AVKO Membership (From the makers of Sequential Spelling)

The makers of Sequential Spelling offered the TOS Crew a free membership to their website, AVKO, so that we could see what they have to offer. Not being familiar with Sequential Spelling myself, I wondered..... why would a $25 membership to AVKO be useful to someone who doesn't use Sequential Spelling???

Well~ I have to say that there is a LOT to be found on the AVKO site, even if you don't have a membership (be sure to check out the freebies ), and even if you don't use Sequential Spelling (Which I discovered is especially useful for those who are struggling with teaching someone with dyslexia, as the author of the program is dyslexic himself).

but with the $25 membership... WOW! What a lot of information!

• For Sequential Spelling users there are supplemental materials... wordsearches, Vocabulary Illustration Worksheets, and Advanced Vocabulary Flashcards
  
• MP3's ~ 6 mp3 recordings of Don McCabe presenting workshops at various homeschool conventions.
• Reading Comprehension Pages~ A page with "Instructional Ideas" and MANY reading comprehension documents. You will want to preview these, as what some families don't consider appropriate humor have others rolling on the floor. (Do you know what a Tom Swiftie is?)
  
• ebooks that are offered free to members (Click on the links below to see the Tables of Contents when available, and free pdf samples)

1. Word Families In Sentence Context ~ bundled with
2. The Patterns of English Spelling
3. To Teach a Dyslexic
   
4. The Reading Teacher's List of Over 5,500 Basic Words
5. The Teaching of Reading and Spelling:A Continuum from Kindergarten Through College This book is fairly "Academic", in that it is intended as a supplementary textbook for those who plan to teach... in either a classroom OR homeschool setting.
   

• And I think my favorite thing, as a non-Sequential Spelling user.... They have teamed together with SpellingCity.com to give instructions to create your own customized spelling program that includes the things MY kids enjoy in their spelling workbooks... wordgames and worksheets with the added benefit of multimedia features.... This is a very inexpensive option because you are able to create your own program each year, after the initial investment in the membership.
  
• Last but not least, members receive a 25% discount on AVKO's printed materials.

So~ Check it out, check out my fellow TOS Crew Members' Reviews, and as always, I hope that this review will help you as you make choices about what purchases will best suit your family. Blessings~