New..trying to figure out which program is best..

[Blessed with seven]

Hi,

I was all set to do MFW 1st grade, had also considered Sonligh, with my two "middle" children. My daughter just turned 7 and my son is 10 (I just realized I have been saying 9....my son just turned 10 a few months ago but has struggled w/ reading and writing so is behind quite a bit. I have six children, with a baby due in Feb. I also have a 2 year old and I (almost) 4 year old (in Dec.). I know I will do Little Hands with the young ones. Carrie had emailed and recommended "Beyond" for my 7 and 10 year old. My son, 10, has really struggled with learning to read. We are doing Phonics Pathways and he is doing well but we are still doing short vowel CVC words like, hat sat, Pam, etc...w/ all the short vowel sounds. My daughter, 7, is doing Singapore K 1b right now, my son is doing Singapore Primary 1a. He is ahead of her in everything except phonics, he is a bit ahead of her in that but not much. They can both write, when dictated to, small word CVC words.

We have not done any formal science or anything, just focused on Math, Writing (some) and Phonics w/ my 7 and 10 year old.

I keep looking at Little Hearts for my daughter, 7, but know that doing 3 levels is probably not wise. I love all three of the programs but this is where I have a hard time because I don't want to get too much and be completely overwhelmed.

I will be doing Tapestry of Grace w/ my older daughers, 12 and (almost) 14.

I really "liked" the idea of MFW because of the Bible content, Bible notebook etc..and that it combined everything in one program. The thing I didn't like was having so many books to try and figure out what to get as read alouds etc... I am not big on going to the library a lot, we go some but to try and put books together for a curriculum, I could not do!! I am not that organized and it would totally frustrate me.

Anyway..that was some background info...I love the "idea" of Sonlight also but too expensive and the basic package does not include Science or anything.

Any and all ideas will be welcomed!!

Thanks so much,

Kim (Wife to Clayton 17 years) Mother to dd13, dd12, ds10, dd7, dd3, ds2...baby due in February (another boy we think)

[Candice]

Kim,

Welcome and congratulations on your upcoming baby! How blessed you are to have so many children!
I don't know if I have any real concrete advice, maybe some opinions and experiences that might be helpful. First of all, I think if Carrie has communicated with you about which levels would probably be best for your children, it might be wise to consider following her recommendations. Carrie has many years of experience in education in a public setting and with her own family and well, quite frankly, I think her opinion is very valuable. She knows the material first hand after all! If you look around at some of the posts you will notice that I often have many questions and confusion. Carrie has always been very helpful and I think her advice and recommendations come from the heart and keep me on course. Above all however, you know what is best for your children.

I don't have any experience with MFW so, I can't speak to that. I can however, relate to not being interested in visiting the library repeatedly to gather books that are essential for the program. Some people don't mind that at all but, I find that it is too time intesive as well. You mentioned that MFW appealed to you because of the bible content and that it combined everything into one program. HOD's foundation is built on the bible.

This is taken from the HOD website, authored by Carrie:
"And finally, we come to the most important area in our programs: Bible study. While homeschooling my first son, I found it too easy to place Bible into one time slot and study it as a separate ?subject?. This made the Bible seem to be of equal importance as all of the other academic subjects. I want my children to know that the Bible is special and that it?s more important than anything else. To do that, I realized the Bible needed to be integrated throughout our day as much as possible.

Our programs weave God?s word throughout our readings, our poetry, our history, our science, our writing, our music, and our memory work. Using this method, my children are reminded to measure their thoughts, words, and deeds all throughout the day with God?s word. Our programs also have a daily Bible study time, which we pray will train our children in the habit of seeking God?s word daily.

In the hustle and bustle of the school day, it is easy to forget that our most important goal is to help our children glorify God with their lives each day. Our programs strive to be a daily reminder of that goal. Glorifying God is the only goal that matters for eternity."

