BJU Press Vs Abeka: WHICH Christian Curriculum is BETTER?

[@angelicarmts]

I think there are some points that were made that are very biased. Especially if you are trying to sway people towards BJU. I agree that both programs are excellent choices. They will both offer a solid Christian and academically rigorous education. It is worth noting for all of your audience from someone who has used Abeka from K4 - 2nd grade that they is a big misconception about Abeka ONLY focusing on memorization. I can tell you that that is not the case. While Abeka doesn’t put emphasis in memorizing fact to help the student with their mental math skills, both the lesson plans and video lesson explain the WHY? behind each concept. Most people that have this opinion have only tried to use the Abeka workbooks on their own without the lesson plans or videos. Abeka is not designed to be used that way. The lesson plans and videos are vital to get the hands on and explanations to what is being taught. Also, the mention of Abeka’s customer service being sub par is and has never been my experience. I’ve had to call Abeka several times and I’ve always been met with excellent service. In regards to Abeka not being present at homeschool conventions, I don’t quite understand because Abeka has ALWAYS been at every homeschool convention I’ve ever been to. Even secular conventions. BJU only holds these hotel meetings because they use “reps” to sale their curriculum and Abeka doesn’t do that. Abeka like BJU is constantly working on updating their videos. There are quite a lot of subjects from BJU that are very outdated. Both companies are working hard to update and release updated content in the years coming. I understand that you used Abeka as a child as did my husband and he will tell you that while it’s very similar to his education he appreciates the way that the information is presented today than 20+ years ago. I would also like to add that Abeka’s K4 - 4th grade workbooks are excellent quality and very colorful. They don’t tear easily and it’s much less to sort and organize. The worksheets are well laid out and don’t feel overwhelming. Lastly something worth noting is that BJU has a longer timeframe to access your videos and DVD’s than Abeka. Abeka is 12 months and BJU is 18 months which is phenomenal. I hope that this information is informative. I appreciate the time you took to make this video. I understand that you favor BJU but I think it’s fair to get feedback from people who have actually used Abeka recently. I love both programs. I intend to use Abeka for my children from K4 through 3rd and then switch them to BJU for ELA. I may stick with Abeka Arithmetic but that isn’t set in stone. Have a blessed day.

[@howtohomeschool]

Hi Angeli, I can't say I'm not biased. It's really hard to realize if you are or you aren't. However, I tried to be as unbiased as I could. I really think, as I said in the video, they are both good programs. If you look on online Christian Facebook forums (and I looked at hundreds of comments for this video), more people prefer BJU Press. And it is a lot more affordable. Thanks for taking the time to comment anyway.

[@jchomeschooler]

I'm not using either with my kids, but I did do Abeka k4-12 growing up. My parents had us watch every video and do every assignment by the book. They might explain the "why," but they do not thoroughly teach it. Big difference. I had to relearn a lot of things on my own when I got older because just covering it in a couple of lessons and then dropping it in favor of memorization was not enough for me. Someone like my sister did fine because she can memorize anything, even if she has no context. However, I can learn independently as an adult, and my sister has outright stated that if she wants to learn something, she needs a class to guide her. Abeka is going to work well from some people, but if I were going to use one, I'd pick Bju, in part because that's what my husband grew up with. He definitely got more out of his homeschooling than I did. Also, having attended Pensacola Christian College, which is partnered with Abeka, as an education major, they aren't as fond of homeschooling as you might think. They view Christian school as the best option, and homeschool as the necessary second best choice. Personality, I want a program that is 100% behind their homeschool parents, not someone who's providing it because they think it's a good second choice. I don't know where Bju stands on that issue, however.

