heartofdakota.com

oops-just put this in the wrong spot-deleted it and here I am again-sigh

I am looking at heart of dakota for the first time. I have already spent the money for other curriculum, but really want to combine History, Bible, and Science for 2 kids (3 kiddos at some point). I've read some of the posts about combining and most seem to go with not combining. This is for a 4th grader (will be doing 5th grade about half way through this year) and 1st grader at a very immature 1st grade level in reading. I prob. can't go too far above the younger ones head without him losing interest completely, but you know how it is --want to keep the older interested as well. Any suggestions on which level to get? I know I may love the whole program and just switch over, but it's hard to completely give up what I have already spent $ on and what feels safe (very textbook style). "School" has been a struggle with the younger one except in math--that is the favorite. There are lots of other reasons to change those subjects too. I just need some direction. sorry for any overlap--I read other topics until my eyes were crossing )

I am combining Bible, history, science, poetry...basically the left side of Beyond, along with the storytime book part of Beyond. Beyond is very enjoyable to do this with. You could always add in a bit more for history or science if you think it needs it.

For our future, I am considering doing the new Ancients program with my oldest. I'm not quite sure what I'd do with my youngers, except I'd probably keep them all in the same history time period, plus I'd do their storytime (aka read aloud time) together.

I think you could tweak and combine as much as you want, I just haven't looked at any programs other than Beyond to see how easy or hard it would be. I know a couple of the older programs have more independent assignments in them. I would guess you could have your oldest read this aloud to your youngest and or swap this up with you reading it aloud also?

HTH,
Alison

thanks-Beyond is actually the one that I have looked at the most so I am hoping it works out.

irishcookies wrote:oops-just put this in the wrong spot-deleted it and here I am again-sigh

I am looking at heart of dakota for the first time. I have already spent the money for other curriculum, but really want to combine History, Bible, and Science for 2 kids (3 kiddos at some point). I've read some of the posts about combining and most seem to go with not combining. This is for a 4th grader (will be doing 5th grade about half way through this year) and 1st grader at a very immature 1st grade level in reading. I prob. can't go too far above the younger ones head without him losing interest completely, but you know how it is --want to keep the older interested as well. Any suggestions on which level to get? I know I may love the whole program and just switch over, but it's hard to completely give up what I have already spent $ on and what feels safe (very textbook style). "School" has been a struggle with the younger one except in math--that is the favorite. There are lots of other reasons to change those subjects too. I just need some direction. sorry for any overlap--I read other topics until my eyes were crossing )

Hi Irishcookies! We have ladies that combine, and ladies that don't - and they are still happy HOD users. So, it really depends on your goals for your dc. Even if you want to combine, it is very helpful with placement if you check out the placement chart and share with us where your dc would fall if they did individual programs. That helps us "shoot for the middle" and come up with the best combining scenario we can. Could you please check out the placement chart, and share where your dc fall in the categories of reading, writing, and math especially? And which programs they place in individually? Also, how well does the younger child listen to books with few pictures? If you could share that, we would all talk about placement with you and feel better about the advice we're giving . Here's a link to the placement chart:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

In Christ,
Julie

Even though they are 3 years apart, it seems they are much farther apart academically. My son is in between Little and Beyond (it's his very beginner reading level that would keep him at Little level--it just hasn't clicked yet). He will be 7 soon. He sits through read alouds with no pictures for a short time only. He lights up when read to with pictures. My daughter could do hearts for Him. She will begin 5th grade work prob. middle of the year. We are using Bob Jones curriculum now and he went through K but in phonics really struggles and because he struggles, he doesn't like it. His math is fine. So, I am considering a dif. approach to phonics for him too, just haven't decided on that yet. I want to refocus our schooling goals. I want them to know the love of Christ most of all. It has felt like school more than a loving mom sharing Chirstlike love for her children at home. I'm just nervous about completely switching over because my daughter does fine with what we have. The Bible, History and Science are the areas I was hoping to combine. I go through this every year even just for my daughter with these subjects and have an abundance of stuff but just haven't had a real program to guide us along and keep it going.

thanks for helping!

i am planning on doing that with my daughter who is 4 and son who is 5 1/2.

because of how i started, they won't be combined until probably January 2010 with the History, Science, and Bible of LHFHG.

then fall 2010 my son will do all of BLHFHG with my daughter combining with him for the history, sicence, Bible portion. my daughter will do the Learning Basics side of LHFHG.

when i combine them for the LHFHG Bible, etc. my daughter will only be doing that part and i am just going to do some little things with math, phonic, etc. she won't be ready for the Learning Basics side of LHFHG at that point and my son will have already completed that side. we have been taking 1 1/2 yr -2yr to do LHFHG with him.

