We are really loving Heritage Studies. We haven’t started the science yet. As for Language Arts I don’t know that I can give a full review. We were having some struggles and in the process of figuring out the cause we set our curriculum to the side and took a different approach and my daughter is loving what we are doing now so we haven’t gone back yet. We discovered my daughter needed glasses and that was the big issue. I don’t think it was the curriculum but my daughter is doing really well right now and loving school so I just haven’t wanted to change what we are doing. I need to make a video and fully explain our thoughts.
Same. I used bju for 3 years (k-2nd) two kids and had to check every single thing monday-friday all 180 days all videos because i thought thats what i needed to do to fufill a day worth of schooling. Because its so engrained into my brain to do all that was planned out for each day, my current choices constantly make me feel like im not doing enough.
I completely understand that. I’m a “box checker” and it’s such a hard habit to break. I also feel like the balance between not doing enough and doing to much can feel like a never ending battle. We have made some changes and I’m looking forward to sharing them. It’s not what I thought our year would look like at all but my kids are happy, learning, and enjoying learning!
I think people have a misconception that you have to do Abeka one way, which is so far from the truth. We love Abeka and we always make it our own. I think both BJU and Abeka are really excellent curriculum.
Absolutely! Thank you for saying this. Navigating changes and figuring out what is going to work best for my daughter it has been challenging. I needed to hear this it was a good reminder!
I totally relate to the rough start! I was so torn about the curriculum up until the last minute and my concerns were absolutely valid. After about six weeks we switched from the Good and the Beautiful to Master Books. We had issues with distraction by all the pieces and activities plus my middle child no longer napping meant she was there to "help." But now I have nothing but great things to say about Master Books. She loves it, I love it, and it's quick enough that the 3 year old can be distracted for most of it.
I’m so glad you found what works! It can be so challenging when things just aren’t working. We have made some changes that I’m looking forward to sharing. School goes so much better when our kids are happy and enjoying learning!
I would love to share something like this, I'm just not sure how to do it. We have decided not to share our children on the internet so doing a day in the life or a lesson with me is a bit challenging.
I’m also interested in getting the Little house on the Prairie series in color. The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls is a series you might be interested in, it’s an adventure series that goes through the stories of the Bible.
Our school day is normally about 3 hours. That includes family time and working with each child individually. They are at an age that is really hard for me to multitask. I also have baby that being lots of distractions into the mix. Of the 3 hours about 2 of it is for my K/1st grade daughter. We also don’t do every subject everyday.
We definitely have more than one a year but most of time we can work through it and accomplish most of our school to do list. I just try to not let it become a habit! Today was definitely one of those days for us but we pushed through and only have one subject left to go.
This was a great review. New subscriber here. I love bju materials. They have great resources. I also have a channel mainly about homeschooling and would love to be friends and connect here!
I have not but I did have to contact customer service over the blue ink in the one book and they were great! So I’m guessing their consultants are great too!
I totally get where you're coming from. I did a boxed curriculum last year (Sonlight). I liked the structure but looking back I see things that I would have preferred doing differently but was scared to not check something off the list. As a result I have yet to pick curriculum for next year due to decision paralysis!
I’m glad I’m not alone! Picking curriculum can be so hard. I guess we do our research, pray about it, then pick and God takes care of the rest. But being in a place of undecided can be so overwhelming. I hope you find peace in picking a curriculum for next year soon! I’d also love to know what you decide on. I love hearing what other families are using.
Curious as to what your reasons were for not using BJU before? I went to a convention last week in TX. I’ve heard of BJU, but hadn’t given it much thought. I visited their booth & had a bit of price sticker shock lol. However, I loved their spelling curriculum & splurged on it.
There were several reasons, but the cost was a big one. BJU Press is definitely one of the expensive curriculums. Another factor was that it has 180 lessons. I prefer curriculums that have 120 to 160 lessons because it gives more wiggle room for field trips, room to incorporate other activities related to what we are learning, room to slow down and take more time on a lesson without feeling behind, etc. The biggest reason it felt more like school at home than homeschooling. I like to make things our own and customize them to what works for us, and I didn’t feel like I could do that with BJU Press. I felt like it was sticking me in a box, and I had to do what they said to do when they said to do it. I love the traditional teaching method BJU offers but I want to do it my way. I am also a box checker and felt like I would be in a constant battle with myself to not feel like I had to check all the boxes. I had a hard time shorting this answer down, so I made a video explaining it more. Hopefully, it helps give a better insight into my thought process and why I changed my mind. I hope the spelling works for your family! I really like how BJU Press does spelling and looking forward to using it.
I love these types of videos! There’s a lot of generic stocking idea videos, but I prefer to see more personalised ideas from videos like this because they are more likely to trigger more thoughtful gifts ideas for my own family
Wow, you got some adorable gifts! I have to go find that pet store! And I love those folding unicorn chairs… oh and I love the washer/dryer… my little one would love throwing all of her Our Generation clothes into the washer/dryer…. She’s obsessed with “helping” me with our regular laundry… Thanks for all of the great ideas. I’m sure your little girls had a magical Xmas morning..
I like planning but the sticky notes would be way to much for me. I can just imagine my toddler ripping them up.... lol. I invested in erasable pens I have 3 kids but I just write either page numbers or little notes for where we should be then remove if needed. I also keep a stamping system where I will stamp it once it’s actually complete that way I can carry over to the next week.
I have thought about using erasable pens but just haven’t done it. I also might need to get over my need for my planner to look like perfection 🤣 it would definitely be easier to just write it in the planner!
We love the “That’s Not My … “ books. I read “That’s Not My Zebra” to Amelia all the time and she loves them. Thank you for sharing this. I never knew what was in the kit but now I do!
Thank you for watching! I put this video out there because it was something I searched for. I wanted to know if it had books my girls would actually enjoy and not just supplies. I didn’t know there was a That’s not just my Zebra Book. I might have to look into getting that one. One of my girls really likes Zebras. Thanks for sharing!!!
These are some great tips! I feel like making it fun is SO important because ultimately, if we're not making it fun and engaging then they're not going to want to learn.
I had to look into this because I wasn’t 100% percent sure what was offered with this course. Abeka tends to have teacher’s editions for everything so I assumed they must have had one. It looks like it comes in three parts and has a student visual and a teacher’s guide for each lesson. I have added the links for you. I did not purchase them because I wanted to do my own thing. I read the worksheets with my daughter, discuss them, and color/do the activity on that page. Then I read books to her about that topic. I have checked these out from the library or purchased some. I also add in anything additional I feel is fitting. Community Helpers www.christianbook.com/abeka-homeschool-community-helpers-visuals/pd/202037?event=ESRCG America: Our Great Country www.christianbook.com/abeka-homeschool-america-great-country-visuals/pd/402045?event=ESRCG Children of the World www.christianbook.com/abeka-homeschool-children-the-world-visuals/pd/402053?event=ESRCG I hope this helps and thank you for watching my video!!!
My email didn't inform me of your reply so please excuse me for my delayed response. Thank you very much for all this information. I'm so excited to begin this with my children. I'm not qualified to teach, but God equips and I thank Him!! Have a great day and thanks again for sharing!!
Love TGATB and Explode the Code! We are using their Handwriting, LA and Math too! Excellent curriculum haul... Thanks for sharing! We are going into our second year of homeschool with my 2nd grade daughter. Have a fun year!
Thank you for watching! It’s awesome to hear other families are loving some of the same curriculums we picked. Picking curriculum can feel overwhelming...so many choices lol. I hope you and your daughter have an amazing year 💕
