heartofdakota.com

I haven't officially begun HOD except for some on-the-side history reading from Little Hearts while dd is finishing kindergarten at school. But, I can say that I am so thrilled to have this to look forward to. I just messaged someone about high school curriculum and it brought back all those memories of homeschooling my oldest 3, and how, with the exception of my oldest, we really jumped around a lot. We'd use something for awhile and then decide to use something else, because it was too boring or just wasn't meeting their academic needs. I know, hindsight is 20/20, but I have learned so much since my earlier years of homeschooling. It would have been so nice to have these resources (and this wisdom) then. Also, I have realized the importance of being consistent with what we are using. We will be using Beyond in the fall, and looking ahead, I am so happy that there are HOD resources to last me at least 6 years! My older girls will be jealous I love the layout and the content! So, include me in! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Welcome! I like that HOD switches books throughout the year. That helps me keep my inner curriculum junkie at bay because we are always starting something new and switching around. The read alouds change every few weeks, the history books switch back and forth too! We love it!

I have 2 sisters that were formerly curriculum junkies - Carrie being one of them. I think that is partly why Carrie naturally tries to change things up a bit each year, and keeps things fresh by choosing different resources. It keeps the inner curriculum junkie in each of us at bay. Having done each of the HOD guides so far, I am very thankful for the balance of feeling like there's a familiarity with what we are doing from guide to guide, but there's also a unique feel for each of the guides. It's the best of both worlds. I'm so glad you're hanging up your curriculum junkie shoes, and that you are a part of not only HOD, but this board as well! (You too, Rebecca )

In Christ,
Julie

It's getting to be a hassle actually to be a curriculum junkie. As dd gets older it's harder to change and more difficult to make new things work, whereas when she was K-2nd, you could just switch and it wouldn't be too much of a hassle. It wasn't as vital.

Maybe I'm just getting old ...but that radical change thing, while enticing, in the long run becomes stressful. I used to try to be eclectic. I thought that was the answer. Buying something new every year for every subject. That proved to be fatally time-consuming and it didn't mesh well. Plus, we never got "done".

So it's nice to have some balance. Some curriculi, where you buy 4 volumes of the same thing and doing that for 4 years, would drive me to my grave. HOD makes just enough changes to suit my junkie and to keep me interested.

And of course then there's the satisfaction of cleaning the bookshelves and moving my homeschool stuff around. I dust my "junk", find what I've forgotten about, and feel like I went shopping all over again. I think it's called wallowing. Doctor says I'm much better now.

Pam,

I can identify with what you're sharing! I love curriculum and curriculum hunting. I always enjoy doing it for my oldest son until I finally am sitting down to put it all together and realize I have too much and not enough time to plan. At that moment, I am so grateful for the HOD guides that are already written for my "younger" and "not so young" kiddos that I can open, teach, and enjoy.

I love being in God's word every day in every guide. I love cuddling up with my kiddos with a good book, singing with them at the top of my lungs, and the fact that the guide makes me do the projects and crafts I would otherwise never do. We pray you'll enjoy HOD as much as we have (and do) with our own kiddos. I know it makes me be a better teacher and helps me keep going forward, rather than being in a holding pattern while I plan the next thing for us to do!

Thanks for sharing!

Blessings,
Carrie