Welcome! PLEASE READ

[9hillbillies:)]

Hello, i hope i'm on the right board. I'm Angie (9hillbillies:) and i just registerd to post;) I am SO new to HOD, and have lots of ??s:) First, i've always used bju homesat and last year really wanted to try unit studies. I get tired of 3 dvd players going daily, plus i dont feel as part of my childrens lives....so the Lord brought about the idea of unit studies:) I have boughten lots of different things, MFW, some HOD, FIAR, Winter Promise...(no i'm not a hs junkie:). Anyway, my ??, i already have the MFW ECC, but really feel, as i've read through their TM and weekly plans, but feel its just not what we need. I love how we can look at the HOD a week at a time online. I love the box idea. I love the poetry that is added. I love the topics/???s/etc...that are in there for the parent to discuss w/the kids, b/c i probably woudn't think of those ???:) I'm learning how to do this.. I also heard of Winter Promise recently and looked online at their materials as well. They all look so good. Can folks who have used MFW or WP, give me some insight/ideas/suggestions on why they have moved to HOD. With my childrens ages, i'm really looking at starting w/the 4 oldest, where should i start~Bigger or Preparing? I really want to do Preparing! I love the books used in it.
Any ideas or suggestions anyone can give would be deeply appreciated. Feel free to em me privately if you like, or post here:) reliford7kids@aol.com
Also, my children love to draw, color, etc....even though they are used to the workbook type of ed. So i feel my children will adapt well to this.
I also have to say, i have em Carrie several times and she has been SO great at responding and giving me such insite. She suggested i get your advice as well. I love the personal connection w/the folks at HOD and this board looks amazing! I think it would be fun to learn from others and share ideas and ups and downs. I feel so alone in my homeschool journey and look forward to getting to use HOD and getting to know ya'll:)
Thanks so so so much for all your help Carrie! Thanks to all those who use HOD and can share w/others!
Looking forward to hearing from you:)
angie

[Carrie]

I'll just move this post over to the Main Board, as this is the Welcome folder. All new posts begin on the Main Board. We're glad to have you here!

Blessings,
Carrie

[Jessi]

Welcome to HOD! You certainly have your hands full!!! I am only using LHFHG so I can't help you with placement in Bigger or Preparing but I know others will be along to post about that and why several of our moms on here have moved from WP and MFW. I just wanted to be the first to say hey! You'll love it here.

[lmercon]

Well, if ever I think that I'm busy, I'm just going to read the list below your name and feel so much better! LOL! I am only up to Beyond this year, so I haven't had any personal use with the other two HOD programs you mentioned. My sil is using Bigger with her 8 and 10 yo. The 10 yo. uses the extension package. It is working out really great for her. I would suggest you study the placement chart on this site. See where each of your dc would fit in skills-wise and then decide how best to implement the programs. Carrie has had some great suggestions for others involving using the left side of one program, the right of another, etc. As far as comparing the other programs you've mentioned, I can help a little. If you search this forum for MFW, you will find several lengthy posts that you may find helpful. I used WP the year before coming to HOD. I agonized over the decision to continue with WP or switch to HOD. I did go with HOD. Here are a few reasons why I made the switch.

1. HOD is a better fit with my personal educational philosophy. While WP does utilize many CM elements, HOD does so in a much more authentic way. Charlotte Mason believed that much time should be spent with a great book. With WP, we jumped all around from different books. There was not a gentle flow to the day like there is with HOD.

2. I like the HOD book selections much better. Carrie has gone on an exhaustive search for close-to-perfect books for each element of the program. There were some books in WP that I didn't care for as much.

3. HOD does a marvelous job of engaging the child right on his/her level. One of the hardest things to let go of with WP was all the fantastic activities, crafts, model-building, etc. The activities with HOD didn't seem to be as "cool." However, as I thought back on my year with WP, I had to admit all the times when we skipped things because we just didn't have time to get to them. It left me feeling guilty that we weren't doing everything. I had a negative view of myself as a hs mom. WP acknowledges that the program is packed and to just do what you want and skip the rest. But that made me feel like I was failing as a teacher and guilty that I had paid for things that weren't getting used. I realized the while WP has a lot of "eye candy," HOD has purposeful activities that speak to the child. Real learning happens with the simplest experiment, model, art project, demonstration, etc. My ds is thrilled and so am I. The activities are easy to do with the things I already have in my house. I don't have to have an extra cabinet for all the saved cereal boxes and toilet paper rolls as I did with WP.

4. HOD uses a daily schedule, which I love. WP and MFW use a weekly grid schedule. If something happened in a day and school didn't get done, I was always scrambling to fit the assignments into other days to try to get back on schedule. My plan sheet would be filled with arrows and crossed out items. I was forever feeling behind. The daily schedule is great. There's room to add in my own thoughts, activities, etc. If we don't get to school on a day, we just pick up where we left of the day before. Genius!

