and thank your for showing some pages and pointing out examples of what you or the kids liked or helped the most, because just listening to a review leaves me tempted to look into the pages but even amazon doesnt show enough or sometimes even NONE! so please continue to show us while u tell your review or opinions
Thanks for the feedback. It does take extra time, but I know I personally like watching videos that show the inside so that's how I like to share with my audience.
It’s fine. My older girls like a traditional spelling list each week so they didn’t love it. We haven’t done too much with my younger one with TGTB spelling…just review the words a bit.
This was very helpful! My girls are a year or two under your youngest daughter so I find the progression with your daughters very helpful. Will probably be utilizing BJU English and Reading 2 starting in the spring semester.
I’m so glad you mentioned Teaching Textbooks! First time homeschooling and I’m planning on using TT for my upcoming 4th grader. I just wish they had it for my 2nd grader, I stink at math lol. Hoping Apologia gets us through this year. It looks easy to understand and teach. 🤞🏻
Would you please expound on why you switched from Beautiful Feet History (Early American K-3 if I'm not mistaken) back to Sonlight for this upcoming 24-25 school year? It seemed like you really loved Beautiful Feet, but aren't continuing with it. I appreciate your input because it has been a struggle trying to choose family subjects over here and I've been considering both these options, as well as several others (Notgrass, Masterbooks, Mystery of History, Story of the World). Our kids are 9th, 3rd, K and toddler, so big enough gaps combining is pretty tough! Thanks!
@@thepracticalhomeschooler I actually watched that one last night (along with several others). All I recall hearing was I think you said BF was geared to older students, but I was a little confused by that because I thought the one you chose was recommended for K-3rd grade. Wasn’t sure if I heard it right and with you teaching a couple grades beyond that, was a little confused. :)
@@christinamacedo7397 yes we did early elementary this year for early American history but for modern American history BFB offered middle school levels only. So it was between that and Sonlight since they don’t have a picture book version/early elementary modern American history
What I’m learning with “writing” is that it’s a skill that doesn’t seem to click until around grade 6. I’m relieved knowing that because I was panicking during writing in the past.
Maybe. I do think it really depends on the program too. Writing didn’t click for me until college, even then I never loved it, but at least understood it.
Do you still have one child in public school? Or do you have your 4th grader back at home with you? Curious to know if there were any transition difficulties or if it was really easy.
Hi! I have a second grader next year and we plan on using the BJU Reading program because of your recommendation. I have watched your other videos on this topic, and I really think it will be a great fit for my son! Thank you! What grade do you recommend starting BJU Writing instruction?
It includes writing from the beginning of when they’re learning to read and write….sentences here and there and builds throughout the years. So whenever you start BJU it will be built in with the grammar
Ok so i’ve watched a few of your videos and I love how in-depth all the descriptions are for each of the things you’ve tried and how you switched things up and all of that. This is my first year homeschooling and I have a fifth grader who’s pretty behind in most areas, a second grader who I feel is right, where she needs to be and one in Pre-K. Obviously every child is different and you have tried different things that work for your kids so it’s hard to give an overall answer but do you feel like seeing it’s our first go at this homeschool thing that we would be OK with just sticking to the good and the beautiful overall or do you really feel strongly that, we need to break it up and use the good and the beautiful for mostly language arts??
I can’t really compare because we did Abeka k-2nd/3rd and that was for my oldest 3-4 years ago and for bju she did 6th grade so you it’s going to look different. I’d say they are likely similar in length just based on what I’ve seen from Abeka , but again I can’t speak from exact experience
I'm so happy for your family and that is good news about the writing! I'm one who steered you away from IEW. I did a year of it with CC and it's just very heavy on parental involvement. Do you know off hand what ages night zookeeper is aimed at? One of my daughters will only write letters to people. She does a great job with them but she's very strong-willed against writing LOL My other daughter will only do creative writing. I'm not sure how to get them to branch out.
I heard Sarah Mackenzie from read Aloud Revival highly recommend Layers of Learning Writing program and it looked like a great fit so we are trying that this year. It’s small bites, super applicable and fun for all ages and fits even quirky kids. We are going to do it together in place of morning time this year! Can’t wait to start!
@@LearningPlantingGrowing thanks for mentioning this. I’ve never heard of this program before. We are going to try Writing & Rhetoric this fall, but added Layers of Learning to my resources to remember list if we need to try something different.
Im SO relieved to hear that BJU has worked for your girls writing! I was worried that IEW was the only good choice, because I dont like it based on what I've seen online! 😂 Question: coming from Abeka which has constant review, Im worried that on BJU writing weeks they wont get enough grammar review. Do you feel like your daughters retain the grammer even when they're solely focused on writing some weeks?
