heartofdakota.com

I am new here and am considering this for future grades...I was wondering if it would be hard to change the science to something I may like better?

I had a chance to see the CLP science and was disappointed. I liked the looks of BJU or Abeka science much better.

Or would it be better to just use what is suggested since CLP science is not expensive and maybe use the other science that I like for extra fun science stuff...

Hi-Heart of Dakota is flexible, and you can substitute any part you wish-but as for science, I personally like the approach Carrie uses, which includes whatever texts she selected carefully mainly as references or read-alouds, and great, simple experiments (with materials you really DO probably have at home), combined with creating a science notebook (in the higher levels). I hope you have looked at the sample pages on the HOD website-you'll get a great idea of the programs in the introductions and the first week of lesson plans

Thanks for your input. I will check out the samples and see how every is laid out to give me a better idea.

Hi and welcome. It is good to see you here from the HSR board. I am currently using Little Hearts for K w/ my 5 y/o dd and am doing my own thing for science. My dd loves animals so that is what we are studying for science. I ask her what animals she wants to learn about and then we get books from the library. I find coloring pages online and then have her narrate to me what she learned. I type up her narration and put it in a folder along with the coloring page. This seems to be working very well for us. I do have the CLP text that goes w/ the program and sometimes I will do that as well. HTH!

Gina

Hey Juli....I kind of felt that same way when I first got our science text (Our Father's World) BUT....it's not used in a typical way. Carrie just uses it to reinforce the science topic after you've already discussed and done a super fun experiment. We're really enjoying it. We also started reading straight through it on the side just for fun and there's more to it than at first glance. We are on the animals chapter now and learning quite a bit.

The Burgess books are also sort of "science-ish". For example, when we were reading Danny Meadowmouse we looked up info on meadow voles and discussed how realistic the book is. We've made our own animal classification poster just using critters from the Burgess books.

I had thought about adding more science at first, but we're finding it to be just the right amount.

HTH, Melanie

beandip71 wrote:Hi and welcome. It is good to see you here from the HSR board. I am currently using Little Hearts for K w/ my 5 y/o dd and am doing my own thing for science. My dd loves animals so that is what we are studying for science. I ask her what animals she wants to learn about and then we get books from the library. I find coloring pages online and then have her narrate to me what she learned. I type up her narration and put it in a folder along with the coloring page. This seems to be working very well for us. I do have the CLP text that goes w/ the program and sometimes I will do that as well. HTH!

Gina

Thanks Gina for the idea. I liked how you are doing science. If I do go with this program, then I may also do something like what you are doing.

Hi Mamajuli I'm absolutely no help to you, but had to run over and give you a cybersmooch on your cheek

Hi Mamajuli! Like Melanie and blessedmomof4 said so well, the science text is a nice reinforcement of the hands-on science experiments. My children really love the hands-on science parts - in fact, they often redo them to show my hubbie when he comes home. HOD's time allotments are short enough that you can easily add in additional science though, and I think Gina's way of doing that is neat. I bought a nature reader type book, and we do a nature sketchbook of what we read in that off and on too, just for fun. My son enjoys that as well, so HOD's very flexible that way, and I'm sure you can easily tailor it to be a fit you enjoy!