Celebrate Home School In Jakarta Indonesia

Religious curriculum, created for regular private classroom and adapted for homeschool use with available teacher's manuals.  Complete grade kits are available, individual subjects are planned out in the teacher's manuals.  Still requires some planning of your own, supplements purchases such as any desired manipulatives, flashcards, etc.  Video teaching available.
Full DVD k-12 available.

• Reviewed on Saturday, April 15, 2006
• Grades Used: 1st-3rd
• Dates used: 2003-2006

• Reviewed on Monday, May 16, 2005
• Grades Used: K-2
• Dates used: 2002-2005

Abeka is a very good curriculum. I feel like it covers all the basics. The lesson plans tell you exactly what to say and do. The student workbooks are colorful. My daughter learned to read very well using Abeka.

However, after three years of using Abeka, I have found that it is not working for us. Here are some of the reasons why.

It seems to have alot of busy work.

It move too fast---especially in math.

It is set up more for classroom than for homeschool.

It is too scheduled for us.

The reasons why I don't like Abeka may be the very reasons why you would like Abeka. What may not be right for us, may be the perfect fit for you.

We just need something a little more relaxed and a little less structured. We want something that covers all the basics, but that also leaves a little more time for exploring and researching topics of interest and alot more time for reading books aloud as a family.

 

• Reviewed on Wednesday, March 15, 2006
• Grades Used: 9th
• Dates used: 2005-2006

We enrolled our 14 yr old son in the Abeka Academy. That was the biggest mistake of our lives. Not only did they get his last name wrong but we had to make a total of 5 calls and several emails before someone there finally corrected it. They couldn't understand why my son's previous school could not send them the transcripts. I'm sorry but if you have the student's name wrong, hello, he doesn't exist on their records!

Customer service was always poor. I had problems every time I tried to enter my credit card online. It would always decline. Once I called them and gave them the info over the phone, it miraculously went through without a hitch! My, my -- miracles happen when you get on their case.

I asked to be put on automatic draft. Guess what? They didn't have the mental capacity to get that done either. I look in my account to make sure the payment was put through. It didn't. Big surprise! NOT!! But guess what -- there was a late charge fee of $20.00 that I had to pay before I could even access my account any more. I contacted some goober by the name of Brad Fairbanks who is supposed to be the manager of accounts or whatever he feels his title should be for that day. Lo and behold...he didn't see that they had made a mistake so refused to waive the $20.00 fee.

Reported them to the Better Business Bureau and cancelled our enrollment with them. They are not worth the hassle. Their customer service has nothing better than a primary education, if that, at best. Their social skills, well, you can imagine. They are rude and uncaring. And all this from a so-called Christian school!

If you don't mind getting ripped off and waiting on the phone for a very long time whenever you have questions, then by all means go to this stupid "school"; if you, on the other hand expect respect and somewhat of a decent treatment for the huge amount they charge for their DVD program -- Run...and don't ever look back.

The Better Business Bureau has them listed as UNSATISFACTORY due to their lack of business ethics and cheating people out of money. I wish I had checked with them before embarking on this hellish nightmare.

 

• Reviewed on Friday, May 27, 2005
• Grades Used: 4
• Dates used: 2005

We homeschooled for one year using SOS. My daughter has learning disabilities and reading is very hard for her. She was getting very burned out with SOS and all the reading she had to do for each lesson and sitting at the computer for hours. She was not having any fun and we were thinking of sending her back to school. She literally hated doing school work.
We decided to look into Abeka and the DVD option. We had heard that Abeka was harder and we were concerned that it would be over her head. We were also concerned about the cost of the program but decided to give it a try. So far we are very pleased with the program. The DVD's are easy to use and she can use them on our TV or in her computer. She is able to follow along with the teacher and the class with no problem. If she does not understand something she simply hits the reverse button. She enjoys watching and listening to the teacher and the children in the class. Having the children in the class read the material out loud while she follows along in her own book has taken a lot of the stress out of her learning. She participates as if she were in the class and answers the questions out loud. She enjoys trying to answer the teacher's questions before the other students do. The books and workbooks are good quality.

• Reviewed on Wednesday, March 24, 2004
• Grades Used: 7
• Dates used: 2003-2004

I just wanted to say that I began using the Abeka Videos out of desperation. My son had just entered middle school and I could see immediately that it wasnt going to work. He was constantly stressed, and the pressures from other children were causing him to want to lash out all the time. I pulled him out of school two months later, and began homeschooling. After going through my panic stage of oh Lord, what have I done, I truly love this program and plan to use it again next year. My son's stress level has been cut in half. He is more pleasant to be around, he is able to participate in other activities because he is not bogged down with homework all night...he has learned math the right way...meaning he can do it on paper now, instead of on the computer as he was being taught in public school...I actually see his progress...he enjoys most of his teachers, and is already asking who he will have next year. The books are thorough and clear. The cost is definitely more affordable than private school. We have many homeschooling families in our church and 99% of them use A Beka. They all love it.

• Reviewed on Thursday, September 22, 2005
• Grades Used: 7th grade
• Dates used:

My daughter just started attending a Christian School that uses the A Beka books. Even though I have been helping her and she has had much indvidual attention, the books alone were not enough for her to throughly grasp the basic information. My daughter has not had difficulty with other programs used. I thought that the A Beka DVDs might help my daughter and give her extra input on different subjects. A Beka is a "hard sell" program and they are not flexible, even with parents already using the program. A Beka refused to sell the DVDs separate from the books, even though I already purchased the books--just 3 weeks ago! Buyers beware! Look at other programs first, that may have more flexiblity and be more supportive of the customers.

• Reviewed on Tuesday, May 23, 2006
• Grades Used: K4
• Dates used: 2006

My son is extremely bright and extremely diligent, wanting to please,and has a fabulous attention span. But this program is so repetitive it is quite boring. The Teacher's Manual changed almost nothing from the school version to the homeschool version.

The only thing I can say I liked is that the penmanship book was pretty clear.

Absolutely horrible for us. And rather expensive!

Just get Explode the Code Primers and work through those. Then move onto Phonics Pathways. Or Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading or Reading Made Easy. 

• Reviewed on Saturday, April 15, 2006
• Grades Used: 1st-3rd
• Dates used: 2003-2006

A Beka has been wonderful!! My daughter has been using it for 3yrs and she out passes her friends even a year ahead of her. That is compared to public schools, Ace, and British state & private schools. I tried ACE for a while at the end of her 2nd grade, due to moving to a new country. With the ACE placement test she was a grade ahead in some subjects and grade and half in others. Now not to say ACE is behind it is very good also. My mom used it for me when growing up and I'm sure if we continued in it at the end of her schooling one would be just as advanced as the other. Though with A Beka she enjoys her schoolwork and gets only A's.
As a mother/teacher I am very happy with her knowledge. Though it is hard for me to keep on track with preparing the lessons. It is a give-n-take. You have to know how much you are able to do. If you don't have the time to commit, do what is best to keep your child on track for their learning potential.

• Reviewed on Tuesday, June 29, 2004
• Grades Used: K4-3rd grade
• Dates used: 2000-present

