Abeka provides a complete line of traditional Christian educational materials that have been developed and refined over a period of 50 years in the classrooms of Pensacola Christian Academy. The resources are available in physical and digital format and include textbooks, workbooks, readers, and videos. Products can be purchased individually or as grade level kits.
Abeka Academy reviews are listed separately.
Website: Abeka
(78 Reviews)
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Contributor Reviews
Reviews are solely the opinions of the contributor.
Cons: WAY too much work, like it’s so stressful. Doesn’t teach anything else but Christianity. I just don’t understand (as a Christian) how I am supposed to witness to someone if I don’t know anything about their beliefs
Grades Used: 8- still using
Listen, before you read this review, just know that I am currently enrolled in this school, and this is my view of the curriculum. I think the school is cool and all; it is very challenging and prepares me for my dream college. I refer to Abeka more of a cult though. I wish they would include other things in the curriculum about other beliefs and religions. I am very much stressed out with the amount of work that needs to be completed. I am always falling behind and having to use weekends and holidays to catch back up. If you are up for a challenge (like me) do it, but if you can’t find self motivation mad have a hard time getting things done, this is not the school.
Abeka Academy is a horrible school. The teaching methods are horrible and the system glitches all the time ti the poont where student answers show up as incorrect when they are infact correct. If you're going to run on online school, make sure your system dosent fail on you and the students attending.
I will just say that if Abeka Academy is not a good fit for your student, be prepared for an extremely difficult withdrawal!
Two weeks post my initial request for official withdrawal documents required by the new school , I am still waiting. No amount of calling, emails speaking with supervisors does any good.
For a school that professes Christ and excellence, It is disappointing to been better served by complete heathens.
Cons: Too much material for high school to get through
Grades Used: 5-8 some 9-10 mix and match
I loved doing ABeka parent led books grades 5-8. It was great especially in math and loved the extra sheets of questions that we could either do if needing practice or we would move on once she knew the material. Loved the box of flashcards and we keep them for review even in 10-11 grade... The math we liked especially well because it was great to get her caught up on math facts coming from a school.... Doing parent led "books" we had to read so it improved her reading so much... by being forced to read. I loved how math would show you how to do a problem and then the next page was doing samples of problems and then the following page was reviewing what you learned from the year so you did not forget. I would do ABeka for elementary again if I had the chance. High school we mix and match and like online programs for separate subjects that help grade.... and she can email teachers for extra help....
Cons: It sucks
Grades Used: 10
My kids sit for 10 hours with no breaks working on their pointless drawn out videos.
Cons: Lots of work but worth it
Grades Used: 2nd grade
We are first time homeschoolers and are enrolled in 2nd grade Abeka Academy (Accredited)
First Impression- I was a tad bit overwhelmed when the boxes arrived. There are 33 books and a set of cursive formation flash cards in the 2nd Grade curriculum. There are also 4 sets of DVDs. My first order of business was organization. I highly recommend you watch YouTube videos for organizing your material. It’s a pain but it’s SO worth it when you’re done. We used the file system method. You can get file crate from Walmart for $3 and change. They come in many different colors or you can order an acrylic file storage bin like we did since it works better with our space. You will need two of them for the year (one semester (85 lessons)/ bin). Now that we are completely organized it will be much easier to travel and bring our school work with us without having to pack a gazillion books.
Workload- We are halfway through the first quarter and I will tell you that there’s absolutely NO way you will finish this each days work in 3 hours or less. Most days it takes us a regular full school day with minimal breaks. Is there a lot of seatwork? Yes! Honestly, we are used to this workload though. We are first time homeschoolers coming from an amazing private school that teaches one year ahead. From our experience thus far, Abeka is very thorough (that’s a huge PLUS). They challenge students from every learning level- beginner, average, above average. The beginning of the year is a refresher from the previous years work. Luckily for us, Abeka picked up right where we left off in private school. All the worksheets and seatwork will help prepare your child for their tests and for future work. It’s so important that children have a SOLID foundation in their subjects to build from. Although my daughter was a 4.0 student at her previous school, I noticed a few cracks in her math foundation that needed repair. I am so happy that we are now homeschooling so I can identify those cracks and help repair them before moving on. If we did not have the opportunity to address those “cracks” now, we would have seen it reflect in her grades in the future. Lastly, this is your homeschool! If your child doesn’t need that extra worksheet in seatwork, skip it! If you do not want to do Phonics and Language after bible, you don’t have to. You can do math instead. Arrange your schedule in a way that works best for your family.
