Does anyone use PACEs? We currently use abeka with our 4th and K students. For next year, I am trying to find something that requires less teaching time. We have looked at abeka videos, but I am hesitant to use videos and from what I've heard, there can be too much repetition and busy work with abeka, making me wonder if I'll spend quite a bit of time watching with the kids/editing the assignments. Both of my kids are bright and learn quickly, neither have any trouble focusing or being self-directed. Pretty easy to teach. They are doing well with abeka. I don't mind doing some teaching, but with our 7mo old baby and me working, I need more time for housework/errands/exercise/fun stuff. We are considering using PACEs but I'm not really clear on how to use them. Do the kids read the lesson, then just do worksheet type work? How is science/history structured? What is your experience with them? Or, what are some other suggestions for curriculum next year? I am only 2 hrs from Cincinnati and am considering going to the conference, but I really wanted to make my curriculum decision before then. Part of me can't believe I have decided to do another year... I was ready to throw in the towel last October! Any help is appreciated- Thanks
We used PACE last year. I have mixed feelings about them...I liked that my children could be very independent with their schoolwork (1st, 2nd and 4th). Also, they could move as quickly as they wanted, and do different levels in different subjects. But, I also felt it was a little too much "worksheet" time, and alot of papers for me to store (around 10 per subject per kid, plus the tests that were removed from the booklets). This year, I am using some PACEs, but mixed in with other stuff...Overall, I'd rate them as a bit easier than the students grade level but very thorough and repetitive. You have it about right, the student reads, then does work in a small workbook. If I remember correctly, there would be about 10 booklets numbered 1000-1010 for a k/1st grade level. The goal would be to complete all booklets to move up to the next level (1011-1020, roughly). They also offer alot of subjects. My 4th grader had like 8 subjects last year.
My son is in K this year and last summer we bought the whole year's worth of Paces & teacher's binders. I abandoned it by this last Christmas. It's been shelved. We couldn't take any more of the paces. It was about $400 that I feel has been wasted. But that is the journey of HS, learning what works and what doesn't. Yes the kids can learn to work independently but our impression is this: it is very IMPERSONAL and can be extremely DRY. I am homeschooling so that I can interact with my child not read a paragraph to them and walk away for them to do their work. There were parts of the social studies paces that introduced typewriters ( really needs to be updated !! Who still uses typewriters ?? ) , and about the deacons jobs in the church , the church secretary's job etc. Which I felt was completely irrelevant to a 5 year old. As they get older it becomes easy for them to cheat ( have heard this from others). Anyway , I do not want to "bash" the ACE curriculum , that is my experience and it just didn't work for us. Hopefully this gives you some insight.
typewriters! LOL! I don't think my kids would know what one was! I agree that it is impersonal. We use a very mixed curriculum b/c I found the PACE system alone to very much like a public school system. But there was no way I could let all that money be wasted, so we still use them some. (I found it to be on the expensive side too, but maybe thats just because I have 4 kiddos and everything seems expensive) My just-turned 5 year old is using the science booklets I ordered for first grade. Its right at her level & I am happy with it, and the Math (all 3 levels I have) is good - lots of repetition and practice.
My oldest used ACE for years, she became very bored and there not much challenge. I am using Christian Light Education. They are like Paces but are more challenging.
Thanks for all of your input. Seems like nobody really loves them. What do you guys use now that you like? Shelby, can you tell me more about CLE? I've heard others on this board mention liking it. Thank you!
They are work text like ACE, easy to use.. they have great examples... there are 10 "books" that complete the year. I like them. I mostly use their Lang. Arts and reading... Linda has used them for years, maybe she could tell you more about the other subjects.
I'll be the opposite of previous posters. We have been using History, Social Studies, World Geography, Science, and Bible, for about 6 years. Love them and after checking out other curriculums out there I feel confident that my kids have received an excellent education. I have also noticed that U.S. Civics and Economics are taught in the 11th grade instead of most 12th grade. As far as a lot of writing, someday's are more than others but you can decide ahead of time what can be done that day. We like the fact that you can take as long as you want or move quickly if one desires to do so. There are some cons...I didn't care for the Language and Math so we used something else for those subjects. Since there are 10 paces per subject you are stuck with trying to store them for record keeping. Where we live we are asked to keep each years worth of work for three years. That's a lot of stuff when you have four kiddos. More pros...They are inexpensive and they allow you to buy as little as you want. There have been times I have only ordered a couple paces in a subject. I have three in the same grade, I order one complete pace with activity book and order two more activity books. The kids share the reading text and they each have their own activity book. Saves more money that way. Ace will take back unused paces as long as they are in resalable condition. You can always sell them to other pace users so your not out all of your money. You can donate them to homeschooling families that don't have the money to purchase curriculum. You can donate them to third world countries. Ace has a program set up to do just that. As long as their is no writing, they will take them. I agree you have to see what works best for your family. We have enjoyed them and have only looked at something else because we are moving out of the country and I didn't want to have pack a bunch of paces. Otherwise we would continue to the very end with them. Good luck in finding something that works for your children. Blessings!
I have used science and social studies PACEs, spelling and etymology, at a couple of different levels each. The student reads, then regurgitates to fill in the blanks. They were originally built for slow learners, I think. It's very easy for the kids to fill in all the blanks, without actually passing any info through the brain. Very little thinking involved. That said, I know there are some who just love them, but I won't use them again unless I have another kid who is overloaded with "real work" in other subjects and just needs to say they were introduced to the subject. Or if I have another kid in the slow learner category. I MUCH favor the CLE especially for reading, math, and LA. I've used some Lifepacs, some Abeka, some public school discards, and tons of "whatever" for science and history, but for the core, I much prefer CLE! The kids can work very independently, because everything is right there in the 10 units, but I can be as involved as I want to be.
