heartofdakota.com

We began our HS journey this week with LHTH. I have to say I wonder if I am doing it right because it is so easy! Is it really like this? What prompted it was that we usually do our Bible time during breakfast, and so today I decided to do our LHTH Bible time then, and then it flowed into all the other projects. After DD is done, I want to do some thinking skills, phonics, writing, and math and she blew through all that. I honestly wondered what we would do for the rest of the day, it breezed by!

I usually overanalyze so just tell me it is supposed to be like this! It was amazing, and I am still pinching myself!

Thank you, Jesus. We looked for a homeschooling program that would facilitate a lifestyle that still honored our family, and two days into it, this seems to be doing that. Thank you, Carrie, too!

It is! Obviously as you move through the programs, the time dedication increases, but HOD has done all the hard work of planning and thinking and making everything flow so beautifully for our kids. They will continue to enjoy learning and building essential skills, you will continue to have half your day free for enjoying family time and it will be great!

Enjoy...

Corrie

YES! I think it is supposed to flow that smoothly and that is one of the things I LOVE about HOD!!! The unit study component encourages this, even as you progress in the guides. I saw such a difference in excitement for doing school in my second DS's K year this past year than my first DS's K year where we didn't use HOD. My DD(3.5), who is doing LHTH BEGS to do school each and every day! I also love the independent learning it is fostering in my oldest DS now that he is in Preparing. Enjoy your year!

You too, Corrie and Jessica! No wonder so many school year-round. It was not taxing at all. Today is the Tower of Babel and the end of Unit 2. We have some camps this summer and company (that's a big deal when you live in Alaska) so this could work really well. We'll just do school when we can, or have our friends join in the fun!

Yes its really this easy with LHTH.I love how excited Stanley is to do school each day .LHTH sets them up for success because they see school work as an enjoyable experience.

Heidi,

I am so glad to hear about your great start with LHTH! We pray it may continue to bless your family and that it will draw your sweet child ever closer to the Lord.

Thanks so much for sharing!

Blessings,
Carrie

We had another easy day today. In fact, the art project saved me, personally, a little bit!

We did Unit 5, day 1, where Jacob gives Joseph his multi-colored coat. The art project was the one where you paint a coffee filter many colors. I had about 30 minutes before I had to leave to go to Bible study. We had gotten everything else done, and the kids were starting to squabble. I normally would have thought, "oh, we don't have TIME to start an activity now!" But I had already seen that it was today's art activity, and I plunked down the filters and food coloring/water, and told the kids they could paint a filter many colors like Joseph's coat!

They painted away, and even got along together! Now I'm just praying for the heart stuff, but I know that will come over time! Thanks, Carrie!

That's great, Heidi! It does go by so smoothly and quickly, dd4 keeps asking what else can we do for school, so we're starting to double up LHTH some days. That's just as well because we take lots of days off to go visit family. It is so easy when you have the things on hand (our coffee filters are brown so we used paper towels for that one haha).

Our coffee filters are brown also!

It is really that easy - and I think the short lesson method and open and go nature of HOD is one of the many reasons we keep homeschooling year after year with joy! I love that my dc enjoy school enough to be excited to continue on with it the next day. They can't wait for the next history reading, the next science experiment, the next part of their history project, the next thing to happen in their DITHOR or Storytime books - it is such a blessing to have them wanting more instead of saying "enough" each day. What a fulfilling way to homeschool! You have many happy days ahead of you - yes, rest assured, with HOD homeschooling can really be this easy.

In Christ,
Julie

Well, I have to say I am tickled pink...and if anyone can tell me how to insert a picture, I'll show you what I saw tonight following our painting a coffee filter symbolizing Jacob's giving Joseph a multi-colored coat!

My daughter got a coffee filter out, colored the bottom yellow, and put Easter stickers around the top! The filter represented the manger Jesus was laid in when he was born, and the Easter stickers were to remind Him of what He came to earth to do. I was unbelievably touched.

Not only was I ecstatic to find my daughter excited about school (followed up by a conversation about how much we look forward to it), but to hear my daughter get the Gospel so early in her life tickles me pink. She has already made a decision for Christ (at just over 4-1/2) and is eager for the time when she can be baptized. We have not set that yet. We are prayerfully considering when the Lord will open up time to baptize her! Hallelujah!

ETA: I'll get a picture uploaded once I can figure out how to do so.

I am so glad you are having such a great time! For the most part, many guides and several children after our start with HOD, it's still pretty much that easy. We have our "off" days, sure, but we also have tons of fun and learning, and I can see and experience them drawing closer to the Lord through their studies.

I'd love to see pics (I am horrible at uploading them).

My oldest son came to Jesus at around 4 1/2 as well.