I have read many of the reviews and agree with many points on many of them. What we have to keep in mind here is we are all unique individuals with our own learning technique. And, we are teaching each of our unique individual children each with their own learning technique. With homeschooling if one curriculum is not working try a different one. There is nothing wrong with using a different curriculum for each subject. And for those who like to use 1 certain curriculum to teach everything and it works....GREAT! We are just about done with our 4th year of homeschooling. I had all 3 of my children within a 4 year timeperiod. So, they are close in age. I have used Abeka this whole time and have loved it very much. It is working well for our family. Yes, it has pros and cons. Doesn't everything on this imperfect world? No one will ever find the perfect curriculum. This world is incapable of perfection. Only God has that ability. Anyway, the best way to see if you like something is to try it. We are trying something different for my son's 4th grade year to help free some time up for me. However, I also have all of his 4th grade Abeka waiting just in case it doesn't work out. Abeka is very well put together. It is very simple to use for me. Everything is lined out for you. They even help you explain it to your child. Very little preperation is needed to prepare for lessons. Yes, they review alot and yes, it is ahead of public school. But, look how our public school system has gone downhill at a very increasing pace over the last 20 years. This whole time of teaching my son Abeka I have been relearning with him. It has also made me realize how much the public school system did not teach me and left out. I think that their History program is wonderful and VERY interesting. That is one subject I am going to still teach and not switch. Plus, their phonics program is the best we have used. I have looked at and/or tried other phonics programs and so far nothing compares. The reading program is very, very good as well. That along with the writing are the other 2 things I am still going to do with my son. I feel that they have gone above and beyond to make learning for the children fun and interesting. From the very colorful illustrations to the wonderful stories and creative activities all the way to all the wonderful visuals and flashcards. It's a proven fact that people will retain more of what they are being taught if they have visuals to help them remember and reinforce what they are learnig. To relate to what they are learning. Yes, there are alot of books to buy. However, it is very easy to find them used. I have gone to a website that sells used curriculum for 4 years and always paid 1/2 price for my Abeka.
And, I was considered LD in public school. They didn't know how to teach me. They can't mold to the children who are slow or to the children who are ahead. No classroom setting, whether it be private/Christian or public can do that. But, one-on-one teaching can. We have done alot of changing even with using the same curriculum (Abeka) in my technique of presenting it. And, yes, you can supplement each subject if you need to. Whether it be a related field trip, or book to read, video to watch or make a craft, etc. It's all open to find what works for you and your child(ren). I for one am very pleased with the last 4 years with Abeka. I got my son tested this year and the tests came back that he is ahead in math (they even suggested that I find a more challenging curricula for him) and even in the areas that he showed weakness in here at home he tested out at average to above average in. I was very, very pleased. I personally do not want to move my child ahead just because he shows that he is ahead in certain areas within that subject. I want to make sure that he really learned it and that it's sticking. He also needs to be able to apply it. I just cut down the repitition and cut down the worksheets alittle so it doesn't dirve him nuts. Anyway, it's all adjustable. Abeka has definately been a blessing for us!

 

 

"Since 1970 Accelerated Christian Education has published individualized curriculum and provided training in its implementation for grades K-12. Students are tested diagnostically upon entering schools or home schools using the program. Students are then placed in the curriculum in each subject at their own performance levels determined by the results of the diagnostic tests.The unique format of the curriculum allows students to advance from unit to unit as they demonstrate mastery. Students move independently through the curriculum under the supervision of instructors who provide tutoring at the optimum moment of learning.Accelerated Christian Education is more than quality academics. The curriculum is built on a theistic philosophic foundation. Students learn to see life from God's point of view. Their personal relationship with God and their personal responsibilities to family, church, and community are of primary concern.Each year, Accelerated Christian Education hosts exciting national and international conferences, seminars, and conventions for educators, parents, and students. These events provide opportunities for practical application, leadership, and training."

• Reviewed on Saturday, May 06, 2006
• Grades Used: 1st and 4th
• Dates used: 2005-2006

• Reviewed on Wednesday, April 12, 2006
• Grades Used: pace equivalents of 2nd,3rd,5th
• Dates used: 2005-2006

First let me say that we were coming from A BEKA DVD school for 4 years. A BEKA gave a good foundation, but we felt it was time to switch. One daughter was lapsing behind and there was no spark. Also it was quite pricey.

I am pleasantly surprised at how well ACE has worked out.
We have done it for all subjects except Bible. It is extremely teacher friendly!

I'm glad I gave diagnostic tests first. I can see how a program would be boring if a student was just placed by age and ended up going over things already covered before. Especially in a mastery style program. Placing them where they belong in each subject is the KEY. We are more concerned for them to learn their subject well, and not so much what grade level they are in.

What has done well for our kids is being able to do work in small increments and not waiting for a whole lesson by a teacher. The pace actually teaches them the lesson in a way just right for their level. They do a few pages(3-5) in each subject a day. It can be done any time of day or night, and easily be taken with you if travelling. I found that giving little breaks as an incentive when certain subjects were done worked well with this program. It is easy to pick up and stop when you need to.

The daughter that was lapsing behind has imoroved tremendously in her reading ability. I think it is because of all the practice she gets just reading the simple directions, pace comic strips, and science and social studies lessons. She is eager to read now.All the kids are excited when they finish a pace or has a new concept to learn.

We regularly hear a running account of scientific or history facts without even asking, and one daughter quoted her 6 times table to me today. She was just so excited she knew it and it was all from instruction in a pace. I have also seen improvement in spelling.

The negatives to the program is:
It can be easy for a student to mush their way through by just filling in the blanks if a parent does not check up on their work.

The least favorite subject was Literature and Creative Writing which I put aside for later. A good thing though, is once they got the hang of the ACE style, I found out they started doing it on their own.

It is truly self instructional. And I would definitely add motivational.

• Reviewed on Tuesday, February 07, 2006
• Grades Used: K-12
• Dates used: 1982-1995

I went to a very small ACE School from Kindergarten till HS Graduation. I have mixed thoughts about ACE - I remember in college someone saying that ACE was too easy, and I didn't believe them. However, I was receiving HS credit in 7th grade in Science, Social Studies, but the flip side was I was doing 7th-8th grade work in Math in HS - and receiving HS credit for it. I remember thinking it wasn't really HS work, and being a little upset that other students were doing that in all of their subjects and getting credit for it (while I had to do the advanced work) - and stopping that subject when they had enough PACEs for a credit (12 PACEs=1 credit hr). Of course this would be completely different in a home-school situation. Ok, on with the curriculum - the English Grammer is very good - however, the way they diagram is very different from ABeka, so switching from one to the other could be quite confusing (trust me used ABeka in college). I didn't have any special writing (or Literature) PACEs, so my experience may be out of date, but I found it myself struggling in college with freshman composition. I didn't know how to write interestingly, and I didn't know how to detect run-ons, however, I became a writing major and overcame those obstacles (for the most part) Social Studies isn't that great - I remember taking part in history contest when I was in middle school and not even recognizing any of the material on the test. Science was alright (esp. when they came out with the one workbook, one text version). Word Building (Etymology in 9th grade) was boring, but I learned to spell and all about suffixs and prefixs, so it did it's job.
Now the big thing - ACE math is not good at all. Yes, I know math and am not totally dependent on calculators or my fingers, but I think that is owing more to my parents then the PACEs. They don't really teach it (or didn't - keep in mind that this was a long time ago). It gives one (maybe 2) examples, that usually has nothing to do with the problems you are doing, and it was quite frustrating. Esp. those PACEs that dealt with fractions and decimals. In the entire history of my school (~30 years), only one person passed MATH 1077 the first time around and that was my little brother (who ironically got a 100). I spent several months on it - and only passed finally because for that PACE (and another math), the passing grade (with a conference it was called - AKA redo just the test not the PACE) was lowered to a 70, and that was expected for that PACE. That was the worst example, but many of the Math PACEs had the same lack of explanation. So I wouldn't recommend ACE math - unless they changed drastically.
Other stuff, I like the Bible Memorization, I can still recall verses I had memorized then. Also the way they do the memorization is good as well, a young child doesn't have to write out a whole verse, just fill in the blanks, but she does have to recite it from memory. And as you get older the verses become more and more difficult and the blanks become fewer and fewer till they go away altogether. Ace, Christi and company (illustrations used to teach character), when I was very little I liked them (I even used to read other kids' PACEs), it was almost like having a comic book. However, when I grew older I became very fond of drawing faces on them - because they were just so cheesy (Think Gallant from Goofus and Gallant in Highlights).
Oh and I have a suggestion, If you are wondering if they are right for your child or if they are not challenging enough, go to their website and take the Diagnostic Test. You take it not your child. You may probably be astonished (at least in HS) one what is expected to know.

• Reviewed on Saturday, July 23, 2005
• Grades Used: 1st-3rd, & High School
• Dates used:

No curriculum is perfect for everybody, and all will have pros and cons. I've been using SOT for 5 years. My daughter graduated 2 years ago, and had nothing but Paces since 9th grade. Upon graduating, her English scores are incredibly high, and she has since gone on to write her first book that has great potential. Math, on the other hand, has been a struggle for both her and my 12th grader. I have never had the feeling that they really got it. My 4th grader has done very well and so far, no complaints. I have to question any Christian family for complaining about the wholesomeness of this curriculum. The cartoons, though corny maybe, are good for the kids. My kids have not been exposed to all the new-aged factors that would make them even notice that only the boys do fun stuff or men are mentioned more or the fat kid's name is Pudge. I think his nickname is cute and supposed to be in fun, and never have I seen the good role-models making fun of him. I feel the wholesomeness is very refreshing and much needed in today's world. Another thing, I read somewhere that someone suggested all the Scripture memorizing is a waste of time. I disagree. We must hide His Word in our children's hearts.

