Complete Abeka Homeschool Curriculum - Great for Earlier Elementary
by Anita Shank
I began homeschooling 6 years ago. I had no previous teaching experience and I was not homeschooled. I chose Abeka homeschool curriculum because I wanted something to guide me every step of the way and to give my children a complete education. It was a bit overwhelming at first as I tried to implicate every instruction and assignment, but I soon began to modify it to our needs. The workbooks were colorful and did well at explaining concepts- although heavy on review. The teaching manuals were not always necessary but good as a resource/guide. I now have 4 students; grade 6, 3, K and pre-K. My oldest used Abeka from 1st grade until 5th grade. We decided to change grammar to Easy Grammar as Abeka 5th grade grammar seemed a bit complicated in their grammar methods. He understands it much better this year. We also changed math to Bob Jones because Abeka seemed over the top in review and he, although understanding concepts fine, was getting burned out on math and could not have progressed more quickly with their format. Bob Jones offers a thorough explanation but a lighter workload. For writing we switched to Wordsmith Apprentice, which he loves being like a newspaper editor. His excitement for school has greatly increased this year. I also have begun using Exploration Education for science which is so much more interactive and hands on, the children light up with joy when it's time for science. My conclusion is that Abeka worked well for us as a foundation from 1st grade until 4th grade, modifying it to fit our needs. Usually we decreased the amount of seatwork and additional writing/memorization. (The Abeka sales rep even explained to me that the Kindergarden curriculum is just a glorified coloring book – the Basics Skills workbook purchased at the store works well for Pre-K/K.) 5th grade seemed to overwork the student and not provide enough interaction to keep him excited about learning. I also was able to purchase my teacher manuals used at a local homeschool bookshop to save on the expense as well as reuse the readers for consecutive students. Usually past editions worked except for history. Thanks for the informative Abeka homeschool curriculum review, Anita. Your experience will be very helpful to others. Blessings, Heather :) Learn more about Abeka homeschool curriculum or read more Abeka curriculum reviews to find out what other parents think. Would you like to leave a comment? Use the link below... |
