Placement help and HOD for dyslexics

[Lauraw]

HI, I am seriously considering HOD but I have some placement questions. I have 3 children. My (b/g) twins will be 10 in the fall. My twin ds reads well and is at or above grade level (going into 4th grade). My twin dd is dyslexic and is behind in 2 grade levels in reading and 1 grade level in math. I use a program for reading for her that is specifically for dyslexics called Recipe for Reading. She has made leaps in reading in the past 6 months but still struggles and can't read a regular book on her own quite yet. She can read the books that go with her program. Would HOD be good for her?
My youngest dd is doing fine, she is on the cusp of reading on her own.
One problem I have is that my ds gets bored and needs more of a challenge.
Should I use BHFHG with the expansion pack for ds? Or buy PHFHG or CTC for him and BHFGH for the dd's? I would rather not buy 2 programs due to finances. What are your opinions and suggestions?

[lmercon]

Hi,
I wanted to give you some encouragement about using HOD with a dyslexic dc. My 10 yr. ds is severely dyslexic, and HOD works wonderfully for him! I absolutely love this curriculum. Using real, living books is such a great way to teach children, and an especially great way to teach children who can't read well on their own. My ds loves to sit and listen to me read his history and science books. I can't imagine the boredom for both of us if I had to read a stack of textbooks to him each day! Because it is so teacher-intensive (due to the fact that everything must be read together) I was not able to move at full-pace with him this last year. He is very bright but with his special reading program, the outside activities, and our desire to do everything in the HOD program, we only got about 2/3 of the way through CTC this past year. We'll just finish it up next year.

I think your best bet would be to look carefully at the placement chart and decide where each child places BEST. Then, see if a few things can be tweaked to allow you to combine one way or another. One more thing to consider is the very different approach to education that HOD takes from the traditional school approach. You may want to read up on the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education and HOD's philosophy. If your dc haven't had much experience with living books, narrations, notebooking, etc, you may want to consider starting them in "lower" programs to give them an opportunity to learn these valuable skills.

hth,
Laura

[my3sons]

Lauraw - hi there, and welcome to the HOD Board! I just love imercon's answer here already, and I too would love for you to take a peek at the placement chart and share about each of your dc when you get the chance. That helps us give such more sound advice. Many times, an extension package can be close to the economy/science packages of another guide, so for a moment try to put finances on the back burner if you can, and we'll sort that out later. In the meantime, here is a super link for you to enjoy reading...

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11530

In Christ,
Julie