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Hi Everyone!

I recently discovered HOD and was thrilled to find that Preparing was just what I was looking for in a curriculum for next year! Yay! I am planning to purchase it in the next couple of weeks (so that I can spend lots of time looking through it in anticipation of next fall!) and then use it with ds11 and dd8.

Any tips before I purchase at all? Favorite resources? Is there any reason why I should wait until later this summer to make the purchase? (any revisions planned for next year maybe?)

Oh, maybe I should introduce myself too. I'm Becca and I have been homeschooling my 3 children since the beginning. Besides my older 2, I also have a 5yo dd. In the past I've mostly used My Father's World along with a mix of other resources.

Looking forward to chatting with you all in the future.

Hi Becca,

Welcome to the boards. Preparing just came out this past August, so I don't think there are any revisions planned right away. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't go ahead and purchase. Warning though, if you do it will be hard to wait until August to implement it.

Welcome to the Boards,
As the pp said, I don't think there is a revision coming any time soon, Preparing came out for 2008/2009. So it's the newest of the current programs. The author is putting out one program a year.

Ask away, and the ladies here will gladly offer help.

Just wanted to say hi, Becca! You're gonna love Preparing!

Becca, welcome!

We are new Preparing users and we are really enjoying it so much. Two of my son's favorites so far are "Grandpa's Box" and one from the extension pack called "Uncovering the Mysterious Woolly Mammoth." Of course, they are all good! Some of the resources are used over a long period of time, so I consider them "must buys" such as the "Draw & Write History" and Hillyer's "A Child's History of the World."

I am so pleased already with the progress my son is making in the following areas:
- neatness of penmanship
- memorization of scripture
- artistic expression (When he did the cave art project he actually said to me, "That's right up my alley. I can only draw stick people anyway!" But he's improving already!)
- enthusiasm about doing school
- gaining more self-confidence in written narrations.

So, welcome to HOD! You might want to start a file in your word processor for "Preparing Hearts Tips and Advice" where you can copy and paste helpful things you find on the message boards, such as photos of projects from the check-in, specific advice on narrations, and so on. It's a great way to be prepared, and also nice to read through if you are struggling with anything.

Thank you for the welcomes and the info/ideas.

Becca,

Welcome to the boards! We're glad to have you here! The ladies are doing a great job of welcoming you and sharing great tips.

We'll look forward to getting to know you better.

Blessings,
Carrie

Hi Becca and welcome to the boards! I don't have any experience with Preparing but based on what everyone else says, I'm sure you will love it!

Thank you Carrie and Stephanie for the extra welcomes.

I just purchased Preparing!

I'm looking forward to receiving it.

Hi! just popping in to add another hello and welcome to the pile!

LOL. thanks

Hi Becca! Here's another warm welcome. I'm going to be doing Preparing with you - probably starting in August. If you want any sneak peeks of it, you'll have to check out the week-in-review threads. We're going to have a great year!!

Kathleen

Hi Becca,

I am using Bigger this year with my ds8 and dd10. This was my first school year with HOD and it's been the best - and that is saying alot considering I have been homeschooling since 1998 (I also have a dd16). We are going to be using Preparing this fall so you and I will be on this journey together. YAY, and welcome!!

Jeri

Welcome to the HOD board, Becca! We are 2/3 of the way through PHFHG - and what a great year it has been! I think you'll enjoy hanging out on the board - this is just a great place to spend time. Here's a link to the PHFHG photobook, so you can see some pictures of what your dc will get to do! Just click on the bottom book cover, it's striped:

http://heartofdakotasphotobooks.shutterfly.com/

In Christ,
Julie

Good afternoon! Welcome to HOD! Praparing looks like a lot of fun but I'll be a LONG way off from using it yet. So glad you found this delightfully eclectic mix of homeschooling HODies...we should pin a badge on all the new HODies... Happy your here!