I need advice on which homeschooling curriculum to use. I have hear about ABEKA and Sonlight...?

Question

but how do I know which to choose? I have 4 1/2 yr old twin girls and want to do the best for them. I want to start homeschooling but I'm feeling overwhelmed over which program to use. I had one in mind but I've been told that it's only so-so. I looked into going to a convention but are there vendors there? It seems kind of expensive. Thanks in advance for all the advice. :)

Answer 1

There are many great programs out there.  Different programs work for different families.

I think you should start by finding out your children's learning styles.  Then you will be able to find a program that's right for them.  

Here's some information on learning styles:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Here's some information on homeschooling methods:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

I love going to homeschooling conventions so I can ask questions of the different vendors and view materials up close.  Here are some tips for navigating homeschool conventions and vendor fairs:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Good luck!

Answer 2

As a 'newbie' homeschooler --- it's smart for you not to get too overwhelmed right now.

The choices available nowadays are astounding!  (Talk with some folks who tried to do this 20 years ago... now they were pioneers!)

Definitely sign up for a HS convention.  Most offer excellent classes for beginners, but keep in mind that many of these 'classes' are actually vendors trying to hawk their goods.  (Although I love to hear their philosophies, even if I don't buy their stuff.)

At 4 1/2, you'll serve your girls well to simply play and read to them.  Something I used with all my preschoolers was Rod & Staff preschool books.  Very low key inexpensive workbooks, teaching how to use scissors, color, follow directions, etc...

Answer 3

We have three kids. We use Sonlight and we love it.  It's a little more expensive but the legwork and schedules are all done for you.  We looked into ABEKA but we didn't really like the style.  My eldest son was a little put off by the babyish pictures.  I found it to be over the top Christian.  We are Christian and Sonlight is a Christian curriculum but they have a philosophy about books and literature that aligns more closely to our own.  They use real books instead of textbooks and contrived "readers".  The material is interesting and the literature choices are fantastic.  I like that rather than censoring books that some people might consider "controversial", they use the book and address the issues found therein.

Answer 4

It depends on how your children learn best and that may take some research and trying things out.

We use Sonlight and really enjoy it. We enjoy all the reading it involves. Just be sure to have a drink on hand. Sonlight has a return policy. If you buy it and find that you don't like it you can return it if you haven't gone past a certain week. Or you can try to find one you can look at and try from a friend. If you don't know anyone who has it then join a home school group. See if someone there is using it and go watch them for a day.

What I did for my 4yo (last year) was to buy workbooks from Walmart for the first year. This year we ordered him the Explode the Code Series, Handwriting Without Tears, and Math U See Primer. Next year we will order Core 1+2 from Sonlight for him.

We did try another program earlier this year and we hated it. It was ACE. We found the workbooks tedious and boring. It was very self driven (for a third grader) and written so simply my 1 yo could do it (if she could read). We thought it would be great to do something other than what my sister gave me to try when we first started. We went back as quickly as we could.

Going to a convention may be a great thing for you to do. Then you could look at the materials and decide what you would like to try. Just don't fall so in love with one that you close out every other option because just because you like it doesn't mean it will be good for your girls.

Don't let price get in the way of you ordering what you want. We look at it as more of an investment. We have 3 kids all different ages and will use it for each of them. What we order for my 9 yo we will use for the 5yo and 1yo when the time comes. That takes the 900 we spent on it and brings it down to 300.00/ kid. Since we use it for 2 years at a time that brings it down to 150.00/ kid /year. For you if you only have the twins you can look at it like this 900.00/ 2 kids= 450.00 for 2 years thats 225.00 a  year for both kids and you can sell it when your done. Why hang on to stuff you aren't using anymore after you finish it. My aunt sold Core 1+2 on ebay for 400.00 Not so overwhelming now?



If you order the combo packs (Core 1+2) you can use it for 2 years. It is written to be done in one year  but we take our time to do it. We don't stress about doing everything everyday. If it doesn't get done then when we are finished with the 36 week program we go back and do what didn't get done. Usually language arts and science. We will hammer on that at the end of the year until its all finished.

Answer 5

Yes, there are vendors at a HS'ing convention.  That's typically the *only* thing I do at one - visit the vendor hall.  I'm a visual and "touch and see" person and I like to hold any materials in hand and check them out before using.  Many times I've researched something and like what I "see" until I actually see it IRL.  Then I change my mind.

Some conventions have vendor-hall only passes.  They are usually *much* cheaper, if not free.  Many vendors have door prizes and convention-only sales.  I would highly recommend, since you're new to HS'ing, that you do attend a convention - for the seminars.  It will be well worth the $$.

I would also connect with your local HS'ing groups.  Many have "curriculum share" events, which is like a "show and tell" of different curricula and methods they've used.

Abeka and Sonlight are both great programs.  Sonlight was my #2 choice when I was researching curricula (my son was 4.5, too).  However, I realized that the teaching method would put me to sleep - too much reading (it relaxes me!).  I ended up going with K12, and have used it for over five years now.  We do some other curricula, too, but K12 is our "spine".  We use it as independent HS'ers, not through a virtual school.

http://www.k12.com

Read back through the archives here and you'll get some input.  Also, the "Homeschool Review" group on Yahoo Groups is a great place for info.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AHomeschoo...

K12 and Sonlight use a lot of the same books.  Abeka's statement of faith is too conservative for me, as is Bob Jones'.  Also, I didn't think, when looking at it, that Abeka was very broad and deep in their scope & sequences.  I also didn't like their books.  BUT many people love them.  There are as many ways to HS, and books to use, as there are HS'ers :-)

Answer 6

I chose Abeka for my youngest because I saw how successful my nieces were after using it up to 2nd grade.  They went on to public school way ahead of their peers and continue to be advanced because of the solid foundation.  We have continued to use it up to 7th right now but will start a 9th grader in the fall with their DVD program because he kept wanting to sit in his brother's program.  Can't say it's perfect.  Some of the teacher's and student's outfits and appearance are comical since it's a bit dated, but the core material is relevant and interesting.  My complaint is that it doesn't allow me to instruct at all, but relegates me to the "homework" mom of public school systems.  Sometimes this relates to time (a lot of it) being wasted in order to accommodate their teaching method.  If you have trouble teaching a subject and little time to do it yourself, this might be a good program for you.  If your kids want to imagine learning within a classroom, the DVD program can simulate that but along with it comes all the other stuff like waiting for a turn, waiting for kids to think of the answer when they don't even know it, or having homework instead of learning and doing immediately -- unless like my kids you pause the DVD, do the homework and move on.  

I believe that Abeka has a 30 day trial, and that may work for you to get the feel of it or visit their website and watch some sample lessons being taught.  Sonlight might have something similar.