Review: BJU Press Homeschool Focus on Fives

I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My youngest will be officially starting Kindergarten this fall, but we are already getting started with the BJU Press Homeschool Focus on Fives kit.  When our kit arrived, I was initially overwhelmed by the amount of things included.  We have not used a box curriculum for the other kids in Kindergarten, so this was new to me.  Once I got it all sorted, I realize the majority was the Teacher’s Editions and not work for my son.

The Focus on Fives kit includes everything needed for a complete Kindergarten year for both the teacher and the student.

• Worktext
• Phonics Practice book
• Phonics and Review Cards
• Write Now! book
• 34 Reading Books
• Phonic Charts
• Spiral-bound Visuals Flip Chart
• Six spiral-bound Teacher’s Edition Books

The Teacher’s Edition books are a good size, beautiful and spiral bound.  I’m a huge fan of having my books spiral bound so they can lay flat as I use them.  The first book has great tips on teaching a child to hold their pencil the correct way, how to prepare the materials, classroom routine, teaching students to walk in a line, and more.  A lot of the initial stuff I skipped over since it wasn’t relevant as a homeschooling family and we don’t require walking in a line. 😉

This curriculum is taught from a Biblical perspective.  For example on Day 1, the teacher shows a Biblical Worldview Theme visual to the child and explains how the Bible is important and obeying classroom rules is important.

Each day, all the lessons are completely written out for the teacher, making planning a breeze.  One day the teacher might read aloud from a story in the Teacher’s Edition and ask the child questions as shown above.  The teacher reads aloud what is in blue and the red is the answers.  Some days the teacher and student sing songs together.  We do not use all the activities in the book yet, because my little guy is still young, but he is enjoying what we have done so far.  We pick and choose what works for a particular day for our family.

The students have 3 workbooks titled Write Now!, Phonics Practice, and Worktext.  My son has enjoyed the workbook pages.  They are short so he doesn’t get overwhelmed with school.  The pages are all colorful, except for the Phonics Practice, which is black and white.  Phonics Practice starts off with one page of tracing lines in a picture and then progresses to half a page of writing practice.  It’s very simple things that my son completes usually in just a couple minutes.

Both Phonics Practice and Worktext both have the book designed to remove the pages as needed.  I like this so my son doesn’t have access to his full workbook.  After he completes his page, we hole punch it and put it in his three-ring notebook to save.

Here he is showing off his matching from one of the Worktext pages.  I also like the spot for his name at the top so he’s getting that practice in everyday. As the year progresses, the worksheets will get a little more challenging as they will require him to read basic words and match them to pictures. I am confident that as the year goes on, he will be able to stay on track using this great program.

Also included in the set are 34 books.  The first books are geared toward short vowels and consonants and then it progresses on from there.

Flashcards are also included with this set.  There are sight words and blend sounds (sh, ch, etc..) that students learn throughout the year.

Overall, I think this is a very well-rounded curriculum that has been put together wonderfully.  Everything blends well and isn’t overwhelming for the youngest students.  I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a great option for their Kindergartener.  This is a wonderful foundation to start a school journey.

Something else to think about is that later this summer, Focus on Fives will be offering a video series.  You can see more about that here.  It looks like a great option for families.

 

For More Information:

For more information, please visit the BJU Press Homeschool Focus on Fives website.  You can also find more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

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