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View Full Version : BJU Homesat ?'s


Ginger
03-12-2008, 07:04 PM
I thinking of using this next year with my (will be) 8yo ds. I am thinking it might provide him with more structure...that he desperately needs.(He's ADD, has dyslexia, probably a math LD, too). However, he surprisingly does better with workbooks, and he does not like me 'teaching' him. So I am thinking this might provide some structure and someone else teaching him.

I try to be structured with him, but it seems his little sister is always distracting him--or he starts playing with her on a break, then I have a hard time getting him back to work. So maybe the homesat will make him feel more accountable?

My biggest holdbacks are the fact that I like what we are using now, curriculum wise(R&S math, Wilson Reading and I See Sam Readers--these seem to be meeting his needs). I am seeing him catch up in reading, so I am not as concerned about that as math. We are using R&S2 this year, and I'm concerned about the transistion into BJU3.

I am also concerned about the amount of time he'd spend in front of the TV. Can someone who has used this tell me how long the classes are in 3rd grade. I guess, though, that it isn't something we'd have to use every lesson, and if we are in a hurry one day, we could just skip the homesat and do the workbooks.

I'll also have a 5th grader and a 4 year old. I heard the K4 Foundations on homesat is good--but again, how much tv time? And I thought about throwing in some courses for my 5th grader, along with possibly combining science. But then I feel like I am giving total control to Homesat. I also wanted to use IEW student writing DVD's next year...more tv.
And only one child can watch something at a time...is there a way to feed the satellite to more than one tv.

Does the answer lie in not letting the homesat run your life? But more in using it as an available tool. If we want to watch a lesson, watch a lesson, if not just do the text. Then I feel like I'm back to less structure with my son....

I guess I just want to hear from others who have used it, and what a day(or week) is like with it. Thanks in advance!

Ferdie
03-12-2008, 09:53 PM
We used BJU homesat this year for 5th, 3rd and 2nd grade. The elementary classes run from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the class. You can go to homesat.com to see the duration and number of lessons for each class. You need to add approx 15 per class (more for math) outside the viewing time for your child to work on their assignments.

I limited my kids to 3-4 classes our first year because I didn't want them to burn out on DVD classes. They easily could have handled more and I know that my dd would have loved their bible and reading program.

I record the classes on DVDs. The live satellite classes are for some of the high school courses. We school all together around the dining room table so my kids watch their classes on individual DVD players with headphones. The BJU classes allow them to learn independently so I have time to tutor math and writing or review their work. I can not tell you what a difference those few classes have made to our school day as far as getting everything done.

This year we used the english, handwriting, science and 6th grade math. I highly recommend these classes. The 5th grade science class is fantastic and the teacher won an award for this class. The 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Cox, is wonderful.

My youngest has a difficult time with homesat. He sort of has ADHD tendencies and has a hard time sitting still to watch a DVD, so this year I have put away the DVDs for now and am tutoring him one on one.

If you do go the BJU route you can save some money by buying teacher manuals and non-consumables second hand. Also order the consumables from a BJU consultant to save 20% and get free shipping. Lastly, the satellite and receive are on sale through Aug. for $50 through a BJU consultant. I regret waiting until late summer to order our equipment because it took a while to get it installed and figure out how to record and index the DVDs. We missed the first 2 weeks of classes which got our year off to a slow start.

HTH

Ginger
03-12-2008, 10:26 PM
Are you serious? You can get the equipment for $50?? It is listed on the website for something like $297. So how do I go about finding a BJU consultant?

Ferdie
03-12-2008, 10:39 PM
They are called HomeWorks consultants and you can find one on this website:

www.homeworksbyprecept.com

They also offer 30% off your first curriculum order (one time deal) so you might want to get a catalog first and figure out what you need for consumables so you can order everything at once and get the best price.

There is also a yahoo group: HomeSat@yahoogroups.com that has helpful tips to simplify the recording, editing and storing of the DVDs.

Good luck! It is a lot of work to get everything set up but worth it during the school year.