these even with children not using the program, I'm glad we have them. I know they sell the cards seperately as replacements. I'm not sure about the Bingo.
I like having the readers though they are long. I'm not sure I'd pay a lot for them now but they are a bit more challenging than most phonetic readers and more varied in style. We liked the humor. Not all my children could handle the amount of print on a page so some of mine do not use them at all. They were phonetic, funny and inoffensive (the 1972 version). I know a lot has changed since we did the program. I ordered a replacement card deck for the one we doused with water. They no longer have the nice pictures (more cartoony now) and seem to be more politically correct (no kings anymore, for example). I didn't really care for the replacement cards and decided to dry out my old cards as best I could and keep using those, though the card deck wasn't offensive or anything, we just are not into those cartoony characters that look like the latest fad being sold at Toys R Us. I say this because, while we really liked our readers, I'm not sure what they are like now. I know they have been redone. I'd be sure to look at them first and make sure they are still inoffensive before considering them. I'm sure they are now a lot more cartoony than the version we have.
After this part of the program, we went to other things - reading real books and some other phonics/word study work. We've used a variety of things, but I just didn't feel like this program was adequate beyond the early getting the children reading. All it basically covers is basic phonics sounds (only a few of the two letter phonograms like ph) and the short and long vowel sounds and blending to form words. They do not get into any advanced phonics at all.
Janet
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Jan 16 2009 at 5:27pm | IP Logged
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I have used the program.
Kacky's assessment is exactly what I would say!
I bought the program years ago for my first when she was learning to read because so many raved about it. We tried to work through the program, but we both became soooo bogged down in the busywork. It could be our temperaments though. I tried it again with my second - he got tired of it quickly as well and just wanted to get down to the business of reading. I sold it a couple of years ago. I much prefer something simpler and more straightforward with less busywork.
But...like Kacky, we still sing the songs that came with the CD. It's the only thing I heartily recommend. I'm not sure you can find it outside the kit though. I looked and I can't find it, but I haven't looked on ebay yet.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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mom3aut1not
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 3:44pm | IP Logged
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I love SSRW, but I have to add two caveats.
1) I used it with disabled kids, and it worked when a lot of other things didn't. (Music is processed in a different part of the brain than spoken language.)
2) I modified it by omitting writing and spelling.  I worked on writing with HWT and waited on spelling. (Even so, it took 3-4 years to do the basic program with my older ASD children, and looks to take even longer with my little one.)
For my situation, it was awesome. But, for a kid without problems, I wouldn't bother unless it was used. (Granted, the songs and readers are very nice, and I love using games for drill instead of worksheets. I also like the idea of teaching "letter clusters" like "oi" or "ou" before dealing with Iong vowels.) I used Alphaphonics with my only non-ASD child when she was in K, and it worked like a charm.
It is much harder to get SSRW now than it was years ago. I don't think we can even get the latest version at all. Also, the second edition was definitely more schoolish and busyworky than the first edition. One of the people who made it originally -- Vida Daly IIRC -- was very-homeschool friendly (I remember meeting her at curriculum fairs many years ago.) She died a while back, and I then noticed that SSRW was harder to get and less friendly to hsers. (Pearson also bought it which didn't help.)
FWIW....
In Christ,
Deborah
dealing in hs history....
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Sing Spell Read Write
