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Just wondering if you found it to be challenging enough for your child or did you need to beef it up a bit and if so, how?

Also, is it possible to do Preparing history/science/Bible with a 5th grader but have them join younger sibling in Bigger for the copy work, dictation, etc.? I'm thinking DS9 might not be up for all the writing in Preparing, but the rest of it could be a good fit. I think he'd be bored with the core parts of Bigger since he's done all that before (He's covered most of the American history found in Bigger. This year history is his favorite subject (living books; he's loving what I put together).....I want to be sensitive to not boring him with "ho hum, THIS again?" kwim?

You can add the extension pack for your 5th grader, the extensions are for 4th and 5th graders who are strong, independent readers. The appendix of Bigger gives you a reading schedule ( the student reads the books independently) and daily directions: 2 days a week oral narration, 2 days a week written marration, and 1 day a week a drawing with captions (notebooking page). As for covering American History again, the biographical approach in Bigger is very pleasant and probably would not "feel" like a repeat, as the students kind of "get to know" important individuals in Ameican History.
If writing is an issue for your 5th grader, be aware that Preparing has more writing in the areas of History, Science and Bible than Bigger. Also certain portions are expected to be done independently, such as Independent History Study and Science.

Cheryl,

Lourdes did a great job of brainstorming through this with you a bit. I'll just pop-in to share that with HOD it becomes increasingly more important as you move through the guides that your children can do the amount of reading and writing that the guides asks of them. Otherwise, the guide will be very quickly be over your kiddo's heads in terms of assignments and will end up being more a reading plan instead. The assignments are key to students understanding and pondering the content in the programs.

Correct placement in an HOD program is mainly based on the skills on the first page of the placement chart linked here: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

From our persective when placing kiddos within HOD, what students have already covered in the past for history actually becomes less important than having kiddos correctly placed based on their developmental skill level, as all assignments in the guide will be based on those levels. With that thinking in mind, If your 5th grader strongly places into Preparing Hearts on the placement chart, then that would be his best fit. If he instead places better in Bigger Hearts on the chart, then he'd do better there overall.

Feel free to pop back in and share your thoughts as we'd love to help you talk through your options.

Blessings,
Carrie

Hi Cheryl! I was just reading through this and would love to help you sort this out. We are doing Bigger Hearts for the second time with our second ds now, and the history readings are excellent. If your ds has not heard Eggleston's books before, I do think he'd find them very interesting. Our ds doing RTR just asked if he can have the Eggleston books back when we're done with them, so he can read them again for fun (he did BHFHG 3 years ago) . Whether dc can handle the reading/writing/level of independence in an HOD guide is very important, and takes priority over history periods. If you get a chance to share about your oldest ds's reading/writing, exposure to CM style of learning through oral narration/dictation/copywork, that would be so helpful, and then we can chat through some options!

In Christ,
Julie

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to answer my questions! I can tell you all care about not only HOD, but also families who are considering it and making sure it's a good fit for them!

I think I'm leaning towards putting both kids into Bigger (he places in Preparing for some stuff, and Bigger for others; it's more an "executive decision" on my part to place him in Bigger.) DS will be 10yo next fall, independent reader but struggling with phonics and spelling; he hasn't been introduced to cursive, but I have started requiring copy work every day (I've started slow - usually just a Bible verse, but our motto here is "Copy work has no mistakes."). He doesn't use manipulatives for math, grammar is hit or miss. Currently he loves history (we've used a living book approach this year), and he enjoys hands-on science. So as I mentioned, he's in Preparing for some, Bigger for others, and overall I think Bigger would be a better fit.

My question at this point is about the extension package. I know there's a reading schedule included, but how do I follow up with my ds to make sure he's comprehending what he's reading? I want to ensure that he's 1.) really reading the books 2.) that he's gaining a bit more advanced understanding of the history and science we're covering and 3.) it's not, as Carrie mentioned, just additional reading. What do older kids "do" with the extension package besides read? Are there suggested projects, writing assignments, questions, narration, etc? Is it varied?

I don't have my guide in front of me, but if I remember correctly it is varied. Your dc may narrate to you one day, write a summary another day, narrate again on a different day, etc. You will find instructions both for yourself and for your student in the appendix that tells you what to do each day, as well as how to narrate if that's a skill you or your dc needs to work on (we do here!) HTH