heartofdakota.com

We have used Heart of Dakota for several years.

We are finishing up Beyond with my two boys that are 17 months apart. They are a bit old for Beyond but we have really enjoyed it. Wyatt just turned 10 and Wesley will be 9 this summer. I have the whole set of Bigger w/ extensions for them next year (my daughter Lysa did it several years ago). I seriously thought of skipping Bigger and going to Preparing. I have been looking over and over at the catalog and figuring and trying to figure it all out ... my 3rd grader (Wesley) who will be 4th next year is not a real strong reader.

I am thinking for my daughter who will be 9th... I am going to do MTMM. I know it isn't for hs but as I look at everything I think I could make it work. She wants to do Apologia Physical Science instead of the MTMM. But there is so much more in there that we love.

$$$ is somewhat limited.

Looking over my Bigger I am thinking of keeping the boys in that for this coming year.

Hope this isn't confusing. I need some feedback because everyone I try to sound it off of... doesn't get it b/c they are not familiar with HOD.

thanks.

I cannot comment much about beefing up MTMM for your high school daughter, however, there are a LOT of threads here that address beefing up a guide for high school. Just keep looking around and I'm sure you'll get a lot of good ideas for her!

As for your sons, I think the sticking with the Bigger Hearts plan is a good one. It'll give them some time to develop the skills taught within that guide, and will give your littler guy a chance to strengthen his reading. You'll also know for sure that they'll both be good and ready for Preparing when that time comes. As a side note, one of my son's is doing Bigger this year, and has grown by leaps and bounds! He just turned 10! So don't worry too much about age, as their skill levels are more important for correct placement.

One other thought, is that you could add in the extension set for your older son, if you think he needs a little more than the younger son. It does add more expense, but they are such good books and would make it a little more challenging for him, if you decide he needs that. If the extra expense isn't an option, then you could always beef it up yourself by adding in extra books for him to read from the library on related topics from science or history. You could check out books from the library and then have him do the same exercises from the extension, just with different books! You may even decide that doing it as is, is just right for both of them! Either way, you'll know what's best to do for your situation!

I agree BHFHG sounds like a good fit for the boys, and extensions are easy to add should you want to go that route. Just turned 10 yo and 8 turning 9 yo sounds just fine for BHFHG - it is a meaty guide and one I'd not be apt to skip as many new skills are introduced. It helps pave the way for the guides to come. Enjoy BHFHG - it is a partnering year with our kiddos to prepare them for more independent work to come! Here are some threads that may help with MTMM for high school...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6571

Sounds like you have a good plan intact to me!
In Christ,
Julie