Review: Eclectic Foundations Language Arts Level A

Today I share with you a review from Eclectic Foundations. We received and utilized Eclectic Foundations Language Arts Level A in our home. This is the first level of their program and is designed for new readers. This program can be ordered as a physical project or a digital project. We received a physical copy of this product. 

I am recommending this product whole-heartedly. I think it was a great fit for my daughter Abigail who is in pre-k (age 5), and I honestly think we may continue working through this product with her as she gets older. I also tried this program with my three-year-old daughter. She was definitely able to do some of the work but some of it she was not mentally ready for. I would recommend this to be used by children ages 4-6, but you could definitely make it work from about 3-7 and fit it to your child's individual needs. 

There are three levels of this product currently available: 

• Level A: early/new readers 
• Level B: if your child is able to read simple words and is ready to move on to silent "e" words
• Level C: Designed for advanced 2nd or 3rd grade.

What I loved about this product is that Eclectic Foundations is a COMPLETE curriculum for phonics, grammar, spelling, reading comprehension, handwriting, comprehension, AND poetry. Instead of requiring many books, there is just what is pictured below (our Australian Shepherd Ritter decided he definitely wanted to be a part of this photo): 

From left is a reader which you don't begin utilizing into later in the program. The second book is Abigail's workbook that is a consumable product she uses everyday. In the middle are some flashcards which also do not come into play until later in the lessons. The fourth item is a set of "Appendixes" that are laminated so Abigail can write on them and reuse the pages. And then the last guide is my personal teacher's guide.

The other thing I loved about this product is that it is taught from a Biblical world-view. I am always eager to incorporate the Lord and the Bible into all aspects of our education. 

This program begins with a four-day study of each letter. These are short lessons (probably between 5-15 minutes long). The activities from week to week are repeated and capital and lowercase letters are used. The letter sounds are introduced and reading is gradually implemented. Each day we would open it up to the next lesson and simply follow the instructions for what to do. 

Here is a photo of Abigail practicing her letters:

Abigail worked mostly on sounds and handwriting. There were pages that allowed her to match uppercase letters with their lowercase partner. Abigail really enjoyed what we did every day. You were encouraged to takes as much or as little time as you needed going through each lessons. Because Abigail was already doing a little reading when we got this program, she moved through the lessons relatively quickly. 
I have only good things to say about Eclectic Foundations. It is a fantastic (and incredibly affordable!) product. Eclectic Foundations Language Arts Level A is designed to last an entire school year, and it would only cost you around $85 for the entire product. Very reasonable for something that covers everything language arts you need for the year.