Last spring, when I was choosing a spelling program for Genius to use, I felt discouraged, like walking on a treadmill and getting nowhere. There was plenty of curriculum for spelling out there, but none that jumped out at me and said "use me". But then I didn't know about All About Spelling at the time.

Spelling is a sore point with Genius. She does not like it. This program actually made it fun she said.

When it first arrived, and I opened the box, I was very busy. I wanted to be sure I had everything ready for our first lesson. That required a lot of cutting. A lot. However, let it never be said that the customer service of All About Spelling is lacking. So many of the reviews that have already been posted from the TOSCrew said the same thing, and they decided to have the cards that we needed to cut, will be now "perforated" instead, so if you decide to use the program, your hands won't ache like mine did! What a great company. In any case, the next day we started All About Spelling.

There are four levels to the program (with a fifth level to be released in 2009), and while Genius has mastered the words at that level, we decided to start with it anyway. Using phonogram cards, sound and syllable segmentation, manipulatives, flash cards and more, your child will be well on the road to spelling phrases such as "the pink pig" and "big clamshell" by the time they have finished level one.

There are a few things I really like about the program.

The first one is the Key Cards. Rather than just giving the student a list of words, having them memorize them and calling it a day. All About Spelling teaches Spelling Rules. Why we spell words the way we do (kind of like the "i before e, except after c, or when it makes the sound ay"). What I found so interesting is that before using this program with Genius, I didn't even know some of the rules. How neat, that even I was learning something at such a basic level.

The second thing I really like about this program is the review. All About Spelling, is constantly reviewing phonograms, words, key cards, from lessons before to make sure the student is mastering the concepts, and retaining them. I love that in any curriculum.

There is a nice little reward chart included, made to look like a honeycomb that has a spot for each of the 24 lessons. When a child, finishes the lesson, they can put a stamp or sticker on it. Genius at 12 still thought that was fun, and eagerly waited each day to fill it in!

The packages are complete for the All About Spelling material - each level costs $29.95 and has everything in it for both the student and teacher. If you want to teach the program to more than one child at a time, then you will need to buy and extra set of manipulatives. An additional material packet is $12.95, and extra letter tiles are $9.95. If you are unsure of what you will need in your home or what level to start in, the customer service at All About Spelling is sure to help you out.

The fact that after finishing this review, I will continue to use the All About Spelling program, shows that it has my endorsement. We are part way through the level two book now, and Genius does not dread spelling lessons anymore!