I FAILED at Abeka Homeschool Kindergarten (K5) Curriculum

[@MsClark2009]

This is the 1st video I've watched of yours, I'm trying to prep for homeschooling a kindergartener. I love how "real" you are. Best review video ever

[@BandanaBookmom]

Thanks so much for watching and for your kind words! I’m doing first grade with my daughter and kindergarten with my twins this year - I am a tad overwhelmed but overall excited for it!

[@Steve-jc1ez]

My two cents, Had similar experience, but I like Abeka’s spiral learning approach. It gives the child a chance to build confidence and build a sense of mastery over the material. We would supplement extra more “advanced” lessons, in between, on days when they weren’t as challenging. That was a great balance for us. Keeping they moving steadily along while pushing the pace when we needed too. ✌️

[@Jess-we4er]

Thanks for this video! I have no patience for curriculum that repeatedly goes over the same stuff. Im sure for some people it would be great. This is why I love that there is such a wide variety of homeschooling options and videos to help. I myself have changed 4 times in 5 years and finally did a combo to fit my sons way of learning. Bju press and Evan Moor workbooks have been great for him

[@BandanaBookmom]

Yes I really thought that the structure of this was going to work for me - I have learned so much about myself and my kids on this homeschool journey so far!

[@thomasmcgahey9627]

Thank you so much for sharing this video!! I have been doing Abeka k5 this year with my son who did pre k out of the house last year, and I have been so frustrated with how slow paced it is and how bored he is. it’s been so stressful trying to teach him and making me feel like I’m failing! I went through the abeka program as a child, so I know it can be a good program for some, maybe especially for kids who have never had any school before. But anyway, thank you for sharing your honest opinion, it has been so encouraging for me and I’m definitely going to check out the good and the beautiful! 💚-Julianna

[@BandanaBookmom]

The struggle is real!!! My daughter is in first grade now and my boys are in kindergarten - we are using The Good and The Beautiful for Language Arts and Math and Sonlight for History/Bible/Literature/Science - it’s not perfect but it’s definitely working better than Abeka was! I will say one of my boys was really struggling with blending letters at first and I did use my Abeka flashcards to help him!!! It’s such a great program but the whole thing just didn’t work for me. Blessings to you on your homeschool journey - WE GOT THIS! 💪🏻💕🙏🏻

[@shayj3373]

TY for sharing. Curious how you went about teaching your children to read? TY (=

[@1TeaEarlGreyHot]

I don't usually comment on anything on KZbin but I am so irritated and frustrated with Abela K5 that I had to say something. All I have to say is YES. 100%. You addressed so much that makes me so frustrated. My child knew how to read before Abeka and was much more advanced in other areas. I have close age gaps too and I was even taking my head phones off making sure it wasn't my kids saying things when your kids say things. I am so over Abeka curriculum.

[@BandanaBookmom]

@@1TeaEarlGreyHot Thank goodness there are SO many other choices out there!!! It definitely didn’t work for us!

[@R2B2YT]

Been homeschooling for 8 years now... During the early stages, like k-2nd Abeka is making sure to build a strong foundation for what is about to occur. Once 3rd grade and beyond arrive, I assure you, keeping up with be a challenge. Just wanted to comment in case you ever think of going back to it or if anyone else might.

[@BandanaBookmom]

Thanks so much for your input! I actually am using the flashcards a bit with my twins now - reading isn’t coming as quickly for them as my daughter so some of my Abeka material is definitely getting used!

[@HomeschoolwithRachel]

Hugs friend! You’re doing a fab job. You summed it up well with the word excess! I would have been crying with that program too. We’re doing the Good and the Beautiful for language arts too and we love it. I hope it works for you this year ❤

[@BandanaBookmom]

Aww thanks Rachel!! The Good and Beautiful is going SO much better! I wish I had started with it in the first place! You live and learn!

[@JoyfulYessi]

Thanks for sharing your experience😊 That’s the beauty of homeschool, you use what’s best for your family and you can adapt or change anything you want to best meet your kids needs 🤗 We personally love Abeka, it worked so well for our kids and our family, we only used what came included in the Abeka Academy grade level kits. We didn’t buy any flash card or additional stuff because we didn’t feel it was necessary.

[@BandanaBookmom]

Yes I regret buying all of the extra stuff - it was so overwhelming! I really do think it is a great program… it just wasn’t for me!! 😅

[@kellireadsalot]

Hang in there! Homeschooling is hard! The one thing I always have to preach to myself is I don’t have to replicate private or public school at home. You might find at some point with one of your kids that they are doing fourth grade reading and second grade math or vice versa.

