heartofdakota.com

If others want to share things. Maybe that would be good. I think I did not communicate what I meant to. So maybe others can or else just let this one drop. Sorry.

Oh boy did I cause another problem? I need to quit. I am not a good communicator. This was not my intent. Maybe some other people could share. I will once again take mine out. I do not want to lead people to think something is false in the program.

But just to answer the question. We talk a lot about the Bible and the History and connect our own thoughts to it as well. There is study on Humility connected with the Bible and the history. There is reading on Columbus seeking God, there is reading on how all his actions are not all godly, we thought about it and that is where it led for us. Carrie does not write out all the lessons we learn but she does make us think. She is good at making you think deeper and apply it to other things. But she is not responsible if I have somehow thought something that is not thought by others.

Do others have some things that might actually help? I am bowing out. I did not communicate what I meant to I guess it was not such a great idea. Sorry guys.

What a great post!! We are about to start week 2 tomorrow, so I don't have a neat story like that yet, but we are really loving it anyway. Carrie has really written such a fabulous curriculum. It's amazing to see how much these children are learning.

I have to say I don't quite understand the question.

Are you asking, what is it you ended up loving about HOD that you couldn't pick up on when you reviewed the samples online?

If so - I can say the cohesion of all the "boxes." I have said a number of times my first any only intention when I bought HOD was the history core. I had been very happy with our first grade year and the programs we were using. I was just seeking a history program.

Once I got the curriculum and could look through unit after unit, not just unit one, I was moved by the linkage of Bible and history and I was totally impressed with the Storytime. It is hard to get the whole picture of how Carrie grows a child's understanding [and Mom's, too!] of the concepts of brotherly love, conflict, joy, etc., etc. until you can flip through page after page. Slowly we have almost completely "come over to the HOD side." I suppose the fact that I still hold onto my preferences with a few things will keep me from becoming an HOD purist. But what matters most to me is how much HOD has blessed my family, and that Carrie has not set in up in a way that I have to be all or nothing.

Okay, I'll join in...

I haven't posted in awhile, but this topic has really been on my heart lately.

I have to say (and my dh would also say too) that it is just priceless when my little guy, out of the blue in the evenings or just anytime, starts singing his memory verses from Hide 'em in Your Heart CD. I can't count the times he's done that, and it really makes my heart !

Another thing I've noticed is that this program really seems to draw us closer to God. How powerful for my child to write on a piece of paper for me, "I love God", and do this of his own volition, without any prompting from me.

Or, upon finding one of those paper crowns from Burger King we had lying around the house, he plops it on his head and says, "I'm King James! I won't let the Pilgrims worship their own way!"... that one about a month after reading that lesson. How's that for recall--unprompted too!

Is this what you mean w2w? If so, that kind of describes how HOD feels at my house, and it's a great feeling. We love it here!

momof2n2 wrote:I have to say I don't quite understand the question.

Are you asking, what is it you ended up loving about HOD that you couldn't pick up on when you reviewed the samples online?

I was Just that stuff you never would have guessed has blessed you or your kids. I had a whole list of them myself but I am not hitting here on getting my intention across and for some reason I am not clear enough that things that were not even intended are being seen. And since I seem to be off I did not want to leave what I wrote that I guess did not filter well our observations of God and life from what the program actually has in it. Anyway I will tell you that the core of what I was trying to say is that HOD has brought into our lives the connection of character from Bible and history examples that has translated very positively to a real maturity in The Lord becoming visible in our children. Things I wanted to get in my children's heart and tried to but somehow HOD did so effortlessly while I wasn't looking.

And then the other thing I was saying is that the Science has really taught them how to explore and think about the world in terms of God as the Creator and apply that to observing the world around them. They have taken from the science that God has a purpose in His creation and have applied that to other things God has created. It is really causing them to see science differently and make it more a part of their every day life.

So what I meant is that not everything that is wonderful can be seen even looking at the program in hand, although there is a lot to be seen by looking. I knew from seeing it all in front of me it would be good and that it would work for us but much of what has been unexpectedly wonderful has been in the doing HOD. It's the stuff I never could have predicted would be so great.

Hopefully all of that makes sense.

w2w -

Oh, please let me share why I ask the question! I should have been more clear so you'd know where I'm coming from. I have this bee in my bonnet lately about texts that make moral judgments about historical figures. KWIM? For instance, let's say we are studying Bloody Mary and Elizabeth I. Both women were responsible for the deaths of many during their reigns. We know the facts of what they did, and we can judge actions. But we will never know what was in their hearts, and only God can judge their motives. I try to make this clear to my kids, that there is a difference between judging an action and admonishing someone because of it vs. assuming you know why they did it and judging their heart. So, I was just wondering if the lesson plans or text itself was attributing the sin of pride to Columbus.

I didn't mean to take away from this thread. (blush) I do apologize. I think it's a wonderful topic, and very helpful to those of us who are making our decisions about HOD. Please, keep going and tell us more! I think you do such a great job, w2w, of sharing what is excellent about HOD!

