heartofdakota.com

I'm really looking into coming back to HOD (tried using Beyond but switched fully to Abeka 1st grade) next year for 2nd/3rd grade and for a son in pre-K. My question is after looking at the, Reading Made Easy, vs. Abeka's phonics and reading, RME made my head spin. Does anyone have any experience with Abeka and RME? We've only used Abeka for one year but the reading/phonics program is very laid out, just lots of review of sounds, charts, etc.. However, I'm wondering if I just didn't give RME a chance (never taught it, just flipped thru the manual over and over. My 7 yr. son picks everything up very quickly but my 4 yr old is COMPLETELY different (ex: his knows his abc's pretty well (7 yr old knew it at 2 1/2 though) by sight but cannot sing the abc song at all, if that makes any sense! Sorry, I'm probably rambling here but I'm always looking for that program that can basically teach for me so I don't feel like I'm failing my boys.

By the way, I'm always on the boards reading the posts and you ladies are sooooooooo helpful and kind. It is a wonderful community here and what made me drop the program was after receiving my boxes was I thought it looked too good to be true. I thought if it looked that easy then I wasn't teaching enough or a challenging enough program. I'm not putting down Abeka because my son has learned a lot (esp. phonics) but I feel like we're doing school just to get it done and not to learn.

Blessings to all of you,
Pam

Pam,

I have taught Abeka in a classroom setting as well as in my home. It's a solid program, but it can get very overwhelming. I was using the 4th grade Abeka video program with my two oldest, and I began looking for a better way. I knew that homeschool had to be more than "school at home". I longed for school to be an enjoyable thing for all of us. (I loved school, but I was hating homeschooling.) So, I began researching and was compelled by the Charlotte Mason way of teaching children. As a result, God led me to Heart of Dakota, and I have been blessed to use their programs.

This may not be the answer than that you are looking for, but I just want you to know that I have been where you are. Abeka is great at teaching kids to read and do math, but kids miss out on a lot that they could be enjoying because the curriculum is so intensely trying to make the children excel academically. You want your children to want to learn for a lifetime, so making school more than something to "be gotten through" is key.

Kids learn with Heart of Dakota, but it is in a much more gentle way. Just because something is gentle, doesn't mean it doesn't work. Think of how water gently erodes the stream beds and river beds. It cuts deep into the earth in its very gentle way. It takes more time than someone hacking or digging, but it works just the same. And it happens without us even realizing it. That is the kind of learning that you will see with a program like Heart of Dakota.

Sorry I didn't answer your question about Reading Made Easy. I don't know anything about that. But, as far as that goes, you could keep using Abeka's phonics program (although I have found All About Spelling to be much more thorough and more enjoyable for me and the kids - I know it says All About Spelling, but it is really a great phonics program, too). Anyway, that's the great thing about HOD - you can customize it to fit your needs.

Hope this gives you some food for thought as you make your plans for next year.

In His love,
RuthAnn

Sorry about the double post. I guess I hit the button twice.

RuthAnn

I love your description of gentle learning and the analogy of the water, that is beautiful! A good reminder for me to just let the learning happen and flow rather than try to ram it down!

Monique

Hello! We are using LHFHG and using Abeka as the phonics program. i have not used RME, so i can't speak to that at all. i knew i want a solid, tried and true phonics program to teach my daughter to read and i felt like Abeka provided us that. you are right that abeka is laid out well, and easy to teach imo. i think there is a lot of busy work that is unnecessary and we have had to slow a few things down, but the actual order of sounds learned, readers, review flashcards, teacher's meanual, etc. are the reason my dd is doing so well with phonics right now. i am COMPLETELY inexperienced with teaching phonics, so i wanted something that was really streamlined. i found that in Abeka phonics. we stick to the 15 per lesson rule, which ends up being half a lesson many days with Abeka phonics, but i have to just relax and be okay with that. the results speak for themselves...we have made huge progress with reading this year. Actually, it's funny, one of the reasons I chose HOD was because i already knew i wanted to do abeka phonics and i loved that the curriculum let me choose my phonics while providing a Bible based, CM, more laid back (yet solid) education for the rest of the subjects.

it's late and now i feel as if i rambled, but i just wanted to let you know it is not illegal to use HOD and then choose a phonics program different than the ones recommended. every family is different and i love that HOD is flexible enough to allow us to make our own choices in the 3 R's. i absolutely love LHFHG and am really looking forward to Beyond next year. HTH!

Pam,

I think there are a million good ways to teach phonics. (Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration. ) But, I really think that there are so many ways that you can get the job done, and do it well.

If you're enjoying Abeka and so are your kids, I'd say stick with it! If not, give something else a try! I haven't used Abeka, but my mother-in-law did with my husband and his siblings. They are all great readers. Although my husband says he hated phonics. My oldest went to a small Christian school for K and 1st and used Saxon for phonics. We used it for 2nd when we brought him home to finish it out. Ai-yai-yai! For us it was overkill...and a little TOO time consuming! He was already reading well, and I'm pretty sure the 2nd was unnecessary. (Sorry Grant!! )

I'm using The Reading Lesson for Allison. She is just blossoming as a little reader and it's fun and easy and SIMPLE to use. We both love it! If RME made your head spin, I'd check out TRL. The pages are uncluttered and simple.

Anyway, don't feel too much pressure to choose the "right" phonics program. There are lots of ways to learn to read.

Kathleen

We use Abeka, simply because that is what I have taught before and am comfortable with, although this year when teaching my dd to read I ditched the teacher's manual and just used the Handbook for Reading, the Letters and Sounds Workbook, and the little Kindergarten readers. It was easier and less stressful for me just to use what I already had taught before and when you get rid of the teacher's manual, and just work through the Handbook for Reading, it really lightens things up and yet my dd is still learning how to read. I'm sure RME does a good job at teaching reading but for me it wasn't worth spending the extra $$ when I already owned something I felt more comfortable with and I know will also do a wonderful job teaching my dc to read.

I'm so thankful for you ladies and your homeschool experiences and support!

RuthAnn, I, too, love your analogy of the gentle water! When I was looking for homeschool curriculum 2 years, I thought if it didn't look really challenging and "tough" my son would be behind. My son does fine with Abeka but like I said, he's just getting the work done. He's really wanting hands on stuff and science.

I'm pre-planning curriculum for my 4 yr old son, although he won't enter Kindergarten until 2011 (late Dec. bday), so that's why I'm very uptight about phonics and reading. Honestly, I've let my self get too stressed out over homeschooling, instead of enjoying the process.

Again, thanks for all of your help! You all are truly a wonderful group of homeschooling moms!

Pam