hope that helps.

irishcookies wrote:Even though they are 3 years apart, it seems they are much farther apart academically. My son is in between Little and Beyond (it's his very beginner reading level that would keep him at Little level--it just hasn't clicked yet). He will be 7 soon. He sits through read alouds with no pictures for a short time only. He lights up when read to with pictures. My daughter could do hearts for Him. She will begin 5th grade work prob. middle of the year. We are using Bob Jones curriculum now and he went through K but in phonics really struggles and because he struggles, he doesn't like it. His math is fine. So, I am considering a dif. approach to phonics for him too, just haven't decided on that yet. I want to refocus our schooling goals. I want them to know the love of Christ most of all. It has felt like school more than a loving mom sharing Chirstlike love for her children at home. I'm just nervous about completely switching over because my daughter does fine with what we have. The Bible, History and Science are the areas I was hoping to combine. I go through this every year even just for my daughter with these subjects and have an abundance of stuff but just haven't had a real program to guide us along and keep it going.

thanks for helping!

Thanks, irishcookies! I have one more quick question. How does your ds do with writing? Can he do copywork of several sentences? How about spelling/dictation? Then, I'll definitely get back to you with a few different options, and I know others will too.

In Christ,
Julie

He mainly writes individual words still. He can do a sentence but it does take time and it is not super controlled yet. I'm not sure how to answer the spelling/ dictating part. He could write a word if I went letter by letter not if I just said a word. He isn't coming to me asking how to spell things yet like some kids do when they want to write out things and he doesn't write out anything without being asked to yet. Does that help? and thanks!!!

Thank you so much for sharing about your ds, and that does really help! I think I've got a great read on him right now and am feeling fairly confident on how his needs could best be met. But, as I am sitting here getting ready to type some placement options, and I realize I forgot to ask much about your older dd! I know you'd mentioned she was a fourth grader and may place well in CTC, but I would love to know just a tad more about her. My thinking here is to find out where each of them are in each academic area, and then shoot for the middle. I hate to ask you this, but could you please share your dd's age? a bit about her reading - like is she reading longer chapter books - maybe if you could give a few titles she's read recently? Does she read well independently, and how well does she seem to comprehend? Has she done oral narrations? A bit about her writing - has she done copywork, dictation, written narrations, creative writing, notebooking, before? A bit about her math - what has she been doing and how's that going? So sorry not to have asked this right away - I should have. I do think that you would love the Christ-centered focus of all of the HOD guides, and you would find it such a refreshing way to enjoy teaching your dc. I know I have! I'll check back and then we'll figure out a good placement.

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks for being willing to keep asking me ?s )
She is 9 almost 10. She reads well independently (Nancy Drew, Boxcar, etc.) She does still like the shorter chapter books because she can accomplish the goal faster ). They both listen to books on cd very well at bedtime (Chronicles of Narnia unabridged is a favorite)-- (and it gives them opportunity to get out of bed to ask what dif. words mean-- LOL) She is goal focused and will work at anything until it is perfect (not nec. a good thing, but can be, I know) She has written stories of all kinds. I would like her to do more writing and letter writing because I find her spelling isn't great when writing even though she can ace every spelling test. She is still happy with picture books too (does not consider them baby-ish or anything) and will listen to those as well as read those to ds (and 3 yr old dd). Her math is on level with a 4th grader yet we are still working at mastering math facts. Does that do it? ) thanks again

irishcookies wrote:Thanks for being willing to keep asking me ?s )
She is 9 almost 10. She reads well independently (Nancy Drew, Boxcar, etc.) She does still like the shorter chapter books because she can accomplish the goal faster ). They both listen to books on cd very well at bedtime (Chronicles of Narnia unabridged is a favorite)-- (and it gives them opportunity to get out of bed to ask what dif. words mean-- LOL) She is goal focused and will work at anything until it is perfect (not nec. a good thing, but can be, I know) She has written stories of all kinds. I would like her to do more writing and letter writing because I find her spelling isn't great when writing even though she can ace every spelling test. She is still happy with picture books too (does not consider them baby-ish or anything) and will listen to those as well as read those to ds (and 3 yr old dd). Her math is on level with a 4th grader yet we are still working at mastering math facts. Does that do it? ) thanks again

Thank you so much! I appreciate your patience and the detail you've provided here. I'm going round and round with this in my mind - and I keep coming to the same conclusion you did - "even though they are 3 years apart, it seems they are much farther apart academically". We have found the same exact thing to be true of my own dc - 3 years apart - but worlds apart academically. For us, we've found it has actually been easier not to combine because of this gap. I've really loved that I can have individual Biblical discussions with my dc at a level that fits them individually, and also that I can share more of my faith maturity wise at the appropriate times rather than holding back with my older ds because the younger ds is listening - and vice versa, making it too deep with my younger son because my older ds is listening. So, because I think the gap is quite wide between your 2 dc, and because I think it is easy to run two HOD programs, I am going to suggest doing 2 programs for your dc. However, you are mom, and you will know what fits your dc best!

