6 Reasons We Keep Using BookShark

When we first decided to homeschool I wanted to go with a full box curriculum. My hope was to ease into our homeschool journey. We are now in our fifth year of homeschooling. My fourth grader is still happy seeing the BookShark box show up at our door. And I'm happy knowing everything has arrived and I won’t have to spend my time planning our year.

Here are 6 reasons we continue to use BookShark as our curriculum.

1. BookShark is a One-stop Shop

We get everything we'll need to start our school year at one time. This means we aren’t having to shop for phonics or look for spelling. Nor do we have to find a science program that we'll be able to utilize. Rather, we are able to choose what we want and then it all arrives at one time.

2. BookShark Has So Many Options for Customizing

We were able to choose the spelling level that we wanted to use with our son. (I was really happy with the Spelling Readiness Guidelines and being able to pick what level to start with.) For third grade, we were able to choose the advanced readers. This choice gave us eight more books to read through our school year.

Also, we can pick our math level. This allows us to work at our own pace on math. If we're at a level higher or lower than the rest of our curriculum, it's easy to choose what works for our family.

3. BookShark Has It All Planned Out

I do believe that I'm the best teacher for my kids. But I don’t for one second think that I would remember to teach them everything without it right in front of me. Sure, I remember what a verb is. But will I remember to teach it to my kids? Will I be teaching them to diagram an entire sentence while they don’t have a clue what a compound word is?

I also love not having to spend the time organizing a schedule and plan each lesson. It is already done for me in the Instructor’s Guides.

4. BookShark Doesn’t Stuff the Box With Just Any Books

The books are classics I have read before such as Little House on the Prairie or Old Yeller. And there are also books that I hadn’t read before. I have been pleasantly surprised with how good they are. There are readers that the student will read, which are an extension of the history lesson. The Read-Alouds will also be relatable to the time period you are studying in your history lesson.

5. The BookShark Language Arts Ties in Well With the History Lessons

The Spelling You See books have lined up well with our history. All of our reading has tied in well. In addition, all of our language arts lessons have been related to our history and reading. It all meshes well together, and the overlap has led us to learn so much more.

6.BookShark is Not an Online Program

We travel frequently, and it's so easy for us to grab a couple of books and put them in our carry-on bag. We have read in the car on our way to Panama City Beach and on the plane ride to California. Also, on the beach in Australia and in the airport in Paris. We don’t have to worry about finding wi-fi, or charging the battery on a device.

A good old fashioned book is my preference.

I love that the learning takes place together as a family. While we are reading aloud we are all concentrating on the same thing. In this way, I know exactly what my son is learning about and my younger daughter is getting the benefit of the constant story time in our home. I feel that the books bring us together where a computer-based approach might not.

A Help on Our Journey

BookShark has been an important part of our homeschool journey since the first day. We look forward to continuing to use them through my son’s homeschooling. My preschool daughter is also eager to begin her homeschool adventure with BookShark. Our entire family loves the simplicity of having everything planned while also having the excitement of all the different books we get to read each year.

About the Author

Pamela Gann lives in Alabama with her husband and two kids where they love doing science experiments. They began their homeschool journey back in 2013 and have used BookShark Levels K -4. Pam is a former flight attendant and is married to a pilot, so traveling is not just their passion—it is their livelihood. She blogs about their homeschool and family travel journey at PamGann. Homeschooling for their family takes place on planes, in cars, and most often outside under a shade tree.