New here and needing answers

[BLAZINGACRES]

Hello everyone. We are new to homeschooling & new to this board.

We purchased MFW Kdg & 1st for two of our children (the older ones are grown & gone and the baby is well, a baby!), and started using it one month ago. We love many, many things about MFW so I am not here to knock it at all.

However, there are some things with which I struggle. Like the TMs........they are scattered & I flip back & forth constantly. The 1st grade memory verses....we memorize & we discuss them, but it seems so much is left out of the TM. The books......first, our library has NONE of the listed books, and second, I question whether the books are really Charlotte Mason type books. Seems that many of them are trivial and silly.

I will say that my Kdg child LOVES the curriculum and is doing well. However, my first grade child, who is very mature and reading well, is bored. She is six & we started Charlotte's Web today to supplement & she is finding the reading an absolute delight, begging me to read more.

And, I guess when the end of the day comes, I just wonder if we made the right decision. We researched & researched before we purchased. And I am not sure I can even put my finger on exactly what the issue is. When I open the TMs, everything just seems so vague.

I read the thread about how MFW compared to HOD.........and I agree, they are both wonderful curriculums, but I guess what I'm looking for is specific differences, not generalizations. HOD did not come to our local convention this year, so I've yet to see it hands on & am dying too. I've considered buying the TM just to see.

Is the TM more user friendly?
How do the books (reading books) compare?
Is it a 'truer' Charlotte Mason approach?
Is there more than a memory verse? Like maybe a Bible story & how it is applied to daily living?
Are there still many hands on activities (we LOVE those!)?

The bottom line is that I need to hear from those who have used MFW Kdg and/or 1st and then changed to HOD. And.......I need to go to sleep at night convinced that we offered our children an opportunity to love learning.

[Bramble]

I used MFW 1st w/ my first child and MFW K and 1st w/ my second child. We also used ADV and ECC. I was not really fond of MFW 1st and didn't finish it with either child, but with the first child I did complete it through the phonics lessons. MFW K was fun and I am kind of wanting to do it with my third child. I really have no desire to ever do MFW 1st again or ECC for that matter. I want to love MFW and I think they are a fantastic company! just not a fit for us.

We are gearing up start HOD. It does have more to Bible than MFW and just more hand-holding in other areas, too, like narration. It does seem more CM to me. MFW claims to combine CM and classical and I think they are true to their word. I could probably go on and on, but I must sleep. Hope you can too!

[countrymom]

We used MFW kindergarten and in answer to your questions:
1) Yes, the TM is very user friendly - it is open and go. You will not be disappointed.
2) I didn't use all of the books as our library didn't have them all either. I thought some were very cute and others so so. I ended up checking out a lot of my own books for the topic of the week. So far I have been very pleased with the books for HOD, although our library did not have a lot of the extra reading Bible story books (optional, not a part of the curriculum) for Little Hearts. They do have many more of the history extra reading books and they have been very good. My son really loves them and they meet my standards.
3) CM approach, not a mix
4) In Little Hearts there is a memory verse every week plus you go through the entire Bible for the history portion. There are also devotional readings. In Beyond there is a memory verse with thought questions and devotionals. I have three manuals (Little Hearts, Beyond, and Bigger, but only used Little Hearts so far) and I see reference to scripture and the Bible throughout. Sometimes the history reading is a scripture passage.
5) Tons of hands on activities
We love HOD and we love learning in our house. I wish you the best as you make your decision that it will be right for your family.

[inHistiming]

Well, I did not use MFW so I can't really comment a whole lot. I did want to say though, that I looked at a friend's MFW TM after our first year of homeschooling b/c I was hoping to find something with which I could combine all three of my children. I felt exactly as you described...I was very confused by the flipping back and forth in the guide, though I know many use it and LOVE it. So that kept me from pursuing it further....maybe if I really wanted to I could do it now that I'm more 'seasoned' but I think not. As for Bible, it is integrated into each subject....the main point always brings things back to how the story or character or experiment/exploration relates back to God. We have really enjoyed the guides we've used with HOD and are looking forward to using Beyond... for the second time this fall.

[gotpeace91]

Is the TM more user friendly?
How do the books (reading books) compare?
Is it a 'truer' Charlotte Mason approach?
Is there more than a memory verse? Like maybe a Bible story & how it is applied to daily living?
Are there still many hands on activities (we LOVE those!)?

