Wow it's expensive to homeschool. This has been a recurring thought of mine this past week as I have been searching different curriculums. Okay, so to say that I have been searching is an understatement. I started out wading through different options, but soon I felt like I was drowning in a sea of lesson plans and readers. How does a homeschool mom ever choose the best option for her little students?
I have been very happy with ABeka and would recommend it to any of my homeschool buddies. But, after a friend of mine asked a bunch of questions about it, I wondered if I am doing the right thing by sticking with the familiar.
I was a homeschooler from 6th grade on and we used ABeka. Back then, homeschooling was very new to our area, not many people had even heard of it. We got a lot of strange looks, a LOT of questions, and people thought we were weird. I'm guessing there weren't as many curriculum options back then as there are today, so that might have played into why my mom chose ABeka.
Some curriculums are all computer based, some are all textbooks, some are brightly colored with the latest designs, and some look like hand drawn pictures. Some of the curriculums are based on reading while others promise more hands on experiences. And all of them give you the option of buying a complete kit, or the ability to mix and match. The possibilites are endless!
And then there is the cost. Some are about $1000 or more a year, while others are less than $500. What's the difference? Is my child going to get a lesser education with the lesser priced materials??
And what about grade levels? Isaac is going into 3rd grade next year. Is the third grade math the same level in ABEka as it is in, say, Sonlight?
This may not seem so overwhelming for a mom who only has one child to consider....or a mom who has been doing this for many years. But, I have only been on this adventure for about 4 years. I don't know if I have the guts to stray from what is familiar to me. But just because it's familiar, is it the best for my kids? Am I doing them a dis-service by not looking into other options? I think I owe it to them to look through all the choices so that they can get the best possible education. So, I will dive right back into the sea of curriculum. I will pray about this decision, talk it over with Greg, and welcome any advice out there!
So, what curriculum do you use and why?
I'm in the same boat as you, but only homeschool one kid (so far). The multitude of curriculum available is overwhelming! Right now, we're using Alpha Omega Lifepacs for Math and Language Arts. I like that everything is self-explanatory, so he can read the directions and do most of it by himself. It's very easy for him to work independently (which is GREAT when I have to take care of the babies).
ReplyDeleteA con is it seems to skip around a lot: covering several different items in just 1 page, even! And the teacher's manual doesn't fully explain how to teach the subject matter...which isn't a huge deal since it's only 2nd grade.
I sent you further explanation in a FB message.
Happy hunting on your curriculum search! :)
I know that when I was growing up ABeka was the primary curriculum that was used in our homeschooling circles. Homeschooling is much much more popular now. I'm hoping to go to some conferences and group meetings to get started so I can SEE different ones. But I think the main thing will be that you do it - which you've got that part down! Your kids will still learn what they need to learn! I know God will help you land on which will be best and you'll have complete peace in it! :0)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching, we used ABeka almost exclusively for K-4. Beginning in 5th grade, we used ABeka for most things. But we also had some of ACSI's curriculum...I think it's called Intelligent Design or something like that. Also, in 7-8th grades, we used Saxon Math. Personally, as a teacher, I LOVE ABeka! I think it's simple, straight forward, and it is also challenging. My kids were doing things in 2nd grade that Public School kids weren't touching until 3rd or 4th. Plus, I love the way that Christianity factors into every single thing. When I was teaching Grammar in 6-8th grade...I absolutely LOVED ABeka's English books. They are progressive and repetitive. It really helped the kids learn the material because they reviewed so much!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I want to say that I don't think there is anything wrong with staying with what's familiar, especially if it's been proven trustworthy, like ABeka. However, I understand the desire to check other things out. I hope you find the right curriculum for your family.
When we first decided to homeschool, I knew right away that I would use ABeka curriculum.
ReplyDeleteAnd then I started researching.
The conclusion I came to after many hours at my computer, was that each curriculum has it's strong points and weak points. I felt like if I went with any complete curriculum, the kids would be missing out on *something*.
So we chose, instead, to pick and choose our subjects from different companies so that we'd get the strong suit of each. Does that make sense?
Anyhow, this is our third year, and we've definitely tweaked a lot. The math program I chose just didn't work with Drew's brain, so I switched him and he's thriving now. The phonics program that I bought last year was awful and we all hated it, so I scrapped it midyear.
I think homeschooling is a lot of trial and error. And for me, that's the beauty of it. If something isn't working, you have the option of *doing* something about it instead of just living with it like you would have to if they were in regular school.
Let me know if you'd like to know what we use specifically. I'd be happy to share our choices. :)
PS. You asked about grade levels. Math is one of the most frustrating because the scope and sequence is so different from one company to the next. My son and my sister's son are both being homeschooled with different curriculum and are learning very different things in math. It's really frustrating when you need to switch curriculum.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm switching AJ to a new curriculum next year. The new one had a test to take to see if the child was ready. There were things on there that AJ definitely hadn't learned. But they were simple things that I will be able to teach him before he starts the new book.
Most things aren't so different. Math is the worst.
You are so right Laura. Now that I think about it, I guess I didn't love ABeka for math. There were several things in our math books, that I skipped because they were dumb. Of course, that was when I was teaching 7th math. Since English grammar/reading was my focus area, I have the most experience with that and Abeka is fabulous for reading curriculum and grammar (at least in the middle school grades). I can't rave enough about it. But you're right...math is the worst...for more reasons than one! :)
ReplyDeleteCheri, Just a quick note on what we use:
ReplyDeleteScience: Bob Jones/AIG
History: Abeka
Reading: Bob Jones
Phonics: Bob Jones
Spelling: Sequential Spelling
Grammer: Bob Jones
Writing: I am looking for a program and I am thinking WriteShop
Bible: We do our own
Art: Abeka
Math: Bob Jones K-3 then Saxon 4+
Well, I'm not a homeschool mom yet, but I'd be more than happy to chime in about what worked for us.
ReplyDeleteI hated doing Abeka English, but it served me extremely well. I found that I was much more prepared for college writing because of how Abeka pounded things into my head with tons of review. But I learn what I read. Nate did much better with Rod and Staff, which combines reading, grammar, spelling and writing into one class.
I don't think any of the math curriculum we tried ever quite worked for me. Nate did well with the Abeka during elementary school, but Mom ordered the math videos from Pensacola for us because she was afraid she would mess us up somehow if she taught math. And he did the rest of his math at the high school.
We often used the Lifepacs for the more "peripheral" subjects, like home ec, art, health, things like that. There were lots of projects and hands on things that made learning more fun. And Dad would occasionally do science and chemistry experiments and demonstrations in the kitchen. Word to the wise: if you plan to dissect a frog in your kitchen, and you accidentally order a live frog, kill him several days prior to dissection. The beating heart was cool, but the twitching legs were distracting.
One thing I've found as I look for neat things to teach my non-existent kids is the idea of literature based education. This website has a broad index of links to literature under public domain, which would help to cut down on cost in literature books, at the very least. I think somewhere she has a chart w/ links and grade levels, if that's helpful at all.
http://www.oldfashionededucation.com
Hah! There's my completely inexperienced loose change! Good luck, let us know what you come up with!