Teaching style- Mrs. Chappell is the 2nd grade teacher for all subjects and she teaches well. My daughter truly enjoys her classes. Mrs. Chappell does a great job including your child in the classes. She often calls out to the “students at home” and will put your child into a group that’s in the classroom. The classes are interactive and there’s lots of movement. Your child will not be bored to tears sitting in front of the monitor will little to no interaction. Your child will feel as though they are part of the class.
Favorite subjects- Beginning the day with Bible class has been amazing. We also LOVE math! Abeka students KNOW their math facts. As I stated above, my daughter is a 4.0 student and we both noticed that Abeka students are quick when it comes to calling out answers to equations. My daughter is MUCH faster with her math facts now and truly enjoys competing with the students in the classroom. Their Phonics and Language program is great!! They break everything down. When it comes to reading material, There’s no need to figure out your child’s reading level outside of Abeka. There are three groups- Owls (above average readers), Frogs (average readers), and Ducks (below average readers). You choose the group based on your child’s reading level. If at any time, you believe the level is too hard- you can change their group. There is A LOT of reading which I love. You have a.m. reading circle, p.m. reading circle, and homework reading assignments. We usually put these together instead of breaking it up. After every reading assignment, there are follow up comprehension questions to ask your child. My daughter also loves art class. The activities are fun. She is also a huge science lover but we haven’t had a science class yet so I can’t give a review just yet. We are definitely looking forward to it.
Cursive- We are new to cursive. If your child has not had cursive before, Abeka will waive their handwriting grade for the first quarter ( if you want them to)- On the progress report, you can indicate that they haven’t had cursive instruction beforehand and ask that they waive the grade. Please know that your child does not have to write in cursive for all subjects. Yes, you should still practice and try to have them write in cursive as much as possible but it is not a requirement in all subjects. According to Abeka: For K5-5th grade, the only required subject that be done in cursive is Penmanship. Beginning in the second half of 6th grade, Spelling assignments will be done in cursive and will count as Penmanship tests.
Grading-Abeka Academy grades on a 6 point scale. In the teachers manual, it will
indicate the point value for every question. If you are not enrolled in the academy, the teacher manual gives you the point value if you choose to use the 10 point grading system.
Cost- Abeka is a HUGE savings for us. Private school cost us 10k yearly and one year of Abeka is under 1k and the quality of education is the same if not better.
Yearly schedule- You have one full year (12months) to complete a grade. You can complete a full year in as little as 6 months. There are a total of 170 lessons in every year (85 lessons/semester) If you are in a state that has to count attendance, use the additional 10 days for projects or field trips to reach your 180 day requirement. If you are considering the accredited option, you are in a schedule but it is flexible. There’s more than enough time to meet your deadlines but if there’s any reason you can not meet your deadline, you can pay for an extension. The cost for extension is about $20 I believe (please double check). If you plan to finish each semester in an accelerated pace, you can submit your work before the deadline.
Customer Service- I have contacted Abeka on two occasions. First, to ensure I purchased everything I needed for the year. The second time was their Abeka Academy Advisor Helpline ( 1 (800) 874-3592) and both experiences were great. When speaking with the advisor, I did not disclose my name, students name, or student number and I received a follow up email with my daughters name and ID to summarize the information I was provided on the phone. Now that’s A+ customer service.
Online Streaming vs DVDs-We chose the DVD option. Why? We travel. We also homeschool at the park on beautiful days and there isn’t any WiFi. We didn’t want an issue with WIFI to mess with our school schedule.
Overall- Choosing to homeschool was one of the toughest decisions I had to make this year. I spent the entire summer going back-and-forth (and many sleepless nights) when deciding whether or not we were going to send our daughter back to school. With everything that is going on with COVID-19, we decided that homeschool was our best/safest option. Going into this new journey, I was SO scared that my daughter would be behind if we chose to go back into formal “in person” school. I did not want to mess up! I did not want to fail her. I can honestly say to any parent that is on the fence, Abeka has been incredible and I’m so happy we are using their curriculum. After one week, I knew I made the right decision. My daughter absolutely LOVES Abeka and is truly enjoying our homeschool. Rest assured, your child is in good hands and you now get to see those beautiful aha moments when they master new material.
I hope you find this review beneficial and I hope I answered any questions you may have. Enjoy this journey with your children and I hope you have a wonderful school year!