It alternates writing:grammar by chapter, rather than week. The newer editions have a few grammar chapters, then a writing chapter. My students don't seem to have any trouble with retention when we come back from a writing chapter. There is also a handbook in the student appendix, so they can easily flip back for a quick review of a topic they may have forgotten.
I haven't found that they had forgotten anything. Towards the end, we ended up doing the writing and grammar in tandem. But it very similar to Abeka in that it's constant review that builds on each other.
I used TGTB Math level 3 this past school year with my 4th grader and he did really well and started level 4. He really likes it and wants to continue it for his 5th grade year! I just feel like he needs a supplement. Like a page per day he can do for straight review! Do you have any recommendations??
Your reviews are so good! I’ve been binge watching your videos on BJU. We currently use TGATB but possibly looking to switch my 5th and 7th grader to BJU language arts for the writing. My son is using level 3 TGATB he’s used level 1, 2 and 3 would you think it would be extreme to buy him level 5 at BJU. Level 4 and 5 look similar on the sample pages. How are the levels similar/different
We haven’t done level 5 yet of BJU. I wouldn’t recommend skipping though. You can go through 4th grade at a quicker rate and get it done early, up since it’s a new curriculum I’d make sure you’re at a level that your child is comfortable with (and like I said it’s easy to go through it quickly if it comes to it)
and thank your for showing some pages and pointing out examples of what you or the kids liked or helped the most, because just listening to a review leaves me tempted to look into the pages but even amazon doesnt show enough or sometimes even NONE! so please continue to show us while u tell your review or opinions
Thanks for the feedback. It does take extra time, but I know I personally like watching videos that show the inside so that's how I like to share with my audience.
Essentials in Writing is excellent for someone looking for video instruction. Lessons are short, straightforward, and FUN
Did I miss the BJU Literature 6 Review? We are considering it for our rising 6th grader and was curious how it worked out for your fam ❤️
Do you like the spelling component from tGTB?
It’s fine. My older girls like a traditional spelling list each week so they didn’t love it. We haven’t done too much with my younger one with TGTB spelling…just review the words a bit.
Your videos are great- thank you!
Thanks for watching 🥰
This was very helpful! My girls are a year or two under your youngest daughter so I find the progression with your daughters very helpful. Will probably be utilizing BJU English and Reading 2 starting in the spring semester.
So glad to hear that!
the 180 days for 6th level seems very interesting for the fact they included prefixes origin and meaning, thats so cool.
yes it was a good little challenge!
I’m so glad you mentioned Teaching Textbooks! First time homeschooling and I’m planning on using TT for my upcoming 4th grader. I just wish they had it for my 2nd grader, I stink at math lol. Hoping Apologia gets us through this year. It looks easy to understand and teach. 🤞🏻
Would you please expound on why you switched from Beautiful Feet History (Early American K-3 if I'm not mistaken) back to Sonlight for this upcoming 24-25 school year? It seemed like you really loved Beautiful Feet, but aren't continuing with it. I appreciate your input because it has been a struggle trying to choose family subjects over here and I've been considering both these options, as well as several others (Notgrass, Masterbooks, Mystery of History, Story of the World). Our kids are 9th, 3rd, K and toddler, so big enough gaps combining is pretty tough! Thanks!
I talked about it in my video that shares our family subjects picks for next year
@@thepracticalhomeschooler I actually watched that one last night (along with several others). All I recall hearing was I think you said BF was geared to older students, but I was a little confused by that because I thought the one you chose was recommended for K-3rd grade. Wasn’t sure if I heard it right and with you teaching a couple grades beyond that, was a little confused. :)
@@christinamacedo7397 yes we did early elementary this year for early American history but for modern American history BFB offered middle school levels only. So it was between that and Sonlight since they don’t have a picture book version/early elementary modern American history
@@thepracticalhomeschooler ahhh, now I get it. Thank you for taking the time to explain more in depth so I could understand.
What I’m learning with “writing” is that it’s a skill that doesn’t seem to click until around grade 6. I’m relieved knowing that because I was panicking during writing in the past.
Maybe. I do think it really depends on the program too. Writing didn’t click for me until college, even then I never loved it, but at least understood it.
Thank you. My son hates to write. You gave me hope.
Same - I need to look into bju press
I can’t promise every child will have a big turnaround but I have been impressed with what we’ve used this year.
Do you still have one child in public school? Or do you have your 4th grader back at home with you? Curious to know if there were any transition difficulties or if it was really easy.
