heartofdakota.com

Please bear with me!

I posted a few days ago and received such great help...thank you! My question is this: is it typical and doable to do multiple programs? If I switch to HOD, I would be doing three programs unless I combine my older kids. Is it possible to do three complete programs each day? I've never used HOD and am trying to get a feel for it...the curriculum I currently use combines all children once they're in 2nd grade. I'm trying to see how it's feasable to do each of my kids separately...

Thank you in advance! ~Holly

Here's a post about it from earlier today. I will probably eventually be doing 4 guides. HTH!

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6959&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

I think I've seen in the past that it's encouraged to do fewer than three guides for your first year with HOD. What are the ages and abilities of your children?

Hi there~

Thanks for responding...next year, I will have a 7 year old 2nd grader, 9 year old 4th graders (twins) and a 4 year old PreK. The three oldest are excellent readers, and work at grade level or slightly above. So if it's possible to do 2 guides at once (I already have a simple program for my then 4 year old), then I just have to narrow down which two to do? Do they build on each other, so is it necessary to have done the previous one before choosing one? In two years, I guess I would need to choose three guides, as my now 3 year old will be entering Kindergarten...wow. I've just always heard that it's easier to combine...but next year our curriculum teaches ancient history and I'm not sure if I want my 7 year old to hear that yet...

Thanks for any help~Holly

There is a placement chart on the main Heart of Dakota page. If you could tell us where your olders would place according to that it would help

Just from first glance I would say you could combine all three of the olders into Bigger Hearts and do the extensions with the 9 year olds if you feel it's necessary (although that would definitely be optional) Then you could just do math, English, and reading at their level. If you use DITHOR for your reading program all three of them could work together, just with their own skill level.

You're being so helpful~thank you!

Since it seems doable to do two guides, I'm thinking of doing Creation to Christ for my 4th graders, and Bigger Hearts for His Glory for my 2nd grader (these will be their grades next year). Looking at the placement chart, that seems to be where they are. Does this seem doable in real life? Thanks a bunch...

Sometimes it is easier to split them up, if your olders are placing CTC, then it probably would be too behind. But I'm doing Bigger this year for my 2nd and 4th grade kids.

YOu might consider putting your olders into Preparing to cut down on some time, and perhaps the 2nd grader in Beyond. Bigger is more teacher-intensive...the most teacher intensive of all the guides. ALL of the guides are much meatier than realized until you have them in hand. I err on the side of caution and wouldn't want to place too high! My very bright 9yo 4th grader is doing Bigger right now, and soon to start Preparing. It's more than enough! I just upped the level of grammar. I'm doing 3 guides as well...you can see the details in my signature.

Hmmm...so much to think about. I did look at Preparing...it looks good and they would place in there too, but we just did American history for 2nd grade. My current curriculum would be teaching Creation to the Greeks next year, and I don't want my 7 year old to hear some of that yet...I like the way this guide handles this subject for my then 4th graders.

That being said, for my then 2nd grader: if we do Beyond this next year, is it possible to skip Bigger and go into Preparing? I'd like for her to do CtC in 4th grade as well...obviously I would keep the LA and math at whatever level she's at.

My issue is that we'll be using MFW high school, and I like the idea of them having that Geo. through History year right before high school. If we do Geo. for 8th grade, etc., it pans out to do CtC in 4th. Or is geography covered pretty well in all years that a whole year is not needed?

Oh goodness...I'm rambling...if you've read this much, God bless you! Thanks for any help~I'd like for HOD to work for us, just trying to see how. ~Holly

Hello! Welcome to the board! I will try to help, if I can. I have used several years of MFW. I think it's a great curriculum but now plan to stick with HOD as long as Carrie continues to write the guides. This was my first year using HOD. I used Preparing with the Extensions for my 5th grader and Little Hearts for His Glory for my 2nd grader. I also used Drawn Into the Heart of Reading with my 5th grader.

I do have one question:

You wrote, "I did look at Preparing...it looks good and they would place in there too, but we just did American history for 2nd grade."

I am not sure if I understand this statement . Did you use an American History program this past year? Preparing Hearts for His Glory is a one year overview of World History, so it doesn't include very much American History. So, it would not be too redundant to use that guide after having done a year of American History. That's what most HOD users do anyways, usually following Bigger Hearts with Preparing Hearts. If your 4th graders place into that guide according to the placement chart, then that would be the best program for them. We absolutely loved Preparing. It does include quite a bit of Ancient History but there is nothing in that that you would find objectionable for your younger child to overhear. My 2nd grader sat in on almost all of the reading in Preparing and loved all of it.


