Advice! :)

[jamieanda]

So I'm thinking of using HOD this Fall. My first question is where should I place them? I will have a 10 yr old 5th grader and a 8 yr old 3rd Grader. I can either use BHFHG or PHFHG according to the placement chart. I'm just trying to figure out which one would fit best for them to do together. Any suggestions would be awesome! I've never tried CM approach before but have always loved the idea. My older daughter LOVES to read. My younger is slowly starting to like books more and more so anything to encourage the love of reading with her would be great.

Also what do you guys like about HOD? What do you dislike if anything? Do you find yourselves adding alot to the program?

Do you like DITHOR? We are currently using Christian Light Education for Reading but I'm finding I don't like that they are not reading "real" books. Both of my girls reading skills are above grade level but other skills are average.

Anyways! Any help or advice is most welcome!

Thanks!

[Molly]

Hi Jamie, welcome to the HOD boards. I am certain you will find some great advice here.

I would suggest if your girls could be in either Preparing or Bigger Hearts, I personally would opt for Bigger Hearts.

We have only started using HOD this year but I love it. I love the layout, I love the fact that the children are doing a wonderful variety compared to what we were doing previously. It is honestly such a joy. I chose to do Preparing with my two girls also 8 and 10. My 10 year old is more advanced than the average but I felt my younger daughter would really enjoy it, so opted for the extension pack for my older girl. Over the last few weeks we have made a few changes with my 8 yr old. First off, I slowed her down to half speed for everything but the basics and DITHR, and now I have placed an order for Bigger. She was able to do the work, but there was no enjoyment in it for her, as it was stretching her abilities that little bit too far. This was entirely my fault for not listening to the wonderful advice I got from this board.

To be honest, I have yet to find something in HOD that I don't like, but in saying that, I do believe God led me to it as the right curriculum for our family. And my oldest daughter absolutely loves it. My son is doing Little Hearts and although he is not keen on school at the best of times, there is plenty in there that keeps him wanting to move forward.

[mom23]

Welcome to the boards! If you're thinking of combining your girls, it's usually best to place according to the younger child, because it's easier to add things to increase the level for your older child. When you start taking things away from a guide to make it fit a child who isn't quite ready for it, you start to lose important building blocks for future guides. With that in mind, I'd go with Bigger-it's a great 3rd grade year! If, when it comes, you find it really isn't a good fit after all, HOD will allow you 30 days to return your new-condition books and you could exchange for the higher guide at that point.

What I love about HOD:
1) Our faith is beautifully woven throughout everything, rather than segmented away into a separate "Bible" class and left alone for the rest of the day.
2) Its open-and-go friendliness. It's so easy to teach, and I'm confident that they're getting a better education than if I were putting things together on my own. (Nope, I don't add anything!)
3) It's very streamlined-there is not an ounce of busy work, or time wasting here! We're learning and thriving, but not taking up the whole day to do it!
4) The book choices are fabulous! Using real books is a way that learning is enjoyable for my kids, it's affordable for me, and I can use my local library if I'm really needing to scrimp our finances.

[my3sons]

Welcome to the HOD board, jamieanda! You've already received some good answers here - this board is full of encouraging ladies such as those that have answered you here. Just like you, I remember loving the CM idea right away as well, but being unsure how to go about implementing it. HOD has helped me be able to teach like CM with success and with joy! I want those same things for you and your 8 and 10 yo dc.

I am wondering if you have gotten a chance to look at the placement chart with just one of your dc in mind at a time? That really helped me out. Printing off the first page of the placement chart, one for each of your dc, and then circling in each column where each child places is a super way to see which guide each would place in individually. Of course the information you glean from doing this would be great for us to know too, as we then would feel more sure about what placement to advise. If you could let us know what you find out, specifically in the areas of reading, writing, grammar, and math, that would be super! Then we will all chat about combining options. Here is a link to the placement chart...
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

In answer to your question about what I like about HOD, well, where to begin?!? I guess it aligns perfectly with how I envisioned my homeschooling from the very start. Homeschooling with HOD has helped bring history alive, it's helped my dc become hands-on little scientists, it's made the Lord such a part of our homeschool that He is with us all throughout it. It's given us a thousand special memories together, some that are academic breakthroughs, and some that are spiritual milestones. It has given us time together reading on the couch, experimenting in the kitchen, creating at the table, building on the floor, and having heart to hearts alone. It's made it possible for me to ENJOY my teaching without feeling panicky about planning and preparing for it all weekend or at night. It's helped my dc develop interests, find new hobbies, and learn to work on projects from cooking to creating to building by following directions carefully. It's given my dc confidence in their abilities and hope to change the world with God at their side. It's helping them grow in to young men of honor, who want Godly character traits, who want to know Scripture, who like to sing in church, and who feel comfortable praying not only with others, but in their own Bible quiet times too. HOD has helped them love books. Love learning. Love the Lord. Love each other. Love me as their teacher. Love helping others. Love working hard. And so many other things. What's not to love about HOD? The only thing I didn't love was HOD didn't have plans for writing a high school program, and after having prayed about it for years, Carrie and Mike now have plans for writing high school next! God is so good. I don't add 1 thing to HOD - other than Typing Instructor for my seventh grader - but I do make sure we do each and every part of HOD each and every day. HOD has my back.

DITHOR - well, yes, we love that too. Real books - yes - a definite wonderful part of DITHOR! But in addition to that, I love HOD's book packs for DITHOR, and I appreciate them more and more as my sons get older. DITHOR is infused with great discussions, a book club type feel, necessary skills that need to be taught for reading instruction at these ages, story elements, genre studies, fun projects, neat kickoffs, student books that are fresh and varied, Godly character traits woven in that impact my sons' lives, and so much more. We simply enjoy DITHOR more every year we do it. I highly recommend giving it a whirl.

What I love most about HOD is that I feel in my heart that my dh, my dc, and I are going to look back on our homeschooling with a deep sense of contentment, with fond memories, and with great joy. We are enjoying the journey - we are not exhausted and praying for the finish. It is my prayer that you and your family will be equally abundantly blessed by using HOD as well! And please, when you have a moment, do share your placement chart findings with us so we can help you get off to a great start with HOD!

In Christ,
Julie