Curriculum Questions

I have had a few questions regarding what curriculum we use. There are literally millions to chose from. When Kaleb was just about 4-years old I started researching all the different curriculum that was offered. Thankfully, Chad's cousin had Homeschooled her children and gave me tons of magazines to look through. Plus she had some GREAT tips on what curriculum she used and that helped a bunch.

As I looked through all of the information out there, I became very overwhelmed. "Which one is best for my little guy?" I prayed ALOT, asking for guidance in where to go. I felt led to homeschool, but I wanted guidance it which curriculum that was best for us. Then, I received a flyer for a local material showing for Abeka. I thought I would give it a try. I really wanted to get my hands on and look through the material. I just couldn't make a decision by looking from the computer. I had heard about Abeka many times before.

So I went to the showing with an open mind. Let's just say I left the meeting completely convinced that this was an awesome program. We still use Abeka today. I started out thinking that we were just going to use on a year-to-year basis. As of now, I see no reason to change. Here's what I love about Abeka:

Everything is Scripture-based; Spelling tests, readers, and all of the ethics of teaching. The do-your-best mentality is weaved throughout each assignment. Plus, they start with the basics that were taught when our grandparents went to school. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.

When I was is school, it seemed like (looking back) that everything was taught in sections. Like Time, Money, Adding, Subtracting etc. Abeka ties everything together. For instance, they teach counting by fives. Then when he gets that down, we learn the clock and that minutes are counted by fives. Then we learn the nickel. The principle gets cemented in their little minds. The way they do things makes perfect sense to me. That's why I love it!

I have heard many people chide Abeka because it's tough, structured and "too much work." I don't find that. I love it. I believe it prepares them for the world and the hard work that we all know is out there. I find it a great tool for teaching boys to develop a great work ethic.

Again, everyone is different. That's what makes this world great and diverse. :)

Now, I haven't used their (Abeka) Bible program, because it was a little on the pricey side. So I went with Alpha and Omega. We're switching next year, I didn't care for their Bible either. Next year we are going with The Explorer Series. It really gets into Scripture in detail and I read a review of Bible curriculum's and that is what the reviewer liked the most. I like it too.

Please feel free to email me with any questions. jbaxter0619(at) yahoo(dot) com

Sorry for the very long and very detailed post to such a simple question. :)