I think your younger ds would do so well with Little Hearts for His Glory. It fits him very well - he would light up with the picture book readings , he could keep growing in his phonics (possibly with a change, like The Reading Lesson, or Reading Made Easy if you'd like that), and he could do A Reason for Handwriting A or Italic B (or any other higher level handwriting), to grow into writing words and sentences. He could do the first grade options for LHFHG - the higher level science, math, and Thinking Skills Gr. 1. This would give him a year to get ready for the copywork, spelling, and grammar in Beyond Little Hearts. It will also train him to listen to books with some pictures, and get ready for books with few pictures in Beyond. I think he would thrive with the plans in LHFHG, he would feel so successful, and he would be learning so much too.

I think your older dd would do well with either Preparing Hearts for His Glory or Creation to Christ. She would be in the middle age range for doing PHFHG and at the young age range for doing CTC. PHFHG prepares children well for CTC. It has once a week daily creative writing based on weekly poetry selections from Robert Louis Stevenson. It has notebooking 2 times a week for science, and 2 times a week for history. The science is independent. In CTC, there is daily creative writing using Write with the Best. The science and the poetry are independent. The history spine is independent as well (in PHFHG you are still reading the history spine). CTC also has both an independent Bible Quiet Time and a Bible Study box that is teacher-directed. If she could truly be independent with these things in CTC, then I'd say do that. If she's not had much practice with independence in these areas, I'd have her do PHFHG. Either one will be a wonderful choice.

I know other ladies may chime in here with different advice, and you can weigh what is best for your family. I personally think your best options is to do 2 separate programs. This will meet both of their needs so well, will not take long to do, and will avoid you having to either downsize or upsize a program so much that you lose the convenience of the flow of it for your day. I've done 2 HOD programs for 3 years now, and we finish school in about 4 hours (this year we did PHFHG and Beyond). It truly is doable and very enjoyable to run 2 programs, and when dc are far apart academically, we've found it easier just to run 2 programs.

This is just my suggestion - you will know best for your dc! I have prayed for you to have a clear feeling about where you'd like to place your dc. Keep asking questions until you have a placement you like! I know others will probably chime in.

In Christ,
Julie

thanks so much for the long reply to explain things well. I will give it some thought and pray about it. We took our break early this year because of a major move and we are ready to get started again in a few weeks. I am hoping to start out on a positive and exciting note rather than a bunch of school workbooks. This info. will make a difference! I really appreciate it (and the others advice too!)

Shawn

So which reading program do you suggest. I wouldn't know how to pick between the Reading Made Easy and the The Reading Lesson. They seem similair-but which works for a ds that thinks reading is toooooo hard to try much (because of how it's gone so far!)

thanks

irishcookies wrote:So which reading program do you suggest. I wouldn't know how to pick between the Reading Made Easy and the The Reading Lesson. They seem similair-but which works for a ds that thinks reading is toooooo hard to try much (because of how it's gone so far!)

thanks

I think you and he would both enjoy The Reading Lesson. The pages are straight-forward and not cluttered, it is a no prep program, and it has 20 easy lessons for your ds to work through with you. The CD is optional - it does add some easy fun to the program and reinforces the lessons. If your ds enjoys the computer, he'd probably enjoy it.

In Christ,
Julie

I just wanted to share that my daughter just turned 8 and reading is finally clicking with her. We use the Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, which is an all in one book similiar to the other one mentioned, I believe. Anyway, my daughter doesn't love this phonics program, but she understands that we have to do this to keep improving. She is excited about reading now. For my oldest, a boy, I didn't think he would ever be excited about reading. It just took awhile. Your son will get there, it just might take him a bit longer, but I'll bet by 4th grade he'll be reading like all the other 4th graders. You could use Starfall.com for your son. Also, I've got several older computer programs that I use alot. Reading Blaster works great, so if you have an older computer you could try that (as a change from doing a regular phonics program). Also, Studydog.com was neat, although it does cost. There were a few of those lessons that were harder, like the Ogre, but some are easier. Plus, the better they do then the more points they will earn to buy toys. That helps.

Good luck. Post when you figure out what you are ordering, it's always fun to see what people have decided to try.

Alison