Abeka is one of the oldest and most loved homeschool curriculum programs on the market today. Many instinctively use it as a reliable program for their children. But how does it compare to other popular homeschooling materials today? Let’s take a look at a few options.
Abeka Homeschool vs Abeka Academy
Firstly, Abeka Homeschool is different from Abeka Academy.
The Homeschool version is unaccredited. In comparison, the Academy version is accredited.
When a company is accredited, it means they’ve been formally recognized for their material. This means that, as a parent, if you use the material, your children will technically be at school – an online school.
The Homeschool version, which is almost identical, empowers parents to take full responsibility for their children’s education. This flexibility allows parents to adapt and customize the material to suit their children’s unique learning needs.
Parents can skip lessons, portions of lessons, or even whole chapters if their children know the work.
Compared with the accredited version, children must do all the work to prove to the accreditors that they know it.
Abeka vs. BJU Press
Another top-rated curriculum used among Christians is BJU Press.
Like Abeka, BJU Press is made for use in Christian schools.
Their homeschool program, like Abeka’s, includes options for purchasing:
- Pre-recorded teacher lessons
- DVD lessons and
- Teacher’s manuals.
This gives parents the option to teach the work themselves (with the manuals) or have teachers do that for them.
The video lessons, however, make both courses open-and-go, and children can teach themselves with either DVDs or pre-recorded versions.
BJU Press and Abeka are both traditional.
Abeka has slightly longer videos and is more expensive, however.
Abeka vs. Masterbooks
Masterbooks is another popular homeschool program that uses a more story-based way of teaching.
While Abeka uses traditional textbooks to convey most of its concepts, Masterbooks favors storytelling to transmit its ideas.
Masterbooks tend to be less rigorous and easier to understand. In contrast, Abeka is known for its ‘more rigorous’ approach, which means it sets higher academic standards and expectations for students, preparing them for more challenging educational environments.
But they don’t provide video lesson options.
Abeka either needs a teacher to teach lessons or a mom or dad to fill the gap.
Masterbooks can be done independently by children; Abeka can be, too, but children will need the video lessons.
Masterbooks, a more affordable option, is about a quarter to half the price of Abeka video lessons (depending on the package you purchase). This affordability can provide a sense of relief for parents concerned about the potential cost of homeschooling.
Sonlight vs. Abeka
Sonlight is a literature-based homeschool curriculum. When you buy this program, you receive a ‘massive box of books’ delivered to your door. This box includes a wide range of high-quality literature, textbooks, and supplementary materials, providing a comprehensive educational resource for your children.
It is similar to Masterbooks in that it is done primarily offline with children or parents reading the books.
Education is primarily done through stories and top-quality literature.
Sonlight is about two-thirds of the price of Abeka video lessons.
However, using Sonlight with subsequent children can be cheaper as you don’t need to repurchase the books.
If you’re using Sonlight, be prepared to do a lot of reading if you have pre-readers.
If you have kids who can read, they can read the material themselves.
Abeka unashamedly teaches a creationist perspective in science.
Sonlight is more on the fence and teaches both sides of the story without telling children which side they think is right.
What to Pick?
Choosing the right homeschool curriculum has always been a problem. And the choice hasn’t gotten easier with the advent of many new homeschool curriculums on the market, such as Generations, Veritas Press, and Schoolhouse Teachers.
However, you can narrow the choice by considering your family’s needs.
Do you have time to teach the children yourself, or do you need video lessons?
Do your children prefer to read things themselves, or do they prefer video lessons?
Would you like an accredited (less responsibility) or unaccredited (more flexibility) curriculum?
The answers to these questions will help narrow the competitive field and help you find the perfect homeschool curriculum for your needs and your children.
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