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I'm being honest here. I feel as though others are missing soooo much in the homeschooling experience. This curriculum is amazing! I'm in my fourth year of using HOD, and am at peace 'til college! My dear friend uses an all-textbook curriculum. She and her kids are just starting the new year and are all miserable. Her ds was crying on day one! I feel for him. I can't imagine sitting there staring at a stack of textbooks and workbooks - every day! It must be boring for mom too. I was a classroom teacher for eight years and was required to use textbooks. However, I always mixed it up with real books, projects, activities, games, etc. I can't imagine sitting at a table and doing nothing else. HOD is such a wonderful mix of things. It is such a difference between how my ds feels about school and how his friend feels about school. Thanks, HOD!

I don't know much about the experiences other moms have who aren't using HOD - so many of my friends here who also homeschool are! I know my SIL said that "oh it's easy until 1st or 2nd grade and then they start disliking school and it's a struggle to get them to do it." I am wondering if that will be the case for us also, or if the joy and fun of HOD will just continue on! Looking forward to finding out!

I am the only one I know that uses HOD and my ds is also one of the only kids his age that I know that loves school. His best friend uses textbooks/classical approach and he doesn't like school at all and is always trying to get out of doing it. I can honestly say my ds faces every day even at 12, and with hormones raging, excited to see what he will be doing on that day. He truly enjoys every day of school.

I have just one friend I know who uses HOD, and she has seven kids. It works for her, but for some reason, others I've mentioned it to always have an excuse for not considering it, which I don't understand. Oh well; I'll keep mentioning it!

I am also the only person that I know who uses HOD of all my homeschooling friends. I have told many about it, and they always say it sounds great, but none have tried it just yet. It truly is a joy to do each day. My 10 year old who HATED school with a passion now LOVES his history, Bible, poetry, songs, DITHOR books, history extensions, etc. He IS NOT the "schoolish" type of boy at all, so I am doubly glad that he likes HOD. My second son goes with the flow and really would do well with just about anything, but he also enjoys DITHOR, history, and the rest. My daughter as well! It works out great for us.

We do use a different LA curriculum than R&S though, and we use different math as well. We also do another spelling curr. They both like their new curriculums in these areas better, but other than that, it's all staying the same. Works out great for us! And so easy for me to use. I love it dearly.

I have to say that HOD became contagious here where I live It started out with 2 of us using it (from the very get go) and now I have a ton of friends who have fallen in love with HOD and use it! If it were up to me all of them would use it, since it's so rich and you don't have to stress out every year, what your going to do with the kiddo's for curriculum! It makes convention a breeze.
Together with some other ladies I share HOD at our local Homeschool support group at their curriculum share every year!

LynnH wrote:I am the only one I know that uses HOD and my ds is also one of the only kids his age that I know that loves school. His best friend uses textbooks/classical approach and he doesn't like school at all and is always trying to get out of doing it. I can honestly say my ds faces every day even at 12, and with hormones raging, excited to see what he will be doing on that day. He truly enjoys every day of school.

Mine, too, and he turns 13 on Friday.

I was headed toward the Classical approach until I discovered Charlotte Mason, who is now my hero. I like the theory behind Classical, but I keep hearing stories of kids doing school morning, noon and night. O.O WHAT!? Learning should be a fun experience!

We've used CC since 1st grade, but I'm beginning to see that I'm going to have to let that go. It's sad, but also freeing. CC is very expensive, and it's just not something I can justify to my husband who already works so hard to provide for our school. Plus, CM is such a wonderful fit for us!

I'm so excited about HOD that I've already planned out my childrens' entire education with it! (Excited to see what Carrie has in store for high school!) I actually have a document with the grades my children will be and what year they'll use HOD. I've never, ever done that before with any other curriculum we've used. I'm having as much fun as they are - and I'm learning too! (Confession: I never knew the other directions, other than N,E,W, &S, before yesterday. )

Don't feel bad, Daph. I could have told you nothing about European/Asian geography until we homeschooled. It just wasn't taught when we were kids.

Daph I have the same thing for both my younger children and my 4yo has not even started HOD yet. But I have a chart of what year he will be doing which one. LOL MY 6yo is doing Beyond this year and we are on week 4 and his progress is amazing to me. He could not make a sentence with his spelling words the first couple of weeks but this last week or so he just took off and makes great sometimes elaborate sentences.
I LOVE HOD and I have ended my search for something else. I do still look but I have no desire to buy other stuff. And I don't look much only when someone tells me about something they are using. It doesn't even compare.

I was just telling our dd today that when I first envisioned homeschooling her (when she was 1yr.old!), that THIS was what I imagined it would be--reading Shakespeare, poetry, great books, geography, chronological history, appreciating great art and music, etc.--and we have all that with HOD!!!!!!!

I'm SO thrilled that God led us here!! (And, I've been able to share it with others and now have at least 3 happy friends using it!!!)

lmercon,

I was reading archived threads, and I just read a post from you from about 3 years ago. You were asking if there was enough "meat" in Beyond. LOL. I guess there was...


Tracy

I totally understand! None of my close homeschooling friends use HOD. I have told them about it, but all, for one reason or another, just can't try it. Most of the time, their issues are with the lack of "test taking" and "traditional school." Many times I go to God in prayer for them when I hear how much they are struggling with this or that. I know that if it is His will they make a chance, he will lay it on their hearts to do so!

"I was reading archived threads, and I just read a post from you from about 3 years ago. You were asking if there was enough "meat" in Beyond. LOL. I guess there was... '

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LOL! Yeah, there was! Guess I better be REALLY careful about what I post!

This is our 2nd year using HOD and it's everything I always wanted in homeschooling, but planned out for me. Before finding HOD, I tried to pull everything together myself and plan it all out and I just got burnt out and missed out on a lot of family time because I needed to do this or that. We are all much happier and our days are so peaceful and FUN.

I now have 3 friends who use HOD because of our experience. Praise goes to Him.