heartofdakota.com

It seems like Bigger would be the best fit for combining, with your older child doing the extensions in addition to the other work, and of course each child in his own level language arts and math as you said. I had the same situation years ago. I think with this combination you won't need to go hal...

I'm so excited!!! I loved Preparing before with my older kiddos and I can't WAIT to purchase for my youngest suprise kiddo. Right now we are using another curriculum but Preparing will be her 4th grade. I LOVE the incremental skill development and I think it will be just what she needs to grow towar...

Carrie has been hard at work on the notebooking pages each day, and the progress she is making and the beauty of the work is truly amazing to me! Well worth the wait - hope that helps! In Christ, Julie Julie, I am so glad to hear this! I am planning on using Preparing next year with my youngest, wh...

Welcome! The recommended reading comprehension program for Heart of Dakota is Drawn into the Heart of Reading. You will use real books-you can even purchase a book pack at your son's level so that you have all the books on hand. I would suggest that whatever level he is actually reading at, you star...

We moved in the middle of this past school year, and I only have one child (age 8 ) at home, and it was in the same city. Even so, formal school did not happen until we settled into our new place. When you homeschool, you can take breaks when you need them. Each state requires about 160 to 180 days ...

The good news is that if your oldest is placing in Preparing, that guide begins giving sections to the student to be independent work, or semi-independent work. This will help you manage the more teacher-intensive guides for the youngers. The children who are 5 and almost 7 could combine in Little H...

Thank you! Yes I was blessedmomof4 before but couldn't get back into the account anymore- so I made this one. Plus, I have 5 kiddos now :) I didn't expect to be blessed with another baby 13 years after my former youngest! I am looking forward to having everything planned out with no adjustments for ...

Hello! I am a former user of HOD- I think in fact I was using each guide from Bigger on just as it came out :) My older kiddos are all grown and living on their own, but we still have one at home! HOD was a welcome part of our lives back then with the big kids. We have been using My Father's World s...

Hi! I also am mom to a Zechariah (we spell it Zakarias). The wonderful thing about Heart of Dakota is that you can start your child wherever they are-there are no grade levels, only skill levels. Have you seen the placement chart on the Heart of Dakota website? This is a great tool to assist you in ...

What a wonderful update! I have switched over to a different curriculum from preschool through 3rd for my youngest child, because I liked their progression and it has been a good fit so far. However, in their upper levels, the program continues to be very teacher-intensive. Since I have become a wor...

Preparing does offer an extension package which makes it appropriate for 5th to 6th grade. This is a package of books that the older student will read independently and do independent assignments for, in addition to doing almost all of the same work the younger student does. This extension package i...

If you notice in the options for MTMM, it is for a target range of ages 12 to 14 and can be extended for ages 15 to 16. All you would need to do to make it sufficient for grade 9 is add the Self-study extension package which "extends the study of history for students in grades 9 - 10." You don't nee...

I like option b. You don't have to finish a guide at the "end" of a school year. Pick up where you left off after your break, then start the next guides whenever you finish the other ones.

If you are going to continue combining, then yes, you would have to continue using extensions for the older child. As for 5th grade, the Bigger Extensions already include 2 additional books for science: Exploring Planet Earth and Thomas Alva Edison, to be done in addition to the other science includ...

Just reading your description, I think Preparing would be a more appropriate placement. Rod and Staff 3 would prepare him for future grammar study, and you can do a lot of it orally, choosing one portion for written work. Preparing works on writing skills in an interesting way through poetry, and in...