Cons: Lots of work, time consuming, old videos, not good for H.S
Grades Used: 6, 9, 10
Definitely do NOT recommend, though I am a Christian mom, I disliked this school! It is VERY repetitive and has a lot of homework, tests quizzes ect. Very very time consuming! My kids are stressed and tired. I do love the videos but they are very old. K-6 is ok but 7-12 I would never do again. Do not do this school. Lots of work, takes up a ton of the day. My kids were so excited to do this and they were very bored with this program. Not recommend, at all.
Cons: Too much work, it's hard to keep up with. To strict answers at times.
Grades Used: 10-11
I've used Abeka for grade 10 and going on to grade 11. I love the 10th-grade math teacher, I have never loved math except for this year, it's not that the math is easy AT ALL, but the math teacher makes it so easy and interesting to understand.
There is, however, a lot of work! The Spanish 2 is SO time-consuming! I find myself doing so much work in a day that it takes forever!
On the other hand, as I am getting ready for college and the responsibility to be accountable for myself, this really teaches you how! I have learned in the past year the lesson of procrastinating (which I will say is not fun) and I have also had a glimpse of what it's going to be like for tests in the future with reading the directions and putting the EXACT right answer and spelling for everything which is good.
Sometimes I do think that they are too harsh on a grading standpoint and everything must be exactly right I do think, at times, it is ridiculous.
Abeka is definitely not for the faint of heart. they are a very strict curriculum, with lots of work and you must have the discipline to get all that work done. I am going into my second year with Abeka, and after getting a whole year under my belt I'm hoping it will be easier.
If your child doesn't have the work ethic to get it done, I DO NOT recommend. However, if they are a very school/ work-oriented student then go for it.
I do find myself cooped up in the house a lot finishing school and not a lot of time to do anything else. So, keep that in mind, but again that is my fault, so now I have to spend almost 12 hours a day doing school. So when doing this curriculum, there is no time to take a break from it, you cannot afford it.
Hope this helps.:)
Cons: A lot of seat work, kids answer way to fast in videos
Grades Used: K5, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Abeka is a great program. It has all the basics and then some covered. I love how they use a spiral technique. So if your kid isn't proficient in any subject or topic it will be covered again. The teachers grab the kids attention and my 5th grade son loves Mr. Howe, he is funny and quirky.
The biggest con if you do videos is that the kids answer the questions way too quickly. It doesn't give the child at home time enough to answer the flashcards in Arithmetic for example. I think it's built that way to challenge your kid but they answer so quickly sometimes you cannot even understand what the answer was and they are already off to the next question.
It's a great curriculum. I use the videos and look forward to using the accredited once my kids are in high school. I do not find a use to use accredited in elementary or junior high. I might start in 8th grade just to get my kids used to it. Also, looking forward to the graduation ceremony in Florida.
Cons: TOO much work. An excessive amount of tests of different varieties and quizzes of different varieties. Homework as well a lot of head aching work. No thinking outside of the box. Strict standards. Old fashion crap. Very old styled videos. Doesn't give enough attention to students watching.
Grades Used: 8th, 9th,11, and12
Abeka has a great educational system, it's very Godly, and there are just a few teachers in different grades that are funny at times and they can crack me up and say jokes. Like for instance, my ninth grade Bible teacher is extremely funny and he makes the best impressions of Bible people and he explains them so well. But off the bright side...there is a lot of cons. Okay so first off, they have an EXCEEDING amount of work which is EXTREMELY UNNECESSARY. They have overly abundant quizzes, tests, and just a different variety that can be overwhelming for children and give them a lot of stress. I know for me I got a lot of stress when trying to do this school. Especially I had so much work that the progress reports were piling up to where I was like 4 months late on 4 progress reports. And it wasn't just me being lazy. I legit was doing EVERYTHING I could to make sure I stayed on time, and I would STILL get behind from how much work I had and no matter how perfectly planned out it was I still got behind!!! I had to send them off to abeka and since I was behind, they were CONSTANTLY sending me these stupid warning letters about how they are charging our account because we weren't getting my work papers. But THEY were the ones that gave me an excessive amount of work that was OBVIOUSLY not going to get completed. Like I already paid enough for the curriculum and now they're forcefully withdrawing and charging me with this bullcrap!!!! The curriculums are freaken expensive. It just doesn't seem that fair students have to pay a huge amount of money for a bunch of work they're not