heartofdakota.com

Thanks!
Also,
Is Beyond "too young" for an advanced 8 years old? I would use it for History anyway and use the rest for my younger children.
Can't decide if I should go with Bigger or just keep them all in Beyond...

The US history is chronological in Beyond and biographical in Bigger. Beyond spends more time with the pilgrims and not as much with the Revolutionary period. Bigger spends more time with the Revolution and not as much with the pilgrims. Bigger also extends into a later time period I believe. I haven't used Beyond yet (but have both guides), so probably can't answer your second question as well. If you are looking to combine Beyond may be your best choice and possible adjust for your older. The other ladies can probably help you more there.

From what you've shared on the other thread, I think Beyond could be young for your 8 yo, considering how advanced he is. The history is chronological in both Beyond and Bigger, but as Lynn pointed out, in Bigger it's chronological in a biographical way, so some lives of famous Americans overlap. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks that really helps . Still not decided I still droll over Sonlight too but I like HOD because it's more Christ-Centered ...still have time to decide .
Thanks for the links Julie, I like the pics .

Another reason I would like Beyond is that it uses American People and Pioneers . I have this book and I would love to start it with my kids next year ( since this year we are still working on MOH 1 ). So there are a lot to think about !

We used Beyond with our 8 y/o dd. She is an advanced reader/writer/speller, as well as a creative storyteller. I don't know "how advanced" your son is, but she just loved it. We adjusted DITHOR, Grammar, spelling, Math, did some dictation in addition to copywork, etc as appropriate. So you can adjust it to meet your needs. And next fall, when we do Bigger (she'll be a new 9 y/o), I'm adding the extension packages, Latin for Children, DITHOR 4/5 etc. These look very challenging... appropriately so! I'm excited to have her meet these challenges. We chose Beyond b/c I wanted to keep her and her then 6 y/o brother together. The Beyond guide was more appropriate for the 6 y/o (even a bit challenging for him). That's what was recommended, b/c it's easier to advance a guide for an older than to simplify for a younger. The younger didn't get left behind, then.

Also, another mom once told me that the Bible study topics/themes advance quickly in the guides, and I want my kids to really be able to digest the concepts in those areas. After all, that is one of the main reasons we chose HOD - it's Christ-centeredness! So even though some skill areas may not be so challenging to your advanced son in Beyond, some of the biblical concepts may advance quickly in older guides. I'm learning that even though my dd is "skilled" or "advanced" in certain areas, she is also a kid and may not fully grasp the implications of some of the "heart" issues/Bible study concepts touched in the older guides. And she also likes history to be fun!

I hope that makes sense. I'm a former Sonlight wannabe, too, and even tried their preschool program. IMHO, HOD is superior. It is such a rich program. After having gone through LHFHG, a year on my own, then back with Beyond and looking to Bigger next year, I see and appreciate how much the Lord is using Carrie to help us in the character development and discipleship of our kids! That is the MOST impt thing....
Sorry this is so long, but I can relate to what you've said!

graceonly wrote:Thanks that really helps . Still not decided I still droll over Sonlight too but I like HOD because it's more Christ-Centered ...still have time to decide .
Thanks for the links Julie, I like the pics .

I've never personally used Sonlight although I've looked at it several times, but I kept coming back to this page. I don't know if you've seen it or not, but there were some things on there that I couldn't agree with for our family. With your above statement I thought this page might be helpful for you in your decision. Just a thought. Praying you find the Lord's best for your family.

ETA: The link keeps linking to the middle of the page and I don't know why. You'll have to scroll up if you want to read all of it.

A very nice lady using Sonlight with her dc told me before she left on her trip, her ds wanted to find a Bible Scripture for her. I thought that was so neat, but then she went on to say that he couldn't find his Bible or any Bible for that matter, and she laughed and said she couldn't find his either but finally found hers because he couldn't think of any verse he knew by heart to write down either. Anyway, it just struck me as shocking that they weren't able to find his Bible and also that he didn't know Scripture by heart - in HOD, my dc use their Bibles every day. We literally couldn't get through a day of school without them. It just made me kind of sad to hear that story - not that I think every person who uses Sonlight would have this same story, but instead because dc could be using Sonlight and go obviously long periods of time without using or needing their Bibles. I used Sonlight for a year. It was not for me, but one of our main goals is for our schooling to be Christ-centered with a balance of excellent academics. If it's not Christ-centered, it's not for us.

This same goal is the reason we love Charlotte Mason. Her volumes are full of the Lord - they are steeped in Him. When you read a philosophy of education, and there is only a brief mention of the Lord, or He is treated as an "extra", that's a red flag to me that no matter what they have to say about academics that sounds good to me, it's what they aren't saying about the Lord that sounds off to me. But each family has to come to their own conclusion why they are choosing to homeschool, as that should drive our choices from among the many materials available to us now as homeschoolers. When my dh and I had no solid goals in mind, some part of everything looked good to us - it's freeing to have goals, as it narrows the choices and makes clear what fits the best. For us, that's HOD.

In Christ,
Julie

WOW, Julie. I couldn't agree more. Beautifully said.