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in the HOD guides?

I realize that HOD covers dictation and narriation, but I also really like QueenHomeschool Language Lessons and Emma Serls Language Lessons with the simplicity and picture studies.

I have always been simi drawn to R&S but it just seemed like over kill. I hear some do it aloud in order to make it short. Just kinda wondering if anyone here uses something other than R&S?

By the way, I am using LHTH with Hannah Grace right now, so this is more of a curiosity thing at the moment. But the more I look at the discriptions and book packs for the older guides the more my heart goes pitter patter!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then it jumps plum out of my chest!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Susie! I'm in MS too!

We are doing Beyond this year, and I also have the guide for Bigger, as I like to look ahead at what we'll be doing. In just looking through Beyond, there is so much built into the program. I don't see a need to add in, but again, that would be a personal preference. The Beyond program is so deep, and covers so much. I am thinking we may actually slow down in order to savor it all. I don't want to pass through too quickly, and Bigger is definitely a jump up from Beyond.

I think, for us at least, that R & S will be a great fit for next year with Bigger. In fact, I had actually ordered it last year and had it on hand, after hearing a mother in our homeschool group give it rave reviews. When I saw that HOD recommended it for Bigger, that helped me decide that I wanted to follow this program. I can't see adding in at all. Carrie has carefully selected the materials she uses in her guides, and I have grown to fully trust what she suggests.

Maybe some other moms here have more experience to help you though, and I'm sure they will chime in too. Anyway, welcome to the HOD boards!

Hi Vicki!

Good to see a fellow neighbor!! Thanks for your post!! I wish there was someone locally around here that had children the ages of mine that was using HOD as it would be fun to have someone IRL to share excitment with!! But these boards are a blessing and just great for like-minded people across the globe or across the state! So I am very glad to meet you!!!

I really wasn't thinking of *adding* to the suggested English program, but was thinking of possibly *substituting* the Language Lesson books for the R&S book in the older guides.

I am about to order the first LL book from QueenHomeschool in a few minutes to add to LHTH (but this won't be over kill as both are very short and sweet). As you can see by the discription it is very gentle:

This sweet collection of lessons for preschoolers (ages 3-5) introduces the young child to the Charlotte Mason method of language arts with a simple, child-friendly feel.
180 daily lessons guide a child through picture study of full-color paintings, narration, introduction to the letters of the alphabet (capital and lowercase), copywork of letters, writing their name, poetry and story appreciation, creative
expression, and more. Lessons are the perfect
length - about 5 to 10 minutes per day on average, and give a nice variety along with a sequential review of concepts. Large consumable perfect bound paperback, full
color

So this won't be a substitution, but I was thinking of possibly substituting in the future. Did I make any since?? I think my coffee needs to kick in!

Hi Susie! I too thought we may not like R & S, but we really do! We do all of it orally except for one section of my ds's choice that he writes. It really does work well! I've looked at Queens too, and I think that all of it except for the picture study is taught very well in various parts of the HOD guides already. I think adding that might be overkill, but maybe not? The narration, dictation, copywork are all done extremely well in Bigger... (as well as the following HOD guides I'm sure) within the context of the history theme, and I really think it is better to link it to the rest of the learning rather than have it be something done separate in a workbook form. However, I think the Queens book might be a neat summer thing or Friday thing? Anyway, just my 2 cents on this - I originally had some of your same thoughts, but have been really happy with R & S and the way HOD covers CMish things too.

In Christ,
Julie

I understand what you mean now, Susie. I don't know much about Queen's Homeschool curriculum. I have looked at a few of their things, but have truly not been interested. I have decided that (just for my own use), we will try to add in language arts to our readings from HOD--like the Emerging Readers. We will take sentences and look at them in a way that works in what Carrie has written about already in the guides. I think that will make more of a connection (for us) with what we're reading, and hopefully there will be broader connections throughout our study in Beyond with LA this way.

Again, I'm just saying that is how I plan to use Beyond with LA. I love how Carrie has connections all through her programs, and this is how I'd like to make further connections with LA. I just didn't want to spend more money for something else when it was already right in front of us--KWIM?

Maybe some other people here have more insight about Queens and have further help.

On a side note, I'm doing my best to promote HOD here in MS with my homeschool group. I've shown my guides to another mom in my group, and she's very interested. I also plan on writing a review for our homeschool newsletter to spread the word. It's difficult to change minds here though, as most people that I know use Abeka only and will not consider anything else.

You ladies are such a blessing, and I can see why so many people have migrated over here and to this curriculum!!

I am glad to see that the dictation, copy work, and narration are covered so well AND relate to the subject matter!! You know what is soo weird with me is that that is ALWAYS been the way I have desired things to be. I am very unit study minded! I like to see the connection from one subject to the other. I guess what attracts me to Queens so much is the beautiful old pictures for picture study and the extra Godly content.

I don't think adding LL now with LHTH will be over kill at all, because both are sooo light. I do think that adding it with older guides would be over kill unless I dropped R&S. I think my coffee kicked in. Hehe These are just considerations though. I will probably wait till I actually get the guides in the future to make my decisions. However I already have Primary Language Lessons and ILL for Serl. I REALLY love those books! They have that old innocent feel like the history books that Carrie has chosen for some of her levels. I just love the old stuff!! That is one thing (only one) that draws me to HOD!

