Abeka Review - Is this Homeschool Curriculum Right For Me?Here's my Abeka review.. Abeka Curriculum is probably the most popular homeschool curriculum available so I thought some people might want a veteran homeschool Mom's review of Abeka curriculum. In my 12 years of homeschooling I have seen many books, resources and curriculum. Some are very user friendly and some are not. Some are easy for children to use and some are not. Some lay out the lesson plans for you and some leave the door open for you to insert your personality and ideas and children's learning styles. No curriculum is right or wrong for anyone. If you know yourself and your children and can make an accurate assessment of the curriculum you are looking at, then you will be able to decide whether a certain curriculum or book is right for your family. Some of the pros and cons for Abeka would be: Pros: 1. Lesson plans - They tell you exactly what to say to your child when you are teaching him. Everything is scheduled and laid out in the Abeka teacher manual. 2. Christian material - They use Bible verses and Biblical principles in all of their curriculum weaving it throughout every subject. You won't find any evolutionary content here. 3. Easy to Resell - If you like to get some money back from your curriculum after you are done using it, Abeka curriculum is pretty easy to resell since many people are looking at it and are willing to buy it used. Abeka used books can be found all over the Internet. 4. Advanced Material - Abeka's first grade material is equal to second grade public school material. If you and your child want a challenging, accelerated curriculum, then Abeka will give you that. You can look over the Abeka scope and sequence to get more information on what they cover. Cons: 1. Expense - Abeka curriculum is one of the more expensive packages you can buy. 2. Textbook and Workbook Approach - Some students don't enjoy reading textbooks and answering workbook questions. Some parents want their students to learn like the public schools. If you want your children to learn material using a textbook, then Abeka will do that for you. 3. High Burn Out Rate - Since Abeka uses an accelerated approach and covers a lot of material in a year, some parents and students get overwhelmed and burned out on homeschooling. If you choose Abeka, be aware that although you might be guided along by lesson plans, those lesson plans might be more than you can handle. The Abeka teaching curriculum was first designed for use in a Christian school. 4. Workbook Pages in Textbooks - If you want to resell your Abeka curriculum, you might want to have your children do their work on a separate piece of paper. That way your book is still clean to resell. If your children would rather write in the book, then you might not be able to resell the book or will have to take a greater loss in resale value. 5. Editions Change Often - Abeka tends to change their textbooks on a regular basis. Many times if you plan to reuse the curriculum for a younger child you cannot find a workbook that corresponds with the edition that you own.
I will say, as part of this Abeka review, that I don't recommend Abeka for the early grades because it is too advanced, workbook intensive and labor intensive for the parent. It just seems to take all the fun out of what you can do with your children in a simple and low stress manner. Using simple resources, picture books and what you have already been doing with your children can help them learn more than they can learn with a textbook and workbook approach (in my opinion). Feel free to email me at the bottom of my homeschool help page with any questions you may have. Or if you want some more personal attention and help in knowing what to use for homeschooling for this year, you can purchase an hour of my time at homeschool coach I hope this Abeka review has been helpful to you. Here are some more pages about Abeka:
Science - This is one of the best science curriculums I've seen. They have a free sample of it online right now - definitely worth checking out. Click here to see SuperCharged Science....
If you want some more curriculum options besides this Abeka review, you might want to check out my Switched on Schoolhouse review, Sonlight review, or Alpha Omega Lifepacs. These are also complete curriculums but approach homeschooling from a little bit different angle than Abeka. Or you can look over even more Homeschool Reviews besides this Abeka review and get a clearer picture of what is available for homeschooling.
Free homeschool eBooks to download - How to Get Started with Homeschooling and How to Homeschool Using the Best Resources.  Return from Abeka Review to Homeschool How To home page
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In this Abeka review or any review of curriculum, being aware of the pros and cons of a curriculum can help you make an informed choice. You know your children better than anyone else. Hopefully you know what the 
