This time around, I did a lot of research--and looked through the curriculum on display at our Christian bookstore for hours--before I picked anything! Part of the problem last time was that we used School of Tomorrow (it was ACE when I was a kid), and we hated it. I think ACE and Alpha Omega Life Pacs are similar. The only props I'll give SoT is their phonics program, which is pretty good.
This time around, I went with BJU Press, and it so good. I love the in depth Teacher's manuals, everything is full color, and there are lots of hands on activities to choose from for every lesson, especially in Math and Science. This is definitely the curriculum we'll be using again next year.
The only down side of BJU Press is that it requires quite a bit of teacher prep, especially IF you plan to use their methods of presenting Math and Science. I don't mind that, because I'm home fulltime, and I like being involved with the kids all day. For someone with less time on their hands, though, I wouldn't recommend BJU Press across the board, although it could still be used for Math and Science.
It's also on the pricey side, BUT nowhere near as expensive as putting your children into a private school--even a cheap one. I'm saving the Teacher's Manuals from Hannah's 7th grade curriculum for Sarah, so when Sarah's 7th year rolls around, I'll save about $25 - $50 per subject.
I did purchase additional Science kits from
www.homesciencetools.com, because they offer full grade kits packaged by curriculum, and it's very convenient. Hannah's kit came with a preserved frog & earthworm, a dissection kit, and other things I would have trouble locating on my own. That was another extra expense, but well worth it, IMO.
The Science is presented firmly in support of Creationism, but does not shy away from thoroughly investigating evolution, biological evolution, mutations, adaptations, etc. If you want your child to have well-rounded views, and have a clear understanding of where good science ends and agenda-driven fact twisting begins, this is a great curriculum.
Jeffrey's K5 material is great as well, he is already reading quite well, and can sound out unfamiliar words phonetically, and writes notes to stick on his sisters' backs, also spelled the way they sound. ("Im Stoopud" was one recent example) He's already conquered the Math--I probably could have started him on 1st grade Math, but I'm a bit persnickety about making sure all the bases are covered. He complained about it the other day, though, because I was boring him with subtraction drills, so we called it quits and moved on to more interesting material.
My review of BJU Press is an enthusiastic
A+ for parents who have time to put in a full day, and like lots of hands on activities.
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