[@angelicarmts]

@@howtohomeschool I have done years of research on many many curriculums and have actually tried about 5 different ones and just found that Abeka works best for my children. While that works for my children, I don’t try to persuade my friends to use Abeka. I only state the facts of what it offers and how I use it for my family and let them decide if that is something that they want to use. I know that BJU has is the closest comparison to Abeka and I don’t think that one is better than the other because they are both strong and wonderful programs. I have just experience too much of “Abeka is just memorization” or “BJU is so much work for the parent” and at the end of the day we should all take the time to look at the programs for ourselves and see what works best for our individual children. If I am being honest I tried 4 different curriculums before actually trying Abeka because I didn’t want to use it because of all of the opinions I read about (too hard, too much time, too traditional, too much memorization) but when I actually went through everything, I found that every curriculum can be used as a tool and we don’t have to do every single thing. That is the beauty of homeschooling. Find what works best for you. If it’s Abeka or BJU or neither. 🙏🏼

[@58seas]

@@howtohomeschoolI just started using BJU for my son who is Autistic and he’s started very well. It’s been a week. I didn’t really look at Abeka deep enough. I will tell you that I didn’t realize BJU is Calvinistic. It’s my own fault for not looking into this first. I will be switching over to Abeka next year. I also prefer the KJV. I’ve been going through the curriculum and correcting anything Calvinistic for my son. Thank you though I love everything else about BJU and I appreciate ALL the videos.

[@mylifeintheusa4720]

​@@58seasAre you just referring to the bible curriculum or to all subjects?

[@dawnkennedydavis1668]

I have a rising 9th grader, and this is our first homeschooling. I purchased your program and sent you an email with some questions, but havent heard back. I am a little on the anxious side with these new changes and trying to make a good decision. Love your videos and looking forward to hearing from you

[@dawnkennedydavis1668]

Does anyone have any insight on how miaprep compares to bju for a 9th grader?

[@howtohomeschool]

Hi Dawn. So sorry. I answered all the ones in my inbox, but maybe I missed yours....there are a lot that come in! Miaprep is secular I think (as in Miacademy) while BJU Press is Christian. The former can interact with other students and it's a very different way of learning. But it's accredited too. BJU Press comes as accredited or unaccredited. Miacademy is all online, while BJU Press is blended (offline workbooks with video lessons).

[@howtohomeschool]

email me at [e-mail] . That's my personal and I'll get it straight away.

[@Scvaldez03]

The price for Abeka has been increasing drastically in the past 4 years. When I first started looking at these programs, about 4 years ago, BJU accredited was more expensive then Abeka accredited. But Abeka is now way more expensive. My kids still prefer the Abeka videos and have loved the curriculum so we are staying with them. But it does hurt the wallet. I think one of the ways they justify the cost is to say that you can do a payment plan. But its really getting ridiculous and I know of a few loyal abeka families aho are switching due to how big the yearly price increase have been.

[@howtohomeschool]

Oh that's such a shame! I do like Abeka, but they do seem a little overpriced at times.

[@AmaaJehova]

Todavia no he probado BJU press. Si prove Abeka. Y ese curriculum es fustrante. No era lo que buscaba. Ahora voy a probar el BJU press ojala que vaya bien. Sino es bueno probare con otro.

[@Jess-ANR]

I’m interested in homeschooling. How do you write your child’s transcript.

[@annak1371]

Something's wrong with youtube. I have subscribed to you 3 -4 times and every time I come back and watch another of your videos I see that I am not subscribed any longer. This is so frustrating.

[@howtohomeschool]

Oh so weird! If it helps, I think youtube will still recommend me if you watch my stuff...subscriptions are just a vanity measure according to the youtube experts haha

[@AB-li8mz]

After much research I am most certain I will be selecting BJU for my child this year. This is my first time homeschooling and I am so thankful for videos like yours to help with the selection process. We will be doing the kindergarten program. I was originally thinking I would select the textbook only option, before I knew they had an online with books option. Do you suggest the online format over the textbook format for the k5 kit? I was kind of hoping he could do some online classes and some taught by me. Is it possible to do it that way if I select the online format? Hope that makes sense.

[@howtohomeschool]

Yes DEFINITELY the online over the textbook. I tried the textbook only version and it was so much work! So I just abandoned the teachers manuals, but then my son didn't get to learn half of what he should have. I just didn't have that much time in the day. And that was only homeschooling one child. Now I'm homeschooling two! BUT if you want to teach some stuff, they also provide the online teachers manuals so you can do some lessons with him yourself when you get time. Hope that's helpful!

[@AB-li8mz]

That makes sense! Thank you for your input. I really appreciate it. Your videos are great!

[@halieruppe1710]

My son was in a private Christain school last year for 5th that used Abeka. The history was painfully boring, and hard to study but I did like the Language Arts, Science and Health portions. How do you feel about history for 6th grade?

