We're currently using Sonlight LA (K) for my kindergarten son. Except that I've modified it quite a bit and added things in. Since next year we'll start on TOG Y1, I'm thinking of just getting a phonics program and breaking away from Sonlight. I can't say that I'm really dissatisfied with Sonlight, but I feel that I would prefer something else.

I'm attracted to the format of Saxon Phonics. While I like science and social studies to be open in their schedule, I like structure when it comes to math and phonics - go figure.

Another program I'm considering is The Phonics Road. It seems like a good program, but the cost is steep, and after choosing TOG... (yes, I do believe that you get what you pay for, but sometimes its hard to make it work)

Lastly, I know Critical Thinking Press has a phonics program, and I'm not familiar with that at all - but in general I do like that company's products.

None of these products are cheap, and I'd love to hear what other people think about them (and why) to help me make my decision. And if you have any other phonics programs you can recommend, that would be great, too!

Thank you so much for your help!

Susan

Is he your first child? If so, teaching reading MAY be easier than you think. My third child is learning to read from the book Phonics Pathways, Bob Books, and Dick and Jane (great for sight words, terrible for learning to read by itself). PP is logically laid out, and we just did a couple pages a day, or more if it went well. Wanting to learn to read is a bigger issue than the curriculum for us. And, once they can read small words they want to continue. We haven't had need for a full-blown program.

FYI, Phonics Pathways is a book that logically lays out reading steps by sound, not really a "program." That makes it inexpensive.

My friend has a math/science whiz who struggles with reading. In that case a phonics program would probably be good. Otherwise, think through if you'll really need it.

Also, this Canadian program is free on the web:

http://www.teachyourchildtoread.ca/

I've never used it because we haven't had to. If my fourth has problems, I'll check it out before purchasing anything else...because it's FREE!!!

Deanna

You know, that's a good point - it might not be as hard as I think. My first two entered K (public school) already reading - and I taught them without a program. But that was over ten years ago and I don't remember what we did. Plus, DS#3 is very different, and I think that both he and myself will benefit from some structure.

Thanks for your reply - I'm going to check out your suggestions.

We've taught 3 kiddos to read with Hooked on Phonics and supplemented with Bob books and TONS of beginner reader books. Bought all used; the HOP for $50 and found that our kids finish the five levels in about a year starting at about age 4 (you can start at 3 and we are starting our 4th child right now at age 3, so we will see how that goes). My oldest two were easily reading 100+ page chapter books at age 5 (Magic Treehouse, A to Z Mysteries, etc.)....and have been strong readers all the way through. I would NEVER pay the full price for HOP; they can be found used EVERYWHERE.....but having the cassettes/cds and the systematic approach, the sticker charts, gobs of beginner readers that come with it, were all very helpful and fun. Having your children be early readers isn't 'essential', but it is sooooo helpful when they can read on their own for information at an early age if you have other younger siblings to care for......

I'm not sure what kind of reviews it gets but I can testify that it worked QUICKLY for my everyday/average kiddos (I'm not dealing with any learning disabilities or anything that I know of)-----we did DO the program; about 15 minutes a day at first, trying to hit every day....I had some friends who didn't "like" it or didn't think it worked, but after talking to them, they didn't actually DO the work you have to do....hope that is helpful....

Hi, Susan - I began Phonics Road this year with my kindergartner. It has been great! I could not find anyone else who used it (in my area), so I was a little uncertain about the investment too. The results have been impressive though.

I am completely sold on the vertical phonics approach (learning all the sounds for a letter before moving on to the next, instead of learning short vowels, then consonants, then long vowels). There is a wonderful introductory talk on the Phonics Road website - I think it's called "Method to the Madness." I was sold after hearing that. (It taught me basic things I had never known about the English language, and I was an English major!)

We took it slow - DS was 4 when we started, and it is handwriting intensive, but he had no trouble memorizing the individual letter sounds and teams. I made up simple games and spent about 5 months on the first 14 weeks at Barbara Beers' suggestion. (You can e-mail her through Schola - I found her very helpful.) At age 5, DS is reading fluently and spelling well. And that's with spending only about 15 min a day. I found it easy to make adjustments to fit our situation, and I plan to continue with Phonics Road for at least another year or two. Yes, the price is steep, but I view it as laying a solid foundation for future reading and writing (and good spelling!).
HTH,
Jennifer

I've used The Phonics Road for my daughter (both year one and two)... I loved the approach and the DVDs were very helpful for BOTH of us! We began in first grade and she was frustrated with her reading ability at the time. She wanted to pick up chapter books and felt that we were moving at a snails pace when it came to fluency and thus comprehension! Because she studied, memorized, and understood all of the individual letter sounds, digraphs, etc. she constantly saw words in parts instead of in their entirety. (She was a very strong speller and reader - just slower than some of her friends). During year 2 we had a family crisis and had to put her into our local elementary school for the last half of the year and we both learned the real benefit that The Phonics Road had given her! While her fluency rate was slow - she understood leaps and bounds over the other students and even the teacher! For example, one day a student asked, "Why does "ball" and "hall" have two "L"s instead of just one?" and her teacher explained that "English is such a silly confusing language and mostly you just have to memorize a word to spell it properly." To which my dd raised her hand and told her 2nd grade teacher, "Actually there is a rule! (Sung to pop goes the weasel) You always double L, S, and F after a single vowel, at the end of a base word, of one syllable!" She didn't just learn that the letter A says two sounds - the short and the long, but that it also says "aw" as in "fall" and each letter's corresponding sounds are taught in order of use - for example the letter A says "a" as in at and then "A" as in ape and then "aw" as in tall - it gave her an amazing comprehensive foundation to figure out language for herself whenever she comes across a word that she is unfamiliar with - she simply begins to break it down and try out letter and blend sounds in their order of usage, and while this is a natural approach - she has a great understanding of rules and she is a girl that really benefited from knowing the "why" of reading and spelling and not just the memorization of lists of words!

I have seen a lot of used programs on eBay, but I know that our local homeschool consignment store has a few of them too! (I was just flipping through them to see if we would use anything from the program this next year.) I know that they do a ton of consignment and online sales from all over the country - you should check them out - Google "homeschool potpourri" - they are in Kirkland, WA and are very large and very thorough! (I think you have to email specific requests/inquiries - but if you call they'll go straight to the shelf and tell you what they have available at that moment.)

Enjoy your journey and don’t forget about the benefit of resale if something just isn’t working out for your ds!

Another good phonics program is Hooked On Phonics. It has been totally redesigned and is reviewed by Cathy Duffy on her website. It is very simple, very effective, and includes an audio CD (great for auditory learners) and a CD-ROM game that directly ties into the workbook. Great readers, too. This system works well with the BOB books and other basic readers. I got each grade level kit (the bigger kit with more readers) for only $30 at JCPenny on sale. They really work for me, and there is very little prep time or "fluff" activities. HOP does not rely on memory aids or crutches (which require a child to remember more than just the letter, like "A the ant says "a" while he carries his anthill...that's a lot more work for the child!). It's a great program...but don't buy it from HOP! You can find it at Costco, Walmart, and JCPenney for less money!