I cannot compare to MFW because I haven't used it but I can tell you what I think about HOD. We used Preparing Hearts for His Glory last year, and are using Creation to Christ this year.
1. The TM is extremely user friendly! It is just open and go. If you click on the program you think you might be using on the home page you will be able to see a pdf example of the first week. It was very helpful for me in deciding I wanted to use HOD.
2. The reading books are excellent. I have found them to be very interesting and carefully thought out as to reading level. There is no twaddle. Many of them are in my public library. The ones that aren't at the library are usually books published by a Christian publisher and they have been well worth purchasing in my opinion.
3. It is definitely a Charlotte Mason approach without all the guesswork you would have to do when planning it on your own.
4. In Preparing and CTC there have been memory verses every week with an accompanying CD to help you learn them. There are Bible stories and they are applied to daily living by asking questions that get the children thinking about how they can apply it to their own lives.
5. Yes, there are plenty of hands on activities and they are well thought out with easy to understand instructions. They also use items that we would normally have on hand.

Can you tell I love HOD? I do not think you would be sorry if you went with HOD!!

[gotpeace91]

One other thing I wanted to tell you... If you go to the board index and find the Weekly Heart of Dakota Check-in board you will be able to see lots of pictures of the activities that we do in HOD. We post a review of how our week went so you will be able to see lots of info about each of the different TM and how well they work.

[momtofive]

In reading this thread, I knew I just had to reply. I am hesitant, though, because I have used MFW K and MFW ECC this past school year. I have used it, finished each program last year, but our experience is only just that. . . .OUR experience. There are many families that are using MFW in their homes with great success, and I do not want to downplay that. We each need to find the best fit for our own families, and MFW just did not fit us very well. I did spend much time in prayer about the decision to look for something else. I even had all of my materials for our five children in hand, when I felt the Lord's leading for us to use another type of curriculum. We had a very difficult year and I was really leaning on the Lord to help me figure out what HE wanted for our school. I was able to return ALL of my materials and get full refunds. (Something that just totally amazed me! ) It was clear to me that God was leading in this, and we should go ahead and look for a better curriculum fit. All of that said, here's my thoughts!

We seemed to have a lot of the same struggles that you've mentioned above. With MFW K, I found it to be very repetitive and my daughter easily tired of the same things, on the same days. I also found it to be kind of lacking in the phonics and math areas. My daughter wanted to learn to read right away and so I ended up getting a lot of supplemental workbooks to help in these subjects. I was always flipping and searching for what we were to do next and didn't feel that it had a good "flow" to it. The same was true with ECC, a lot of flipping around from book to book, with not much "flow" to it either. The kids had a hard time connecting the activities to what we were reading. We had a hard time finding the books they suggested, and many of the books in ECC were geared for older kids and the littler ones were just supposed to absorb what they could. That was not how I wanted my children to learn. I wanted them to have a rich, wholesome learning experience, geared for them at their level, with Christ at the very center. Some of the MFW books talked about "millions of years" and I was supposed to just skip that or explain it, which we did. But with HOD, I don't have to worry about that. Carrie makes the very best book selections and spends a lot of time making sure it's a good fit for that program and that there will not be confusing information within it. She also has developed a teacher's guide that explains itself very well. It is truly and open-and-go curriculum. Truly a CM style education. Most everything you'll need to do HOD, you'll find in your home already.

I think many of the pp's have answered a lot of your questions already, so I'll just say that you should above all pray about it and seek the Lord's will in this decision. As far as HOD, I have yet to see anything that I don't like about it! I truly, truly love what I am seeing and am so excited at the thought of what God will do in our hearts with such a great program at the helm. With HOD we're looking forward to a great year! I'll be praying that you can find peace in your decision, whatever God leads you to!

In Christ,

Lisa

[sw1ssm1ss]

I heard of MFW well before I heard of Heart of Dakota, but as I researched and considered, I decided not to try MFW. I didn't think MFW K sounded hard enough for my daughter. She had already learned all of the letter sounds (including short and long for each vowel) in preschool and could already sort of read CVC words. So I thought going MFW K's focus on learning each letter wouldn't work. It's phonics *ends* with the child reading CVC words. I also heard and read that people new to MFW were STRONGLY encouraged to start with K and not skip it.

We are finished with LHFHG now, and we really enjoyed it. It sounds like you should look at Beyond for your older child.

[my3sons]

Welcome to the HOD Board! I can tell you have such a heart full of love for your dc, and that you want the very best for them. I feel the same way about homeschooling our dc. I have a deep love for my dc, and I want them to receive an excellent education academically and spiritually. HOD has done that for us over the years and continues to do so. I'll be glad to answer your questions in regard to HOD, but you've already received such wise advice about praying about your decision. I wouldn't use anything but HOD in our home, but I know each family needs to make the decision with their goals in mind as they homeschool, so I pray the Lord will lead you to the perfect decision for your family (and I do hope that's HOD).

