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Hello my name is Lia and I am new to Heart of Dakota. First a little about us: I have two great boys who are all boy, one is 9 and the other is 12. I pulled them out of private school when they were going into grades 2 and 5. They are clearly different learners and have tons of energy. We also have gluten and dairy allergies and that is just the tip of the allergy ice burg. For the last two years I used Tapestry of Grace and enjoyed it. As a new homeschooling mom it worked for me because there was a coop and I learned a lot on how to homeschool through the coop. What I have found is that I am not sure it is working for me. What I love about what I am seeing in HOD is that it is all spelled out, teacher guide and what you need to succeed day by day and week by week. I love the Christ centered approach and all what looks to be a robust curriculum. I feel like a newbie at homeschooling and find myself afraid to make a change. But I also feel I must, I need the structure to help our family.

I am a bit confused on how to pick which year to start as I want to use one year and accommodate both boys. I am also not sure if this program works for a hands on learner and a visual learner. I would welcome any feedback and encouragement from the gang I could get. I am so excited to get started and feel hesitant at the same time. Thank you all for letting me share.

Lia

I think there will be a way to combine your children. Check out the placement chart on the main board and let us know where they fall. Your younger boy can probably use one of the programs "as is" and then you would just need to add the extentions for the older boy. Tapestry of Grace always looked very overwhelming to me, but I find HOD very easy and fun to implement. I have 5 of my children using HOD now. They are of course very different, but it is working well for all of them. Welcome.

Hi Lia!

We have an allergy iceberg over here ourselves. The placement chart is the best way to start. Once you look at that and chime back in, then all these wonderful ladies can give you further advice.

Welcome along!

Edie

Just wanted to say hi and welcome! HOD is very well laid out and simple to use. It allows for more family time and mommy/child(ren) time. It allows for exploring God's Creation, and nature journaling, and fieldtrips, etc. WIshing you the best! Pray...the Lord will gudie you.

Shannon

I just wanted to welcome you too! I too considered TOG, but it always looked overwhelming to me. You'll love the simplicity and depth of learning that you get with HOD. It's a wonderful program for hands on learners as there are so many wonderful meaningful activities interwoven that bring the learning to life. I'm not an expert on learning styles, but I think there is plenty for a visual learner as well. Singapore math is very visual as well as the notebooking pages. The program is crafted to engage all learning styles through a variety of ways. I know Carrie or Jule can tell you more specifics, but they are both really busy right now with writing and editing the new guide. I'm sure they'll pop in here when they get a chance. For placement, take a look at the placement chart: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php and see where each of your boys place individually and then we can help you figure out a plan for combining. As the pp mentioned typically with HOD, you will place the younger one in the program they place best in then add in the extensions for the older child choosing the correct LA and math for each child. Carrie recently wrote a series of posts about HOD's ideas on combining. You can start here and read these informative posts: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9344 Again, welcome to HOD!

Hi Lia, and welcome to the HOD Board! What you mentioned you love about HOD is also much of what I love about HOD - easy to use format, no prep for me, clear objectives for lessons and activities, day to day and week to week incremental teaching of skills, Christ-centered approach to learning, and great balance of academics/Christian values/learning styles. I'd like to help you choose where to place your boys. I have 3 boys, and I have used the placement chart to place them. It has been right on track! My 3 sons, like your boys, are very different learners. One is extremely hands-on and very bodily kinesthetic. Another is very visual and loves anything to do with books. Still another is very auditory, and anything he hears, he knows. HOD has accommodated them all well. I especially like the fact that HOD makes sure to balance each day with each learning style in mind. So every day, each child gets to do things that are in keeping with their preferred learning style, but they are also getting practice in improving learning styles that do not come as easily to them. I think it really helps to print a copy of the first page of the placement chart for each child, and then think of one child at a time, circling on the chart where that child falls in age, reading, writing, grammar, and math. You will be able to share that information with us here on the board then, and we can then help you choose what would work well for your dc. Age is only one determining factor in placement, and HOD is not a cookie-cutter curriculum. Instead, a huge benefit of HOD is fine tuning your dc's placement so they are accurately placed based on their skills, their needs, and your family's goals. Placement takes a bit, but it is so worth the time. This is a year of your life, and I can vouch for the fact that if you get your placement right, the result is a fantastic school year for all involved. I'll check back to see what you've shared about your sons when you've gotten a chance to check out the placement chart!

In Christ,
Julie

Thank you all for you replies. I will take time to work on the placement chart. And I will talk to the ladies you all suggested. I am starting to get very excited about ordering HOD and getting started. Thank you all for the encouragement.

Lia