Need Your Help!

[MamaMary]

Can you tell me in a nutshell why you LOVE Heart Of Dakota. You can post here and I will copy and paste

I am going to represent HOD on Tuesday September 9th, as we are having a Show N Tell for our monthly meeting. My girlfriend Christa (granolamom6) is going to help work the table. The more HOD success stories we have the easier it is to show others how HOD will fit their family! (our support group has approx 300 families) I am planning on making a flip chart book with your testimonies

Also, if you have pictures (just send me ONE or TWO) that you really represent HOD will you send them to my e-mail? ppeamary@yahoo.com

[Vicki]

Hi Mary!

I've just had a discussion over lunch with my dh about this very topic, so this is fresh in my mind.

I have the Beyond, Bigger, and Preparing manuals to look through here at home. I have spent many evenings reading through them. I cannot begin to say how much I've learned about how these programs work just by spending the time reading through the manuals. I love and am very excited about the programs we have to look forward to (Bigger and Preparing), and yet I also love very much the program we are still working with right now--Beyond.

I admit myself to waffling back and forth on what to do... what to do...what to do... The Lord sent me to HOD, and I know it has been proven in the change in my child from the time we began the program we're using. It's like a little light went on in his head and his heart! It's those moments when out of the blue, he starts quoting poetry verses he remembers (from a few months ago), or a he sings a Scripture verse we've learned in the past. Or the impromptu moment we had when he popped a Burger King crown on his head and declared, "I'm King James. I want you to worship at my church--not at the Scrooby Inn!!" (Who knew a Burger King crown would be so useful? )

I have found that you can put together your own program and spend hours upon hours of time gathering materials, making lessons, finding books---or you can sit back and let Carrie do the planning for you. She's got all the bases covered! No stress, no worries! You want a Bible study---it's in there. Poetry study and memorization (if you'd like)---it's in there. A Christian walk through American history---it's in there. Math activities, early grammar exercises, spelling words, art activities, geography lessons, and easy, doable science lessons/experiments---they're all in there! How's that for covering the bases? And you can't beat the price on one of Carrie's manuals. There's just so much thought and work and detail in each of the manuals.

I've told my dh once that it's like asking a friend to make up a program for us for the upcoming school year and make sure she includes everything on my list. The thing is, Carrie is that friend! She's done all the work for me. All I have to do is gather my materials and put them in the bookcase, then we're off and running. How great is that!!

So there's my $.02. I don't think you can beat HOD, and believe me, I've looked at them all!

[water2wine]

Mary my mind is not clear enough to post an original thought so here is my redesigned HSR review in condensed (cough, cough) format. Mary I am not full speed here so if there is something off here please fix it for me OK. You know my heart on HOD. This is the readers digest version, I promise. Hahaha!


What I love about Heart of Dakota over the others is that while I found is when publishers go for the Christian market they advertise that they are really going to make it all about God in everything, and in the end what I found was either a disjointed message that was not speaking to my kids hearts or extreem compromise in their selection of books covered with Bible verses to somehow cancel out the effect in their teaching manual. I know ultimately of course I am to teach them about God and that is my primary job, but what I pick to me reflects that as well. What I love about HOD is the simple yet very meaningful way things are connected to God and the Word. When things correlate it is because in meaning they are actually connected it is not like a few words matched and some weird extrapolation was made to get to a Bible verse. When books are chosen for the program great care is takes that it would be something that is God honoring. Where I see other publishers giving in to ungodly content for the sake of flashy pictures or popularity, HOD can be counted on to maintain the high standards of Christian content I am looking for no matter which program of theirs I use. The quality is consistent no matter which you use. That consistency is invaluable to me. I do not have to worry if there will be something in the program that does not reflect our values every year I purchase a new program. I know they all will every year on every level of Heart of Dakota's programs. Heart of Dakota gets that while it is the parents job to shape their children's hearts, their curriculum will do that too. I am grateful that they do that in a way that honors the parents.

