DS will be in kindergarten this year. He is just starting to read. We are working on phonics using Little Stories for Little Folks and he is having a lot of fun, but I want something more substantial. I am at a complete loss over phonics. There are so many programs out there and none of them seem to be exactly what I am looking for. I want something comprehensive that I can use throughout early elementary. I want spelling, reading, phonics, etc all in one program. I want it to cover everything without overkill, but also not at lightning speed. I am starting to think that maybe CLE is the answer here. For those of you who use it (and I know quite a few of you do), can you please tell me about your experience with this program? I am open to other suggestions as well! Thanks so much! Phonics is so important and I really want to get this right. I have made all my other choices for subjects (except for Spanish) so I just want to decide what to use! Also, if you use CLE, is there a good time to buy it? Do they have a sale sometime?
We use CLE L Arts and LOVE it. It has just the right amount of information in each lesson, it covers it thoroughly, has review, small quizzes, an end of the unit test, and is also inexpensive! I really can't say enough about it. My son and I both love it. The only thing we've ever added to it is printing off a couple of spelling sheets each week (on the Spelling City site, but using the lists in the light units). And that's just because he is not a naturally good speller. If you want you can buy just one light unit (they are about $3.50) and be able to really use it and see if it works for you. Each light unit covers about 3 weeks.
CLE doesn't really have a kindy program as such, although I have heard that they are working on one. What I like to do is use the ABC Readiness series (from R&S, goes A - H currently), and CLE Learning to Read, and lots of read-alouds. I've also used units (from books or the internet) for things like Community Helpers, birds, insects and spiders, fish, creepycrawlies (invertebrates - worms, snails and slugs, etc.), mammals, reptiles and amphibians -- mostly read-alouds with pictures to color and make 'em into a "book" when we're done. Also some things about our state, some holidays here and there as we get to them....etc. LtR is actually part of the first grade program, but it also works just fine for kindy if you take it slower and stretch it out over the whole K year. When used in first grade, it's meant to take just about half a year, and you're supposed to begin LA at about LtR unit 4 or 5 (I forget which), and the LA continues through the end of the year. For the second "half" of the year, after LtR is finished, first graders do a hardbacked reader called I Wonder through the end of the year. BUT if you're doing it for kindy, the program works just fine if you start with LA and I Wonder together at the beginning of first, along with math, Bible, science, and social studies if you want to use the whole CLE program. (I like it very much). The LA does the more advanced phonics, which continues on into second, but after that it's pretty much done with phonics instruction. They continue to USE the phonics with things like the new vocabulary words in the reading stories and learning to use the dictionary. After first grade, the LA isn't tied as closely to the Reading. Oh, and no, they don't do "sales". If you order at a homeschool event, though, there's free shipping.
I knew you used it Lindina. Thanks for the advice! DS is already sounding out words and starting to read. He knows all the letter sounds and can list things that start with that letter. Now that he has had some success, he is getting really excited about it all!