You also wrote, "My issue is that we'll be using MFW high school, and I like the idea of them having that Geo. through History year right before high school. If we do Geo. for 8th grade, etc., it pans out to do CtC in 4th. Or is geography covered pretty well in all years that a whole year is not needed?"

Carrie is working on a geography guide that would be appropriate for 8th or 9th graders, so if you end up loving HOD, you will have that option in the future. I love the way that geography is covered in the HOD guides. There have been several threads about how HOD covers geography and why Carrie has written it the way that she has. I will try to dig up some of those threads for you. As of now, I am strongly leaning towards MFW for high school but if HOD has a high school curriculum available, I will almost certainly use it instead.

Sorry, I had to start another thread. For some reason, I couldn't continue to write... the screen cuts me off.

If it were me, I would do Preparing and Beyond for now. In a few months or so, you could add a 3rd guide for you PKer if you wanted to. The PK programs don't take alot of time at all. This year, with Preparing and Little Hearts, we schooled for about five hours a day (we only do four days a week) but that was for everything, including the Extensions with Preparing, plus adding in extras like a language study.

You could skip Bigger if you wanted to but you may decide that you don't want to. You really wouldn't have to decide that for now. My younger son probably should have done Beyond Little Hearts this year instead of Little Hearts. I considered bumping him up to Bigger Hearts. He does place there according to the placement chart, but I don't want him to miss out on Beyond and I also like for my younger child to have a lighter program because he sits in on so much of his brother's material. Doing a lighter program with him still allows me to give him his own focused study time but gives me a little more wiggle room and left over energy.

Another thing to consider is that, after Preparing, your older children, if you continue with HOD, will be working quite independently. You will still be involved with alot of their schooling but they will take on more independence and that will free you up to focus more on your younger child. That is another thing that I love about HOD. The children are trained towards appropriate independence.

Well, those are some of my thoughts.
Blessings!!

Oh boy...I am new, aren't I! Sorry for the confusion...yes, when I went back I realized I had mixed up the programs. I see now that Preparing is a world history (not American) guide. I believe that is where I will start my 4th graders, and it looks like my 2nd grader will place nicely in Beyond as has been suggested. We're already set for this year~so this would be for next year when my twins are 4th graders ( ) and my third daughter is in 2nd grade.

We plan, at least at this point (which can change MANY times in the course of the next few years!), to use MFW for high school as well.

Anyway, thanks for all of the help~it's much more clear now! ~Holly

hobandrolly wrote:Oh boy...I am new, aren't I! Sorry for the confusion...yes, when I went back I realized I had mixed up the programs. I see now that Preparing is a world history (not American) guide. I believe that is where I will start my 4th graders, and it looks like my 2nd grader will place nicely in Beyond as has been suggested. We're already set for this year~so this would be for next year when my twins are 4th graders ( ) and my third daughter is in 2nd grade.

We plan, at least at this point (which can change MANY times in the course of the next few years!), to use MFW for high school as well.

Anyway, thanks for all of the help~it's much more clear now! ~Holly

Welcome to the HOD Board! Isn't this board full of encouraging ladies? I love being a part of it. I think you've come to a wonderful plan for your kiddos. While it is doable to do 3-4 HOD programs, it's nice to start with 2 if you and your dc are new to HOD. I'm really glad your dc will get to start with PHFHG. It really does give some training that is oh-so-helpful before CTC, and the books in it are some of our all-time favorites. Beyond is also a good place to start before doing Bigger Hearts. I recently finished doing PHFHG and Beyond at the same time and enjoyed it very much. We are now doing 3 HOD programs and very happy with how well-matched each of our dc are to what they are asked to do in each guide each day. Our dc are all happily doing school each day, and I'm happily finishing 3 guides in around 4-5 hours! Anyway, I look forward to hearing more about you and getting to know you here, and I pray HOD blesses your home as much as it has ours.

In Christ,
Julie

Thank you Julie, for the warm welcome. It's nice to get encouragement on the plan for next year too~we're looking forward to it. I've heard so many great things about this curriculum, and yes, the ladies on this board are wonderful! I'll be gleaning lots this year to prepare for next year~I wish I had more to contribute, but that will come with time. Blessings to all of you! (By the way, I have your devotional book and it is SUCH a perfect amount of time to spend with the Lord before I school my girls~it helps to get my mind in the right place before I teach!). Thanks a bunch~Holly

I'm glad you're enjoying my devotional, and I pray blessings upon your upcoming year with HOD!
In Christ,
Julie