[@BandanaBookmom]

So hard! I think coming from a traditional school setting it’s hard to imagine school being other ways at times… I want it to be different… that’s part of the reason I’m homeschooling for crying out loud! 😂 But being new and wanting to make sure I “cover all the bases” it sure is easy to try to recreate a kindergarten classroom!!! Great advice on the grade levels; I actually did bump her up to first grade math when I switched curriculum because I think the lack of being challenged was part of the problem there!! I think I have as much to learn as my kids for this process!

[@elizabeth0265]

I've heard some ppl skip the first unit if their child doesn't need the review. I've been using the 25 hour free trial from abeka academy just for the k5 phonics and numbers class. It has been a big help! I didn't buy any flashcards or manipulatives. I have just used the handbook for reading book instead. It has pretty much the entire abeka phonics program all in one book. We plan to try handwriting without tears as he does struggle with their handwriting

[@BandanaBookmom]

I wish I had known about the free trial! That might have been helpful! I definitely spent too much money on cards that are not getting used. I have heard great things about Handwriting without tears!

[@hollee9618]

Do u have an update video on how the good and the beautiful is going for you guys?

[@BandanaBookmom]

I don’t - but we love the Language Arts! I have completed Level K and Level 1 with my daughter and Level K with my boys since filming this and will be continuing next year! We also did Level K and Level 1 of their math but I didn’t love it as much so I’m still searching for other options! Also this year I did Sonlight’s HBL-K with all three of them and we enjoyed that as well.

[@brooklynleighhh]

This is exactly how I felt! I honestly just made my own review like this for K4 and I agree completely. We wanted it to work so bad!!

[@BandanaBookmom]

I’m so glad I’m not alone here - I felt like a totally failure for a while!! Abeka definitely isn’t for everyone!

[@brooklynleighhh]

@@BandanaBookmom definitely not!!

[@mylifeintheusa4720]

We made Abeka work for us but it took us a while to figure out what to skip. I had been homeschooling for almost 10 years at that point and had used other curricula. Every child is different. You might have a completely different experience with your boys.

[@BandanaBookmom]

Yes I did end up using some of the flashcards with my boys this year - they were slower to pick up reading so it was helpful! Definitely didn’t do the whole program though!

[@tanyacagle2423]

I did had the same issue. But I went back to it because I found a mom who created the teacher lesson in her own way and my daughter learned to read from them. We don’t have to do eveyy try thing in the lesson plans. Tweak it. :) I only use their language arts.

[@BandanaBookmom]

Yes I am actually using some of the dreaded flashcards with my boys right now! The full lesson plan didn’t work for me but there are definitely some good parts of their curriculum! Thanks so much for sharing!

[@amandalovesmusic]

Can I get this lesson plan?

[@Southernchick95]

Look into sonlight that curriculum seem to be good, I’m between that or this! Even if using both and splitting the curriculum up may work best.

[@BandanaBookmom]

We actually did the HBL-K and Science K program this year and are really enjoying both of them!

[@Southernchick95]

@@BandanaBookmom that’s amazing!!

[@Southernchick95]

Ugh I wanted this to work, I’ve been digging down a rabbit hole and I love how it comes with everything, and everything works together to make the learning easy, and like how I don’t have to pull from all over … I dislike I don’t have it all there. But ugh this sounds very very stressful especially with those cards… I was just about to drop 800 bucks on the child kit and the parent kit yikessssss. I do not want my homeschool to be “ classroom “ style. Ugh now I have to see what u need to do… I don’t like AAR it’s way to slow, and I love master books but there is soooo much fluff in that 🥹 and my child is over it after the first paragraph lmao. I printed out TGATB but it’s wayyyyy too fast paced. And it seems to be jumpy and some things aren’t taught when it’s time to get to the next grade level. Ugh 😩 homeschooling isn’t easy but we got this!

[@BandanaBookmom]

I feel you! Homeschooling is so hard. I don’t regret the decision to stop Abeka although I did end up using some of those dreaded flashcards to help my boys with TGTB - their level K program is definitely advanced and while my daughter flew through it my boys needed help… but we really only used some of the blending cards - the rest are still in boxes unopened! I think Abeka definitely a “classroom” program and while tons of people love it - it wasn’t for us! Side note I am thinking about revisiting the math workbooks for next year though 🤪

[@Southernchick95]

