Best DVD-Based Home -School Programs
Since the early 1980s, home schooling has made leaps and bounds in reputation and curriculum. Gone are the days when the teaching involved in home schooling rested solely on the parents' shoulders. Now, there are many independent options out there, including DVD-based programs. The best DVD-based programs can be your primary source of teaching for home schooling or supplement what you are already doing.
Abeka
Abeka is always one of the top-rated curriculums. Author of 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum Cathy Duffy has rated Abeka in several categories. The full-grade, complete DVD program (also referred to as their video program) has always been one of the more popular ones, although it is expensive. The cost includes all DVDs, record-keeping if you are doing the accredited program, textbooks and the video manual for parents. At the Abeka website, you can download and view samples of the DVDs. The format is as though your child is a student in the classroom. The person making the DVD sat at one of the desks in the classroom (or at the back of the room or table, depending on the grade level) and recorded the entire school day-minus lunch and recess. For this reason, some people may find the Abeka DVDs cumbersome. However, your child is included because he or she is assigned a table or row. When the teacher calls on his or her table/row, your child participates as though he or she is there. The biggest benefit to this program is that your child gets the rigorous and challenging education offered through Abeka curriculum, but without you having to teach everything. Parents receive a manual that lays out the materials (very minimal) that you will need to provide for your child, and the rest is done by the teacher. This program is popular among those who want their child to feel as though he or she is a student in a real classroom.
Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University offers another strong DVD-based program for home schooling. Slightly different from Abeka, Bob Jones distance learning full-grade DVDs are filmed as though there are no other children in the room. The view is zoomed in as though your child is perhaps the first child in each row. You can purchase DVDs by subject or grade. This highly interactive program is popular among people whose children are visual learners and enjoy a bit more animation and fun (think PBS kids shows) than sitting in the classroom. The cost is similar to Abeka. The cost includes all DVDs, record-keeping and textbooks.
Math-U-See
As its name suggests, Math-U-See is just math, but it is on Cathy Duffy's Top 100 list. Your child (or you) pops in the DVD and follows along with the teacher. Supplemental activities are available. Your child can do the activities on his or her own or with you (these are optional). Workbook pages also supplement the DVDs. While this is not a full-grade curriculum, many parents find that it is just what they need if they would like to still do some teaching but not all of it. It is one of the best alternatives, financially speaking, to purchasing a full-grade curriculum.
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