As far as Sonlight, again, I agree with you. It is very expensive and that is just with the basic core. I have not used any of their upper level cores but, in comparison to Heart Of Dakota I imagine you would be spending a considerable amount of time reading and getting through the material. I think that is one of the huge benefits of HOD, you get through the material fairly quickly and efficientlyand all subject areas are covered. In my opinion, HOD is very doable (is that a word?) and very parent friendly as far as accomplishing the goals I have for homeschooling my children. I hope somewhere in this you found something that was helpful! I wish you the best in your decision, I know how frustrating it can be trying to find a good fit for your family. Fortunately, we have with HOD!
Candice

[Melanie]

Hi Kim!
A former MFW user here! I loved the concept of this program as well, and of all the unit study and literature study curriculums on the market today, I think this one is as great as HOD in making the Bible a REAL part of your study, not just tacked on as a seperate subject. I am one of those moms who didn't mind trips to the library either. We really enjoy our weekly trek to the library. HOWEVER, I am completely craft impaired, so this aspect of MFW was out for me. Also, MFW does not promote the idea of combining kids until you get to their 2nd+ programs. They believe each child should have a personal K and 1st year. In theory this sounds great, just not practical for my family.

I went looking for a program that made it easy for me to combine my 3 kids in 1 program (with no guilt) and just happened upon HOD's website. It's exactly what I needed for my family!

I think using Beyond would be a perfect fit for your 7 and 10 yo's. I already have it and am using some of the literature study ideas now along with Little Hearts. You may want to wait a year or two to start Little Hands so your younger 2 could do it together (I'm all about combining, but some moms like to keep everyone seperate).

My kids lose interest fast when it comes to doing big projects/crafty things, but, so far, every single activity from Little Hearts has been enjoyable for all of us!

Time...I'm guessing this would be a biggie for you! The programs are very easy, very organized, low prep time (almost none) and quick.

Welcome to the boards and hopefully we'll be hearing from you soon on which program you decided to use! If you have any more questions, just ask. There are many helpful moms here!

Oh, I almost forgot, there's a really handy chart on the HOD website about choosing the right program. Take a look at that and see what you think.

Melanie

[Blessed with seven]

Thank you all for your replies. Wow...I really stress myself out over curriculum .

Another question for you...did you find the read a louds in Beyond, interesting. I, unfortunately, have not made read a loud part of our daily routine, which is what drew me to Sonlight, I think it is sooo important. I want my son's read a loud time to really capture him, I want him to enjoy being read to, eventually enjoy reading! He is not much one for reading, he would rather be outside building forts, which we have allowed but now I regret not starting him sooner in some "formal" schooling. We waited w/ him unti is was 7 or soo..then..the phonics programs I picked just frustrated him thoroughly. We tried so many, the last being Spell to Write and Read which was just way too much information. This is why I finally realized it does have to be big, extremely time consuming and expensive to work. Phonics Pathways is working great, one book!

Anyway...oh boy I just always worry that I will not make the right decision.

By the way..I was going to do my 2 and 4 year old in Little Hearts, my 7 and 10 year old in Beyond, Little Hands looks so good also though, for like my 7 year old. They all look good. I will probably not do a whole lot w/ my 2 year old actually, just what he wants, he loves to be read to though!

Thanks again!!

Kim

[Melanie]

The read-alouds are great! Carrie (the author) has all boys, so it is appealing to boys. On the web site, you will notice that the book packs are labeled "boy interest" and "girl interest" or you can make your own.

Don't worry about starting your son "late". I'm a big fan of Raymond and Dorothy Moore and lean more towards the "better late than early" philosophy. He will bloom on his own good time. (I cringe at the new Hooked on Phonics commercial on TV now, where the just turned 4 yo is reading....talk about pressure! ) Playing is a vital part of learning!

I think you may have Little Hands and Little Hearts confused...not sure from your post. LIttle Hands is for 2-5 yo's and Little Hearts is for 5-7 yo's. I may have mis-read your post though.

Melanie

[Blessed with seven]

Yes, I meant Little Hands for my 2 and 4 year old...oopsy!

Okay...wow I think I am ready to do this. I just have a few more questions. Are there any worksheets or anything to do or is it all out of the books listed? Maybe there are worksheets in the TE books?

Anyway..oh there was something else..hmmm..well..I can't remember what I was going to say.

Anyone recommend which books to get for read a loud, maybe the boys interest? I want to get them all..ha! I guess I could utilize the library a bit more, or get more books here and there.

Are there any books/workbooks I need to get "2" of? Any recommended items that maybe are not listed? My daughter is still doing Singapore K, she is getting ready for 2A, I assume that won't be a problem in doing "Beyond..."

Thanks again for being patient and for sharing while I am trying to figure this out.

Kim

[Blessed with seven]

Okay, I noticed in "Beyond..." there is only one choice for Science, I really wanted to do either K or 1st since I have not done any w/ them. I actually already have the 1st Grade book. Can we substitute or would it not follow the guide?

