Since I've been loudly praising HOD on other boards...
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:31 pm
I thought I should finally introduce myself here! 
Sorry if this gets a little long...
I'm starting our fifth year hs'ing my twin 9yo girls and 7yo son. We are from Canada, but live east of Nashville and are in the process of moving to Oklahoma (didja follow all that?!) Hubby is a singer and "on the road" a lot, so our hs'ing schedule can be a more than a little unusual at times.
I've been lurking since the beginning of the year, having stumbled on HOD when I was looking for something "new" to use with my son. I've always combined my kiddos with the various curricula we've tried and have had great success the past two years with a modified version of Ambleside Online and CM methodology. Heading into Year 3, however, I had an epiphany of sorts.
(I feel led to add this next bit since I've read of several folks here struggling with this very question...)
I hadn't realized how often I had pushed my ds, and slowed down my dds, in order to keep them together. My son is very bright and academically is nearly on the same "level" as my girls, but I felt that the increasing workload in Ambleside was going to be too much for him, so I began a search for something different.
When I first discovered HOD, my initial thought was to use Bigger with all three kiddos.. after all, I could always use an extension package for the girls and my son does fall (at the low end) within the placement chart for Bigger.
But then I realized that I was doing it again! Just because my son COULD do Bigger didn't mean he necessarily SHOULD, kwim? He's still a 7yo boy, after all, with lots of schooling ahead.. so what's the rush?? As soon as I made the decision to use two programs, it was as if a huge weight was removed from my shoulders, and I feel a great peace about my choice, even though it may involve a little more time on my part!
So all that to say
we will be starting in August.. ds using Beyond (along with DITHOR and Cheerful Cursive), and dds using Preparing with the extension package (at their request!).
I've truly enjoyed reading and learning the last few months, and I'm looking forward to starting our HOD journey!
Sorry if this gets a little long...I'm starting our fifth year hs'ing my twin 9yo girls and 7yo son. We are from Canada, but live east of Nashville and are in the process of moving to Oklahoma (didja follow all that?!) Hubby is a singer and "on the road" a lot, so our hs'ing schedule can be a more than a little unusual at times.
I've been lurking since the beginning of the year, having stumbled on HOD when I was looking for something "new" to use with my son. I've always combined my kiddos with the various curricula we've tried and have had great success the past two years with a modified version of Ambleside Online and CM methodology. Heading into Year 3, however, I had an epiphany of sorts.
(I feel led to add this next bit since I've read of several folks here struggling with this very question...)
I hadn't realized how often I had pushed my ds, and slowed down my dds, in order to keep them together. My son is very bright and academically is nearly on the same "level" as my girls, but I felt that the increasing workload in Ambleside was going to be too much for him, so I began a search for something different.
When I first discovered HOD, my initial thought was to use Bigger with all three kiddos.. after all, I could always use an extension package for the girls and my son does fall (at the low end) within the placement chart for Bigger.
But then I realized that I was doing it again! Just because my son COULD do Bigger didn't mean he necessarily SHOULD, kwim? He's still a 7yo boy, after all, with lots of schooling ahead.. so what's the rush?? As soon as I made the decision to use two programs, it was as if a huge weight was removed from my shoulders, and I feel a great peace about my choice, even though it may involve a little more time on my part!
So all that to say
we will be starting in August.. ds using Beyond (along with DITHOR and Cheerful Cursive), and dds using Preparing with the extension package (at their request!). I've truly enjoyed reading and learning the last few months, and I'm looking forward to starting our HOD journey!
WELCOME 
What a blessing. We will be following in the same path as you in about a year. Make sure to post your stories when you get going!