• Reviewed on Monday, October 17, 2005
• Grades Used: 2nd and 5th grade
• Dates used: 2002, 2005

School of tomorrow curriculum is one of the best curriculums that we have ever used. I used the paces for 2nd grade for my daughter. I switched to something else and regreted it so much. I worried that the paces were to easy and she wasn't retaining enough compared to public school or other curriculums. I found the other curriculums to frustrating to use. We are back with and and loving every minute. I am finding the paces to be very challenging for my daughter. She loves her paces and never wants to switch again. She enjoys learning with them. Looking back I can see why ace is such a great program. I personally feel like you need to use ace for more than just one year to really see how great the program is and don't compare it to other programs. Ace and all the other curriculums and public school teaches material at different times. Just because you havn't learned it at all the same time does not mean the curriculum is slow it just means it will be learned at a different ti me.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS PROGRAM TO ANYONE. IT IS GREAT AND WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF EVER SWITCHING AGAIN.

AMY AND HAILEY

• Reviewed on Monday, August 08, 2005
• Grades Used: 1st through 12th
• Dates used: 2000+

I am very pleased with the ACE program. My husband and I were both educated with the ACE program. You hear so many comments about what a bad curriculum it is, but I have to say I don't agree. It does move at a slower pace through the early years, but it gives a solid foundation. I am homeschooling my four girls. They have used this curriculum from day one and they have all scored extremely well on standardized test(CAT and SAT). It seems that if they were not getting a good education they would not be scoring well. My youngest is reading on a fourth grade level after completing the ABC's of ACE last year. She will be entering 2nd grade this Fall. Also, my husband is in the banking industry, they are required to take different tests from time to time. He always test well above his college educated peers, even though he never completed four years of college. What I am trying to say is you can get a good education using the ACE program. For those who feel it does no t go in enough depth on some subjects(history,science, etc...), try going to the library and giving them reading assignments on those subjects. I look ahead and see what we are going to be studying for the week and plan field trips,reading assignments,and other educational things to coordinate with those subjects. It is also important to not let your children look back when they are doing Checkups and Self Test.
As with any curriculum, it is not for everybody, but it has worked well for me.

• Reviewed on Wednesday, June 22, 2005
• Grades Used: Y7 [grade 6 aprox]
• Dates used:

Hi, I am a 11 year old student at a ACE school in NZ, and I just want to say that ACE has worked wonders for me! I was in a christian school for the first 4 years of my school life. Then mum decided to homeschool. We did a little bit of this and that, including ABeka and Singapore Maths but it wasn't really working. Then we went overseas for a month to visit some old friends of mum's. She had been using ACE for her oldest boy since he was 5. Mum did a course and then we started using ACE. It was cool for the first couple of months, but then it started getting boring. After a year and a half, mum was to burnt out and we went to a state school. I had a wonderfull teacher so I was happy. Then intermediate [junior high] came. I was in the accelerant class, but never bothered to do any work because it was waaaay to easy! I have a gift in writing and in grammer. I think I was differnt than the rest of them. Then I started becoming a victim of Tall Poppy Syndrome. I was getting bull ied and was really unhappy. Mum decided to move up to Waipu. I started going to a ACE school again and I am still loving it! It works for me, I was sooo suprised at how low my math and english levels were! I can't understand how people give it bad ratings! I love ACE, and intend to use right through college [high school.]

• Reviewed on Friday, June 10, 2005
• Grades Used: k-12
• Dates used: 1983-1996

I was homeschooled half my life with ACE, and attended a private school that used ACE the other half. I would have to say that I really appreciated the ACE system. It was simple enough to understand, and let me go at whatever pace I needed to get through it, be it slower or quicker. Some people say that it doesn't prepare you enough for the real world, but I would beg to differ. I got great scores on my SAT's and entered a university where I graduated in 4 years with straight A's. The ways ACE presents it's materials really gave me great study tools to use in college, that my peers seemed to be lacking. Overall, I am very thankful for my education and would recommend homeschooling and the ACE system for anyone to try. Good Luck, and God Bless :)

• Reviewed on Tuesday, March 15, 2005
• Grades Used: 1 - 9
• Dates used: 1993 - Present

I used the complete ACE curriculum for two children from 1st grade until 9th grade for one child and until 8th grade for my other child and currently continue with math. Although it seems that the PACE'S might be behind public school children, I don't think it really is. Both children continually tested above grade level with the CAT's and my daughter started college at 16.

The problem started with high school. My daughter became extremely bored (she was bored sooner, but I ignored her complaints, unfortunatley) and it soon became apparent that I would have to switch curriculum.

ACE is good for children to learn to teach themselves. In retrospect, I think my children become bored because they outgrew the curriculum. I now use all sorts of material for teaching my children rather than the boxed curriculum, and I have found that they are still learning.

I have continued to use the math throughout high school, but I think that the curriculum might be somewhat weak in math because, like another person mentioned here, my daughter still has not fishished Algebra 1 and has been doing it for three year. Until reading that review, I thought the problem was with my daughter, but now I see that it may be the curriculum. I understood the Algebra and thought it explained things pretty well, but I'm a math junkie, so I don't think it's a fair assessment -- my children think it's seriously lacking and that it doesn't explain things well enough.

If I could go back and do it all over again, I would not have used ACE and I would not have used the curriculum in a box. I don't think children will be left behind with PACE's, but I think that if the curriculum is used as a stand-alond, that it does not allow the children to learn to their full potential.

• Reviewed on Wednesday, March 29, 2006
• Grades Used: 1st,2nd,7th-9th
• Dates used: 2003-05, 06

I am a homeschool mom of four ace users. We were familiar with ace in '03-05 through private Christian school as well as abeka but when we brought our children home to school, we went with ace. This was a bad choice for my children. My younger children had performed much better with abeka especially through the use of their phonics program while in private school. They had a wonderful start of reading and have loved reading ever since.

Negatives with ace for my children have been:
elementary science and reading: too little information for my crew. They read simple paragraphs and filled in the blanks on the following page. My dc were bored at the materials' simplicity.

elementary math: too repetitive and boring for mine. Pace book after pace book, the same thing. It builds on mastery. I think by the second pace, my crew mastered it well. My little ones were drilled my facts in private school at a younger age and had grasped this already without difficulty. Again, I'm speaking on my personal experience.

elementary language and word buidling: Are these not one in the same? At times I felt as though there were. Again, too repetitive for us. My dc are pretty good spellers so this was not educational for them as they knew most of the words already. By the diagnostic tests, they tested very well but we did not want to advance them too far so we placed them in their correct grades. So the material seemed to be on a lower level for them.However, they are grade level and in some areas slightly above on achievement tests. I don't know what this says about the ACE curriculum but it is something to consider.

My dc flew through this curriculum as quickly and as bored as could be. They did enjoy the characters as well as I did along with the memory verses.

For my oldest, who was using ace in private school during the middle school years, the secondary curriculum did not have enough information to grasp the lessons taught such as the science and history. The lessons come with videos for an extra cost but extra info. within the material itself would have been wonderful for the student being that it is self instructional.

Note, I never allowed my children to just sit and teach themselves. Daily, I sat with them at the table and assisted them in anyway needed as most moms.

Positive: Good moral and Christian values taught. Time saving. No lesson plans or teacher guides. It's all self instructional. Great curriculum for children with such needs.
Finding the right curriculum is trial and error and ACE was error for my dc and their needs.

We have decided to return to the familiar for the upcoming school year to a textbook curriculum which meets the needs of my little ones, ABEKA. We are also changing my oldest dc's curriculum to a textbook curriculum which meets his individual needs as well.

 

"Our goal is to provide homeschool families with a Bible-based education using K-12 curriculum brands they can trust, while offering the most up-to-date homeschool curriculum resources.We understand that each child learns differently.  So, we've created our curriculum to be flexible and customizable.  You can use each brand individually or mix and match them to build a curriculum that meets your family's needs. For the student who enjoys learning on the computer, we offer Switched-On-Schoolhouse, our computer-based curriculum.  For the student who enjoys a more traditional approach, we offer a worktext curriculum, LIFEPAC. The Horizons curriculum is most effective for students who master concepts more quickly and enjoy learning at a faster pace. If your students learn best in a group where they can build upon each other's accomplishments, the Weaver curriculum is the program for you. We also have Power-Glide, a comprehensive, independent-study, foreign language series for the student desiring to learn a foreign language. And, for the student who needs to develop or enhance reading, spelling, and comprehension skills we offer ARC. "

Asia Affiliates available in Malaysia.