even going to want to do...! And now for the next con, 9 out of 10 teachers do NOT promote out-of-the-box thinking or other ways of completion. Like they're completely against it. Student have to say exactly what the teacher says, write exactly what the teacher writes/says, and do every step exactly the way the teacher shows them. They don't even give an opportunity for a child to find out a loophole or an easier way of solving a math equation or anything. For example, if a teacher solves a math equation with one EXTREMELY difficult way of solving it (which they do) and then a student finds out a very simple way that solves it in seconds, they're not allowed to use that way. They have to use it the way the teacher tells them to. Then for the other part, most of the time the students in a classroom seem like robots!!! NO JOKE!!! They're just perfectly programmed to say and do everything the teacher says. They even sound dead inside. There are only very few kids that actually seem like normal human beings and will joke around a bit. But legit the students are like freaking robots. They stand at the same time, recite what they have to say in the perfect tone, sit down at the same time, all sitting the same way it's so freaking creepy. The students have to memorize specifically and they have to learn a specific subject exactly the way the teacher presented it and there's no loophole of being able to have free thinking. I'm literally as I'm writing this sitting on my bed with piles of work that I wasn't able to get done cuz I keep having more and more work dumped on me. It's already summer and all of my friends are off of school and having fun and I can't hang with them from how much work abeka gave me that was COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. I don't know if it's just me that feels this way, or if anyone feels this way, but I legit am not that fond of abeka. It may be because I have a little bit more rebel thinking, and out-of-the-box divergent way, and I don't really like rules that much but I absolutely will not let them turn me into a robot. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS CURRICULUM.
Cons: No Cons; Start your child in K and you will never be sorry.
Grades Used: K-8th
ABeka is outstanding fundamental curriculum that creates very smart and motivated kids. I used this for my son K-8. He attended a couple Christians schools who used only ABeka. He went on to a very large Christian HS and was the Valedictorian. Free college due to the high SAT score and Valedictorian status. The colleges have several ABeka students who received Academic Scholarships - such a blessing.
Cons: Excessive amount of quizzes and homework
Grades Used: 8th and 9th
This is the first year we used Abeka online streaming, unfortunately my kids detest this ciriculum. The amount of quizes and homeworks is excessive and the videos are super boring and old fashioned. Also, one of my kids teacher died years ago but Abeka keeps using her videos, when my son discovered this he was greatly disturbed.
I don’t recommend this curriculum at all.
Cons: n/a
Grades Used: first-seventh grade, eleventh-twelfth grade
We used strictly A Beka curriculum for homeschool. We have been told it is a lot of work, however it is worth the "work."
I highly recommend A Beka.
My son graduated from A Beka Christian Academy.
My children are now in college thanks to the Lord and A Beka homeschool curriculum.
Cons: Too much practice can lead to boredom or lack of enthusiasm.
Grades Used: K4, k, 1,2
Best program to teach reading. Reading is the most important subject to master in order to develop independent learners. By the second grade my children excelled in reading and continued throughout the school years. By the 4th grade they were independent learners. I only needed to check their work and progress.
Cons: Too basic. Inappropriate cultural views/name choices.
Grades Used: K5
K5 Science is too basic. More suited to a preschool student. Doesn't have quality experiements or engaging activities. Lots of coloring. Limited experiements and activities are not posted with lesson but appendix and do not flow well with teaching.
K5 Social studies is very well rounded and engaging material. However, is mostly teacher reading and student coloring. Can easily be supplemented with engaging activities, but you have to seek on own. Very serious errors in culture discussion. Uses Indian for Native American/First Tribes continuously and suggests material that isn't updated beyond 95.
I’ve used A Beka for 8 years. 5 of years have been homeschooled. A Beka has been a tremendous blessing! Which is why I’ve used it for so long. It has also been challenging in some areas over the years. However, at the same time, I can agree with some of the other reviews. It’s very, very biased and towards its beliefs and doesn’t leave room for, one’s own interpretation. I don’t only have that concern, with Bible, also with history. Some of the curriculum, isn't the most forthcoming. Facts about our American history, just wasn’t true. Teaching children from transparency, is vital. I, founds myself at times, having to teach the real truths, in certain areas about slavery and other things. Though it be, ugly, it’s still our history, as Americans. My son also felt like it became very repetitive, and lacked inspiration and color.
