heartofdakota.com

Hi everyone,

I'm new around here and plan to start homeschooling for Kindergarten in the fall. I am leaning toward using HOD, I like a lot of what I'm seeing and I think it would be great for my little guy. My 5 year old son still needs a little help in the fine-motor area, mostly because he doesn't see the point of sitting and coloring, writing, etc. We have him in pre-k 3 days a week.

Anywho, one of my questions pertains to singapore math for kindergarten. My mother in-law is a veteran homeschool Mom and recommends that we use Saxon math. She says that this is what the public schools use, and so if we'd ever have to put our children in public school they would be in the same spot as their classmates. I'm trying to research Singapore math. I lean towards going with HOD's curriculum choices but I just want to make sure that in using Singapore math, he will be keeping up with his friends who are in public school and can keep up with them if he ever needs to go to public school. I understand that Singapore uses more of a mastery approach? Is there any review of concepts previously learned? What if your child has difficulty retaining this information and needs a more spiraling approach?

My second question is about phonics. I like what I've seen of The Reading Lesson. My boy is a very kinesthetic learner. My mother in-law recommends Sing, Spell, Read & Write for phonics and thinks it would be a good fit for my son. Has anyone used SSR&W in conjunction with HOD?

Finally, I guess I'm just really nervous as a first-time homeschooler that I'm going to make the wrong curriculum choices and screw my child up. =) He already is a tad bit behind in fine-motor stuff and he talked a little bit later than some of his friends. I don't want him to get further behind than his friends when we start homeschooling. So I guess I just really want to know, if we go with HOD will he be learning on grade level with public school kids? Because if our circumstances ever change and we have to put him in public school or private school, I want to make sure he will be able to succeed there.

Thanks everyone for your time and thoughts!

Sarah

I just wanted to pop on and tell you that one of the things I think new homeschool moms fear the most is making a "wrong" curriculum choice whereas those that have done it for a while realize that while yes curriculum has it's place the most important thing is the time, dedication, biblical training and love that you will be giving your ds that really matters. Most homeschoolers change curriculum choices several times over their journey. We have stayed with HOD as our main curriculum, but I have changed grammar programs and changed math programs 3 times just this year. It is a continual process of finding what fits your dc and what fits your style as a teacher and achieves the goals you have in mind for your child. Of course I happen to think HOD is one of the best out there. It has been a huge blessing in our home.

As far as the math we don't use Singapore because we came into homeschooling too late in the game to start it. If I was starting with a little one I wouldn't hesitate to use it. As far as the public schools using Saxon that is a new one to me. I know of no ps that uses Saxon. In fact the ones in our state use a conceptual math that is similar to Singapore, but not near as good. My understanding is Singapore teaches a child to really think about math and the why's of math. To me that makes them able to more readily adapt to a different scope and sequence that ps might be using than something like Saxon that is very formulaic in nature. Saxon is a good math program, but one of the big complaints about it is that it doesn't teach the why's of math. The lessons are also very long. Saxon used to be the only math that homeschoolers used, but there are so many more choices now.

I do not know about the phonics question. I do know that if you use Singapore your child will be fine in regards to math. My oldest DD is mid 4th grade year and in 3B in Singapore and is ahead of her public school friends. My second DD is mid 2nd grade year, just finished 1B and is ahead of her public school friends. Singapore is about a grade advanced. Oh, and the only school here that uses Saxon is a private Christian school.

I used to be worried about messing my kids up in school. But even at their young ages they are already showing me something that I KNOW their in school friends aren't getting. They know how to think and learn! They know HOW to find information and use their resources! I never really learned that through 17 years of public education.

I agree that curriculum choice is one of the scariest things when starting to homeschool! I felt the same way. I think the best thing to do is realize that there are so many GREAT curriculum choices out there! You will find positive and negative reviews of ALL OF THEM. I also think it's great that you are seeking out advice from veteran homeschoolers, including your MIL, but ultimately it needs to be your decision so you can feel extremely confident in your teaching. It is incredibly easy to second guess yourself and if you don't feel the decision was yours that will be even easier.

I would encourage you with whatever math or phonic program you use to make sure you jump in with both feet! Although there are times when you might need to switch a curriculum for various reasons, it is important not to switch too often. I have seen families who would use curriculum for a few weeks and then switch because they felt it wasn't going well, their kids were bored, they were bored, etc. Sometimes you just have to see it through a few months before you see the results. We did end up switching math because Singapore didn't work well for my daughter's learning style or my teaching style, so I'm not saying you should never, ever switch.