• Reviewed on Monday, September 19, 2005
• Grades Used: K - 12
• Dates used: 2004 - present

• Reviewed on Monday, July 17, 2006
• Grades Used: 6th; 9th
• Dates used: 2005-2006

• Reviewed on Monday, May 29, 2006
• Grades Used: 3rd and 7th
• Dates used: 2006

"Provides achievement and abilities testing, test support materials, writing opportunities, and other assessments for use by home schoolers"

"Offers home schoolers a helping hand in their teaching process. Delivers teaching content via satellite allowing home schoolers flexibility in schedule and course choice."

From curriculum, to guided subjects, to course of learning and consulting services

Complete DVD program for K-12 available.

Reviewed on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 Grades Used: 2nd and 4th Dates used: 2005 - 2006 This was my first year homeschooling and decided to go with Bob Jones University. I was not impressed. It seemed a lot of "fluff". We did better on our own going to the library and finding books there. We finally gave up on BJU books back in March, and I gave them all away. Keep your money and use it for field trips. Dawn H. Worcester, MA

Reviewed on Sunday, April 16, 2006 Grades Used: none Dates used: none My parents are considering home schooling me for my eighth grade school year. I am Catholic. I have read that this program is Christian. Is this curriculum okay for someone who is not Christian or is it very Christian-orientated? Thank you. This will help with my curriculum research.