A Beka has been a great asset to our homeschool. I have a 10 year old (grade 5), a 9 year old (on grade 3), an 8 year old (completing Grade 2) and a 5 year old (completing K-4) (and now a baby on the way). After putting my children into school for a term as I thought I just couldn't homeschool anymore, I pulled that back home and began using the A Beka programme. Now after a year, I have found the following benefits:
PROS
a) excellent curriculum
b) the most God-honouring artwork and video teaching for the most part
c) teacher key books are easy to find on the bookshelf amongst other books, with their glossy contrast covers
d) well organised
e) reliable test keys
f) Math curriculum is full of variety and keeps the confidence of all of my children up as they see their progress (one child is slightly autistic, yet is responding well to his online teacher and text book work at grade 3 level)
g) easy to navigate
h) comprehensive
I) very interesting to children
j) repetitive teaching and drills are effective
k) games and competitions keep children's attention
CONS The only down-sides as a mother are that I've had to get the children to skip pledges at the beginning of Bible videos, and also I had to come up with my own schedule for each child's work as the A Beka programme was too rigorous for our goals. But now that these things are established, I am EXCEEDINGLY pleased with the way our children are succeeding in and enjoying their education. They love being "part" of a class and they share things about their class with each other.
My desire for Language curriculum would not include some of the stories that A Beka chooses to use, so I will consider complementing their language curriculum with Rod and Staff for the godly content in that particular subject.
In general, I'm so glad I listened to an online review in favour of A Beka. Now our homeschool is flying. Praise to God.
Cons: Nothing
Grades Used: 3rd
I have been using A Beka for most major subjects. I love it. I am switching next year my Science and History but I am still doing the State Book. I just opted for more hands on in these subjects, but as far as curriculum it's great.
Cons: Biased. No critical thinking. Severely lacking in scientific teaching.
Grades Used: 5-10
I was homeschooled using Abeka in 10th grade but used it from 5th-9th grade in a private christian school. I’m now a registered nurse and have a bachelor’s degree and am pursuing a master’s. Abeka is a cult... there is no other way to say it. They have very biased teachings and do not promote thinking outside of what they want you to think. This isn’t simply because of the religious aspect, but it’s their views on politics, other cultures, and religions as well. It is all memorization and no critical thinking.
Cons: We all can find something that is a con, however I just do t have one
Grades Used: K, 2nd, 9-12
Yes, it is lots of work, however my kids were in Christian and public school. I can with all honesty say, it’s hard work when you are in the real world so why not teach and train your child to accept this fact now. Getting school done in 2 hours would be a dream, however we don’t live in that dream. School/learning is to be challenging. With Abeka, yes there are things you can say, this is to much we will skip. I love the diversity of that. We don’t have to write paragraphs in script when I have a 2nd grade boy who is left handed. I tell him to do what he can. However, math, reading and language was a breeze. After trying so many reading curriculum for him I wanted to cry and feared he wouldn’t learn. Well, I am so happy I bought the whole kindergarten DVD set. What a life saver. My son went to 1st grade Christian school and his reading level was above standard. I love the teachers and curriculum.
Cons: Don't expect to be able to complete everything. It is okay to drop a few things here and there
Grades Used: 4,5,6
Abeka has a great foundation and a great place to start with if you are new to homeschooling. We have, however, had to take out things here and there because it is took much! Having said that, you will know what to drop based on your child's needs. I started homeschooling my child in 4th grade. At the end of the year her scores on the standardized tests either doubled, or tripled. We are now in our 3rd year and diversifying and branching out to include other curriculum.
Cons: 8th/9th grade Literature not much of a challenge
Grades Used: K-5 - 9th
We have used A Beka since K-5 and my son is about to finish 9th grade. My advice is stick to the curriculum when they are small. The constant repetition and memorization can be tough when they are young, (learning all those math facts, math families, lots of writing and lots of phonics flashcards ) but it PAYS in the long run. When they get the basics, then you can decrease the amount of repetition on some things. My son has excelled in school using this curriculum. Now that he is older, so much of it is done on his own. We use DVD for Algebra I and Physical Science and the teachers are AWESOME. My only complaint was their 8th and 9th grade Literature. We were expecting it to be advanced since everything else had always been, but it really seemed to be on about a 5th grade level. We didn't use it, went to whole books/classic literature. We plan on using A Beka through the rest of high school. It is time consuming -- but I'm not sure why we expect school to be breezed through in 2-3 hours every day. I have no doubt that if he maintains his present course, he will be well prepared for college.