5. I can't price-compare with MFW, but WP is very expensive! HOD is really economical for all that you get. I would have had to pay 3-4 times for WP as I did for HOD.

6. The single biggest reason I'm happy I went with HOD is the infusion of Christ throughout the entire day. I love that I am able to daily bring the things of God before my child in a meaningful, gentle, yet pointed way. WP is written by a Christian woman but the Bible portion is totally separate. In fact, the devotional was only used a couple times a week. Yes, I want my dc to be educated and intelligent, but I will have failed in raising them if I fail to bring the things of God before them on a daily basis.

I don't want to seem like I'm bashing WP. The author and her husband are fabulous, helpful people who have really put their hearts into their programs. I was able to let go of the "coolness" of the WP packages and really have been able to embrace the gentleness and thoroughness of HOD.
Welcome to the forum. I hope I was helpful without overwhelming you.
Take care,
Laura

[dale1088]

lmercon, great post! I wish we had the little smilie guy that claps!!

[StillJulie]

I don't know anything about Winter Promise, but I have used MFW K, 1st, and Adventures.

For HOD, I've used (am using) Little Hands to Heaven, Little Hearts for His Glory, and Bigger Hearts for His Glory.

My oldest, a girl, I think will do fine in any curriculum. I've had a harder time with my boys. They seem to be thriving much more in HOD than MFW. I can't exactly put my finger on it, I just know that it's working.


Have you looked at the placement charts, thinking of each child separately, and where they would fit? That will probably help you as you decide between Bigger and Preparing.

Are you opposed to doing more than one program at a time, or is it important to you to have them all together?


I'm actually doing very little combining, and I like it that way. It works well for us. My kids are 8, 7, 5, 3, 1, and due in May. Right now the oldest is in Bigger, the next in Little Hearts, and the 5 and 3 year olds in LHTH.

[9hillbillies:)]

You guys are just great:) Thank you so much for the very helpful insights and suggestions:) I am mainly looking at starting w/the 4 oldest, then once we accomplish a year of this, i might look into doing 2 of the programs, one w/the littler ones and one w/the older ones:)
What about the history in the Bigger? My children really dont have a lot of history as we have skipped some of that in the bju (they have 6 classes daily already)...If we start w/the Preparing, will the history from the Bigger program be included in another one of the HOD programs? Or if i dont do Bigger, will they miss out on that part?
Let me know what you think? I'm thinking i 'should' start w/Bigger, oohhhhhhh, but Preparing just has some ATTRACTION i can't get past:)
thanks!
angie

[9hillbillies:)]

PS, we find out a week from tomorrow what this little one is...boy/girl We are so excited i'll be sure to keep you posted! Since i am 40, i dont think we'll be able to keep up w/the Duggers:) LOL

[my3sons]

Welcome to the HOD board! This board really helps me not to feel lonely in homeschooling. When I feel kind of out of the loop or like most people just don't understand why we're homeschooling, I can come to this board and feel surrounded by wonderful like-minded ladies. I hope it can fill that need for you too - oh, and please DO share if you are having a boy or girl!

I think it would be super helpful for you to print off the placement chart, and circle where each of your older 4 dc fall on it (especially considering the first page - reading, writing, math). Then wherever the most circles fall, you can do that program with them, and we'll all chime in how you could best make it work for each of your dc. If they fit best into Bigger Hearts great, but if they fit best into PHFHG don't worry about missing Bigger Hearts (it IS wonderful) BUT - that time period comes back around again in the 4 year cycle, so you don't need to base your decision on the history time period. Here's a link to the chart:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

Please post what you discover after checking out the chart, and also any other information you think is important about their reading, writing, and math. Then you are going to have a bunch of responses here, and we'll all help you find a great placement for you and your dc!!! I'm glad you are here and will check back on this thread! Whatever program you end up going with, you are going to love HOD!

In Christ,
Julie

[Mom25]

Hi Angie,

We used MFW Adventures and ECC and had a good experience with both. However, we are just finishing Preparing (with boy and girl twins, 9), and we LOVE IT! It's true that MFW is built for combining, and it took less time each day for us to complete, but there's something about HOD. The books are very engaging, the manual is easy to use, and my kids really like school. I've also had more success with art (not my strong point) in HOD. The projects are easy and very doable with everyday materials. I had a harder time with art in ECC. Usually we skipped it (much to my daughter's dismay). Now my daughter runs to look at the book every week on day 1 to see what the project of the week is. MFW and HOD are both quality companies, and I don't think you can go wrong with either. It just depends on your preferences.