Online Homeschool Learning with ESA {a review}

With our school year coming to a close (we usually would school with a more “year round” approach, but with baby #4 coming this summer, we are taking a break and have pretty much wrapped up our daily school time) we have enjoyed taking it easy with the Complete Home Learning Suite from Essential Skills Advantage. For our review, we are using an online subscription for one or two students, that is good for one year. I chose to only use it with my oldest who is almost 6.

This is an online learning program from Kindergarten to grade 6; we used the Kindergarten and 1st grade levels the most; my daughter will be in kindergarten this fall, but generally works on a higher level so this worked out perfectly for her. The Complete Home Learning Suite includes:

Reading: Grades K-6
Language and Grammar: Grades K-6
Math: Grades K-6
Science: Grades K-3
Geography: Grades 4-6

How We Used ESA, and What We Thought

Mostly, we have enjoyed using the science and reading portions of the program thus far, though I cannot wait to use the rest! I found the reading on grade 1 to be a good review of words she is already able to fluently read. However, what I really liked were the different skills involved; matching, auditory skills, simple but foundational comprehension questions, and of course it gave her some practice on the computer.

I really like this as a supplemental program because it has helped open so many conversations for us! Many of the topics are a nice review, but some we haven’t discussed in depth. My student was also able to practice reading words/spelling in different ways which helps with fluency and comprehension. She thought of each activity as a game and enjoyed adding this to her “school.”

My children have not had much exposure to the computer; they’re all still young and I don’t find it a necessity as of yet. ESA, however, has been fun for me to implement in our homeschool. It is simple to use, offers help, and guides students pretty smoothly through the different levels and subjects. While I did have to help my daughter often, because she is not used to operating a computer, I felt like it was a good program to have her learn more about using the computer (we have only used a few online programs). Students that have experience on a computer will have no problem using this supplemental program independently.

The instructions on the program are clear and concise, very easy to understand, especially for young children that need simple instructions (at least this applies to the levels we used, so I imagine all levels are equally clear). It is also easy enough for the parent to check and view progress.

Below is a screen shot from Grade 1 Reading Sentence Punctuation lesson. The “rule” for the lesson is shown by clicking the small purple hammer icon in the bottom right corner. The Rule will appear and can be read by the student, or aloud by the parent and discussed, depending on ability level.

This is an example of the questions included in the lesson, after reading the Lesson Rule.

The program offers different subscription services, from a monthly fee for one or more students to an annual subscription for 1 or more students. See their pricing break down HERE.

We will continue using and enjoying Essential Skills Advantage!