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I was pondering this week how the homeschool program manuals seem to get larger and larger. As if some publishers out there suspect that mom won't feel she got her money's worth unless the manual for each subject in the program is over 1,000 pages! I keep hearing descriptions of other programs in which publishers and users emphasize, "Well, there's way more in here than you could ever actually do. So you just pick what you want and ignore the rest."

Nothing strikes terror in my heart and a desire to flee like that kind of description! That means I will pay for numerous ideas I could never possibly utilize unless I have a time machine in my basement. That means I will feel frustrated because I am skipping half the ideas I just paid for. This is just me, of course, because some mom's like making hundreds of decisions in a week just to teach a unit on weather. But not I! I really struggle with that.

One thing that impresses me as I look at the samples of the HOD lesson plans is the apparent simplicity of it all. It doesn't look "overly padded" with the burden on mom to slough off half the material and find what she can actually use. Do you find this to be true? I'm considering using Preparing for my son, so naturally none of us has actually seen it yet. But am I right in my overall impression that HOD is a simple meal with good portion control and not an overwhelming buffet?

I think Mary described it as being able to eat a whole elephant, Carrie just helps you do it one bite at a time....or something along those lines, can't remember the exact wording!

I agree, just looking at the guide does not overwhelm me. And, it's not filled with coutless little projects that I know I'll never do, or think "where am I going to keep that when we finish?" Everythng in there is meaningful, short, sweet, and to the point. We are only in Little Hearts, but we can do the whole day in short order, the kids love everthing, and I still have my sanity in tact!

Best of luck to you with your decisions!
Mel

I could have written your post!
I'm a box checker. When I cannot check all the boxes, I feel
like we've failed somehow by not being able to fit
all those nifty ideas and things into our day.
I don't want a lot of fluff either. I want MEANINGFUL
activity or none at all!

Carly

Melanie wrote: and I still have my sanity in tact!

Mel

woow mel, sanity? i think i remember that! LOL

I so know what you mean! I have experienced that overwhelming feeling almost to the point of hyperventilation more times than I wish to remember. I have returned 1 or 2 curriculums (which I won't name here) for this very reason.
I am so thankful God has led me to HOD, the manuals are laid out perfectly, and the curriculum is so much more than I ever imagined without being overwhelming. Good solid bites of information with no fluff!
My mother always taught me that "Less is more", and I find this to be so true in so many aspects of life. I am confident my children will get an excellent education with HOD. As far as I can see, we plan to stick with HOD all the way through!

MainelyJen wrote:That means I will pay for numerous ideas I could never possibly utilize unless I have a time machine in my basement. That means I will feel frustrated because I am skipping half the ideas I just paid for.

One thing that impresses me as I look at the samples of the HOD lesson plans is the apparent simplicity of it all. It doesn't look "overly padded" with the burden on mom to slough off half the material and find what she can actually use.

Oh, Jen, I can totally relate to you here!! Maybe it's a personality thing, but having a curriculum filled with tons of things that it's not even reccommended that you use totally drives me nuts and makes me feel like I'm not getting everthing done that I should!

I love lots of things about HOD...like especially the content...but also right near the top of my list is the set up of the guide. I love the little boxes and "doses" of material that are just right for the day. It's all covered, we can accomplish it, and I can relax and enjoy school with my kids. I'm going to be starting Bigger with my oldest sometime soon, and I'm in the process of doing LHTH with my 4 yo. When I started LHTH with my dd last fall, I loved it right away. My sister had called me and was looking for something for her 5 yo, so I went to the HOD website and told her to check it out because I absolutely loved what I'd started with my dd. When I did that I realized that they had older programs (that would have worked for my 7 yo). I wish we would have started HOD for him this past year, but we'll appreciate it so much more after what we've done.

I love the guides! I'm sure you will too, Jen. (There is more in the boxes as the child gets older, as I'm sure you can see in the samples, but I love that your day is all right there on 2 pages and every activity has a purpose and is so doable.)

Kathleen

Jen,

I am like you! I just want to know what to do when, instead of sorting through tons of great ideas each day and ending up exhausted (and doing nothing because I didn't have the supplies or just couldn't choose between the options)!

I actually teach every single box in the HOD guides each year (I think this year I missed 3 in all in "Bigger..."). So, our goal is to make your day manageable, cover your bases, balance your time, weave the Bible throughout your day, keep all lessons in bite-sized increments, and write plans that you can actually complete in the same amount of time from day-to-day! We're after structured flexibility.

We're excited to do "Preparing..." with our second son next year. Hope you'll enjoy it too!

Blessings,
Carrie