A few weeks ago, I overheard my kindergartner talking to his baby sister.
“Are you an i, u, v, or j?” he was saying in his sweetest voice. “Because if you are, you cannot come at the end of an English word!”
This he repeated a few times over the next few minutes as he played with her toys, talked to her, and otherwise engaged in his own world of play with his sister, who was just delighted that he was nearby.
Apparently, my son internalized one of the most recent spelling rules we learned far more than I had realized. We had reviewed the rule a few mornings before this event. The manual had suggested repeating the rule in a “silly” voice and then again in another voice. I thought that was ridiculous, but I did that with my son anyway. And then, days later, he was repeating the rule to his sister without even realizing he was rehearsing his English lesson.
My experiences and my son’s experiences with the Logic of English Foundations program have been truly fun.
I spent one month of torture trying to get my son interested in All About Spelling. After a month of little success, we had one bored four year old and a frustrated mommy. I was tempted to give up on any kind of formal English. After all, my son was already reading, probably at a second grade level. I knew he needed some rudimentary training in phonics to learn to “sound out” unfamiliar words, but maybe he was just too young.
I had the opportunity, then, in October, to begin the Logic of English Foundations program.
The first part (Foundations A, lesson 1-40) covers phonemic awareness, the basic phonograms and syllables (how the words are built), and basic handwriting strokes. We’re in the midst of Foundations B (about at lesson 60) and we’re still enjoying it. Here’s what I love about it at this point.
- It is comprehensive. My son learns handwriting strokes, phonics, reading, and spelling rules. We read literature beyond the beginning literature suggested in the text, but other than that, all that he needs for Kindergarten is right here! There are spelling words each lesson, as well as a handwriting page, reading page and some games or workbook activities.
- It has games. This makes it truly fun to do. Raisin frequently asks to do it first, mostly because he really wants to get to the games. He makes up his own phonics games. We invested in the phonogram game cards, and so we can always make reviewing a game.
- The book is scripted. I really did not think I’d need or want a script, but I do! I love it. Because the author of the program, Denise Eide, is so able to understand the mentality, patience, and abilities of children, following the script really does work for us (for the most part). Specific instructions, such as to repeat the rule in a silly voice, have actually proven quite useful.
- It is flexible. Although it is scripted, there is plenty of lee-way to make it work however it needs to work for you. I did not use the script for the beginning lessons; my son was already reading so I knew he knew his basic phonograms. We used the pieces of each lesson that worked and then went on for there.
- Review is built in. The text also reminds you of past games so you can go back and play favorite games again as well.
I asked Raisin why he liked Logic of English. Here’s what he said.
My favorite part is the games. I just like them. I like all the games.
I had asked for clarification as to which games he liked. There are the ones we print off that are in the workbook, there are games we make based on the lesson of as directed by the lesson, and there are the ones we play with the game cards. Apparently, as long as it is a game, we’re okay.
I believe the Foundations program is incredibly rigorous, and yet it is built for a kindergartner. I just looked it up and since I wrote my post on Rebecca Reads last December, we’ve only gotten through 20 lessons — and yet we’re still learning and practicing a lot!
We will probably keep going through the summer. (I plan to school mostly year round). Now that Christmas is over and we’ve gotten through string of colds, I’m hoping we’ll get back to four or five lessons completed each week. I don’t know when we’ll finish the program. But there is no rush. We are learning wonderful things and having fun as we do so.
A previous review of the Logic of English Foundations program appeared on my reading blog, Rebecca Reads, as well.
Foundations A, B, C, and D are available to purchase.
Note: I was provided with digital access to the Foundations beta program for review consideration. I am an affiliate for the Logic of English program and will receive a small commission if you purchase through my links. Review originally published March 2014.