You’ve heard that BJU Press Homeschool has a great biblical worldview throughout its curriculum. You’ve heard about the excellent critical thinking skills it encourages. You’ve also heard that there are workbooks. When you have a child who physically struggles with writing, workbooks may be a deciding factor when looking for curricula that will fit their needs. I want to encourage you that using BJU Press Homeschool materials when writing is a struggle is possible.

Does BJU Press Homeschool have a lot of paperwork?

Yes, but it’s not as much as you think. The teachers and authors want to be sure that you have all of the material you might need to teach each concept. Not all of the pages in the workbooks will be assigned, not all of the handouts in the video courses will be required. They want to be sure that you don’t need to head to the internet for supplemental materials if your student is struggling with a concept. I really appreciate that I have all that I need to teach my kids without wasting time looking for more help. My time is at a premium with four kids.



My son has always had trouble with hand strength. He avoided writing right from the beginning of his formal education. Even before that, he avoided coloring. I just figured that he didn’t prefer to color. When he did color, or write with a pencil, we saw that he frequently broke the crayon or pencil tip. He especially didn’t like trying to write with mechanical pencils as the lead broke even more often. We also noticed that, despite my careful instruction, his pencil grip was not correct. He had changed it to accommodate his lack of hand strength.

We did some digging and found that occupational therapy would help him to build hand strength and to gain more overall body awareness. He has since “graduated” from OT for the time being as we seek out testing for dysgraphia. He works on many of his OT therapies at home, some even while he is watching his video lessons.

How We Thrive With the BJU Press Homeschool Curriculum

Dictation

My son LOVES to talk but struggles to write, so this modification works really well for us. Not only does this take the stress off of him to physically write, but it also helps him to cement the concepts and facts in his mind as he tells me about them. I will often be his scribe for his review pages, which tend to be a few pages long in 5th grade, and include short essay questions. Another benefit to this modification is the sweet time I get with my son ,who is growing up way too fast. We sit and learn together. It is a blessing to me.



Typing

I have always envied moms that have all of these great memory books of their child’s writing. I really don’t have that. Maybe a couple of here or there, but most stories have been told aloud, and while I was growing my family, I never wrote very many down. I do have lots and lots of videos and pictures, though! Now that he is learning to type, I am finally getting to see his great writing skills on paper. BJU Press Homeschool Curriculum has done such a fantastic job teaching him the writing process. He publishes great work mostly on his own now with the help of Pages or Word and an editing buddy (usually me).

Modifying the Work Load

This is something I do with a lot of caution. There are times when we will skip a page or a few pages and just watch the video lessons and read the text associated with the lessons. If I take away worktext pages or a writing assignment, I talk over the lesson and what was learned in an effort to help him remember what he has seen and read, as well as to check for comprehension. Sometimes his stress level over having to write is just not worth requiring it. Remember, this is a physical struggle for him. He actually has pain in his hand if he overdoes it. I am confident that the workload in this curriculum is well thought out and age-appropriate all the way through. I am excited to continue on through high school!

I hope this post encourages you to try the BJU Press Homeschool curriculum if you haven’t already. Be sure to contact your local HomeWorks Consultant for great deals and year-round homeschool support. We are on this journey together!

If you are using the BJU Press Homeschool curriculum with children with special needs and learning challenges, come check out this Facebook group, especially for you! If you’d like to hear more about our homeschool journey with special needs and challenges, come visit me at ADHD Home, too!