...
1. Is the TM more user friendly?
2. How do the books (reading books) compare?
3. Is it a 'truer' Charlotte Mason approach?
4. Is there more than a memory verse? Like maybe a Bible story & how it is applied to daily living?
5. Are there still many hands on activities (we LOVE those!)?

1. I find the HOD manual very easy to use. It is open and go, and I have often joked that my preparation can be summed up by moving the sticky note to the next page each day. I like the daily, boxed format as well. As my dc have gotten older, they appreciate using the manual as their own, and checking off their boxes as they complete them. It keeps their day organized, gives them a sense of accomplishment as they finish each box of the plans, and shows them progressing to the completion of their day. I like the plans for these very same reasons, and I especially love the key ideas which summarize the purpose of each box.

2. One of my favorite things about HOD is the careful attention given to choosing excellent living books. CM would have loved HOD. This is how I always dreamed of teaching - with excellent books that make us want to read on and on, but plans that let us sit with a book, get to know its characters personally, and help us learn to savor what we read together each day. This is learning at its best.

3. I believe HOD is very CM in its approach. I am a CM enthusiast. As I sit here looking at my bookshelves, there are many, many books about CM that are dog-eared, well-loved, and hi-lighted with notes in the margins. I'm working through her 6 volume series - slowly - as almost everything CM said is quotable and worthy of contemplation. HOD takes CM and makes it doable, with incremental teaching of CM skills in such a way that my dc are thriving academically while still loving learning passionately. Here is a post by Carrie, HOD's author, that answers this question of yours well:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6485

4. Oh, my, my, my. Yes, so much more than a memory verse and a few questions The Christ-centered focus of HOD is phenomenal. It is one of my favorite things about HOD. My dc and I have meaningful talks every day with HOD. We share our faith, I share my love of the Lord, we share how we can live our life for Him personally - our struggles, temptations, joys - so much more than I can put into words here. My dc are in their Bibles every day with HOD, and we spend our days loving the Lord and His Word more and more together. I can get emotional about this. I cannot say how thankful I am for HOD helping draw my dc nearer and nearer to the Lord, and I am right there with them.

5. Hands-on is a part of the beautiful balance provided in the HOD plans. Not only is there enough hands-on activities in HOD each day, it gets done every day! Why, you may ask? Because of the way it's planned. Step-by-step, with supplies on hand, with new and exciting projects each week, with meaningful connections to the living books we're reading - our dc love the hands-on things planned in HOD, and I do too.

I hope that answers some of your questions, but keep asking more questions as they arise. You will find this board to be full of ladies that have a heart for the Lord, that are born encouragers, and that are more than happy to help each other along this homeschooling journey we are all on right now! HOD has blessed our family. I think it would yours as well.

In Christ,
Julie

[Heather4Him]

Julie--I just wanted to say that your posts encourage me SO much! It's something about your heart for the Lord and your children and HOD all tied up together. I just love it! Thank you for all you do for HOD and here on the boards. You are a blessing for sure!

[kvmck]

I love HOD so much that I just had to chime in . I used MFW K and not only did my kids find in dull but I was SO confused by the teacher's manual. I thought I'd get the hang of it after a few weeks... but I didn't. That being said, my 3 best homeschooling friends all use MFW with their children (and have for years) and wouldn't dream of changing--they love it and don't understand how I could be confused by the TM I love the layout of HOD's TM-- I've been using HOD for about a year now and still every time I open a teacher's manual I get so excited about how simple it is to teach my children. In fact, sometimes my kids think I'm a little weird because I get so excited about the manual

I've always wanted to use Charlotte Mason's methods... but when I first looked at HOD I must confess that I thought "wow..this doesn't look real challenging" b/c when you combine the wonderfully clear TM with Charlotte Mason's methods it seemed as if there wasn't enough "meat" for my kids. I am happy to say that I was wrong. Not only is there plenty of meat but that meat is based on God and His Word, what more could I possibly ask for? My kids love that it is so interesting but at the same time doesn't drag on and on and on.

My kids love all the hands on projects and I love that I don't have to do any preperation for them. This summer we've gone to several science classes for the kids at our local library --they do hands on experiments with the kids --and each time we go I discover that we're just reviewing what we had already learned in HOD. There is so much good stuff packed into the TM.

[my3sons]

Julie--I just wanted to say that your posts encourage me SO much! It's something about your heart for the Lord and your children and HOD all tied up together. I just love it! Thank you for all you do for HOD and here on the boards. You are a blessing for sure!

Oh, thanks for this encouragement today, Heather! All of us need an "atta-girl" sometimes, and I sure did today. Your post gave me that!

Love in Christ,
Julie