Reviewed on Friday, April 07, 2006 Grades Used: 3rd-present Dates used: 05-06 This was our first year to homeschool. My 8 yr. old son had previously attended a private parochial school and did quite well. We left there solely because of the steep tuition hike. Our public school system did not meet our needs...thus welcome to homeschool! I reviewed this particular website, IN DEPTH. I read almost all the reviews for ALL of the curriculum. I finally decided to either go with A Beka, or BJUP. I ordered the sample DVD from both companies. After reviewing them thoroughly, I took a chance with BJUP. Yeah!!! I have been very pleased with the entire DVD/homeschool design that BJUP uses and plan to continue with this program this next year. The teachers really make my son feel like they are talking just to him. The teacher editions of the text are very thorough and simple to use. My son loves the colorful workbooks as well. We've both been very pleased. I've had great experiences dealing with the ordering/returning of tapes/finances, etc...BJUP staff are friendly and helpful. Good luck!   Reviewed on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 Grades Used: 2nd - high school level Dates used: 1985 - now We have been using BJU curriculum for more than 20 years; we have two grown sons and four more children at home. When we first began using BJU curriculum, they were willing to sell to homeschoolers, which almost no other Christian school publisher was willing to do - Christian Liberty Press was the only other one at that time, as far as I know. But we didn't know about CLP then, so by default we used BJU. And I am *very* glad we did - which is no reflection at all on CLP, another fine curriculum. When we first began, we were using the 1st edition curriculum, of course - it was even then being printed, with new books coming out each year. For my older guys who came out of an ACE Christian school, it was very challenging, but they thoroughly enjoyed it and did very good work, giving them a very solid foundation both spiritually and academically for their adult life. Now that BJU curriculum is in its 2nd and even 3rd editions, the material just keeps getting better. These are the things I particularly like about their curriculum, by subject: Bible - The lessons are not influenced by any particular denomination or church doctrine but are taught straight from the scriptures. Since we are not of the same denomination as BJU, this has been a tremendous blessing. My children are very blessed by the lessons, and I am often challenged in my own Christian life while teaching it. Since so many churches are using praise and worship music these days (which I love), I like it that my children are also learning the hymns of the faith which I learned as a child, and still love today. Math - When my older sons were in public and three different Christian schools, I saw many different Math curricula and I've also seen and tried several as a homeschooler. Overall, from K through high school, I do think BJU Math is outstanding, for these reasons: 1) The books are colorful and very interesting, with teaching that is connected to real-life situations where particular math skills are needed; 2) The children are taught to think and reason mathematically, instead of learning by rote. There is some drill of foundational math facts, but the focus is on learning by understanding. I have often seen my children reason out math problems on levels they haven't yet encountered because of this. On the elementary level, I especially appreciate the way place value is taught, from addition to decimals; 3) Throughout all grades, there is across-the-curriculum concepts integrated with the math instruction in such a way that they enhance the understanding of other subjects. For example, in the Math 3 curriculum, there is an ongoing story about a photographer who travels across the USA to various national parks. My children all learned a *lot* in that book which they still remember today. There are other such interesting themes in the other grade levels. 4) Last but far from least, the teaching is *both* mastery and spiral. For example, the basics of fractions are taught in one chapter. Later in the book, fractions are taught again at the next level, and I have seen the effectiveness of this. Not only this, but all math concepts are taught in a "layer" fashion throughout the books, with one concept building upon what was taught before. There are also Review books now for each grade level up to 7th grade (and some higher levels, such as Consumer Math). For the elementary child, this enables them to do a daily 5- or 10-minute review which keeps already-learned concepts fresh in their minds. This daily review is also written into the Teacher's Editions, if the teaching parent prefers to do it orally. Spelling - All my children are excellent spellers whether they are voracious readers or not. I attribute this to the way BJU Spelling focuses on phonics / spelling rules (while also teaching the exceptions as Memory Words). The words are taught in word families - i.e., bat, fat, cat, that, flat - that help the children to see and understand their spellings. I also *really* like the weekly Dictionary Skills which are taught. They are taught simply but in a very interesting way which enables children to become very familiar with the use of the dictionary. Last but not least, the weekly King's English feature helps children to understand not only the derivation of familiar words but also their use and meaning in scripture. This has been of interest to our whole family, and we've let the children use this in family devotions throughout the years. English: Writing and Grammar - The first edition of this was wonderful, and the 2nd edition is even better! Today's editions intersperse grammar teaching with creative writing instruction, alternating chapters. The books are colorful and very interesting, and have been just right for all my children's ages and levels, regardless of their learning styles. At the elementary level, songs are used to teach the parts of speech, which makes learning them easy and enjoyable. The teaching is *both* mastery and spiral, with nouns being taught in one chapter and then taught more thoroughly in a later chapter. This is also true for pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc. There are also short daily reviews in the back of the 2nd edition teacher's books which are very similar to Daily Grams and very effective. As for the creative writing instruction, I only wish I could have been taught this way! The writing activities are taught in small steps so that the child is not overwhelmed, but does one step each day until the writing assignment is completed. Also, the assignments are geared to their age and interest, such as writing out the directions to play their favorite game. Reading - The stories, articles, biographies, and poems which are included in the Readers and Literature books are very wholesome and filled with character-building truths. The elementary readers are very colorful, too. I also like it that reading skills such as discernment, analogies, antonyms/synonyms, etc. are taught in an interesting and effective way. Handwriting - We did not use the BJU Pre-Cursive handwriting, but I do use the BJU Cursive handwriting, as it is so simple and easy for my children to learn - very uncluttered, without all the loops and curves I had to learn as a child. It's very neat and easy to read, too. Science - The books are very colorful, very interesting, and give credit to God for His creation. The experiments which are included are simple but interesting. The great majority of the materials which are needed are easy to find around the house, with only a few things needing to be bought - and they are usally not expensive. My children have all enjoyed them. My present teens have done BJU Science with HomeSat, which has been great. The guys have particularly enjoyed Mr. Harmon teaching Chemistry. My dd is doing Earth Science this year and has learned a lot of interesting things. She has been building a model rocket and has done other interesting projects. Heritage Studies - With my older guys, we used the 1st edition books and loved them. I was truly impressed by the way geographical, historical, and Biblical information was intertwined. With my younger generation, I've been more eclectic, using A Literature Approach to Early American Literature, the 2nd grade Rod & Staff Geography, A Beka for 3rd grade, and CLP for several levels with my youngest. My older teens at home use the high school level books and are doing very well with them. They are very interesting, IMHO - much more readable than average high-school level history/geography books. We began using BJU History/Geography at the 6th grade level, which begins a 2-year overview of world history in a very personable conversational style. Reviewed on Friday, September 23, 2005 Grades Used: 1 and 2 Dates used: 9/2005 to present Let me begin by saying I found these curricula to be a great relief to my teaching this year! I have used Lifepacs and Horizons (both required students to self teach) and the Weaver (which I did not find to have enough structure). One of my sons is very flexible and responds well to anything I use (he's just a learning sponge), but my oldest needs a great deal more structure and patient teaching than many other curricula provide. I will state that there are three cons (all of which I am more than willing and able to deal with): 1)Bob Jones stuff is not cheap unless you have the time and patience to build your own through ebay purchases (I found a site offering the Mega kits at a lower price and with free shipping, so I was happy). 2)It really does take a great deal more planning on the teacher's part (but my sons are worth it!). and 3) You absolutely must have the teacher's editions if you want to teach it all properly. Those things aside this is a super sound, definitel y Christian themed curriculum that I highly recommend to anyone whose child(ren) don't do well in a self teaching enviroment and need the more structured traditional classroom approach. That said, the books are colourful and have stories interplaying with the lessons to keep the child(ren)'s interest. They present all subjects, including science and social studies in light of a Christian worldview. As to not being able to teach at the child's current learning level, I have had no such problems. We just skip the lessons and/ or worksheets that he has already mastered or come back to lessons we skipped because he wasn't ready for a particular one. I spend about one hour per child once a week prepping the following week lessons and matierials and ten mintutes each morning reviewing my notes for that day's lessons. I find it convienient with this curricula to have a four day school week (M, T, Th, and F.), do science Thursday and Friday and Heritage Studies Monday and Tues day. This breaks up their school week and gives us an extra day for violin lessons, karate lessons, field trips and the homeschool group I run at our local church. My personal feelings for Bob Jones curricula is that it is only as hard as you choose to make it. The best way to use and love it is to not forget that it is only a tool, not a boot camp.   Reviewed on Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Grades Used: pre-K/3rd grade Dates used: July 2005-Sept 2005 I tried BJU for pre-k and 3rd grade this year thinking this would finally be the answer I was looking for. Unfortunately for my kids, I was wrong. The pre-k material is very thorough, but I found it to be very time consuming (to plan) and very boring to my daughter. She would finish the work in 20 minutes that it took me 2 hours to plan. Talk about frustrating. I was very pleased with the content of the curriculum...very solid foundation. The lesson planning for both grade levels was frustrating. I was spending 3-4 hours twice a week just for planning. This left me drained and dreading the school day. Also, it's not designed for children to skip ahead to the level they are actually learning at. As of today, we are searching for a curriculum that will help my children to learn more discipline (to be self-taught). I don't want them to grow up thinking that they can't "learn" anything unless mom is standing right over them explaining the whole lesson.   Reviewed on Sunday, May 22, 2005 Grades Used: 3 and 7 Dates used: 2004-05 I am relatively new to homeschooling. I have spent hours and hours and hours in government schools helping out in my childrens' classrooms before taking 2 that are special needs out to homeschool them so I've seen all sorts of curriculum. I tried AOP's Lifepac for science. It was very simplified and bored us to tears. I liked BJUP more but it is still boring but simple for my 8 yo to understand and it gets lots of thinking and questions out of him, which is nice. My oldest son doesn't like how everything in the BJUP curriculum is God-based but he can just deal with that. It's better as you get through the books. I used Saxon math for my 7th grader. It was awful. I ordered the set and got a student text and an answer key. Some of the terms and lessons I didn't understand and there was no teacher edition to help me understand it. It was a lot different from the Saxon math they used in government schools. The BJUP 3rd grade curriculum really held my 3rd graders interest. The math was done well except for teaching multiplication and division skills. It went through a format to teach them-lessons for this number and then lessons for that number. Too much detail. I used a book I picked up from Sam's that had pages of multiplication/division by number and he learned well that way. The 7th grade curriculum was well done. I liked the newer editions of the curriculum because they refered you back to the page to find the answers to the questions. That was something the editions that weren't updated didn't do. He did pre-algebra, which is 8th grade rather than the 7th grade math. We'll continue on at the higher level. The science and history 7th grade curriculum are very easy to follow and I found them very interesting and informative. I wish I would have looked at the Abeka curriculum at the sale I was at yesterday. I always wanted to check it out and I just forgot to do it. Reviewed on Friday, May 20, 2005 Grades Used: K-12 Dates used: 1998-2005 I would like to update my review from a few years ago. We have used BJU curriuculum, Homesat and the Academy of Home Education for both of our children. We are very thankful that God gave us the wisdom to choose BJU and the homeschool services that they provide. My daughter just graduated from BJU and is planning to continue as a graduate assistant. My son will graduate from the A.H.E. in June.He will attend BJU in the fall. Both of our children have been well prepared for college level work by using the BJU curriculum in conjunction with Homesat. They both scored in the top 25%on the ACT, and my daughter felt that the texts used in high school gave a a solid academic foundation to prepare her for college classes. I would like to add that since attending BJU, I have seen great spiritual growth in her life. I would recommend BJU and their services to anyone who wants a good solid academic foundation based on Godly priciples for their children. You and your children will have to put in a lot of effort and hard work, but the efforts are worth it. God expects more from Christians. We are called to put in our best effort in whatever we do. Reviewed on Monday, December 27, 2004 Grades Used: 1-7 Dates used: 1997-present We started out using A Beka and have switched to Bob Jones. A Beka started off a little faster in the lower grades, but Bob Jones surpasses A Beka in the higher grades. We are very happy with this curriculum and have not seen an English program/curriculum that matches Bob Jones. There is no need to supplement with Bob Jones. Reviewed on Sunday, April 13, 2003 Grades Used: 10 Dates used: 1986 - 2002 In order to understand the approach to geometry taken by this book, a bit of background is necessary. Unfortunately, I cannot cite the specific references, but a number of studies were performed in the early 60's that were designed to study why student have trouble with geometry. These studies identified 5 psychological level of geometric maturity or understanding. At level one, a child could differentiate between a square and a triangle. By level five, he understood the rigors of logic and proof, and could identify the logical errors in a mathematical argument. High school geometry books often begin at level four. Unfortunately, many students are still at level one or two in their development. They spend at least half of the year wondering what in the world is going on. About half way through, they usually catch on and begin to function effectively. Unfortunately, by then, the most important concepts have already been taught. The study developed an experimental text that worked to develop the reasoning levels of the students in the first half of the course, and then began proof in the second half. The approach was quite successful, although it enabled teachers to cover fewer proofs in the year. Overall, however, the students learned more than their counterparts in the regular programs. The authors of the Bob Jones Geometry text have incorporated some of these ideas into their text. The earlier chapters, therefore, do not require the students to write original proofs. Instead, concepts of geometry are developed to help bring the student up to the required reasoning level to be able to learn proofs successfully. Logical reasoning is studied next. Finally, proof writing begins in late November or early December with parallel lines and congruent triangles. I have used this book with a great deal of success, and would encourage its use with home schoolers. All of the required topics are included in the book, but the sequence is quite different from most other books. Users should not get hung up thinking that other students are ahead of theirs because they are doing proofs earlier. Rest assured that users of this book will develop good understanding of geometric proof. The book does a better job than most in showing students the uses of geometry. Although some of these sections could be considered optional, they are of such worth in helping students to apply their knowledge that it would be a shame to skip them. I can heartily endorse this text. Students who master the material here will be well prepared for higher math courses. Reviewed on Sunday, April 06, 2003 Grades Used: K - 12 Dates used: 1980 - 2002 I have had the wonderful opportunity to use BJU materials both in Christian schools and in home school settings for a number of years. This is easily the best curriculum ever written for teachers who know what they are doing and can spend the time in daily preparation to implement the curriculum properly. Parents who cannot dedicate this time might do better looking for a more student based program or a video program. BJU materials are teacher centered by design. Lessons begin with hands on work and classroom discussion most of the time, before the student moves into the text material. Teacher guides are very thorough, and help with parent understanding of concepts so that they can successfully present them to the pupil. BJU doesn't try to show off pupils by advancing them with high pressure drills beyond the normal grade level. Rather, the curriculum proceeds on grade level and emphasizes giving the student time to develop a full understanding of the material. Higher thinking skills and principles are emphasized over factual memorization. BJU is actively involved in educational research, and principles gleaned from this research are incorporated into each new edition of the books. The materials do not overwhelm the student with more than can be crammed into a single year. Most students will finish all of the materials each year. Provision is given in many subjects for differentiating the needs of students of various abilities. For example, there are three different worksheets for each math lesson, depending on whether the student needs reteaching, extra practice, or enrichment. A student whose parents provided them with this rich curriculum, implemented in its fullness, would be one fortunate child indeed.

"Sonlight Curriculum® is a Christian homeschooling company that specializes in literature-based homeschooling programs. We provide complete homeschool programs and individual homeschool materials so you can build the curriculum that best meets your family's needs.
Sonlight Curriculum® is based in Littleton, Colorado and serves customers in over 150 countries worldwide."