@@BandanaBookmom I agree that TGATB is advanced and very colorful and engaging but way to fast for my kiddo that is why we won’t go with them. I feel as if it misses gaps that wasn’t taught. Reason why I didn’t go with horizons lol. I will stay with Abeka for math I love it. But maybe use sonlight for the phonics and La part? I haven’t full decided yet but I was torn between the two. We love spiral but not fast passed and we love reviews and idk abeka and Bju press homeschool fall in our house smoothly but this year ti ge the “ reading set “ from Abeka idk if seems like a lot to add with all the “ add” on it calls for. But I do love all the books they come with. But again sonlight isn’t bad either. Just buy the set for 100 and then the ready set go code books. I’m still deciding lol I’m also just considering making it just simple if I don’t come up with a plan. As in Reading: use ordinary parent guide teach to read or dive back into teach your child to read in 100 lessons and pair it with bob books. Math: Abeka 100% Writing: D’nealian writing And just tons of read alouds and work on calendar in the morning along with Bible verses and do an activity with the Bible in our study book. I may just do this if I do end up picking a “ Full “ curriculum and if we have time we will just throw in some science with differnt resources (: and mix it up. ( space, earth, life, animals/ insects, my body etc) but again science will be for extra since my state is very freedom based! We use miacademy for fun and I’m not trying ti over load her at all my my focus is math 1 and phonics / reading. But I agree it can get stressful and tbh some KZbin videos can make it seem as if “ your not doing much” since everyone gets high top curriculum and I came to terms that it’s not one size fit all. And some KZbinrs they get sponsored and they can change their curriculum up through mid year and talk about new ones but not everyone gets sponsored so I think I may just be easy and simple this year. And again everyone homeschools differently but I’m glad you made this video it was helpful and I wish you the best of the school year! You got this and don’t ever second guess yourself ( easier said then done I know lol ) but u got this mama and happy schooling

[@stefanielozinski]

I loved the flash card rant 😂 I use Memoria Press (classical style) and I LOVE it - we’re going into our third full year with it - but. BUT. I HATE THEIR FLASHCARDS. 😂 I assure you, I am an “organized mom” and I STILL hate the flash card management Memoria uses which sounds very similar to how Abeka does it. I literally just went through HUNDREDS of Latin flashcards today. They put 3 grades worth in together, of course! Ugh! 😂 Though my solution was basically just doing my own thing early on and stopped doing it the way the book said, haha

[@BandanaBookmom]

Oh my that sounds traumatizing!!! It’s funny I am now using a few of the flashcards to teach my twins the basics and finding it very effective - I definitely am having more success doing my own thing than following the program!! 😂

[@tanyacagle2423]

I don’t enjoy teaching Abeka either and we did k4 with teacher video and my daughter did not like it. Too much sitting. Homeschool isn’t even supposed to be like a classroom. I’m doing kindergarten this year I purchased Abeka but didn’t lien it got overwhelmed with parent led them switched to the good and the beautiful which is neat but it wasn’t enough so I used Abeka as supplement but didn’t use the teachers guide. Ah trying to find the right one is hard well now I’m looking at memoria and I’m going to try it next year.

[@BandanaBookmom]

I am glad it’s not just me! I thought I wanted my homeschool to be like a classroom but we are doing much better since we have steered away from that! Great idea using Abeka as a supplement - the worksheets have good stuff in them if you don’t do them day after day after day! 😂 I haven’t heard of Memoria - I’ll look it up!

[@brooklynleighhh]

I literally just filmed a video for this same exact experience!! You’re not alone!

[@BandanaBookmom]

@@brooklynleighhh Definitely going to check out your video!

[@andrianatampei3013]

This is my first year staring homeschooling with my 4 and half year old. We’re planning on getting Abeka K5, and yes, I understand that it didn’t work for you, but I know from people in my life, from their experience that it’s a great one and many have taught their kids to read using it. I feel like maybe your child is more advanced and you should’ve gotten a level higher. And yes, I see that you’re trying to speak good of Abeka, but at the same time at one point in your speech you were denigrating it. It made feel sad…

[@BandanaBookmom]

I totally agree looking back that a higher level might have been better for her. It’s a great program for lots of people - I actually used some of those dreaded flashcards for my twins the following year and found them to be way more effective with them! I hope you have a great first year!

[@devchonka18]

Doing k4 abeka right now with my daughter. She's doing extremely well. Reading short sentences already. I can't imagine having to start with learning letters again in kindergarten 😵 ofcource she's going to be so bored! Ahhhh not looking forward to this.

[@BandanaBookmom]

You will be able to skip the beginning for sure!!

[@HomechoolbythePond]

yes! We did Abeka 2/3 program and skipped k4 and k5 was still too much review for us. I got about 1/2 way through and switched to TGTB

[@BandanaBookmom]

@@HomechoolbythePond TGTB is working SO much better for us!

[@nacoleanderson]

What is tgtb? I was just about to order k5. We’re doing k4 now, and I like it, but I can’t imagine reviewing that much. Seems like I should have just skipped to k5 instead of k4..

[@devchonka18]

@@nacoleanderson it's "The Good and the Beautiful" curriculum