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All About Spelling Review & Giveaway {Closed}

A few days ago, Danielle shared about how All About Spelling Level 1 is working for her family. Today, I get to tell you about my own family’s experience with AAS over the last four years. Before I start, be forewarned: I love All About Spelling. It is truly one of my favorite homeschool programs and the only one I have used consistently for this long.

Why do I love AAS so much? Let me tell you . . .

I love that All About Spelling is interactive and multi-sensory. I’m a mom of all boys, and boys need to m-o-v-e. Sitting still and writing lessons on paper all day simply doesn’t do them a bit of good. AAS uses several methods to teach spelling through talking, seeing, touching, and writing. At the core of the program are the spelling tiles and the magnetic whiteboard:

Our spelling board hangs in our kitchen.

At the start of nearly every lesson, the board is used for building words on the whiteboard with the spelling tiles. The lessons are scripted (in a conversational tone) and give easy directions about whether I should build the word or ask my son to build the word. Both new material and reviews are done this way.

(In case you’re curious, each tile represents a different phonogram – single letters, consonant teams, vowel teams, prefixes, suffixes, and others. The tiles in the lower right of the board are “syllable tags” for labeling syllables. The type of syllable often determines the sound that a vowel makes . . . something I didn’t know before using AAS!)

After building words on the board, sounds, words, and spelling rules are reviewed using cards that are stored in an index card box. The cards are color-coded and organized into Phonogram Cards, Sound Cards, Key Cards, and Word Cards. This makes it easy to grab the ones we need for any given lesson.

Lastly, it’s time for some writing. In the earlier levels, the student writes words and phrases; later, the lessons use complete sentences instead of phrases. Beginning in Level 4, each lesson also includes a “writing station” which gives a set of five words that the student uses to write his own original sentences. My 11-year-old enjoys coming up with clever stories for this exercise. It’s a nice way to combine a little creative writing with his spelling practice.

I love that All About Spelling is non-consumable. The books are not designed to be written in, and the materials from every level can be passed down from child to child. The interactive kit (basic or deluxe version), which includes the spelling tiles, is used for all students. More tiles are added as a child progresses through the levels, but it’s okay to have all the tiles on the board even when using the early levels. The board pictured above, for instance, contains all the tiles up through Level 4 even though one of my sons is using Level 2.

Keep in mind that the levels don’t correspond directly to grade levels. My oldest son (age 11 in sixth grade) is nearly finished with Level 4 of AAS, and my middle son (age eight in third grade) is almost finished with Level 2. There are approximately 26 lessons in each level, but each lesson will take a day, a week, or longer, depending on your child’s individual progress. It’s very easy to slow down or speed up to tailor AAS to each of my children.

I love that All About Spelling is scripted, yet flexible. Once the tiles and cards are all cut out and prepared, AAS really doesn’t require any teacher prep on a regular basis. Each day, I open the Teacher’s Manual to the current lesson and begin. I don’t even need to read the lesson ahead of time! Perfect.

I also don’t need to be a spelling expert in order to use AAS effectively with my kids. Honestly, I’ve been learning the spelling rules right along with them. AAS teaches the rules in such a casual and fun way that it never feels like memorizing or trying hard to remember. (One technique my kids enjoy is throwing the “rule breakers” into jail. Words like been and was have to spend their time behind bars. :-D)

Though it’s scripted and carefully laid-out, AAS is also very flexible. Lessons include extra words if a child needs more practice, and it’s super easy to break up a lesson into multiple parts if a child needs more time. For my eight-year-old, I always do the lesson on the spelling board with him one day but wait until another day to have him do the written exercise. It works out better for his attention span and also gives him time to mentally digest the new material.

Most importantly, I love that All About Spelling works! Both of my sons spell quite well at their level, and spelling hasn’t been a struggle or problem for them. I believe this is due almost entirely to our using AAS for four years now. A foundation of understanding the nuances of spelling has been laid, and we’re steadily building upon that week after week. Have your kids ever said, “I like spelling”? Mine have. 🙂

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Disclaimer: I received All About Spelling Level 5 in exchange for this review. All opinions given are mine and are true & honest. Thank you, All About Spelling!

All About Spelling Giveaway

How would you like to win All About Spelling? One Hip Homeschool Moms reader will win All About Spelling Level 1 and the Deluxe Interactive Kit! Already use AAS? No problem, you can win the next two levels in the series instead. For example, if you’re currently using Level 2, you would win Levels 3 and 4!

Sound good?

Enter here . . .