Welcome to the HOD family. You're going to love it here! It has been such a blessing to our family!

Welcome to HOD! I am new here as well. I have been homeschooling for six years now though. I have gone through my fair share of curriculum and more hours then I care to count on research. The local homeschool group says that if there is a curriculum you want to know about don't research it just ask me! So to your question on math. I went with saxon math for grade K to 3. My dd loved it! Math was her favorite subject. Then in grade 4 it changed. Grade 4 and up is writen by a different author even though it is still published by Saxon. Math became her most disliked subject and we have been struggling with math for a year and a half now. Yes it is spiral but my dd finds that it rushes and does not give you a chance to really learn the topic before moving on. We moved to Math U see this year but are still struggling as she does not have the basics down (multiplcation and Division). You really need to find what works best for you and for him. Once you find that your set for learning. If there is one thing that I have learned is that even if it is considered "The Best", if it doesn't work for you as a teacher or him as a student it is NOT "The Best " for you. If I were starting new I would go with HOD completely and see how it goes. If something doesn't work then look for something to fix it. Remember that he is only 5, look at getting the basics and enjoying each other. i wish I had . I spent TOO MUCH time worrying and researching and not enough enjoying the time together.

Blessings,
Toni

My oldest used SSR&W with HOD for a while, though in the end we used a HOD recommendation, Reading Made Easy. My second child, after a false start with Reading Made Easy used 2/3 of The Reading Lesson until I realized that I liked Reading Made Easy better and we switched back to that. I am resolved that my youngest shall only use Reading Made Easy - I know that it works and I enjoy teaching it!

That said, I think it would be fine to use SSR&W with HOD, but if you do it with all the bells and whistles it will take much longer each day than either of the HOD recommended programs. It has more of a "schoolish" feel and loads of worksheets and writing (especially after you learn long vowels). I think it would have worked better for an older child than I was trying to use it for. Also even though my oldest loves to sing she hated the jingles that came with SSR&W!

HOD provides balance in your day enabling you to do more than just reading and math. Even though we use a different math program, I've learned to time our lessons in math so it doesn't take too long. My oldest does 30 min of math per day, my second does 20 min and my youngest 10-15 min. Then we stop and pick up the next day where we left off. Otherwise math can take over our day. I think the same could happen with SSR&W if you're not careful.

HTH! and I couldn't recommend HOD more - it's the best choice I've made in homeschooling... Oh and I don't think my kids are in any way behind ps kids. My oldest who is mostly HOD educated has taken some standardized tests and she is advanced compared to her peers.

We use HOD with all their recommendations- Singapore Math, The Reading Lesson, etc... I really like the time/workload balance of all the subjects. My oldest ds loved The Reading Lesson and has since moved on to the Emerging Readers. My dd is on lesson 18 of 20. The short lessons and uncluttered pages have been a great fit for my oldest two. We also really like Singapore Math. The activities Carrie has planned to go along with the younger workbook levels are very popular here. I believe that Carrie has designed her guides to cover many state's standards (though not all because they vary so much) and I am confident that if I ever needed to put my children in public school that they would be well prepared academically.

Thank you everyone for your informative and helpful responses! I really appreciate it! =-)

Hi there, and welcome!

Just a couple of thoughts about Sing, Spell, Read, and Write (I think that is the name). I have never used it but have just read a little bit about it, versus The Reading Lesson or Reading Made Easy. TRL and RME were selected with HOD because the focus is on phonics learning only, not writing. Writing, as you are already seeing, is an area that kids grow into at their own pace, and I have read that boys especially usually develop a little later in that area. TRL or RME allows them to learn to read without having to be good writers. I know this made a huge difference in my daughter's love of reading. She does not like writing, but is an avid reader and I just feel like the pacing is just right with TRL (which is what I have used, my 2nd DD is now in lesson 18 of TRL).

I echo what others have said about giving everything a good try before you switch. It is so easy to hear about what other people are using, or read about something that seems "so great" and think maybe you should be doing that instead. I'm now in my 4th HOD guide and am seeing over and over again how the research and experience that Carrie has put into writing each one of these guides totally fits all together and helps me so much, since I am not trained as a teacher. I have learned things about my daughter and her learning style in the process that have helped me adapt as needed. But overall HOD is a great program all together as written and I highly recommend it to you. Blessings as you are making your decisions.