So that is the spiritual and keeping in line with what I feel God is asking me to teach my child aspect. The rest is easy to explain...Simple Genius! That is exactly I told my husband who has watched me spend hours on end searching for years actually and be unhappy with what I chose before even though in concept I loved it but found in practice it weighed me down and fell short in Christian content deep heart connection to me. Why did HOD work so much better and why did the kids and I love it so much more, Simple Genius. It is well organized yet not confining. I am really able to use it without some huge preparation and it comes off easy as if I had. It feels like it all comes from me even though it is really coming from the manual and the program in general. It just flows and I always feel like the best mom and the best teacher when I use Heart of Dakota. My kids beg to do it. I have always made everything we use enjoyable. I love homeschooling. I truly found what I was called to do. I am good at taking something bad and making it good usually. But I hate to be frustrated and I hate to dread using something. We have such a short time to educate and train our children. We have such a short time to seal up all the holes and fill them with God. I want to enjoy every moment and Heart of Dakota lets me not only enjoy it but know while I am feeding their hearts and minds, I am making memories that will last a lifetime. And the program is very simple open and go while still maintaining a richness that is incomparable to anything I have seen or used. Heart of Dakota gets that while they write the curriculum we still teach it and it has to work for us.

Just a couple of more points. I am a mom of six kids all over the place in learning styles and ability, teaching really three to read, one with special needs, and it is perfect for me. That is how flexible and yet organized it is at the same time. The program is set up to be able to meet your child at their individual skill level but still be very teacher friendly, not an easy accomplishment. Last thing is yes, I am worried about academics. I want very well educated kids. I am a biologist and my husband is an engineer. It matters to us and we are very pleased with the academics in Heart of Dakota. But we also balance that with the knowledge that when we meet God face to face He is not going to ask us if we covered all the History cycles or if they learned Latin. He will ask us to account for how we taught the children He entrusted in our care about Him and did we help them to really know Him intimately. Being someone that values academics, I know that it does not come from a simple Bible study every day (although don't get me wrong I think all wisdom is there!). It has to be much deeper if you want to keep them out of the 70% that lose their faith in college. Because most if all of our kids will go to college, I am not liking the odds on that. Now is the time to teach to their hearts and minds, so that later they can teach their minds, but still keep their heart for Him. So everything you do has to catch their hearts and turn them to seek His face. Because in college it will not be the obvious things they use to try to take your children's heart from God, it will be the Science book with the cool pictures that talks about evolution. It will be the holes they try to punch in theology in light of the worldly wisdom that will shake the ones who do not know how to answer for their faith on a deep level. That is why number one on our list was to pick a program that really teaches not only the 3 R's and all the bells and whistles well but also a program that teaches unswervingly a relationship with Him and one that aids me in imparting a love for Him to last a lifetime. Yes we all want academics and Heart of Dakota has richly provided that in a very thorough and thoughtful way. But in the end will we not ultimately give them the most "success" in life through well grounded relationship in God that teaches them to take the Word and apply it to their heart. mind and life daily. These are some of the reasons we have taken Heart of Dakota as our partner for disciplining our children. May the Lord lead you peacefully in your decision to find the same.

[crlacey]

Hi Mary!
I too will copy and paste my review since I'm dealing with some other things at the moment, but wanted to help you out. I'll see if I can dig up a good picture to send later.
Crystal

We have used HOD's Little Hands to Heaven for preschool activities and have recently started Little Hearts for His Glory.

I am totally impressed by this complete curriculum! We enjoyed gently going through the Bible stories in LHTH. At first I thought the activities might be to "babyish" for my DD, but she loved them. She's been able to retell many Bible stories and even started applying them to real life.

Now that we've moved on to LHFHG, I can say that we'll probably be sticking with HOD for a few years. Each day is fun and meaningful without having too much work for the student or teacher. My DD is enjoying her schooling and is able to retain so much of it. At first, I tried adding to the program which only lead to frustration for my DD and I. Now that we realize this truly is a complete curriculum, we are both happy and are both learning from it. The best part is that it's centered around the Bible, not just having Bible as an add on. My DD goes around singing her verses and has learned to use those verses and Bible stories to help her in real life situations.

I am so happy to have found not only a Biblical curriculum but also a supportive, encouraging community that will help us though our homeschooling journey.

[MamaMary]

Girls..., these are GREAT! Is there anyway to shorten them just a bit. I am looking for short bites to grab the attention? I'm sorry to be a pain. If you are not able (((w2w because you're sick))) I will do it for you.

[crlacey]

Mary,
How's this length? Or you could just use the first line if that's better. You pick what you're looking for.


Each day is fun and meaningful without having too much work for the student or teacher. My DD is enjoying her schooling and is able to retain so much of it. Because it's centered around the Bible, my DD goes around singing her verses and has learned to use those verses and Bible stories to help her in real life situations.

[Vicki]

Okay, Mary, how's this?