Hi! I have a second grader next year and we plan on using the BJU Reading program because of your recommendation. I have watched your other videos on this topic, and I really think it will be a great fit for my son! Thank you! What grade do you recommend starting BJU Writing instruction?
It includes writing from the beginning of when they’re learning to read and write….sentences here and there and builds throughout the years. So whenever you start BJU it will be built in with the grammar
Ok so i’ve watched a few of your videos and I love how in-depth all the descriptions are for each of the things you’ve tried and how you switched things up and all of that. This is my first year homeschooling and I have a fifth grader who’s pretty behind in most areas, a second grader who I feel is right, where she needs to be and one in Pre-K. Obviously every child is different and you have tried different things that work for your kids so it’s hard to give an overall answer but do you feel like seeing it’s our first go at this homeschool thing that we would be OK with just sticking to the good and the beautiful overall or do you really feel strongly that, we need to break it up and use the good and the beautiful for mostly language arts??
It doesn’t matter what I feel 😊❤️ it’s what you feel is best for your family, your homeschool, your household, your kids, your season in life
How long would you say the BJU English lessons took each day? Compared to the lessons for Abeka language?
I can’t really compare because we did Abeka k-2nd/3rd and that was for my oldest 3-4 years ago and for bju she did 6th grade so you it’s going to look different. I’d say they are likely similar in length just based on what I’ve seen from Abeka , but again I can’t speak from exact experience
I'm so happy for your family and that is good news about the writing! I'm one who steered you away from IEW. I did a year of it with CC and it's just very heavy on parental involvement. Do you know off hand what ages night zookeeper is aimed at? One of my daughters will only write letters to people. She does a great job with them but she's very strong-willed against writing LOL My other daughter will only do creative writing. I'm not sure how to get them to branch out.
I heard Sarah Mackenzie from read Aloud Revival highly recommend Layers of Learning Writing program and it looked like a great fit so we are trying that this year. It’s small bites, super applicable and fun for all ages and fits even quirky kids. We are going to do it together in place of morning time this year! Can’t wait to start!
@@LearningPlantingGrowing thanks for mentioning this. I’ve never heard of this program before. We are going to try Writing & Rhetoric this fall, but added Layers of Learning to my resources to remember list if we need to try something different.
It’s for ages 6-12 but it’s obviously not set in stone (I wouldn’t really go younger than 6 but you could probably do older than 12)
@@thepracticalhomeschooler Thank you so much!
Im SO relieved to hear that BJU has worked for your girls writing! I was worried that IEW was the only good choice, because I dont like it based on what I've seen online! 😂 Question: coming from Abeka which has constant review, Im worried that on BJU writing weeks they wont get enough grammar review. Do you feel like your daughters retain the grammer even when they're solely focused on writing some weeks?
It alternates writing:grammar by chapter, rather than week. The newer editions have a few grammar chapters, then a writing chapter. My students don't seem to have any trouble with retention when we come back from a writing chapter. There is also a handbook in the student appendix, so they can easily flip back for a quick review of a topic they may have forgotten.
I haven't found that they had forgotten anything. Towards the end, we ended up doing the writing and grammar in tandem. But it very similar to Abeka in that it's constant review that builds on each other.
Great thank you ladies 😊 that puts my concern at ease! ❤️
I used TGTB Math level 3 this past school year with my 4th grader and he did really well and started level 4. He really likes it and wants to continue it for his 5th grade year! I just feel like he needs a supplement. Like a page per day he can do for straight review! Do you have any recommendations??
I found it's much easier to look up free worksheets online on a specific topic. I've purchased so many workbooks and nothing quite fits
Your reviews are so good! I’ve been binge watching your videos on BJU. We currently use TGATB but possibly looking to switch my 5th and 7th grader to BJU language arts for the writing. My son is using level 3 TGATB he’s used level 1, 2 and 3 would you think it would be extreme to buy him level 5 at BJU. Level 4 and 5 look similar on the sample pages. How are the levels similar/different
We haven’t done level 5 yet of BJU. I wouldn’t recommend skipping though. You can go through 4th grade at a quicker rate and get it done early, up since it’s a new curriculum I’d make sure you’re at a level that your child is comfortable with (and like I said it’s easy to go through it quickly if it comes to it)
Night Zookeper looks interesting. I'll have a look at it. Did your daughter like Fix it Grammar?
She didn’t. But we also did a whole lesson just once a week on Fridays instead of a section each day and that may be the reason why
@@thepracticalhomeschooler Thank you! I'm on the fence with regards to FIG.
Did you do the BJU online or teach it on your own?
Parent led