Reviewed on Friday, May 19, 2006 Grades Used: Preschool Dates used: 2005-Current Sonlight has a good following and reputation for picking great books. There are a few cons and some important things to consider though. Sonlight's older books are better. I think pre-k probably has the greatest concentration of books you will not like because they used so many anthologies. They used five large anthologies because it saves a lot of money, and made for great diversity. We loved all the missionary, Bible, and cultural stories. I love Golden Books but the anthology that is included reduces and excludes many of the pictures from the original Golden Books. GoldenBooks rely Heavily on their illustrations so this really ruins them for us. I sold the book, and then bought all of our favorites at Walmart for 2.50 each. It's also fun to pick out a book every time you shop. We also had a lot of problems with all the fables, and Grimm's. The Grimm's were often...grim! There are a lot of violence, witches, scary monsters, etc in the Treasure of Children's Literature. I would save those stories for much later, and read them for cultural literacy's sake. We loved some of the stories in the 20th Century Children's Treasury, but many more were horrible. That is what you get with anthologies. We also returned Bearenstein Bears because we dislike how father is shown as such a stupid idiot. But others love that book for its presentation of Science, and overlook the disrespectful way fathers are portrayed. Additionally the IG in pre-K is nearly useless, and has no comprehension or other activities to go along with it. On the positive side, Sonlight's website is great, their forums huge and very active, and they really do have the best customer service I have ever, ever experienced in my life. They do business right! They have a 12 week risk free trial in which you can actually USE your materials- write on them and everything! They have a print catalog and website that list reasons to buy and not to buy SOnlight Curriculum. I would definitely skip the pre-K and just look at some of their cultural and social studies and missionary stories. Their suggestions for pre-K thinking skills, math and LA are fabulous as well. Just not all those anthologies. We are using Five in a Row now and really enjoying it!

Reviewed on Saturday, April 15, 2006 Grades Used: Core 3 Dates used: 2004-2006 I used Core 3 and stretched it out to make it a two year program. It is that easy with Sonlight. You do what you feel that your children can handle, and no more. The IG's are the best! I used Abeka for a while before switching to Sonlight. I am glad that I made that switch. Also I use the Spelling Power with the Sonlight and my kids love it. Remember to read the books that you feel your children can handle. And make the curriculum work for you, not against you.

Reviewed on Saturday, April 01, 2006 Grades Used: Core 3, 5, 6 Dates used: 2004-2006 I held off on ordering Sonlight for years, being intrigued by the concept of learning from literature, but not brave enough to try it. After being really disappointed in Calvert, we switched to Sonlight and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! My daughter is self-motivated now, reads voraciously now and is truly learning by reading!!! She is just finishing up Core 5, which is the study of the Eastern Hemisphere. My son is using Core 3 which is American History. Sonlight has an amazing approach----first you read some basic history facts---THEN you read a book that PUTS you in that historical period. My kids LOVE the read-alouds--as we always start our day with those and prayer! My reluctant reader son is also reading the books with no problems, and even reading in his spare time---which is something I thought I would never see. There are no written tests with Sonlight, but we use the Socratic method of discussion and as I try to read the books ahead of my children I can ask them questions---even though there are study and reader guides that are laid out for the teacher. Everything is scheduled---so we literally do just open up the teacher manual and get started on school. They schedule lots of stuff and we just pick and choose what works for us. I highly recommend Sonlight if you don't like textbooks and LOVE reading and great literature!

Reviewed on Wednesday, March 29, 2006 Grades Used: 2nd Dates used: 2005-2006 (current) I have used Sonlight for my oldest daughter, who is in 2nd grade. I was excited to be able to use it, as my husband had lost his job some months before school started. I had wanted to use Sonlight ever since I heard of it, but we had been unable to afford it. A friend of mine had the Sonlight level 2 with advanced readers that she let me borrow - which was indeed an answer to prayer and a blessing. It was perfect for my daughter, as she loves to read and is advanced for her level. We love the stories. However, the volume of reading is so great that it has become tedious. She loves to read some of the books, but others she doesn't care for and it's like pulling teeth to get her to read them. I also find it difficult to find time to do all of the required reading and do other things like math, science, etc. Long story short, my husband was up for a very well paying job which fell through, so he has taken a lesser paying one. Needless to say, we will not be using Sonlight next year, although will probably use their reader list as a guide. It is unfortunate that this curriculum is so terribly expensive. I know you can buy things used at used curriculum sales, but to put it all together from that would probably take an unbelievable amount of time, which, with three young children, I do not have. I did find a curriculum that emphasizes geography like Sonlight, only it's a lot less expensive, called Cantering the Country. I have not seen a review of this, I suppose because it's fairly new, but it's by the same authors as Galloping the Globe, which I have heard good things about. It comes in a bundle with other books covering science, Bible and cooking for around $130. It sounds exciting and I'll be sure and post a review once we get started. Reviewed on Friday, June 13, 2003 Grades Used: grades 4-6 Dates used: 2001-June 2003 We used SL 3 for 3rd/5th graders last year and SL 4 for 4th/6th graders this year. I love Sonlight! The literature-based curriculum fits us to a T. That said, I can't emphasize enough that SL cores are not grade levels, so a Core 3 will probably be too advanced for an average third grader, etc. I think a lot of people run into trouble in this respect. Also, the instructor's manual is really a guide--not a got to do everything or bust manual! If you fall off some weeks to pursue a particular passion---so what! That's the beauty of homeschooling! If not strictly following a schedule offends your sensibilities, then SL is probably not for you. We have skipped some read alouds, ditched the Bible study for Catholic materials etc. to customize for our own needs. But, overall, I LOVE the books, HATE textbook-based learning (except for math and geography), and can't imagine returning to a program that would use them. Homeschooling w/ SL has made both my children voracious readers. We have had a ball w/ the read-alouds, especially this year with Cheaper by the Dozen. This type of program would best fit avid readers who have a goal-oriented, yet flexible, style.

The reason we study math is so we can apply what we learn in everyday situations. Math·U·See's goal is to help produce confident problem solvers who enjoy the study of math. The students learn their math facts, rules, and formulas, and are able to use this knowledge in real life applications. The study of math is much more than committing a list of facts to memory. It includes memorization, but it also encompasses learning the concepts that are critical to problem solving.

Full instructional DVD K-12.

Reviewed on Friday, July 07, 2006 Grades Used: Primer, Bata, Gamma, Delta Dates used: 2003 - 2006 We started our homeschooling journey in Second grade with my son using a different math program. It was colorful but each lesson seemed so random jumping from subtraction to thermometers to graphs and then addition. After a week of MUS my son actually said unprompted "mom. math is fun now!" There is some important information to know about this program. It went through a big revision recently. They added more practice, word problems, measurements, telling time, that sort of thing. It is now a very complete program. Reviewers that used the program in the '90's were using the old version that lacked some of these elements. Each lesson has three pages of practice for new materials and three pages of review. If necessary you could also use the "test" as another practice page. I have not found testing necessary since I can see that my child understands the concepts and can do the work. Another very important thing about Math-U-See is that it is a leveled mastery program instead of a spiral like most other math curriculums. Other programs teach children easy addition, subtraction, multiplication and division before "spiraling" up to harder problems in each area. If a child doesn't understand the concept the book moves on to something completely different anyway. MUS teaches one concept to mastery at a time. Beta is subtraction. By the end your second grader can subtract huge numbers but they have not been introduced to multiplication and division yet. So they are at maybe a 5th grade level for subtraction but not in the other areas of a spiral. This would only be a problem if you are trying to compare your child to other children their age anecdotally or by testing or if you are only homeschooling for one year. We have to do standardized testing every few years in my state. My son did not answer some of the questions on the math section because he had never seen them before. I knew this would happen, I told him it would happen and it was no big deal. Since he did perfectly on the concepts he had seen before it wasn't that big of a deal. By the time he gets to things like the SAT's the only thing that will matter is that he really understands math. Also, by the end of fifth grade (Epsilon) your child would have gone to mastery in all of the skills and should be comparable to age-mates. If you are only homeschooling for one year you will want to stick with a spiral program so your child does not appear behind age mates when returning to school. It is very easy to pace this program to your child. You can do as man or as few practice pages as it takes to master a concept and really go at your child's pace. A child struggling with math has no need to feel bad because the books are not labeled with a grade and an advanced student could easily finish one book by mid year and move on to the next. The videos are great for this math-phobic mom and my very visual kids. I really like the emphasis on teacher training. We do watch them together. My young daughter loves to watch the videos for fun. She will be doing Kindergarten in the fall so I got her Primer even though it wasn't completely necessary. She is in love with math now so the cost is worth it to me. She insisted on starting math the day our materials arrived. Two weeks later she is still going strong and begging for lessons. She loves having her own "math movies". the manipulatives for Math-U-See are of good quality and fun to play with. They are expensive but only a one time investment so divided out over the years, not to bad. They will last for the lifetime of our homeschool. I found a sturdy box that matches the colors in our living room. All of the blocks can be tossed in there for storage and it just looks like a cute box on my shelf. My children are very visual learners but I think this program is good for any type of learner due to the multi-sensory approach. The blocks are colorful and the videos are based around the child "seeing" how math works. The manipulatives make math very tactile and concrete. The assignments also instruct the child to say things out loud adding an auditory component. "Build, Write and Say" is Mr. Demme's mantra. They have algebra, geometry and trig. now. I hope there are plans for calculus in the future. We plan to use MUS for many years to come. Although I will need to purchase student books for successive children I won't have to buy the teacher pack again so the cost for younger kids is greatly reduced.