No stress, no worries! You want a Bible study---it's in there. Poetry study and memorization (if you'd like)---it's in there. A Christian walk through American history---it's in there. Math activities, early grammar exercises, spelling words, art activities, geography lessons, and easy, doable science lessons/experiments---they're all in there! How's that for covering the bases?

Or maybe just this?


I've told my dh once that it's like asking a friend to make up a program for us for the upcoming school year and make sure she includes everything on my list. The thing is, Carrie is that friend! She's done all the work for me. All I have to do is gather my materials and put them in the bookcase, then we're off and running. How great is that!!

Does that help?

[MamaMary]

Okay, Mary, how's this?

No stress, no worries! You want a Bible study---it's in there. Poetry study and memorization (if you'd like)---it's in there. A Christian walk through American history---it's in there. Math activities, early grammar exercises, spelling words, art activities, geography lessons, and easy, doable science lessons/experiments---they're all in there! How's that for covering the bases?

Or maybe just this?


I've told my dh once that it's like asking a friend to make up a program for us for the upcoming school year and make sure she includes everything on my list. The thing is, Carrie is that friend! She's done all the work for me. All I have to do is gather my materials and put them in the bookcase, then we're off and running. How great is that!!

Does that help?

Oh Vicki, I LOVE both of them!!!! (excited smile)

[netpea]

Carrie's programs are just the right balance of fun learning activities, read alouds, and work. They are easy to teach and enjoyable for the Kids. HOD just makes my day go so much better. I don't feel like I'm floundering around trying to remember what to do next. And we can take it on the road with us when we visit Grandma with no problem.

[Jessi]

My daughter continues to reenact Bible stories for hours after we are done with school.

Easy to do as written or adjust to suit my needs without a lot of extra work.

There are songs, fingerplays, drawing, crafts, Bible stories, math skills, ABC recognition and letter sounds, devotions, drama, exploratory lessons: Even I am disappointed when the school day ends!!

I love that the HOD forum is full of wonderful, helpful ladies who are filled with the same passion to train up their children in the knowledge and fear of the Lord. If I have questions they are always willing to offer tried and true advice. I never feel alone. I feel blessed to have found a curriculum where I have not only found quality academics but I have also found a large extended family in HOD.

[Carrie]

Mary,

You are SO sweet to do this! Ladies you are so gracious in helping too! Mary, I just wanted to mention that you are welcome to take any of the comments from the catalog to use too. We gained permission from each user for the comments in there too!

Blessings,
Carrie

[water2wine]

What I love about Heart of Dakota is the deep, meaningful yet simple Bible connection in the program that teaches lessons I find my children applying to our everyday life. I have many times found my children taking the lessons and applying the biblical principals to something else in a meaningful way. To me that is what it is all about. I love that it has that deep biblical connection but also thoroughly covers all the academic things I never could get to on my own and then gives me organization I was never able to achieve on my own. It doesn't get any better than that. The program is very open and go so you do not need to spend your time preparing and planing. Instead you can enjoy your time with your precious little ones knowing the work has been done for you.

Mary you can use this or pull anything you want out of the other.

[MamaMary]

Mary,

You are SO sweet to do this! Ladies you are so gracious in helping too! Mary, I just wanted to mention that you are welcome to take any of the comments from the catalog to use too. We gained permission from each user for the comments in there too!

Blessings,
Carrie

Oh Carrie, as I'm sure all these mama's that are posting will tell you...., It's FUN! We love to talk about what we LOVE and we LOVE HOD!!!! Thank you for permission to use those in the catalog. I will grab some out

[MamaMary]

What I love about Heart of Dakota is the deep, meaningful yet simple Bible connection in the program that teaches lessons I find my children applying to our everyday life. I have many times found my children taking the lessons and applying the biblical principals to something else in a meaningful way. To me that is what it is all about. I love that it has that deep biblical connection but also thoroughly covers all the academic things I never could get to on my own and then gives me organization I was never able to achieve on my own. It doesn't get any better than that. The program is very open and go so you do not need to spend your time preparing and planing. Instead you can enjoy your time with your precious little ones knowing the work has been done for you.

Mary you can use this or pull anything you want out of the other.

Oooh Ooh this is GOOD! You girls on a roll!!! I'm off to check my e-mail for pictures!!!!

[wdworkman]

I'm not much help since we're starting our first HOD in a few weeks, but I'd love to hear how your show & tell day goes. I'm the leader of our local group for the first time this year so I've been brainstorming everyone for ideas.