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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292 Comments

  1. Would love to win AAS for my sons! Great giveaway! Enjoyed your review! As you mentioned that your boys like to move, mine do as well. Think they would like the word jail idea too.
    🙂

  2. I am thrilled with how much my boys love spelling now, and am so impressed with how there are actually rules in the English language!

  3. How exciting! I’m looking forward to starting All About Spelling with my very active little Monkey – I’m so glad to hear it is easy to use with fidgety little guys!

  4. I have read how well it has worked for families with children who are dyslexic. I have two and want to try it.

  5. I like that All About Spelling is multi sensory and that the levels do not correspond to grade levels. That way I can do it with my older child who struggles with spelling and my younger child who is working at grade level.

  6. As a result of using AAS, when asked what his favorite subject is in school, my dyslexic son always tells people “Spelling”!!!!

  7. I would love to win this for my first grader! I think the multi-sensory aspect would really help her learn.

  8. I like the it is multi – sensory and that it is all phonics based no memorizing lists of words without understanding why they are spelled the way they are

  9. Thanks for the giveaway! We’re just starting AAR and would love to add in AAA. I love that it’s scripted–so helpful to this homeschooling newbie!

  10. I love the flexibility and that it seems all kids enjoy it. We are working through AAR right now for my 6 year old and her younger sister is following along. I love the program does not need to be purchased again for each child. Money is tight but my husband is now doing work he loves so I know God will provide. 🙂

  11. I have two boys, and we haven’t begun our homeschooling journey yet, but I’m already anticipating the difficulties of teaching little boys! I’ve read a lot about this program, and it’s definitely on my list of curriculums to try first! How great would it be if the first one I tried worked for both boys?!

  12. I love the fact it can be handed down- I also have boys who need to move so i would love to try this!!!

  13. I love that they put the words together with tiles, like you said with boys activity and hands on is pretty much required!

  14. My son does not like to spell. He really struggles with it because the rules don’t make sense to him. This looks like a program that will help him without being to complicated for him and me.

  15. I love that it is designed for children to manipulate the letters and learn how they work in different formats. This really helps to solidify the information and make it more fun to learn. I can’t wait to start using this with my kids.

  16. What really excites me the most is knowing that my children will be able to actually spell. That there are rules to follow.

  17. We are using it with my oldest daughter. What I am excited about the most, is that it is working. She has really struggled with spelling. Learning the rules and in a detailed manner seems to really be helping her.

  18. This is our second year to use this program and I love it! I like the multi-sensory aspect of it as well as the fact its a mastery based program. Will use it with all of my kids!

  19. I love the multi sensory aspect of this program. I love that it’s long term usage from child to child. Overall it seems like a wonderful program.

  20. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win this!! After days of researching all the spelling curriculums out there, I decided I really want to use this one for my 6 year old son because I know he will love it! However, right now, we just can’t afford the purchase. I was going to use free online sources to get us started in our school year, which I am very grateful are out there! But this would be great to win!!

  21. I have always loved spelling buy my 12 yr old hates it. I get so frustrated sometimes but this seems like a great program that I am excited to try! Thanks for the great review ;0)

  22. This excites me because I hear so many good reviews on these products! We are starting our first year of home schooling this year and w/ tight finances winning this product would be quite a blessing!

  23. I love that it’s hands on. We are using the All About Reading level 1 with my 4 year old and she loves it. I would love to try the spelling.

  24. We are at the beginning of our homeschool journey and this sounds to be exactly what my struggling speller needs!

  25. The opportunity to provide a multi-sensory approach that doesn’t require sitting still and writing on workbook pages appeals to me as the mom/teacher and to my ever-moving son!

  26. We are just beginning our homeschool journey with my first grader this year. I have heard wonderful things about All About Spelling!

  27. My 6th grader is severe ADHD and dyslexic and this has been one of the most recommended spelling programs for him. He can read fairly well but spelling has always been a struggle for him. Would love the opportunity for him to have this program. Thank you.

  28. We’ve just gotten started with Level 1 and we really love it. Would love to win the next 2 levels so we could continue this great start!

  29. I’ve heard over and over how good this program is! Thank you for the chance to win it and see for myself!

    The giveaway rafflecopter.com thingy isn’t loading, so I hope this will count as my entry?

  30. Like you, I love how the program uses a variety of ways to teach spelling, instead of just writing the words in a workbook. However, all of my children (ages 8, 5, 4) prefer writing the words over the tiles. Crazy, huh? Something about those tiles annoys them and something about writing on a white board fascinates them. HA! We have all thoroughly enjoyed the levels we’ve used so far (levels 1-4). I already have level five but haven’t started it with anyone, yet. I can’t wait to try out the last three levels.