[@howtohomeschool]

I'll have a video on history options coming out soon. I like Notgrass as you can open it and read it to the whole family. But BJU Press history is good too...it's video lessons with workbooks. I'm not specifically familiar with 6th grade yet. There is also Mystery of History which is very much loved, but it's a little more classical in flavour and method.

[@LynDiLynX]

Will an iPad be compatible with the BJU online homeschool? Thanks! :)

[@howtohomeschool]

Yes, they say it's compatible. It's just a fancy video program .

[@modelk25]

My child uses both a laptop and iPad

[@jennesset1102]

How are the video lessons for bju press accessed? We have one computer and one laptop. Would an iPad work?

[@howtohomeschool]

Yes, an iPad is fine. You log onto their homeschool hub and click the student you want. They have all the subjects there and you just tick them off as you do them. It's really easy to navigate and figure out. Video lessons also come with a video guide in hard cover which I find easier to reference. But it's super easy.

[@deboraalvim2655]

Living in Europe, Can I get the BJU books here? Thanks

[@howtohomeschool]

Yes. They do FedX. Checkout this page for shipping info and transit times internationally: www.bjupresshomeschooling.com/site/include.php?id=63&url=760

[@kitdole3325]

Abeka is not purely about memorization, it is spiral. The neuroscience of learning shows that fit long term learning spiral methods works best. The problem with the mastery method is that there a lot of forgetting involved. I am biased towards Abeka, it is the highest quality and best researched curriculum out there. If you are interested in actually learning, that's the way to go.

[@howtohomeschool]

I think a lot of ppl might disagree with spiral working better for their kids. As a homeschooler myself , spiral was a disastrous option for a lot of my school years. But it worked for some when I was middle of the range so to speak. BJU is pretty similar to abeka. But there is also Veritas which is twice the price of Abeka and True North which is 3 or 4x the price. Abeka isn't for everyone. That's why I do lots of round up videos. It fits done families like a glove, but not others. Thanks for commenting 💕

[@themodernhomemaker]

I would pick bju but it does seem like abeka is more popular, why is that?

[@vanessae19]

I believe it has been around a little longer than BJU press.

[@angelicarmts]

Abeka has always been known for their excellent phonics program. So many people including myself have taught their children to read using Abeka. I also enjoy the traditional Arithmetic that they teach as opposed to common core standards most other curriculum offers. It honestly comes down to preference because they are both top notch programs.

[@howtohomeschool]

It's been around for 50 years, while bju has only been around for 40 years.

[@amandafalon4499]

In other videos I have heard you say you use bju press but I also saw you used aop. I’m very new and trying to figure this out for my 7th grader. He’s in advanced classes which I don’t want to ruin. In placement tests he’s testing in 8th. What would you recommend?

[@howtohomeschool]

I used AOP as a homeschooler when I was young, so it's been a while. But I don't use them these days. Now I use a medly of curriculum (because I reveiw them) but my main one is BJU Press, Schoolhouse Teachers, Compass Classroom and [just lately] the Latin for Children from Classical Academic Press. Sorry to be so confusing...it's just because i review them though for a job.

[@matudavis6034]

