SpellQuizzer – Spelling Program Review and GIVEAWAY

Spell, S-P-E-L-L, Spell. Do you remember how fun Spelling Bees always were as a child? That was, of course, when we knew our spelling words…

I have recently noticed in my ‘teachery‘ mode that there are certain words that don’t necessarily make good spelling sense, as far as my son knows his phonics. It’s been cute so far to see how his mind sounds out the words, but now that he’s 6, it’s time to work on the actual spelling of the words.

My main problem is time. I can teach him the new words, but that’s really not enough. Reviewing often would be a huge help in reinforcing the words he’s learning. One way I could use would be to have him write the words over and over again – as a list AND in sentences (actually using the words).

This is good for older children, but I don’t find that my 6 young old son is that interested in lots of writing. What he IS interested in is playing computer games. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I was offered a license to review a spelling program that is on the computer!

SpellQuizzer is a spelling software that allows YOU, the parent, to create spelling lists for your child, recording your voice for your child to learn by. I knew as soon as I watched the sample video demonstrations on the website that one little boy was going to be happy. I quickly found that I have not 1, but actually 3 eager students begging to play SpellQuizzer.

As you will see on their website demos - http://www.spellquizzer.com/SpellQuizzer-Demo.htm – spelling lists are simple to set up. You can even share them with your local homeschool groups, sharing your lists with one another. There are also sample lists already set up in SpellQuizzer. SpellQuizzer even has a page set up for homeschoolers here – http://www.spellquizzer.com/Spelling-Software-For-Homeschoolers.htm.

What do we have to say for SpellQuizzer? It’s been a huge hit here with our 6, 4, and almost 3 year old! Here’s how we used it:

6 year old: I created words that he would be familiar with, some easy and some harder to spell. I did have a little trouble figuring out how to use the mic on the computer, since I hadn’t ever used it. Once I got that set up, creating the list was as simple as a few clicks. There’s even an option to write a description of the word, which I wish I had added upfront as I created his lists.

For instance – goats. You can type in ‘goats’, and you even have the option to check if you want to pay attention to caps or not. Then there is an optional description – ‘small animals that you pet at the zoo’. After adding each word, your list is ready to go!

If the child spells the word correctly, they move right on to the next word. After spelling each word correctly, they will hear a crowd of children cheering them on (this is my favorite part). Should they miss a word, SpellQuizzer brings up a box that has the way that the child spelled it, and also the correct spelling.

Once they complete the list, they will have the option to try the list again – for added practice. I was surprised to see that he has actually spelled some of the words wrong – more than one time (on different days). From that I can see how beneficial it is to repeat the lists over and over. This is easy, I just give him a little computer time and he’s set, not to mention excited.

4 year old: I wasn’t sure how excited she would be about this, she occassionally gets frustrated if she hits a roadblock. One thing we have been working on is ending sounds, such as -an, -at, -ox, etc… so I decided to create lists for her based on these ending sounds.

I named the lists with her name, followed by the ending sound she would be learning. This is visible at the top of the quiz, so it would be easy reference if she forgot what she was learning. Example: Jane, -at words.

I was better at recording by now – “Hat, huh-a-t, hat. You can wear a hat on your head, hat.” This was really fun to think up sentences! I also realized by her list that it helped to sound out each letter on the recording.

2 year old: For this big guy, I simply said the letter, it’s sound, and a short phrase like “D, duh, D. D is for dinosaur” (in a really growling, dinosaury way). It’s kinda hard not to laugh at yourself while recording.

SpellQuizzer has been a great addition to our homeschooling, and it works well with any spelling curriculum. This is something the children can do alone, and they excitedly tell me how they did. Oh, and a bonus – they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

And now for the giveaway!!

Dan, from SpellQuizzer, has offered a free license to one special reader! To enter to win, simply visit their website and come back to leave a comment on something you like about SpellQuizzer’s spelling software from watching the demo videos. Contest will end 8/20/2010 at 11:59PM.

If you know someone that would be interested in SpellQuizzer, spread the word via email/ Facebook/ or Twitter!

Mrs. Candace

*Disclaimer – I received a license for use in order to do this review, and have affiliate links in the article. You can also directly type in the website if desired.

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