  31. This is our first year to homeschool… One big part of the reason is that our school didn’t teach spelling. (And also that my daughter spent the better part of her day reading, waiting for the rest of the kids to catch up). I like the approach this system takes, interactivity is always better then memorization.

  32. I can’t wait to start this program. My son has dyslexia and dysgraphia. I’m very hopeful that this will work!

  33. I like that you can go as fast or as slow as you need to through the books. I have boys too so the interactive aspect is also a huge plus!

  34. We love AAS too. I chose it for the same reasons, three busy boys! They love moving the tiles around and the phoneme approach is by far the best.

  35. Oh goodness! We just started All About Reading and we love it so much! It is so much fun my 7 yr old boy asks to do it all the time. And it works! Just finished lesson three and he read his first sentence! This would help us out so much!

  36. I love AAS because it uses all the senses and keeps my active son engaged! He actuallly looks forward to spelling lessons and asks to do it!

  37. Yes, I’ve heard so much about how good they are. I would love to have them in our home and use them to teach our kids.

  38. We just started level 1 of AAS and we are loving it! My 4th grader is very smart, but spelling just wasn’t clicking for her. We are going back to the beginning with AAS to fill in those “gaps” she has from public school. She is not very confident in spelling, but with AAS, she asks to do it first every day! We will continue to use this program in our homeschooling for all our children!

  39. AAS sounds like such a great program. I am hoping to order this in September to help my oldest. I like the thought of learning the rules instead of just memorizing a bunch of words.

  40. I would LOVE to get this…it is on my wish list of curriculum to get for school this year…money is very tight so winning this would be such a blessing!

  41. Planning to use this with my daughter this year. I believe it will fit her very well since it is multi-sensory!

  42. We’re currently using AAS 1 and my son gets really excited when it’s “spelling time”. What we love about it (and excites us the most) is that it’s so different than any other spelling program available with it being so hands-on. My son loves using the tiles and I like how each Step is clearly described in the teacher’s guide. We’d love to win the next two levels as we’re planning on continuing with the program 🙂

  43. Is 5 years old/kinder too early to start using AAS? Heard it was better to wait until 1st or 2nd….but we are looking forward to using it whenever it’s time! 🙂

  44. I love All About Spelling. It is simple enough for me to just pick it up and go, but interesting enough for all my age ranges to enjoy.

  45. My family would love to win this. With three kiddos it would get used by each and passed down to the next kiddo.

  46. I would love to win AAS leve 1. I heard about it after I had already purchased all of our curriculum for this year. We have The Ordinary Parents Guide To Teaching Reading and Spelling Workout A but with boys AAS seems like it would have be a better fit.

  47. *Woops! I should have proof read that.;) Maybe I should win AAS for myself and not my two boys… clearly I can’t spell! Ha!:)

  48. I just started my first day of homeschooling today. I have All About Spelling 1, and I would love to win others. It looks fantastic, and I can’t wait to see how it helps my kids!

  49. We use AAS with my oldest, and I love how we can spend just 15 minutes a day and she is retaining so much. She enjoys the program, too!

  50. Love reading reviews on how much everyone loves it…and it works! Love the multi sensory and that i wont have to buy a new kit for each child!

  51. My 12 year old has always had a hard time spelling. We’ve tried other programs. I’m hoping this approach might click for him.

  52. I love finding something that works…I also love that it’s less than 36 lessons — it gives us some leeway to work on it at our pace and not have to rush to feel like we’re “finishing”.

  53. I have been using this program for two years and LOVE it. It’s very well organized and not overwhelming in any way!

  54. I love that it is hands on and my son loves the colors of the tiles. We are using AAS1 and will continue with the program. I plan on having my other children use the program as well.

  55. The part that excites me the most is that it is a solid program! I used it for a year, and my daughter went through two levels. Thinking my daughter needed another option, I sold my AAS and bought something else to use. It didn’t take long before I was noticing everything the new program wasn’t compared to AAS! We are excited to go back to AAS, and a little embarrassed we left it to begin with!

  56. I haven’t used it yet, but it looks like a fun hands on way of learning that my kids would really enjoy!
    PICK ME 🙂

  57. I would love to win this. I like the emphasis on spelling with phonics but also the bit of dictation at the end of the lessons as well.

  58. i love that it is scripted. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I just ordered pre-1 reading to use with my emerging reader and so excited to start. I am out of the house most of the day and i just can’t organize lessons AND teach them. No time!

  59. I’ve heard so much about this program -how easy it is to use and how you can go at your own pace. Looks awesome!

  60. I love the multi-sensory approach! It sounds like it will be just the ticket for my 6 yo son 🙂 thanks for the great giveaway!

