heartofdakota.com

HI all,
This HOD/homeschooling journey continues to amaze and delight me. I have 5 children - 4 of whom are school age. All 4 are in different guides and yet, the connections across guides are such a marvel. I hear my sons talking back and forth about different time periods and my 7 year old daughter starting to "recognize" things they are saying. It is a true blessing. My oldest who was not interested in the Medieval Period ( at first) is deeply engrossed and learning lots - as am I. Everyone is "listening in" on the weekly Shakespeare. And now, they demand it! We have found so many ways to intersect and share in the journey. Thank you HOD!

Deltagal - WELL SAID! I struggle to put into words the connections that my dc are making every single day, even though they are doing different guides. The conversations ebb and flow through history, science, genres, Bible topics - whether the talk focuses on events or people, our dc are constantly talking about their learning and sharing with one another. Everyone seems to have something to add, even the younger dc. When families do the placement chart, and find that it shows it would be best for their dc if they were placed in separate programs, they sometimes respond with "I won't do separate guides, because I want my dc to learn together". I am always thinking, "But we do 3 different guides, and my dc are learning so much together all of the time!" Of course I can say this, but I find I struggle with explaining HOW my dc are learning together, how our dc are deeply involved in their learning together all of the time, and how it goes on ALL day, even through the summer when we are not even doing school... and that the conversation is that much richer because they are all learning so well within their own guides as they are able to do everything they are asked to do so well, and therefore everyone can participate in the conversations they are having. It is hard to explain, but HOD creates an atmosphere of learning in the home that everyone wants to join in on, whether they are in the same guide or not, whether it is during "school" or not. Thank you for putting this into words so well! And BRAVO for your dc as they learn together in different guides!

In Christ,
Julie

my3sons wrote: When families do the placement chart, and find that it shows it would be best for their dc if they were placed in separate programs, they sometimes respond with "I won't do separate guides, because I want my dc to learn together".

Julie - This is true! And when we made the switch to HOD it was a big adjustment from our "everyone on the same band wagon learning-style." It truly has taken two years with HOD and completing multiple guides for me to fully realize how much richer and deeper the learning is. When we did everything together there were great connections and lots of fun sharing, but I'm more and more convinced that their depth of learning has increased by having a guide that is fully on each child's level. Oh, and we still have fun together. It's just in a different way!

AMEN!!! Treasuring our journey together!