HOD is a family business and has family in the booths.

As far as the writing in Beyond, there is much less than in Bigger Hearts, due to age and maturity. Copywork of poetry and spelling activities that include writing a portion of the week are part of Beyond's plans, in keeping with CM style. Each week, children respond to the history and show what they've learned by completing geography activities (often using maps and globes), creating artistic projects that coincide with the history reading, and participating in history activities which further add to the learning (this includes keeping a timeline, which has dc draw pictures and write captions).
For science, dc respond to the readings by doing 2 science experiments/activities every week. This active way of responding to information in science/history books lets dc really think about what they are doing and personally demonstrate the concepts learned, rather than having to think so hard about writing in subject areas that aren't for the subject of "writing". This is in keeping with that age of maturity. I've been so pleased with the retention it seems to result with in with my dc.

It has been such a better way to see what this age understands than trying to have them write out what they know. I've found it a huge relief not to see my dc struggling to share what they've learned because writing can be a barrier to doing so for younger dc. HTH!
Never worry about asking too many questions here, as this is a very encouraging board and that is precisely the reason for its creation!

Just keep in mind these are all simply opinions here, and final placement is 100% up to you. So, as you weigh what's best for your dc, know we all understand you know them best and we are just providing as much information as we can to help you come to a placement you embrace.
In Christ,
Julie