new to hs and hod

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kelli
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:57 am

new to hs and hod

Post by kelli » Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:47 pm

hello!

i am so excited that god led me to this curriculum. reading all of your comments feels like i have made the right decision. i can't wait to get started. i have chosen BLHFHG for my 7 yr old (going into 1st)
it is my 10 yr old (going into 5th) that i am struggling with. i have chosen PHFHG because he is not excited about reading. i feel like CTC woud overwhelm him. i am expexting it will be like "pulling teeth" until he realizes how much fun we are going to have. he will be doing horizons math book 5 and i am still deciding on language. i'd appreciate any input on his level and any other comments and suggestions! can't wait to chat with you all!

anyone in the cypress, tx area?

kelli

mariaw
Posts: 155
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:23 am

Re: new to hs and hod

Post by mariaw » Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:42 am

Hi Kelli!

We are using Preparing this year with my 8yo, and it's been wonderful so far. The books are FASCINATING and I can only imagine that they would really catch the interest of boys! We just finished reading about an exciting cave bear hunt, and Grandpa's Box has a boy character who is interested in war strategy. My daughter loves it too (I don't want to turn any moms of girls away!), but I CANNOT WAIT to get to Preparing with my boys in a few years. It may very likely turn his interest back to reading!

We have definitely "upped" the amount of writing from last year (coming from other programs), but it nothing to be afraid of. The guide takes you so gently, step-by-step, through the writing process that it's a breeze to teach and I don't get any complaints from dd.

One of the things dd loves is the drawing and art projects. I don't know if your son is into that, but we have really enjoyed it. I never took the time for it before, and I'm so glad that it's part of our school day now.

After the intro we've had to narration and dictation in Preparing, I'm so glad that I'm not jumping in with HOD for the first time with CTC. This will give us a good foundation in these skills before we move to the next level.

You are really going to enjoy hs-ing with HOD! I wish I had started out with it from the beginning. My kids say constantly, "We are going to keep doing fun school, right?" :D

Blessings,
Maria
dd9 - Preparing with R&S 3 and Singapore 2
ds7 - LHFHG
ds5 - LHFHG
dd1.5 - in charge of hiding all our pencils

creekmama
Posts: 127
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:20 am
Location: Buies Creek, NC

Re: new to hs and hod

Post by creekmama » Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:54 am

Hi,Kelli. We'll be new together! I have a 5yo ds who will be doing Little Hearts.

Kelley
Kelley
Peter (12, Res to Ref)
Betsy (9, Preparing)

my3sons
Posts: 10702
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: new to hs and hod

Post by my3sons » Tue Jul 28, 2009 10:43 am

kelli wrote:hello!

i am so excited that god led me to this curriculum. reading all of your comments feels like i have made the right decision. i can't wait to get started. i have chosen BLHFHG for my 7 yr old (going into 1st)
it is my 10 yr old (going into 5th) that i am struggling with. i have chosen PHFHG because he is not excited about reading. i feel like CTC woud overwhelm him. i am expexting it will be like "pulling teeth" until he realizes how much fun we are going to have. he will be doing horizons math book 5 and i am still deciding on language. i'd appreciate any input on his level and any other comments and suggestions! can't wait to chat with you all!

anyone in the cypress, tx area?

kelli
Hi Kelli, and welcome to the HOD Board! :D I did BLHFHG and PHFHG last year and loved that combo - I think you will too. :D Your ds will love all of the "action" in PHFHG. The books are incredible - we have too many new favorites to name. My ds asked to take half of them to his room after the school year was over because he wanted to read them again. That's a pretty good sign, huh? :D We loved the R & S English and DITHOR for language. We did a good portion of R & S on markerboard and my ds wrote the rest in his composition book. He is doing so well with grammar because of R & S, and I enjoy that it doesn't take long and teaches grammar for the purpose of learning to write well. We've done DITHOR for many years now, and it really puts the "heart" back into reading. We can choose books with our kids' interests in mind, and we can go at a pace that fits each of them best. It gets them reading all different genres while teaching them necessary reading skills too. You can do the dictation (which fits the spelling requirement) from the PHFHG Appendix. Writing is covered in the daily plans through guided written narration lessons and creative writing lessons based on the poetry. Copywork is part of the notebooking in the daily plans. All of this together made my ds into a pretty avid reader and writer - and it totally helped him grow in these areas. I think this would be a solid plan for your ds. I'm glad you are here, and look forward to getting to know you, Kelli! :D

In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie

Carrie
Site Admin
Posts: 8128
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:39 pm

Re: new to hs and hod

Post by Carrie » Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:39 pm

Kelli,

I just wanted to pop-in and welcome you too! :D We did Preparing Hearts last year and really enjoyed ourselves! My son loved the books in Preparing and was continually enthralled with the science and the history projects. We pray your kiddos will enjoy their school year as much as we did!

It agree that Preparing Hearts would be a great place for your son to begin with HOD! :D

Blessings,
Carrie

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