Reviewed on Monday, June 12, 2006 Grades Used: 1st grade Dates used: 2006 I ordered this for my son with much excitement after hearing how great this curriculum is. I had been using Horizons math and thought that something else may be better. When the package arrived, I popped in the DVD and began to learn about how to teach math-u-see. It was very boring and actually confusing- not just the intro, but the actual lessons. I have a B.A. and am fairly "academic" but I was actually confused by the way the lessons were taught and explained. I am sure that some parents and students love this curriculum, but for us we both hated it. Now I see that Horizons math is really a pretty good choice if your child enjoys or can tolerate heavy workbook lessons. Good luck with math-u-see! I sent it back for a full refund minus shipping costs, so I was only out $12- just make sure you send it back within 30 days.

Reviewed on Sunday, June 04, 2006 Grades Used: 2nd-6th Dates used: 2004-2006 We have used MUS for two years and love it. We have tried Making Math Meaningful (heavy on theory, light on practice, and slow-moving) and also Saxon. With Saxon, my 4th grade son was bogged down, and my 1st grade daughter was bored and still counting on her fingers. A friend told me about MUS. I saw a demo at a homeschool convention and was blown away. We have used the new versions, Alpha through Zeta. My kids watch the DVD's with me, and I usually have very little explaining to do, unless it is a particularly difficult concept. Each lesson has three practice pages for the new skill, and three review pages. I love that we can move at our own pace. If we "get it" right away, we do one or two practice pages, one review page, and move on to the next lesson. If we need more time we might spend a whole week on a lesson. My son has done 3 1/2 books in two years, and will be doing Pre-Algebra next year as a 7th grader. There are a good amount of story problems. If you stick with the curriculum, telling time, money, liquid, linear, and metric measurements are covered through the elementary years. As far as testing goes, I think scores could seem low at first. A third grader doing Gamma will rock at multipication, but will not be able to do much division. Again, I think if you stick with it, by 6th or 7th grade the test scores will reflect competence and understanding. It can be a little expensive, especially the years you have to buy the block or fractions overlays. I think it is worth it though. My kids have different learning styles, and different attitudes about math, and both of them are succeeding with this curriculum.

Reviewed on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 Grades Used: Beta Dates used: 2005 While I personally feel that the foundation of this program is wonderful, it didn't work out for us as our son's learning style is different from the MUS approach. He became quickly bored and frustrated with the daily repetition and couldn't see the point in doing the same thing over and over and over again. For children who learn well that way, this is an awesome program.   Reviewed on Friday, March 25, 2005 Grades Used: K-12 Dates used: Jan 2005 - Present I have been homeschooling now for 3 years. I started off with ABEKA..my oldest son, who was in 4th grade at the time, found it too overwhelming. The pace felt rushed at times and too many problems to do in 1 day. I first tried out MUS towards the end of our 1st year homeschooling and he was flying through it. I paniced! I thought it must be too easy for him, so back to ABEKA the next school year. Same results..HE HATED MATH!! He would beg me to do any other subject but that. This year we started off with Saxon 7/6. I found with Saxon they jumped around too much with concepts. My son would forget the beginning steps to a problem as new steps were being added since sometimes the concepts jumped back and forth (he would be doing fractions for a few lessons then jump to measurements onto adding and subtracting decimals back to fracations weeks later). This year I added my 2nd son who was starting Kindergarten to the mix. Someone gave me a Saxon math to use for him (free might I add). I felt like I was getting no where fast with both of them. Finally I emailed a local rep for MUS and she aswered all my questions. Both boys are now using MUS (Primer and Epsilon)...and guess what...my oldest son now takes Math out and gets started on his own!!! The videos are great. I love the fact that he has real students in front him to talk to that don't always have the right answer. I find that helpful to hear how Steve corrects their mistakes. My younger son totally understands the concept of decimal st (Steve has the kids think of the place values as houses on decimal st. and only nine people can live in each house before someone has to move to the next house). My son made the connection on his own for the hundreds castle before I could even introduce it. I love seeing the light bulb go on. We don't always do all the pages in each lesson. If the boys, esp. my older son, gets a concept then I have him do the review pages for the lesson. As long as he scores above a 90 we move on. We also use the back of the pages as scrap paper for him to work out his problems. I find this neater and easier then having a bunch of extra paper lying around. I find it very rewarding as a parent to see my children getting math and it is a joy to see the confidence my oldest feels when doing math now. Reviewed on Wednesday, February 02, 2005 Grades Used: 1 - 3 Dates used: current I have enjoyed the switch from Saxon to Math-U-See. My two sons look forward to seeing the lesson on DVD. (We have the newest version of the program) I have one child in Alpha and one Gamma. I think there is plenty of repetition and most times we don't use all 6 worksheets before going on to the next lesson. If they catch on to the concept really well then we do the review sheets for the next lesson because these include the new concept and the review. If you have seen the program then you know what I mean. We use MUS for several weeks then we will take a week to go over a completely different manipulative or concept like money,time,calenders or pattern blocks. This way I feel like we are touching on other areas that might get neglected until other books. It is a nice break from the workbooks. We also drill facts once a week or so. Although I do not have the MUS tape that has the songs on it, I have heard it is helpful. I plan on using MUS for my next 2 children as well. I will be reconsidering going back to Saxon for Saxon 54. Also, they tested in the 90th percentile if that makes a difference to you. Overall I am pleased and my children enjoy math because it is not as daunting. Mr. Demme is super fun on the DVD's!

"Saxon Publishers, Inc. is the largest family-owned publisher of math, phonics and spelling, and early childhood development programs in the United States. Students throughout the U.S. currently use Saxon's educational materials for grades pre-K-12. The effectiveness of Saxon's programs is backed by more than 20 years of documented quantitative results from the classroom"

Reviewed on Thursday, June 08, 2006 Grades Used: 7/6 Dates used: 2005-2006 After 2 years with Math-U-See, I decided my kids were ready for Saxon. The incremental, spiral approach works very well with my son but absolutely not with my daughter! This is a VERY time intensive program, as you start out with a facts practice sheet, go on to mental math, then learn the lesson, do the practice problems adn THEN move on to your 30 problems EVERY DAY!!! My son thinks mathematically and remembers concepts, so this program works with him, even though he does complain about how long it takes (at LEAST an hour a day). My daughter is a totally, totally different story. For 106 lessons, every day has been literal torture and tears (and this is a 13 y.o.!!) because the incremental method is too chaotic for her-----I switched her to Key to....Fractions, Percents and Decimals and she immediately noticed that she understood the explanations and concepts and now is ENJOYING her math. Saxon 7/6 IS a good program, but only for kids that think mathematically and "get it" and keep it. If this is not your child's learning style, I would recommend a different program that focuses on mastery of each topic.

Reviewed on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 Grades Used: 4th & 6th Dates used: 2005-2006 This was our first year homeschooling and we went with Saxon because of many recommendations. We did the placement tests and they seemed pretty on track from what we were used to from public school. DD tested at grade level and DS a year ahead(he was in challenge math in school). I thought it was a fairly good program. I like the spiral apporach, The only two problems were that the kids couldn't just pick it up, read it and understand. I had to read it and basically reword it. Sometimes the instruction wouldn't have made a whole lot of sense if I hadn't already known how to do the problems. The other issue is that there were just to many problems for us. We ended up doing 1/2 of the review each day. We would do odds one day and evens the next. We are going to try something new next year. It is not because we disliked Saxon, but because this other program jsut looks better to me. If it doesn't work out we would go back to Saxon.

