The Starfall Home Membership {Review}
Starfall has always been a staple for early learning at our house. So I was thrilled for the opportunity to review The Starfall Home Membership from Starfall Education Foundation. Having reviewed other curriculums I was eager to compare the differences.
Madelyn began Kindergarten this year and although she is by far the most intuitive of my children, she is still struggling with letter recognition. After weeks of holding up flashcards and trying to work through our curriculum I finally decided to put formal learning aside and take a more relaxed approach to learning this year. We have spent the last few months reading, coloring, baking, and practicing important things like tying our shoes. When I want to sneak in a little more structured learning without her realizing it, I turned to Starfall.
We live in a technology driven world. I know many homeschoolers that resist any technology in their home. I feel strongly that by doing so we are setting our children up for failure when they have to walk into the real world. Instead, I believe in limiting screen time and using the time that they are on it wisely. Programs like Starfall, offer our children the experience of using a computer in a fun and educational way that adds to their learning.
What is different about the free version of Starfall and The Starfall Home Membership? While I have been using the free version for years, I am loving the added features of the membership. Even if you are not taking a more relaxed approach to your child’s early learning years, you could use this as a complete curriculum. The membership site gives you complete access for all activities, including expanded math and reading content for K-2nd grade and additional songs and rhymes are available with an inexpensive Starfall Home Membership of only $35 for an entire year!
One of the great things we have been taking advantage of is the extra printables that Starfall offers. There is a whole section of downloadable worksheets to go along with the lessons.
And if you need some alphabet flashcards, there is an option where you can customize them with either manuscript or block print, add a picture or leave it blank.
Madelyn would prefer to listen to the stories or play the games but because she is still having difficulty identifying letters, we spend a lot of time in the alphabet section of the site. I love that I can print off whatever letter that we are working on to get that added practice. Although letter identification is a struggle for her, she loves numbers and can identify them easily, so if I’m not looking- I often find her on the number lessons.
One of the things I love about Starfall is that there are so many lessons that teach early learning skills. They have lessons on short vowels, long vowels, blending words, and short stories that help you practice each of those. There are also tons of fun songs and seasonal activities.
We will probably continue to use The Starfall Home Membership for the remainder of her Kindergarten year as the home base for her schooling. When I get stuck on what we should be doing next I can jump over to the parent/teacher guide for guidance and direction.
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Angela is the Homeschool Encourager for the Overwhelmed & Under-Caffeinated and the Chaos-to-Confidence Specialist behind Schooling with Grace. With a no-fluff approach, a dash of humor, and a whole lot of heart, she helps homeschool moms cut through the chaos, ditch unrealistic expectations, and teach with confidence.