We are so pleased to have been able to use Logic of English in our homeschool recently. Last year I tried a version meant for older aged children and even though my oldest was able to grasp it, his brother who is only a year younger just was not ready! I was thrilled to have been able to use Foundations Level A with him this year and pleasantly surprised with the quick and tangible results! Level A is written for children ages 4-7 so I chose to use it primarily with my six year old.
At first glance, I thought that the material might be too basic and easy for him. In the beginning the program works on how sounds are formed in the mouth and how to form the letters in writing. He already "knew" his sounds and letters but the problem was, when I would tell him that the number "three" was spelled with a "th" he would argue and say "no, it should start with an "f." I then realized that I really needed to go back to the basics and not only teach the sounds but how they are formed in the mouth. I had heard before that it helps to have a mirror handy for the child to see exactly how their tongue or mouth should move when forming certain letters or sounds. That helps, but this program actually takes it further and in a way that my son is able to really "get it."
When learning how sounds are formed and how to recognize them, the children learn early on the difference between voiced or unvoiced sounds and nasal sounds. Something clicked for my six year old and even my four year old loved this! She would often talk about "voiced" sounds and her voice box, it was cute.
Even though I am using the consumable workbook and materials with my six year old, I also have my daughter (who just turned four while using this program) sit in on the lesson. There are many games and activities throughout each lesson and it just makes it more fun to have several kids be able to play along. Actually, my seven year old will join at times to when we are playing certain games because he sees the others having so much fun he doesn't want to miss out!
And the games really are fun! When we do Logic of English, I generally do it right after lunch. At this point they are full of energy and do not need a subject where you just sit still. Fortunately, since this is geared for younger children, it provides active games that include movement such as hopscotch. Some of the games are simple such as sounding out words. When the child can figure out what word you are sounding out they either act it out or go and find the object, depending on the game. My younger ones have a blast with these games!
The teacher's manual and consumable workbook are pictured below. The manual is very user friendly providing a script for each lesson along with activity ideas in the side margin that can be used to help drive certain points home using very hands-on methods.
The workbook is simple and easy for children to follow along. Even though I use this book with my six year old it could easily be used with younger children. The pictures are engaging and interesting for young ones, capturing their attention!
It has been working well to split up each lesson between two days. This way, we generally complete two lessons a week, working on it four days out of the week. This works perfect for my kids. I set aside about 15 - 20 minutes for Logic of English. The first part of lesson focuses on "English" and the second part of the lesson is "Handwriting." Splitting the lesson up between two days is perfect because then we aren't doing the same type of thing each day. It breaks it up and provides variety.
Having the reusable resources on hand was extremely helpful. This set includes a half-size Logic of English Whiteboard, a Rhythm of Handwriting Chart, Basic Phonogram Flash Cards, Tactile Cards and two sets of Game Cards.
Also available is the hardcover book, Doodling Dragons: An ABC Book of Sounds. I honestly haven't seen a book of sounds quite like this one before! It's simple, concise, entertaining AND it introduces ALL the sounds that each letter makes at once. This is an interesting approach because the way that I usually go about it is I will teach the short sounds first. Once the child masters those, they learn the long and then other rule breakers. Logic of English has a completely different approach. I honestly thought that it would be confusing and hard to introduce all of the sounds that "a" makes at once but surprisingly enough my kids are picking it up. Obviously we don't go over the rules as to when you use a short or long vowel on day one, but at least it introduces them to all of the sounds immediately.
The way that handwriting is taught in this program is also different than what I am used to, but I have to say right off the bat that I love it! I chose the manuscript method because I wanted my son to work on his printing skills before tackling cursive. But the best part of this method is it actually prepares the child for cursive in the way the manuscript letters are formed.
Even though my six year old knew how to write his letters before starting Logic of English, he had a long way to go towards perfecting them. With that said, I decided to simply start over and teach him this new method. Each lesson that introduces a new letter (phonogram) provides different ways for the child to practice forming the letter. My son's favorite were the tactile cards. These cards have a "sandpaper" feel where the phonogram is raised. The child then learns how to form the letter, step by step using specific strokes (these strokes are actually taught even before the phonograms are introduced). It is simple enough for my four year old but effective for older kids such as my six year old!
Below are some of the letters that my six year old has been working on and let me tell you,
he is improving tremendously!
This program is working well for us and I plan to continue on with the next levels after we complete level A! The only part of the program that can seem overwhelming at times is keeping all of your materials together! I remember struggling with that when I tried a different aspect of their program in the past so as soon as I received my materials in the mail this time, I immediately found a reusable shopping bag to store my Logic of English materials!
My only suggestion would be to possibly offer a bag of sorts that says, "Logic of English" for teachers or parents to store their materials in, simply to make it easier to keep track of everything!
When all is said and done, I highly recommend this program! It is effective, interactive, easy to teach and fun for the kids! Check out what others have to say by clicking the banner below!
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