letter. The Alphabet Songs are on a CD
(words and pictures are on an accompanying cardstock sheet); each song is a four-line rhyming song with an easy tune for
children to sing along.
Blackline Masters V is a set of outline
letters; there are thirteen worksheets, each
containing two letters that children can
first trace with their fingers and then work
up to tracing with crayons, pencils,
markers, etc. Blackline Masters II is a set
of twenty-six pages that give students practice in the formation of the letters; each
worksheet also includes a small picture to
color. The Individual Sticker Set contains
two sets of A–Z stickers (with extra Itchy
stickers) and a cardstock record sheet to
keep track of letters learned (by placing the
stickers on it). The publisher recommends
that the single Desk Strip be mounted on
the student’s desk (laminating is suggested
for added durability and longevity). And
Itchy is a plush inchworm (I recommend
that you also use Itchy as a pointer); he
introduces and represents the letter I.
Other products that I received for
review that are not part of the Starter Kit
for Homeschoolers but are available individually include:
• Large Cards – twenty-six 7'' x 11'' full-color flashcards.
• Small Cards – twenty-six 5½'' x 8½''
full-color flashcards
• Reproducible Readers Set 1 – this set
contains 119 reproducible pages to
make twenty-six booklets (one for
each letter of the alphabet)
• Reproducible Readers Set 2 – this set
can be made into five fold-over books,
three that focus on rhyming and two
that focus on opposites
•Interactive Games CD – this CD
contains three games: memory,
matching, and initial sounds (each
game has a setup option for teachers to
choose all of the letters or individual
letters to be practiced)
• Blackline Masters I – twenty-six 8½'' x
11'' coloring pages (one for each letter)
• Blackline Masters III – this set creates
a fold-over mini-book to color and
practice letter formation
• Blackline Masters IV – twenty-five
worksheets for practice in identifying
initial sounds in words
• Blackline Masters VI – worksheets to
teach children the proper letter forma-tion/direction of letters D, B, and P
• Blackline Masters VII – worksheets to
teach children the proper letter forma-tion/direction of letters G, P, and Q
• Blackline Masters VIII – timed drill
sheets for developing rapid recognition of consonants, vowels, consonant-vowel patterns, short vowel words,
nonsense words, consonant blends,
diagraphs, and two-syllable short
vowel words; also contains a record-keeping and graphing sheet
• Blackline Masters IX – timed drill
sheets for developing rapid recognition of long vowels, vowel + E, vowel
+ R, and irregular vowel patterns; also
contains a recordkeeping and
graphing sheet
•Blackline Masters X – timed drill
sheets for rapid recognition of basic
sight words; also contains a record-keeping and graphing sheet
• Blackline Masters XI – blend sheets
and word lists for developing skills in
listening for blends
• Hands-On-Vowels – plush toys in the
shape of each lowercase vowel (apple,
elephant, Itchy, octopus, and umbrella)
This is a very well-rounded introduc-tion-to-reading program. I feel that Itchy’s
Alphabet has definitely covered all the
bases, as far as introducing letters and their
sounds, letter recognition and letter formation, and early reading skills. All the
components of this program are nice
quality. And I appreciate the fact that all
the blackline masters are reproducible; in
other words, this program can be used with
just one child or a whole classroom (or
large homeschool family), and you have to
buy it only once!
I must admit that upon first opening the
box I was a bit overwhelmed. There is just
so much included with this kit and its
extras. It took me quite a while to sort
through it all and figure out how it all
works together. However, once I had it all
figured out, I was very impressed. Each
individual component comes packaged in a
zip-style plastic bag. I might recommend
hole-punching these pages and filing them
in a three-ring binder with divider tabs for
ease of use. (. . .)
The Starter Kit for Homeschoolers sells
for $79.98 (which is 10% off the price of
purchasing these components individually). I have purchased reading programs
that have cost much more than that and
weren’t nearly as excellent as this one, nor
were they reusable for many children. I feel
that Itchy’s Alphabet is a good value for the
return on your investment—little ones who
not only learn to read but also enjoy doing
so! The extra components (listed above in
bullet points) are not necessary, but they
make wonderful supplements to the
program and are very reasonably priced.
Product review by Heidi Strawser
That will wrap up The Old
Schoolhouse® Magazine’s Fall Laboratory!
We hope you find something to interest
you! See you in the winter!
