We began using Bob Jones videos 17 years ago, when our oldest was halfway though first grade. The change in him was so drastic that we were completely sold. It was January. He went from not being able to put two sounds together to make a blend, to picking up early readers, and actually reading them, within TWO weeks. Something in the WAY that they were teaching “clicked” with him. He had been in Christian school for K4 and K5, using the ABeka curriculum, yet he still could not put two sounds together. He could copy what other children did, and he had an excellent memory. It was easy for him to fool the teachers….but halfway through first grade homeschool, he still could not read a random blend. These videos captured his attention and somehow made things in his mind “work”.
Bob Jone, which I will refer to as BJ from now on, has a team of people that prepare each lesson. It is produced like a television program. They bring in plenty of visual clips of field trips, science experiments, and any kind of visual that will help reinforce what is being taught. Plus they add all kinds of extras, such as the sea theme that goes along with the 4th grade math. The teacher are engaging. They talk to your child as if they were sitting across the table from them. The teachers are excited about what they are teaching, but not overkill excited. They truly enjoy what they are doing and it shows.
The videos are from a Biblical viewpoint. Nearly every, if not all, subjects are taught from a Biblical viewpoint and bring out Biblical truths every chance they can. They, of course. use their own BJ curriculum that is proven to be above standard and strongly Biblical.
The videos are rented for 13 months. The cost is at the higher end, but if you think about what it would cost to put your children in a private or Christian School, then the cost is very reasonable. The videos come in DVDs or in the online format. When we started many years ago, they also had a Satellite options. That is what we chose at first. Now we use the DVDs. Over the past 17 years, we have only gone 2 or 3 years where we have not used any videos from BJ. Those would be the years that my husband was laid off from work. However, all the other years, we have either used complete sets or just a few subjects. I can say that I think I have seen just about every teacher and every subject. They are all incredible! There was one that we did not care for (Jonathan hated 4th grade math) and that one has been redone with a new teacher.(Lydia loved her) So they do update when necessary. The years that we only use a few subjects, we mix it up with other curriculum. (I will share others that I love too.)
BJ gives you more than you can possibly do in a lesson. Don’t get overwhelmed. The company says all the time on its facebook page and live chats, “Don’t be a slave to the curriculum, the curriculum is there to serve you.” If you need to adapt it for your student or your situation, that is fine. You are the teacher. They just want to make sure you have enough if you do need it. It is ok not to do all the work. It is ok not to do all the reviews or all the science experiments, or all the problems on the page. If they did the first 10 with no problem why do 20 more? If you do end up doing close to everything listed, it will take you very close to a full school day or even longer for kids that struggle. This would be when you should start cutting back on some of the work. My #4 child is profoundly dyslexic and also has dyscalculia. We modify her work load. She still watches the videos and does most of the work, but the writing can get way to burdensome for her.
BJ is set up that most students in 2nd and above should be able to use the guide and start their day and move through their work with little help. Younger students will probably need help starting and switching videos. I have my kids keep a journal with the date, the video day, and subject that they are doing just as a backup for me to know where they are, and what is completed.
The down side, is that it can be easy to get behind if you are involved in a bunch of outside activities like co-op, sports, or other clubs. There are days built into the guide calendar that are easy to double up for make-up days, like study days, test days, or no class days. The grading can also be overwhelming if you have more than one child. Just keep up on it and it won’t get too bad. You really don’t need to grade everything. I have the older ones grade some of their own work at times too.
The only other down side is that there are tons of books. The student text books, worktext books, activity books, and test. Then there are the Teacher Guides (which currently are coming unbound, 3 hole punched, where you need to provide the binder to put them in…..This makes me stress.), answer keys for activity manuals, test, student handouts (also comes unbound, 3 hole punched….stress), log books….I am sure I forgot something.
I hate to end with the negative, because I really do LOVE BJ videos. They are definitely my first pick for my kids. It gives me some room to breathe during the day if I need to, and especially on days that I do not feel well, they can start without me and not get behind. Bob Jones videos provides a solid, trustworthy, Biblical education for your children.