Spelling Mechanics Homeschool Word Study ~ A Review

I was recently introduced to a rather unique Spelling Curriculum called
Spelling Mechanics Homeschool Word Study. 

 In a Nutshell:
~K-6/7
~$49.99 per level (on sale for $39.99 through 10/31/12)
~$299.99 for the entire series (on sale for $224.99 through 10/31/12)
~$19.99 puzzle/game upgrade (on sale for $14.99 through 10/31/12)
~Currently delivered on a CD (I know they are currently looking at different modes of delivery)
~Pre/Post Tests available on the website
~AWESOME PERSONAL customer service!

What makes this Spelling Curriculum Different?
What makes this curriculum unique is that it is written by two elementary school teachers who were frustrated with students memorizing weekly spelling lists and then misspelling those same words in their daily work. Spelling Mechanics uses word families, rules and patterns to teach students how to spell. Additionally, students maintain a personal Spelling Notebook. As children progress through the program dictionary skills and word origins are also taught.

Ladybug working on 1st grade lesson 5 the -ad family.

Ladybug 1st grade lesson 5 creating words in the -ad family.

Ladybug spelling words in the -ad family (1st grade lesson 5)

Monkey doing a KG word sort. He is sorting pictures of words that start with "s", "t", "d" and "m".

My Thoughts:

I am very impressed with this program. Ladybug has been struggling with her reading (yes, I know this is about spelling but stick with me) and after one (1) day of using Spelling Mechanics she had a break-through in her reading. She told me that learning the word families "makes sense" and that "it makes it easier to read"! Ladybug started the 1st grade level about six weeks ago and is going through the program pretty quickly (1 lesson every 6-8 days). She really loves the word sorts.

Monkey just started the Kindergarten level of Spelling Mechanics 2 weeks ago and is already sorting words based on their initial sounds and their vowel sounds. This is impressive because we have been working on initial sounds for about 3 months and the word sorts are what made it click for him. He already knows the initial sound for all the letters so we are moving through pretty quickly but the program is set up so you can go as fast or as slow as your child needs to go!

Fun Tip:

Because I cannot open word documents on my MAC, Ann at Spelling Mechanics converted the documents into PDF's for me. I was then able to download the GoodReader app ($4.99 on iTunes) for our iPad and, through Dropbox, upload the worksheets for Ladybug to do on the iPad. She loves it and it saves on paper!

{Disclaimer: While I received the KG and 1st grade levels of Spelling Mechanics at no cost, I was not asked to write a review. I wrote this review because I am impressed with this product and the impact it is having on my children's education. All opinions are my own.}