Reviewed on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 Grades Used: Kindergarten Dates used: current It is much better for a preschooler, though as the concepts are very basic and it moves very slowly. I recommend this only for four year olds. Maybe even advanced 3.5 year olds. The calendar lessons are rather dry and repetitive, but my son didn't seem to mind them. But again, Saxon K was very solid, and my son enjoyed it. If lots of hands on is what you are looking for, with a spiral approach, and calendar skills, and you don't mind the price or you can find it used, I think this would work for you. Not for kids over five though. It's really a better preschool math program! My biggest problem was that it was extremely time consuming and far too basic. I think this, combined with the cost, is why it's not highly recommended for homeschoolers. For a homeschool mom with elementary students to spend a hundred dollars on a math curriculum, and then the additional time of up 40 minutes a day is not necessary, when there are so many other programs on the market. I would check out Cathy Duffy's reviews of math curricula as well, especially in her book 100 Top Picks.

Reviewed on Thursday, April 06, 2006 Grades Used: 5th Dates used: 2005-2006 As a former middle school math teacher, I think that Saxon provides what most children need to retain math. Yes, it's boring, and yes, it requires a large time commitment. But, it's a system that enables children to retain what they learn. As a math teacher, I can tell you that 99% of the time the problem isn't that children can't understand math, it's that they don't retain it. Consequently, when it's time to build on a previosly learned concept, we must teach the initial concept over again. This means the new lesson is now more complicated and confusing than it would have been if the initial concept was already solid. This becomes more and more of a problem as children move to more to more and more advanced math. Saxon's "constant review" system helps students to get so much practice that they can't help but to remember the concept. It's like reading. After a child learns to read, he must practice reading regularly in order to become proficient. Math concepts are no different.   Reviewed on Saturday, September 17, 2005 Grades Used: Fourth Grade Dates used: 2004-present I can not say enough about Saxon Mathematics.Saxon 54 is used for fourth grade,IF you adhere to Saxons timeline.When my children were removed from public school we chose to begin at 54 with ALL our children.Smart move,as my kids left the school system unable to compute thier basic facts...We homeschool four children(14,12,10 and 3).Our 14 year old,whom is LD, started working through 54 at a slow and even pace.We have since switched to a different curriculum for him while he masters the basic facts(TouchMath,Times /Addition The Fun Way reviewed at this site),but will return to Saxon once that is accomplished.Saxon is incremental in approach.Children "hang on" to previous concepts even after mastery.I would recommend this program to all.Most programs blow through the material and expect the child to recall concepts further down the road-long after the lesson is over and the child has forgotten.For LD learners,who have trouble remembering from one moment to the next-this is a Go d send!I could see where it would be of no use to students whom "get it" the first or second time,as there is repettion.Above and beyond,for a full scope curriculum,Saxon does it's job.   Reviewed on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 Grades Used: Fith/Sixth Dates used: Aug 2004 to May 2005 My 11 year old daughter was behind in math so at the recommendation of many people and reviews of Saxon, I decided to give it a try. She hated it! It took her over 2 hours per day to do it and she never felt as if she accomplished anything. The only thing she liked about it was the daily drill. That she loved! Everyday she dreaded, and I did too, getting out her math. I don't recommend it unless your child is very bright with math. It jumps around so much, even though supposedly it builds on each new concept. I don't agree with that. This year we are trying Math U See. Wish us luck!   Reviewed on Sunday, July 17, 2005 Grades Used: 1st and 2nd grades Dates used: 2003-2005 I chose to use Saxon two years ago because of the review of it in the Well Trained Mind. I am not happy with that decision. They do a lot of fun things, like pattern blocks, etc, but place value is barely even touched until the middle of the 2nd grade book! If I am counting right, I think there were only 4 lessons on it in the 1st grade book,and it was only addressed in reference to dimes and pennies. To me, place value is IMPERATIVE! Everything in math hinges on a child's understanding of PLACE VALUE! Pattern blocks are fun, but not nearly as important. They do not teach borrowing/carrying or even SUBTRACTION much at all until the middle of the 2nd grade book, either. I'm really, really unhappy about the lack of work on subtraction in Saxon. My son is now weak in subtraction. Here's an example: 17-8=_____. He is just starting to understand that this is just an addition problem in reverse. We've had to work hard to teach him to THINK, and not just count it out on his fingers. I started saying, what plus 8 equals 17?. And then if he still couldn't get it we would start with the doubles facts, and I would say, is 8+8 enough?. Of course the answer is NO, and then the lightbulb went off and he said, Oh, so I need to ADD one more... and the answer is 9. THERE was a happy mommy moment! I just would have figured these things would be covered by the time they reach halfway through the 2nd grade book. I am disappointed because my son was in the first grade last year, and we were halfway through the 2nd grade Saxon book. I would've thought he had a jump on things, but apparently not. I read somewhere that Saxon's goal is to take a not so good math student and to make them look good on the SAT's. Don't know if it's true, but I do know that's not MY goal, so I had to find a curriculum that was concerned with TEACHING my child to UNDERSTAND what math was all about. We are switching to Math U See this fall, and we are really excited about it! I am SO impressed with the way children are taught the concepts behind what they are doing. I wish I would've had Math U See when I was a kid. It's not for someone who bases success on SAT scores, since it does not cater the curriculum around the SAT's like Saxon does (Math U See's founder calls that the tail wagging the dog). It covers everything the child needs, but it does it without jumping around like Saxon does. You can see their scope/sequence on their website, so I won't get into that right now. I would STRONGLY recommend to any mom or dad out there to check out either Math U See or Singapore Math (both are conceptual-based curricula, not drill, drill, drill based like Saxon)before buying Saxon. The revised edition of Math U See incorporates the needed drilling of facts, because drill IS very important, so in my mind you get the best of both worlds in MUS- concepts and practice. I would rather have my kids LEARN math than have a colorful textbook, or look good on an SAT test. I sure hope this helps someone. I hate it when I read a review and all it is is the mom telling everyone how gifted her child is. I think everyone needs to do what works best for their child and their family. If Saxon works well for your family, stick with it. You know the old saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But if you are undecided about what to do, I would encourage you to check into Math U See. They'll even send you a free demo DVD if you go to their website. It's www.mathusee.com. (Man, they should pay me for this review! ha ha). Blessings on a great home school year, everyone! Sincerely, Becky in North Carolina Reviewed on Monday, June 06, 2005 Grades Used: 6/5 Dates used: 9/1/04-12/12/04 After taking my son out of a public school's gifted program, I knew he would be ready for a challenge. I decided to try out Saxon. I had heard this math program would be excellent for my son. To my surprise he tested at level 6/5. He was almost 9 at the time. The first few weeks he was okay with it. Over time he become very bored and I tried to do only the odd/even. Suddenly, Math became absolute torture. Just the mention of Saxon, would make him miserable. This is a child that LOVES math and would do workbooks for FUN!!!! Soon after, we switched to Singapore and that was a little better.  I pray that my child will love math again... Reviewed on Saturday, May 28, 2005 Grades Used: 4 Dates used: This School Year This has worked well for my 9 year old 4th grade son. He likes math and is mastering concepts. We do math about 3 days a week so he has not gotten sick of the daily drills as I see some people have mentioned. (I think if we did it 5 days a week he might have some burn out). I want to mention that I am also using Saxon ( Algebra 1/2) for my 7th grade son and it is not working well for him. Because I am not strong in math, I have to stuggle to explain the concepts to him because the book does not do it well enough. We have had to redo several sets and have ended up just over 1/2 the way through the book. My 7th grader has always been adanced in math so this is a frustration to us both. I wish I had not spent so much on the program for him so I could justify getting something new for next year. Reviewed on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 Grades Used: K, 3rd, & 4th Dates used: 2004-2005 I used ABeka math for K & 1st with my oldest son. In 2nd we switched to Saxon using Saxon 3. I found the curriculum good, but the pages were bland and boring. I decided to hang in there and try the new updated version of Saxon 5/4 for 3rd grade. We love this program! It was easy to use, and my son has done very well. The only thing I would recommend is fewer Mixed Practice problems. Doing all 30 problems every day became difficult. I have him trade off between either odds or evens. Some days we just skip them all together, if there is also a Supplemental Practice for the lesson. I have already purchased 6/5 for next year and my son can't wait to get started. I began using Saxon K with my youngest this year, and found I didn't like it. It took way to much prep time and teaching time for me. I pulled out my old ABeka lesson plan book, ordered the workbooks and found it much easier. Like a previous reviewer, I would recommend ABeka for the lower grades, and then switch to Saxon when you are ready for 5/4.