If my post seem choppy at times it is cuz I am posting, running to the potty chair (delayed p. training due to medical condition), doing LHTH, sewing wedding and Easter gifts, selling cloth diapers (clearing out inventory), and the normal wifely duties. I guess I am like most of you moms! Thanks you for your post! They are soooo encouraging!!

I used the Emma Serl books and Simply Grammar with my kids in the past, but I warn you, for my kids, the grammar didn't "stick"... My 8th grader is in the middle of Rod and Staff 3 and finally the light bulb is on!
My two youngers are using Rod and Staff 2 with Bigger, and it is not overkill at all, it is just right. I was doing some orally for my 3rd grader only because she had some writing issues (as in, she was not physically capable of writing more than a sentence or two, because I really never required her to write before!) But we are now in week 17, and she has no problem completing the written work. The best thing is, all my girls are really understanding the grammar part, and it is showing up in their independent writing. My oldest daughter recently wrote a lovely essay for a ballet audition, and another for her schoolwork, and I know that only half a year with Rod and Staff is the reason. My youngers wrote letters to their Grandma that were very good, something they couldn't do before without help.
I hope that helps.
Somewhere on here there is a post that Carrie made as to why she selected Rod and Staff, but I can't find it just now...

Thanks for your post Lourdes!

I appreciate you sharing your experience!!

With my dd I don't think we will have an problem in the writing department as she ALWAYS has a pencil, pen, or crayon in her hand lately. The biggest problem I have is she goes through paper and coloring books like she is starved for them!! My husband was happy when I told him that I was gonna sew up a chalk mate for Hannah. He said, "Good! them maybe she won't go through so much paper!!" Hehe

Thanks for your testimony of what R&S has done for your children!! It is refreshing to hear!! I actually own the 1st grade readers and TEs that I bought about a year ago just to check out. I must say they are thorough. I actually like it better than some of the phonics programs I have seen as there is too much prep for me in some of them. But R&S is layed out really well and simple to teach. I wish the R&S readers and workbooks had more pictures though. It would liven it up a bit. The only experience I have had with the English is trying to go from ABeka to R&S 9/10 when my two oldest children were in highschool. It was tragic to say the least. I did have my youngest son (now in 12th grade) start the 8th grade English book and it was working okay. We only stopped it cuz he got so far behind in other subjects. Most likely he will have an extended 12th year, and if that happens I will have him finish up that book. Two major things that I like about R&S (besides the wonderful Godly content) is the way writing and grammar are scheduled in one book lesson by lesson, and the TE are so well layed out with the WB, text, and test keys all in ONE book!!!

Off to look for Carrie's post! Thanks again!!

Definitely-Rod and Staff English is advanced in the higher grades-it begins simple sentence diagramming in Grade 3! So coming from another English program, it would help to see samples, so you can judge what level would be the best place to start. I have heard that if a child studies though English 8, they have had enough grammar for a 12th grader

This may be a bunny trail of the R&S discussion, but since my youngers will be using R&S with the HOD porgrams, I was thinking of switching to it for my to be 8th graders. They have been using Easy Grammar, and Daily Grams. But I really like the way R&S covers so much. I personally love English and think it just looks SO awesome (looking at the 3rd grade book). So I was thinking of getting the 7th grade books fro my 8th graders, but any of you with experience, should I go lower in grade for them. Easy Grammar is pretty good, but they don't diagramming experience.

Lisa
Mom to
dd 1994 - mish-mash of curric
ds 1995- mish-mash of curric
ds 1999 BHFHG
ds 2002 LHFHG

I would suggest trying 4 or 5 to start.

This website has samples of each of the levels, so that may help your decision-making, as you are familiar with where your children are in grammar and writing, and I am not I started my 8th grader in 3, only because she only used Simply Grammar and Emma Serl books, and had done nothing formal, and nothing had really "taken". Your children probably are starting with more grammar knowledge than she started with.

http://www.rodandstaff.info/samples/english/

Well I was using R&S La before we started so we were pretty well established in that and had our little routine down. I continue to use it as we did kind of but am moving more and more toward how Carrie does it. It's sort of hard to make the change when you are actually using some of what she has in there but have been using it differently. I think when we move to the next R&S book I will move more and more into the less is more camp. I see that the methods do really work.

I think what a lot of people feel is overkill is the entire R&S program, spelling, phonics, reading with workbook, and English. The actual just English is not really very time consuming. It is when you got for their entire program that it gets a little time consuming.

I do hope that makes sense.

hmmm....thinking I may have them do 5. Thanks for the info!

Lisa

I am sure that there is wonderful content to the HOD language, but we had already started First Language Lessons by Jessie Wise Brown and it is an amazing blessing for our family. I am so delighted that they have a grade three done now, too. I just need them to stay a few steps ahead of me and my kids, like Carrie is!!!

Beyond LHFHG was PERFECT for us on so many levels, but my son was quite a bit further ahead for spelling, as well. We use ABEKA spelling and he is starting grade three for that next week. I love the colorful work book pages, as does he.