  61. My son likes the fun of ‘building’ words with the tiles and the stickers. We both really like the bag and the pretty box for keeping it all together! 🙂

  62. I love All About Reading and All About Spelling! I’d love to win next years curriculum! My husband says it would be cheaper to send our kids to private school based on what I buy. What can I say, I want the BEST for my kids!!!

  63. I’m excited to try a spelling program that isn’t just lists of words. I think knowing the rules will be a huge help!

  64. I keep hearing all kinds of good things about AAS. I haven’t tried it yet, but maybe this would be a good point to jump in! Thanks for the giveaway!

    1. And, the part that excites me the most is the style of teaching – easy to do, teaches these great spelling rules I never knew (and I have an elementary education degree!) and it is all in a fun way. Flexible too!

  65. There are so many exciting features to AAS, but my favorites are the hand-on aspect and I LOVE the lesson layout!

  66. I just received the AAR and my 5 year old LOVES Ziggy…. I am so looking forward to starting school this year!!!

  67. I like that the program is scripted and walks you through how to teach it (at least that’s what I gather from reading the description). I would love to give this a try!

  68. The aspects that excite me the most about AAS are how it has hands on activities and that everything is non-consumable and can be used for multiple children.

  69. We will be using AAS for the first time this year and I’m so excited to start. When I was reading about it, I like how one goes at their own speed. I read so many great reviews about it, I just had to get it myself!

  70. i can’t wait to start this program with my children, My third grader has had many problems learning to read and spell and I think this program might Really help! It will be perfect for my first grader as well!

  71. As a first time homeschooler I really really like the idea of what I call “a no brainer”……no preplanning or pre work!

  72. I like that it is multisensory. I need to find a way to get my kids to learn words long term and not just for the spelling test

  73. Would love to begin using this with my preschooler! We have been working on a few simple words and he really enjoys it. :-). Thanks for the giveaway!

  74. I love that it uses a multi-sensory approach to teaching spelling. I am excited to use it this year with my 1st grader.

  75. Getting my DD to master spelling, which is such a big deal over here, would be an awesome thing, And I’ve heard so rave reviews about AAS that I believe it could help me to a huge extent.

  76. AAS & AAR seem like a great program to try with my child. I’m hoping to start with them soon, wish I had not been so overwhelmed last year.

  77. i’m new to home schooling and am starting my first year with my 3 y.o old sone who would be starting kindergarten…he would love these!!

  78. This is such a great giveaway! I love that I’ve only heard tons of great reviews from my mom friends who have used this with their own kiddos and I love that it’s mulitisensory – my kids love that kind of thing 🙂

  79. I love the idea of not having to do a lot of planning and the fact that it is loved by so many kiddos…I’d love to see my daughter excited about this and eager to learn.

  80. I love that my struggling spellers 10th grade, 5th grade, and 2nd grade are all finally “getting” spelling! Cannot wait to move on to another level with them!

  81. I love how visual it is. My son is a visual learner and struggles with the traditional methods of learning spelling. We just started using AAS, and so far it is working wonders! I would LOVE to win the next 2 levels. Thanks for the chance!

  82. I love that it is so interactive! I know my daughter would LOVE doing this as she is very hands-on learning!

  83. I LOVE the hands-on approach to spelling. I really think my 2nd daughter would really benefit from this program!

  84. Can’t wait to start using it this year! We struggle with spelling, so I am hoping and praying this program helps!

  85. I’ve really been wanting to try this program for quite some time now! My son isn’t a natural speller and the workbook approach just doesn’t work well for him.

  86. We’ve started Level 1 and are really liking it! The tiles keep my fidgity student’s hands busy while engaging them in the lesson. Hooray for attention grabbers!!

  87. I love the interactive nature of the kit. I have boys too and the idea that they won’t just have to sit and write is awesome

  88. Have only heard good things about AAS. Would love to try it with my son, age 6, and eventually with my younger son too.

  89. I’ve been reading a lot of reviews on AAS, and I think one of the biggest selling points for us so far is that they keep it fun and interactive! My kids much prefer learning through playing at this age, and being multisensory it fits right in with their interests.

  90. I’ve sat here trying to figure out why we love AAS so much. I can’t narrow it down to one reason!! For my kids it’s the fact that it simplifies the spelling process and they know what to do at each step. For me I love how it’s so laid out. It’s makes it simple for me to teach and the lessons are short.

  91. I have ben searching for a Spelling Program that my daughter will like and this one looks great! I know my youngest will like the tiles too!

  92. I’m impressed with AAS touching on so many different learning style. I’m excited that all of my kids could use it regardless of how they learn.

