Sound Foundations - Reading, Writing & Spelling

13/10/2026

We recently had a question from a Canadian parent about the English language spellings in books sent from the US:
❓ "We live in Canada but I see that your Canadian Apples & Pears Sets come from the US. We don't use US spelling here in Canada. Will these books have UK / Canadian spellings?"
✅ Yes. Although our Canadian books are printed in the US, when we receive an order from Canada, we arrange for UK / Canadian versions of Apples & Pears to be sent out.
So it's no problem! Canadian families have used our books with great success for many years. Our Canadian shop is here:
https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/en_CA/shop/
For all enquiries email [email protected]

29/09/2026

❤️ Had a lovely time at The Bloom Room CIC in Barrow yesterday - our local home education group. These two pupils enjoyed every minute there and were very proud of their achievements with Sound Foundations.
Well Done boys!

27/09/2026

A post for local parents here in Lancashire...
I will be at the Bloom The Bloom Room CIC from 11am - 1pm tomorrow with a range of free and discounted resources for reading, writing, spelling and maths. The Bloom Room is a fantastic venture benefiting many local home-educated children.
We at Sound Foundations will always support groups like this.

The Bloom Room CIC creates purposeful, inclusive experiences for children and families across the Ribble Valley — community meet-ups, hands-on experiences and support where children connect, explore and grow, without the pressure to fit one mould.

21/09/2026

A lovely review on Friday from a London Mum whose son has completed Apples & Pears A.

"I just ordered the Apples and Pears set B for my son and wanted to thank you. This program is excellent. We have tried countless spelling programs and he is finally learning to spell.
Thank you again and have a lovely weekend."

There are four books in the Apples & Pears series, A-D. Parents and teachers can download a free test (and other free resources) here to find out where to begin.
https://www.soundfoundations.co.uk/product-category/free-downloads/
For advice on literacy and numeracy, just inbox or drop me a line at:
[email protected]

07/09/2026

😒 Well, it's sad news but the prices of all Sound Foundations books are finally set to increase.
🗓️ For literally years, we have kept our prices fixed while the costs we pay for raw materials, printing, delivery, accounting - and just about everything else - have rocketed.
🏠 Because it's not all about the money to us - it's about helping families with something affordable that really works. Sound Foundations books have always been extremely good value for the benefits they have brought to countless children around the world.
🌏 But now we actually make a loss on some overseas orders (Australians we love you, but please order more than one workbook!). We remain a small family business and we need to keep it sustainable.
❤️ We will always keep prices as low as we can, but have no alternative but to make a significant increase soon. I just wanted to take this opportunity to inform our existing customers (who are often part way through Apples & Pears, Bear Necessities or Dancing Bears) of the changes coming within the next month. If you know you'll be needing another book, it's probably best to order it soon.
❤️ And don't forget, if you're home-educating your children you can always enter the code TAKE10 at checkout for a 10% discount.
Ongoing advice and support is all part of our service and will always be FREE. Just drop me a line, any time, at:
[email protected]

01/09/2026

I often tell parents that I don't worry much about early letter reversals (b/d, p/q etc). This interesting article explains why.

Why children reverse letters and numbers and what the science actually says

02/08/2026

Holiday orders and delivery...
🚙 Our family will be off travelling around Ireland for the next two weeks, but Sound Foundations orders and delivery should be mostly unaffected.
📦 US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: No change
📦 UK: Most orders will be unaffected but please enquire about orders including flashcards (Bearing Away, Bear Necessities A1, Dancing Bears A and Fast Track. There may be slight delays.
❓ EU and elsewhere: As always, please ask about delivery before ordering.
☘️ Ireland: Order now and we might even drop them off!

All enquiries as usual to [email protected]
🌞❤️🌞HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

11/06/2026

A lovely review from a teacher in Brighton yesterday..

"I've used the Dancing Bears programme for many years and swear by it! I'm looking forward to embarking on another DB adventure with a current young student in my class!"

18/05/2026

Well here's our Apples & Pears review from Cathy Duffy in the US. Cathy has been reviewing for the homeschool community since 1984. She also reviews other resources she believes are important for those interested in education. Her primary goal is always to help families educate their own children.
https://cathyduffyreviews.com/homeschool-reviews-core-curricula/spelling-vocabulary/spelling/apples-and-pears-spelling-and-writing
Thanks Cathy!

24/03/2026

3 Years ago today! This came up on my feed. One of the most amazing kids I ever taught!