Cons: Price-full package can be expensive
Grades Used: 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th
We use the full package with streaming video and wouldn't do anything different. We love the video teachers and the colorful books and the Christian values! The quizzes and tests are NOT easy so the repetition is needed in order to know your stuff! My girls love all their subjects. Our first year was a bit rough since my youngest daughter was extremely bored and we were not sure if it was because of the seatwork or that the material was lacking. Once we spent time with her doing school and talking with other 2nd grade parents we realized that our daughter was just more advance than the 2nd grade material at which time (about half way through the lessons) we switch her out to 3rd grade in the middle of that year and she finished with no problems and loved it. She has gone on to 4th grade this year and doing great! My oldest felt the material was harder than her public school and worked hard to keep up but still made good grades the first year, this year she is making all A's and loving her classes. She even chose to take Pre-Algebra in the 7th grade instead of waiting til the 8th. We have dropped a few small projects and some seatwork so we could add more field trips and hands on projects in order to break up the screen time that is required to complete the lessons. The one thing I have found is to focus on what they are learning and once it is gained allow them to not have to keep redoing the same skill. (ex. my daughter does well in math and each days math lesson has new material taught and refresh section for material previously taught; we allow her to skip the refresh problems on all worksheets as long as her quizzes grade stay above average.) My youngest doesn't do any seatwork because she just doesn't need it. If either one feels the teacher is being repetitious or the assignment is repetitious they just ask if they can skip it and most/not all the time I will say yes!
Cons: Hate the Teachers Manual
Grades Used: K5
This is not a teacher friendly curriculum. It is highly scripted and you really have to sort through pages and pages to get the information you want. For example, I bought this curriculum just for the phonics but the teachers manual is flooded with so much information that in my opinion is not necessary. They assume you can't teach your kid how to add 1+1 or that you won't know how to teach your kid to write the letter A !!!!! Give me a break, I want to teach my kid how to read. I want to know the phonic rules, special sounds, short vowel sounds, long vowel sounds, ect. in an organized fashion; And yes the information is there but you have to sort through so many pages to find the information you want scattered all over the book. The only thing I did like was the student workbook, readers, flashcards but the teachers manual was a total disappointment. I hardly ever use the teachers manual. I find myself using the internet on how to teach the phonics then I just use the student materials for the actual work. I know that I'm a visual learner, so I prefer things to be organized in an easy way. Why couldn't they include simple phonics instruction in a few pages. Its also overpriced and has too much work scheduled for the kids. I made it work because I stretched this curriculum over a year. Will not buy Abeka again. I hope this review helps others.
Cons: Too much seat work/testing
Grades Used: K4/1st and 2nd
We have used the Abeka Book phonics curriculum since our daughter who is now (going to be) in 3rd grade was in k4. She began reading right away. Now, at 8 years old she reads at an adult level and is currently in the ABeka 5th grade readers.
Since it was such a glorious fit for her, I thought, that after our fifth child arrived I would go ahead and get the A Abeka Academy streaming for three of our five children. I thought how amazing it would be to sit beside them with a teacher and how fun they would have in a "classroom" with other kids.
I must say, our oldest daughter did quite well in 2nd grade. She listened well and did the lessons well. Yet, not so with our other two children. They were bored and crying that it was too long; each "class" is about 30 minutes long. They learned their Bible verses and they loved acivity time (art, science, history and singing) but it was a thug to get them to sit through a class. Once the class was over with and we were done, we were all emotionally exhausted and then there was still the seat work and book work, tests and handwriting to do!!!!
Also, if you are streaming classes you must have a good internet connection. It's a must. We are missionaries in a different country and our internet is not the best. Once our kids would get into a flow in the mornings with their classes, the Internet would slow and so would the teacher. That was the beginning of the end.
In the end it was sadly a HUGE waste of money, and a big lesson learned. We stopped using the streaming about four months into it and I taught the remainder of the curriculum. We are flourished. Peace filled our home again.
Next year we will be using some A Abeka, mostly with our daughter. But I realized through this experience, that I teacher better and most importantly our children learn so much better with a slower Charlotte Mason approach. We also skipped the extra seat work and all the testing! The seat work is because the kids who are in the ABeka school must keep busy, but as homeschoolers it just doesn't fit our lifestyle, it's just not necessary.
Our oldest daughter will mostly be using the A Beka curriculum because she loves it. When she is in fourth grade we will place her in the Academy DVD program and most likely get the actual DVDs not the steaming.