heartofdakota.com

Hi, I'm new to HOD and planning to start this fall. I am still deciding which guides to use for my 3 DDs ages 5, 7, and 10 in October. My question is regarding the main History text for Preparing-"A Child's History of the World". I have a friend with 4 children who I am encouraging to use HOD next year. She was very interested but is concerned about the use of this history text. I also share some of the same concern.
I used this book when doing Sonlight Core 1 (I think), several years ago. I didn't finish reading it and neither did my friend. As I recall, it is published by Calvert a secular publisher and it seemed that the Bible and events in the Bible were treated as more of a possiblilty of many options rather than the solid truth. Does this make sense?? Maybe I am remembering it wrong, but my friend brought up the same concern.
Can someone please comment on this? The reason I have chosen HOD is for it's "truly" bibilical worldview that it purports. I have used Sonlight in the past and have not been happy with that approach for our family. I am looking for a curriculum that honors God and truly gives a biblical worldview in all aspects/areas of their education. Both of us are a little hesitant when we saw this book as the main history book.
Could someone please put our fears to rest??? :)Why was this book chosen??
Thanks so much!!
Beth

I am glad that you asked this question because I too mentally asked it, but went ahead and purchased Preparing as I had already been drawn into HOD via Bigger and experienced how Carrie had used mixtures of secular and biblical resources to teach history.

Several chapters in A Child's History of the World are not used at all. In fact, I think we started in CH. 4 after using 2 or 3 Christian and Creation focused books and the Bible to covering the beginning of history. I have been homeschooling for about 7 years and before children I was a Jr. high & Sr. high school history teacher. I have been so SO pleased with what I and my children have learned from this very Christian and Hebrew-based history. I was amazed daily how well Carrie was able to mix our Bible study with the Storytime and then again with the History selection and it was done in a way that brought forth some excellent discussion and thinking among us all.

If you are still hesitant I suggest that you print out the free first week of Preparing, purchase or borrow from someone just those books used for that week and try it. I think you will be very pleased.

I agree with juliekay - the way "Grandpa's Box" is matched with "CHOW" is an incredible pairing that shows God's hand in all of history. HOD notes which chapters/parts of CHOW to omit. There is nothing out there that shows God's sovereign hand in absolutely everything like PHFHG does. We enjoyed PHFHG so much - I think you will too.

In Christ,
Julie

P.S. Here are a few links you may enjoy:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5552&p=40733
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3821&p=28320
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=2111
viewforum.php?f=28

Beth,
I have not gone through the Preparing program yet, but I wanted to go ahead and send you this info. I'm sure others who have actually been completely through Preparing will give you more complete info on the program.

Others have posted concerns about the same thing. You are so wise to be on the look-out for these type things. I will be starting Preparing in about a week with my 11yo son. Do you have all the books from Preparing yet? If not, when you are actually able to thumb through all the books, you will see you have absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Young earth, creationism is throughout the Preparing program, as is the absolute truth and authority of the Word of God. The early chapters of CHOW are completely skipped. Please go here to read Carrie's explanation of why the book was chosen:

http://www.heartofdakota.com/preparing- ... hild-world

We love CHOW here. We are fundamentalists and very conservative. I have found nothing in CHOW that offends me or causes me any alarm. When we used this book with SL, we were reading some other books at the time that I thought were just "ugly". The pictures were ugly. The information presented was just ugly. I had to drop Core 1 because my son began to have nightmares because of the pictures in one of the books. We ended up finishing it (a year later, when he had matured some) but I had to eliminate some of the material. But, HOD is very different. Preparing is very God-centered. I think you would be hard-pressed to find any literature based curriculum that comes close to offering such a God-honoring approach to World History. We have recently read several portions of CHOW that present Biblical history as true history. He presents the false gods as "fairy tales".

Thanks so much for your responses! I have found them so helpful! I feel much better about it now and enjoyed reading a link to Carries explanation of how she pairs CHOW with her other books to give a complete bibilical worldview. I am feeling much more comfortable with this choice.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to post-can't wait to start!
Beth

Beth, Preparing really is a wonderful God-honoring program. The whole thing is a blessing. I pray you will be as blessed by it as we have been.