Also..Handwriting..I was going to do A Reason For Handwriting, probably A and B, would that work?

Oops..one more question. I really like the Timeline Book sonlight has. I like the idea of each of the kids having/starting their own Timeline book. Any suggestions for timeline material to go along w/ Beyond?

Thanks again!!!

Kim

[Carrie]

Kim,

I'll jump in to answer a few of your questions, as I've got a moment here. Overall, it sounds like you're wishing you could do "Little Hearts...", and of course, you can do whatever you think suits your family best. The reason I recommended "Beyond..." is mainly due to your 10 year old. I was thinking that due to his age, "Little Hearts..." could be be too simplistic and may not push him enough. But, you would know best.

Here is a link to the placement chart on our website that Melanie mentioned. It would help so much to take a look at that if you've got a minute:

http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

As far as your other questions go, even though "Beyond..." uses CLP's second grade science text, it still does a great job of covering any science concepts you may have missed by not doing formal science previously.

Using "A Reason for Handwriting 'A' and 'B' would work fine along with "Beyond....". If you use "Little Hearts...", those are scheduled for you.

We do make a Basic Timeline in "Beyond..." with columns for each 100 year period to get a century at a glance overview. "Little Hearts...." does not do timeline work.

For read-alouds for "Beyond...", I would probably either pick the "Boy Interest Set" or do a combo of the "Girl Interest" and "Boy Interest". The "Classic Set" is for more seasoned listeners, so probably wouldn't be as good of a fit. If you do "Little Hearts...", a short chapter is scheduled daily from "Thornton Burgess" and "Peter Rabbit" type books.

In "Beyond..." there are not any books you would need doubles of (outside of your math and if you choose to do "A Reason for Writing").

As far as supply gathering, if you have basic art supplies you should be set (construction paper, paint, paintbrushes, glue, scissors, markers, crayons, etc.). We strive not to require anything out of the ordinary if at all possible.

Lastly, if you haven't had a chance to look at the first week of plans from both "Little Hearts..." and "Beyond...", it would be good to take a look. You could possibly even try some of it out on your kiddos and see which seemed to be a better fit. Here's the link to the sample pages:

http://www.heartofdakota.com/sample-pages.php

Hope that helps!

Blessings,
Carrie

[Blessed with seven]

Hi,

Thank you again Carrie for your advice. I think my biggest thing is w/ Little Hearts, I looked at the weekly plans, I looked at the placement and my 7 year old would probably place better in Little Hearts, I think she would love it. Maybe not place better but...it is really hard to explain because my son is 3 years older but more advanced in Math than my daughter, not so much so in Phonics but still ahead a bit so..it has been a struggle to figure out. I know I can't do 3 programs though. I like that it is American History also! I just like all the programs. My son would definately fit best in Beyond, you are correct. So...I think I will go w/ Beyond. This is the problem I get myself in...everything looks so good, I want to do it all! But...reality is I can not.

I appreciate the advice on the books also!! My thought was,, too that he would not do well w/ the Classics so, I will probably get the boys and girls books, I think I already have a few of those.

Thank you again...everyone! I really appreciate the time you all have taken to help me out.

Blessings In Him!

Kim

[Tansy]

one of our local christian schools here does an interesting thing...
your kid can go Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday and Friday is for special classes or field trips. On the days off, the kids do home work and copy work. When I read your post it made me think... why couldn't you do something similar?

I was thinking little hearts and beyond are very short school days. I have doubled up on them upon occasion without much trouble. And it often only took 30-40 min longer. -OR- You can make the books last 2 years
What if you combined the bible study topic utilizing just one of the books Instead of all 3. Using the older version and shortening the verses for the younger ones. I really think since Carrie focus's so much on character its is understandable to all ages.

Then allowed the children to do the spelling and copy work art ect.. on an off day. Can your older ones help you like doing read aloud's or teaching the easy math? My friend with 6 kids uses her 10 year old to teach the 6 year old her math, check spelling ect.

am i clear as mud.. ??
I really think you could do 2 days of school per week per child/group and combine things like language arts, bible, poetry, read alouds, art.
Typicaly on Friday bible is the focus with language arts, you could make it a show off day for poetry and art work.

No one said you had to do all the parts all the time.

