Alef Press Biblical Hebrew A Homeschool Primer Review

 We are still working on our Biblical Hebrew using “Alef Press Biblical Primer a Homeschool Primer” by Kim McKay.

  
For the purpose of this review we are doing some jumping around in the lessons. I decided to start with Lesson 13 which covers the Hebrew #’s. My kids never have learned the Hebrew numbers.

They were excited to learn something new. We made a clock with the Hebrew numbers and had to find the time that was recited to them. Bug was a little confused after ten. Little Man got it he just had to think real hard to put it together. The lesson includes a Sudoku puzzle. My kids did not understand how to do the puzzle so we made up for it by doing the clock.

 I wanted the kids to first see the English numbers next to the Hebrew numbers.

 After the kids felt confident enough with recognizing the numbers I removed the English numbers.

 Then the fun began. I would set a time on the clock and they would have to repeat the correct time back to me.

I also gave them a time and they had to set the correct time on the clock. 

We enjoyed the tales throughout the “Show and Tell DVD” my kids are already familiar with tales as Daddy has read various classical tales to them over the years. I was glad to see the author use many different wonderful tales which always have a moral behind them. Think of them as “Aesop’s Fables” of the Jewish people.

 Another lesson we covered was Lesson 17 which covers the vowel points. In this lesson you are introduced to a new vowel with a short reading of the vowel an the consonants.

The next part is what I like to call “Hebrewish” as it makes you take English words and say them in Hebrew and you add the appropriate vowels. The first word is “Kate”.  Kate is not a Hebrew word that I am aware of. You then write it out using the Aleph Bet and add the vowels. My kids needed direction on each one but they got thru the lesson without much trouble. My 7 year old son caught on quickly. Bug (10) struggled with it. I suspected she would as this is hard in English with her also. She is a better reader in Hebrew and trying to do abstract concepts are difficult for her. For those of you that stumbled on my blog for this review. Bug has lots of learning disabilities and medical issues. 

 

I am pleased with the ease of Alef Press Biblical Primer a Homeschool Primer. It isn’t that difficult to adapt the curriculum for younger kids and to add more into it like I did in Lesson 13.

We are still reading the book we checked out at the library "Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet" from Lesson 1. Who would have known that this book would have intrigued my children? We should be finished with it this week!

Disclaimer: This curriculum is attended for  ages 9 and up, the author really intending them for Jr. high and high school. A family that uses Hebrew already may be able to use them very well with younger kids, but they are not aimed at most elementary students.

Please keep in mind that my children already know the basics and are ready for reading Biblical Hebrew. They need lots of practice still. Especially Bug who needs extra work in some areas. Little Man has started putting together words with Hebrew with and without out the vowels. Both of my children already know lots of vocabulary due to us hearing it in our Synagogue and from use teaching them those words. 

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book from Alef Press for free in order to write this review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and were not subject to editing from the publisher.