Thank you for the videos, you are excellent with it! If I could explain my situation, I'm curious to know your thoughts... (sorry if I go a bit long here). My children currently go to a private school that uses bju. We are a conservative Christian family. We are currently doing a test run with our oldest (6th grade) on our own this year. We were recommended Acellus Academy, but I find that a bit too easy. It's all online and there's no printable material... which sounds okay until I realized how easy it was to breeze through the content and with all the redos he would be allowed, it felt like the material may go to the short term memory instead of long term. I wanted my child to have the content kind of "drilled in" if that makes sense. I then found Miacademy and I noticed it was secular but I could add Bible (both in miacademy and elsewhere). I also was highly impressed with how customizable the parent side of things are... As an example, I found in one of the history classes they would have a rap video to do a class overview... I'm not okay with that so I could simply uncheck that specific video. So any content that I don't like, I'd have complete control over. I also saw that Miacademy has PDF printouts to go along with every lesson... so instead of buying a book, you could literally print it out. At first I had thought it was entirely online until I realized many lessons are meant to be printed and completed and then the assessment completed online. This felt a bit more like the BJU method. The videos are also quite current and keep your attention better - the gripe I do have is that sometimes the teachers are a bit too kiddish when they talk. However, the material itself isn't too easy (Which is what matters the most to us). Miacademy seems like it's a newer curriculum or at least they've been pushing it hard more recently and adding classes and features regularly... which I find valuable. My thoughts so far: -I don't care for secular like I would Christian - no even close. However, I can add Bible for little to no money. -The core classes (like math) - can be taught/learned without hindering Christian growth in knowledge (from what I see). We also go to church 3 times a week and go to many church events. -The customization on the parent side is absolutely incredible. I wouldn't be surprised if it is the top in the entire industry. -The idea of education games and spending gold coins is great to help him learn even more. -The actual content seems solid so far (I've watched quite a few video lessons in each subject). -The ability to add classes at anytime and as many as you want is really nice and there is a wide selection. -The cost of Miacademy is cheap. $36 a month (or less) is far cheaper than other options. -The student can work at their own pace and the content caters to long term memory and not just quickly pass and move on. -I feel Mia has a mid-level involvement as a parent - like that's how much it asks for... which you can go to very little or a lot if you so desire... but I kind of like the in-between that it presents. You are aware of what you child is doing, you help guide them, you make sure the PDFs are printed and that they have completed their work, but you don't have to grade the tests and you don't have to doublecheck all their practice questions (Mia would do that). How much have you actually used Miacademy? Are there reasons that you'd say "stay away from Miacademy"? When it comes down to the core classes (math, social studies, english) and classes such as computer skills and typing is there really a benefit BJU would have over mia? (Not including science, cause I want a biblical science for sure). I'm trying to decide if I should switch to BJU ultimately or if the blend of Mia with some Bible and science from another school would be the way to go? - The question there is "Am I able to save money, but yet my child still get the same education he would get from BJU? I'd also be curious on your thoughts of BJU at home vs sending my son to a private school that uses BJU? I feel like in the classroom my son has to wait a lot (for other students) and he may be able to knock out his schooling faster at home. Thanks for reading :)

[@howtohomeschool]

Thanks for your long comment. I did a really thorough review with them a while back. As a Christian, I'm never comforable recommending a program that rips out the gospel and divorces it from every subejct except the Bible. That said, it is totally your call. You've made the best decision to homeshool. You're very committed to Christian community - and that's fantastic. If you love it, it's your choice. I agree...it has great features...really interactive for children and they can talk to each other online. There are moderators too which are good and bad from what I've heard. So because it doesn't have a Biblical worldview weaved throughout the course, that's why I'd stay away from Miacademy. Have you looked at Compass Classroom and other Christian options? There are a lot out there: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYTGlmShbt90m6s I cover all the prices in this video and they're all Christian options. Definitely homeschool. It's more affordable (unless you're planning on working while your son goes to school) and children sometimes get 'de-evangelized' even in Christian schools...at least in my area they do. At home, children can also learn closely from your godly example and patient way of living which I love about homeschooling. But, even with all my advice, there is someone else you should ask who gives better advice than I do. God. I find he always points me in the right direction - whether through other people's advice, or through a 'just do it' approach. Hope that helps! God bless friend. Thanks for writing. Sorry about the typos...happens when I type fast! Trying to get through all these comments!

[@kitdole3325]

Abeka video lessons are more expensive but they include the Bible lessons, whereas BJU video lessons don't. With BJU you have to add it to the package and this will bump the price up to pretty much the same as Abeka.

[@howtohomeschool]

I think (adding bible for extra) that's only in high school but it doesn't bump it as much. In primary and middle, bible is included. Take a look and compare them. I have done this several times and bju is a lot cheaper...as a lot of comments on the forum I looked at said. Thanks for commenting.

[@lindsaysimplified]

I am currently going through the 25 hours of free content from Abeka Academy and I honestly find the Abeka videos so boring and long. I feel that if I’m bored my kids will 100% be bored. We are in a hybrid school, my first grader is doing 1st grade Abeka completely, my 3rd grader is doing Abeka math and the rest with BJU Press. If we don’t do the hybrid school we will likely do BJU Press Distance Learning option.

[@howtohomeschool]

Yeah, cool. There's also masterbooks. You could do a hybrid homeschool with the two :)