[Blessed with seven]

I am not sure exactly what you mean. I guess because I am not really familiar yet with how are days will go with this program. I will probably on used Little Hands (is that for 2-5 year olds?...I think I keep saying the wrong ones.), if my computer wasn't soooo slooooow this evening I would look it up real quick. Anyway...I will use Little Hands and "Beyond..." I don't think it will be hard at all doing 2. My older girls will be attempting Tapestry of Grace so I imagine, at least for awhile, they will be busy w/ their own stuff but YES, typically they help w/ the reading/read a louds.

Kim

[my3sons]

Hi Kim!

I've been meaning to respond to your message here for awhile. Sorry I am just getting to it! First of all, you are blessed with SEVEN children, and that gives you a wonderfully BUSY day homeschooling! God bless you for choosing to homeschool them!

I was pregnant with our third son last year, when we did Little Hands... (ages 2-5), Beyond Little Hearts... (ages 6-8), and Drawn into the Heart of Reading (ages 7-15). I was thankful every day for those programs. I was on bedrest the majority of my pregnancy, and I was so glad that I could still do school. I did not have to plan ahead for those programs at all. I simply had each set in a tub the children brought to me on my second home (the couch). We were able to finish school even with me being stuck on the couch.

Little Hands to Heaven takes about 20-30 min. to do, so you will not have ANY problem getting that in. Beyond Little Hearts took me 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When I did Little Hearts..., it took me about 1 1/2 hours. I think you could do all 3, but I also am not sure about your level of stress right now. If it's high (which mine would be if I were you!), you could just order Little Hands... and Beyond... and get Little Hearts later, a few months after starting the other 2, if you think you still want to do that with your 7 year old.

As far as the other things you mentioned, the other ladies had great advice already. Here are a few thoughts I had...

I've bought the timeline from Sonlight, and done the timeline in Beyond... I would say save the Sonlight timeline for when they are older. Being able to make a timeline tailored to the history we were reading about and being able to look at it at a glance on one sheet of paper (which is what you'll do in Beyond...) was easier for my son to understand.

I agree with getting the boy and girl pack... I did the same thing. I eventually got the classic pack too and plugged it in later with summer reading, audio tapes, etc.

Reason for Handwriting was great and would be easy to add to Beyond..., doing just a few pages a day. It is written in Little Hearts, as Carrie mentioned, if you go that route.

I think I'd do the science that's in the plans. It will be so much easier than matching or planning your own, and the levels are not all that different anyway. The hands-on activities and experiments all match the science text in the plans too.

Well, everyone here had great ideas, and you will do the right thing whatever you decide to do. Don't worry so much about picking the right thing, or making a mistake. Just think back to when you were your children's ages... do you remember much about school and what you learned? I don't - not that I necessarily want that to be the case for my children, but it helps me get perspective sometimes when I am being harder on myself. The things they'll remember the most are the little things - the routine things we do daily. Like letting them spend time with us and their siblings all day, taking time to pray, giving them a hug when something goes wrong - all things that are not possible if they are not HOME with us. Keep up the good work, Mom! You're doing a great job already!

[Blessed with seven]

Thank you so much for your encouragement! I am highly stressed, wish I wasn't. I do want simple but I get in my own way a lot! I want simple but good!

Thank you again for all your encouraging words. We have a homeschool group but most people end up doing prepackaged curriculum, like Abeka or something like that so...

I do have a friend doing MFW and loves it BUT...I know me and if I have to plan a bunch of library trips...well..it would not work for me. I am also not a "crafty" person.

Thanks again,

Kim

[my3sons]

Glad to be of encouragement! I need it too so many times. By the way, I tried the library thing. I finally gave up depending on the library trips for anything other than some good books to check out once and awhile. If it was something I needed to relate to a curriculum I was doing, something always got in the way. Someone was sick, I was on bedrest, my hubbie needed me to do something else, we were snowed in, etc. - and I only have 3 children!

Also, I am kind of a crafty person, but I figured out something. I am NOT a crafty type person with my children. They drive me crazy with it, and I wind up wanting to jump in and do it for them. What a relief HOD's curriculums are to me in the artsy-crafty department! The kids can actually DO the things themselves. The activities are on their level, and I do not have to hold myself back from jumping in and taking over as I used to with other curriculums.

"Simple, but good" are 3 great words to describe HOD curriculums. I think you've found a match! No need to "go fish" anymore - sorry... the later in the day, the worse my attempts at jokes get. Have a great night!