Why I bought it
I bought the All About Reading curriculum. The main program was $159.95, and then I also bought the letter tiles and the review box, because it says you need those. All in, I spent over $200 on this curriculum.
I had flip-flopped and flip-flopped on buying it. Especially at that price point. Nobody wants to spend money and have it feel like a waste, and when you're a single income family on a budget, you can't just buy curriculum all willy-nilly. Or at least I can't do that.
But it's talked about everywhere in the homeschool community, and I knew my middle guy. Lots of activities, hands-on, games. I was for sure thinking this is what he would like.
The flop
I was completely blown out of the water. He wanted nothing to do with it. He didn't like the games. He didn't like the activities. He didn't like the flashcards. Any of it. It was a bust.
And I felt it. I really felt like I wasted my money. Like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I did that.
The moment it really hit me was about two weeks in. I was dreading doing it and he was dreading doing it. But there was a part of me that kept saying, I bought it, so we have to use it.
Then I finally let that thought go and we switched him to CLE Learning to Read.
I didn't return anything, because I'd already cut a bunch of it up. I figured I'd try to resell it, or just hold onto it since I have another kiddo coming down the pipeline. I just didn't really want to sit on it for five years and we could have really used the money back if we are being honest.
The plot twist
Turns out I'm using it. I moved my oldest back onto it, and he loves it. The activities, the characters, all the interactive stuff. It's the most bizarre thing. Yes, it's level one, but that doesn't mean he can't use it. We're flying through it, two to three lessons a day, because it's mostly review. And review is what we needed.
So the curriculum I bought for one kid is working for another. The middle kid is definitely the wild card.
Don't buy it because everyone online loves it. Buy it because you know your kid. And then still be ready to be wrong.
Thanks for stopping by. See you next time.
Courtney