I think I was surprised at how exactly age appropriate the material is for my son. When I started with him at the end of last year, he was already starting to read and was understanding math concepts that were beyond regular "preschool stuff". So I was wondering if he would enjoy the activities in LHTH having to do with letters/numbers and I also thought maybe he would think the fingerplays would be "babyish". Well, let me tell you that he enjoys EVERY aspect of LHTH. The fingerplays are one of his favorite things. Carrie is so on target for his developmental stage. I guess I've learned a lot too. I'm not one who would naturally do things like fingerplays or acting out a Bible story. But Carrie has taught me that children at this age do enjoy those activities and the activities help the stories to "stick".
I guess overall, LHTH has just connected with him so well. It's actually almost hard to put it into words.

MainelyJen wrote:w2w -
I didn't mean to take away from this thread. (blush) I do apologize. I think it's a wonderful topic, and very helpful to those of us who are making our decisions about HOD. Please, keep going and tell us more! I think you do such a great job, w2w, of sharing what is excellent about HOD!

Oh dear. Please don't feel bad it is me, that was my being perhaps off step and not you. You made me realize and other blunders I made how careful I need to be to share what is in the program only and not what is in my heart. I know so well first hand how devastating it can be to have the wrong program for your family and first hand how thankfully wonderful and peaceful it can be to have the right program and to feel like you are finally home, you can relax and just stay for the ride. That is how it is for us with HOD it is a huge blessing. I think HOD is the best thing out there hands down. I know different families have different needs but I would be so sad if something I said kept people from finding what we have in HOD. So that is why I wanted to be careful and I was I guess annoyed with myself for not having been more careful. Please forgive me. I just want everyone to have that one perfect "it" in their homeschooling and HOD has been what has really been the biggest blessing ever in our homeschooling, for us HOD is IT. I want that for everyone. So certainly if my thread caused you to question content I was the one out of step.

On the history I would suggest talking to Carrie directly. I have many (and I am speaking of me ) picky and strong convictions/hangups. Carrie is very gracious and honoring to the parents. She never made me feel bad for having such strong and I guess strict convictions she only helped me see where mine would be protected and honored in her program. The other problem I have answering your question is something funny I guess that you actually made me realize. HOD is such a sounding block for all that is in my heart to teach my children that I forget where HOD starts and I end sometimes. It is just such a perfect set up to intertwine HOD with the convictions I have in my heart that it is hard for me to know with the History and the character what is there and what sparked a thought in me or my kids. I believe the one I wrote might have been one of those instances so I apologize for that it was not intentional. I guess honestly that is the mark of a good teaching tool that you do not know where it starts and you end but they intertwine. I guess HOD has become that for me. Carrie says so much of what I want to teach my children but I often lack the clarity to teach. So when I see something that is big on my heart I just jump in sometimes. We often get into talks and intertwine things even deeper, I guess my kids are like that too. So I would have had to really search through stuff to give you a real answer there and I instantly realized from your question that I might have put in where a lesson led me in my head rather than exactly what was there in HOD on the board. It's an important high lite for us that it makes us think and allows us to incorporate our own values but I would not want to mislead people that something was actually in the program that might not be. So hopefully you understand I want you to have the real answer and I am not equipped to give it.

I guess I would add one thing here that happened this weekend. My just turned six year old wanted a gum drop and we always make sure there is enough for everyone before we ask around here. Candy is not often in our house so she was highly motivated to find a way. There were two and she instantly said to me "No mommy there is enough cut each into threes and that will give all six kids one piece." I believe all that math stuff in HOD actually works in the real world. I love to see them translate concept to real world living.

So that leads me to the fact that HOD was really way out of my comfort zone and I had my little thoughts how most of it would work but this and that might not be necessary when I first got it all. I think that could fall under being prideful for me. Literally every time God showed me we needed to go with it and then blessed us with it. I am amazed at how well the simple stuff teaches and how much time I wasted with complicating things. I never would have guessed how much it would change our homeschooling and how many snafoos it would fix for us.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much my 5 y/o dd loved the Burgess books. I was not sure if they would hold her attention, but they did. I have bought some more of these books that I plan to read to her over the summer. She has come to love all of the characters and is looking forward to reading more about them.

Gina

Okay...I missed something, I guess - lol.

For me...what I LOVE about HOD that I didn't see online when looking through all the samples...I didn't see my kids on the HOD site jumping, and exicted, and wanting to do school work each day! They are having a blast, and both of them have told me they like their new school work much better that what we were using before.

Nope...I didn't see that at all.

Should Carrie have a video clip up somewhere of the children sharing their HOD excitement...telling what they like and love? I never thought my girls would be acting the way they do about HOD. I am thankful though, and glad, 'cuz I'm just as happy, excited, and thrilled as they are! I had a gut feeling I was making a change for the better...still scared and unsure...but they are proving to me each day that HOD is for us!

Oh...and I didn't see it say anywhere that when you absolutely by accident flip to a wrong lesson (like 4 weeks ahead)...that you'd be attending a local museum at the end of that week and actually get to see that history lesson's info played out in reinactments...so it's totally great that you goofed and did a wrong lesson!

LOL