  93. We Love AAS!! I have literally tried nearly every spelling program under the sun for my oldest daughter (9) and this is the first that has actually WORKED and did not cause her to end up in tears. LOVE LOVE LOVE this program!!

  94. My child can’t still, so this would be great for her to get up and move around. She also does well using a variety of manipulative.

  95. great review, thank you!!
    i love all the things you said you love, especially that its scripted yet flexible, and also non consumable so that I can use it again and again with my 4 kids:) thanks for the giveaway! It was such a big purchase for me to buy AAR recently, so what a blessing it would be to win AAS!! Thank you!

  96. I spent a ton of time researching spelling programs and heard so many wonderful things about All About Spelling! I decided that AAS is the program would use for our spelling. We haven’t started it yet (as I’m waiting to finish AAR level 1 first), but am very excited to start with it!

  97. This looks like a great program that uses a lot of the same skills I currently use homeschooling my two children. I would love to have something to help me expand on and this looks great!

  98. I think my favourite part about it is that it is never, ever boring. For myself or the kids. How many spelling/reading programs can you say that about with a straight face?

  99. Magnetic letters on the fridge were favorite toys in this house early on for my kids. Can’t think of a better program than one that incorporates magnetic letters!

  100. I like the hands on aspect of the program. I think my son would do really well with that part of the program.

  101. We have tried several approaches to spelling and have not really liked any of them. I think that this curriculum might be just what we are looking for.

  102. We are starting this next week and I have high hopes for my daughter’s success. Thanks for the chance to win. I am sure we will love it.

  103. Looks like a fun program that kids would enjoy. I would love the chance to try it out with my 1st grader.
    Thanks for the opportunity!

  104. I have 3 boys, and I love that AAS is interactive and can be used with multiple ages at once! I’ve had my eye on this for awhile now!!

  105. I am just starting out & just heard about AAS from another Mom. Thanks for sharing your review & for the chance to win AAS!

  106. We love AAS, currently using level 2 and plan on continuing all the way through. Next year I will start AAR with my 5-year-old, and I love that we can use a lot of the materials that we already have!

  107. We have never used AAS but after reading the review I am excited to check it out. My oldest child has a disability and needs curriculum that builds on itself in order to retain the info. I like that it has good review and builds on earlier concepts!!

  108. This looks like an awesome program…I am not happy with what we have now…and this looks like a much easier and fun way to teach/learn this.

  109. I LOVE AAS just exactly for the reasons mentioned above. I’m also using this program to help my 1st grade son learn phonics and how to sound out words. I can’t tell you how many times he’s come upon a word he doesn’t know and I start out saying, “Remeber in your spelling lesson…..”

  110. I’d love to use AAS after reading your review and reading some other reviews over the past few weeks. I like that it’s interactive and multi-sensory. I also like how user friendly it seems to be. I sure hope I win the raffle!!! 🙂

  111. This is my first year homeschooling my 4th and 5th grader and I am using AAS! Can’t wait to see the progress my weak spellers make!

  112. My sister-in-law, who is also a 1st-year homeschooler with her young daughters, has inspired me to get online and dig into the possibilities for different curriculum for teaching the various subjects. I have not heard much of AAS, but this review certainly has this one on the list of “wishes” for our school! Thank you for the opportunity to possibly win a kit!

  113. I have been using all about reading with my daughter that has dyslexia and we love it! I love that its ortin gillingham based, so it doesn’t work against the teaching she is receiving from the private tutor 🙂

  114. My 7yr old can read very well because we worked on it the last couple of years. But now it is time to amp up his spelling. I would love love love to win this!

  115. I love that AAS is hands-on which has made it a great fit for my active son who is a reluctant reader. He has made great progress since beginning AAR & AAS.

  116. What excites me the most about AAS is that my kids LOVE it! I don’t have to have the eyeroll every time I mention spelling. I love that I can use it over and over. It is FABULOUS!!!!

  117. We currently use All About Reading Pre-Reading program and love it. So I can imagine that the spelling program would also be fantastic!

  118. I’ve never had the opportunity to use this program before, but it looks like something my son would really enjoy while improving his spelling at the same time!

  119. I am especially intrigued about the non-consumable factor- one less copy is a win for me and the environment!

  120. I’ve been wanting this set for a while and would LOVE to win one! 🙂 Thanks for the fun giveaways!

  121. We love AAS ! so far. What a great way to ease into first grade for my 5 year old. Even my 4 year old loves it, too. I’m certain we’ll stick with this curriculum the whole way through.

  122. My boys getting a good handle on rifles yet it not just writing and memorizing but some tactical processing too.

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