4myboys, I’ll share a little history first, just to give you some background. I have 4dc, basically 2 pairs. The older boys are just 2 yrs apart and the same w/ the 2 littles (dd + ds), and there is 3.5 yrs between the pairs. The littles have been home from the beginning w/ some time a PreK, which was just basicaly structured playtime.
The older boys had been at private school for 4ys/2yrs and then a yr at ps. (I had debated hsing at that point but because of those around me had decided to give the ps a chance. right!) We started hsing when they were in 3rd and 5th grade. Academically, they were on the same page in some subjects because of oldest’s LD’s. This had been a struggle for him for a long time and we always stressed his strengths and the way God made him special in his own way, including his weaknesses. He had strengths and weaknesses like others did, and they were all special in their own ways.
Spelling was one area that they were on the same page. Oldest struggled w/ reading fluency and spelling was horrendous (VERY phonetic) while younger was strong and a natural. Ds was tested in 1rst, but because of the strong teaching he had at the private school, he couldn’t get help. We tried having him retested in 4th (which should have happened), but the ps didn’t. Finally, in 7th, he was tested again and was formally diagnosed and able to get support/help.
Then, I found AAS. I debated over where to start, knowing Level 1 would be easy for him, and probably level 2 as well. (He started w/ ABeka and had a solid foundation.) But, *I* wanted the foundation from the program and understanding of what was covered beforehand and how. Then, when he asked me questions, I could answer it from the program. So, I started w/ Level 1. We basically did one lesson a day. He has done level 1 and about half of level 2. If he had been home, then we would have continued.
For 2 yrs he has been at the ps, but he’s asked to be hsed again. (YEAH!) I wasn’t sure what we were going to do. A lot of people using AAS had recommended MegaWords while waiting for more levels to be available. While I have those in mind, I am still considering picking the AAS back up. He’ll be in 10th gr and it’s a lot of levels to do, cost is a consideration. We will go through them quickly, for a bit, but I know deep in my heart that he really needs this foundation. So, I believe that I *am going to use these w/ him.
Now, the younger ds is at about the same point, even though we did it a bit differently. He went to the ps last yr for 7th but will be home for 8th. I saw some of his writing samples from this yrs’ work, and I am shocked. His spelling was atrocious! So, we *will* be doing AAS w/ him, too. Again, we will be going through them fairly quickly, but they need this.
Your son will probably enjoy AAS. Because it uses the tiles, verbal responses, and I use the white board w/ dry erase markers, it is much easier for them and seems like fun. AAS is easy to adjust for those w/ special needs, like dysgraphia. Yes, because they are older (and your’s a strong reader), those early levels will move quickly. There will be things that need review, though, so don’t think it won’t help them. I can’t remember specifics, but I do know there were a few things that surprised me.
Now, to answer your questions…
You could start your older son in AAS and wait until he’s done w/ a level before starting the younger. You could probably do 2 levels even, allowing you to focus on the one. My boys are going to be starting at the same point again, along w/ dd. I have 2 sets of student materials, that I am passing down to the youngers as we go. The cd isn’t necessary unless you have a strong accent and need that extra help. You could use the tiles on the table, but for ease of storage and time-saving for yourself, it’s helpful to have them on something like a magnet board. I do copy the chart and the certificate to use w/ the youngers but you could make these up easy enough on the computer if you’re uncomfortable w/ that. Otherwise, everything else is basically non-consumable.
When using the program w/ more than one dc, the tiles are fairly easy to keep straight. I have a baggie w/ their names on it that stores the tiles they have used which are not left on the board for the others. The ones we haven’t covered yet are in another bag. You could use the same set of cards, but that’s a bit harder to do. Keep a piece of notebook paper and just jot down which cards go w/ which boy for review. That’s really the only thing to remember.
I know what you mean about cost. I am trying to figure out what I need to do as well. W/ my older boys coming back home after not ordering for those 2 yrs, I am starting over for those yrs – and HS is not cheap! But, I would rather try to figure something out than not have them home. Also, remember that you can order some now and then order later. You don’t have to get it all at once. If you know that you’re going to need it in 2 moths, then maybe you can tuck a couple dollars a week away until that time comes.
The other thing I’m possibly doing is using the older MW workbooks to fill in. I was able to get all 8 of the older vs of the AK’s. These have the pages of the workbooks in them w/ the answers. I will be typing up the pages on my computer for our own use. So, we’ll see what works out as we go.
WOW! This has been long and full of lots of info. Not sure if it’ll help or not, but I hope someone can benefit. If you have more questions, ask away! 
K