Hi Sarah, and welcome to the HOD Board! You will find everyone has advice to give when it comes to homeschooling, and though much of it is well-intentioned, it can overwhelm, especially if it is coming from someone we are longing to show we can do it (a.k.a. a loving, well-intentioned, advice giving, mother-in-law).

I can put some fears to rest for you. HOD is academically strong, and Carrie writes with state standards in mind. She has her master's degree in education, and spent 11 years teaching in the public school classroom prior to homeschooling her own dc and writing HOD, so making certain HOD is 'enough' academically is important to her. I taught 7 years and have my master's degree in education as well, so I'm admittedly quite picky too, and I am Carrie's little sis', so poor gal gets her fair share of advice from me too.

Singapore math is considered a year advanced. Start with it in "Little Hearts for His Glory," and your ds will be on track to be on grade level or more than likely ahead of grade level. Any math program can be used with HOD, so give it a year and reassess. You can always use Saxon at that point, though I think you will like Singapore done the HOD way. Here are some links for you to peruse about Singapore Math...
Singapore Math (why Carrie picked it and my top reasons for using it)
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4271&p=31537#p31537
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=112

Phonics. My, my, my. Another one every. single. person. will be glad to tell you what to do, with strong conviction too, mind you. You can use any phonics with HOD. Phonics is typically taught anywhere between 1-3 years, depending on the child. When do you know you are done teaching phonics? When your child has completed at least 1 year of a formal phonics program and can read an early reader book quite smoothly, with just a few words to sound out a page. Why not start with The Reading Lesson, or Reading Made Easy for a year. Then, the next year, either do whichever one you didn't do, or switch to SSRW at that point. I think gently letting dear mother-in-law know from the getgo you'll be glad to hear her thoughts but will still make your own decisions may be a wise plan overall for the future, but you will know best there. I'd lean toward The Reading Lesson with the computer CD for a young, busy 5 year old boy, but you can read Carrie's explanation for choosing each of these phonics programs at this link...

Carrie compares The Reading Lesson and Reading Made Easy
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2503

And here are a few more links about it...
TRL Comments:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9993&p=72922#p72922
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5541

The Reading Lesson CD:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9276

One more comment. Boys. I have 3 of these sweetie pies. They are wonderful busy blessings from God. Often times, they settle into school, especially the fine motor skills aspects of school, later than girls do. They also aren't as likely to shout from mountain tops in angelic voices that they LOVE SCHOOL every moment! Don't take it personally. Our sons do enjoy school very much - I'd go so far as to say it's love deep down, as much as it is possible that is, for school is work for dc too. It is a challenge, and it should be. From early on, I decided to start our days with singing praise music as we do our chores, prayer and breakfast together, and then a cheerful sunny attitude on my part (strong coffee helps). But, even so, it is not realistic for us as homeschool moms to expect our dc to enjoy every single aspect of their education. On days when heart issues creep in our school, I remind myself that the boys back in my ps classroom would respond to their end of the year survey each year that their favorite part of the school day was ... recess. And believe me, I was pulling out all the stops at that age as a teacher. So, if your ds doesn't relish every aspect of school, still loves to play and get outside in the great outdoors, and is a little late to the game in the fine motor skills aspects of school - he's in good company with about every young boy out there.

There are many, many, happy homeschooling moments with HOD to make up for those that present more of a challenge. The best part? You get to be the one to spend time with your ds, you get to be the one to teach him to read, you get to be the one that knows just what he did during his school day, you get to be the one to tell your husband just how special he is, and you get to be the one that shapes not only his mind - but also his heart - with God helping you every step of the way. I can't wait for you to start - and when you do - and you have more questions - come here. We love to help and can totally relate to what you are going through!!!

A little fun reading for ya, in case you are still reading...
Why do you “heart” HOD?
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8268&p=60839#p60839

Why ladies love HOD:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4403

How do you handle dc’s questions about why you’re homeschooling them?
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6312

Why are you homeschooling? Knowing your goals:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10632&p=78391#p78391

Looking forward to getting to know you here!
In Christ,
Julie

I am so beyond grateful for the thorough and encouraging responses I have received from you wonderful ladies! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to respond to my cry for help! Lol. I have been doing the free trial of The Reading Lesson and I am amazed at what my boy has learned already! We just started lesson 2 and he is already so proud of himself for what he has learned to read. From what I have seen of HOD, I feel as though this program was written specifically for my son. I can't wait to start homeschooling Kindergarten with LHFHG in the fall.