Post
by tpschettle » Tue Mar 11, 2014 1:36 pm
Hi!
I totally agree with LovingJesus. But I also want to add some practical things. I don't know what ages your children are or how many you have.
I tried using SL so I could teach both my children the same things. The curriculum assistants told me that it would work, but it didn't. My oldest son could listen to me read all day, so he liked it. But he didn't retain much from 2+hours of read alouds. My other son is over 3 years younger plus he can't sit still for 20 minutes. I never ended up finishing Core B. We liked the books, but there was no guidance in creating character lessons or higher-level thinking skills through the discussion questions. The comprehension questions were much too easy for my 3rd grader and my kindergartener had been lost long before we got to the discussion anyway.
We did keep using the science, but I created my own history/Bible/social studies programs through FIAR. It was a lot of work researching my own period-specific reading materials for my then-4th grader to read independently. Plus he got bored reading the same book five days in a row. When my youngest got halfway through 2nd grade, I knew I needed to make a change so his history would have some continuity. We had already discovered R&S English by then.
HOD was a totally natural step. Everything I was trying to create myself through FIAR is already laid out and scripted for me. There are totally awesome books that the Charlotte Mason bookfinder doesn't list. I never would have found them myself! My younger one loves the activities, which left to myself, I would never do. SL suggested optional activities, but I was happy just to get all the boxes checked. I would never exercise the "option" to make a mess of any kind if I have a choice. When they're a scripted part of each day, it forces me to do them & my kids learn so much more.
Plus Carrie's guides help me have much more realistic expectations about what I can expect from my kids. When you're new to homeschooling (which every grade is new with your oldest), it's easy to expect adult-level attention spans, for example. I found SL not to be helpful at all in this regard. HOD guides make school so easy!
Trust your instincts. That's something God has been telling me personally. Maybe if your friends knew about HOD, they'd use it, too. But you're not alone anyway-- this board is wonderful! There is so much support. I don't believe you will find on the SL board your questions answered personally by the author of the curriculum. Plus there are many others who have helped answer my questions and have prayed for me & I've only been here 2 months!
God bless you, your family, and your homeschool!
Tina
Jn 14:1-3, Is 53:14
Jim's wife 22 years
16yo DS R2R, Preparing, CTC, R2R, RV2RV, MTMM
13yo DS Bigger, Preparing, CTC, R2R, RV2RV, MTMM
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
Is 60:1
We go to coop once a week and the moms there just rave on and on about Sonlight and how it's so amazing. I've done some looking at it, but HOD seems far more friendly. Anyway, we are coming from ABEKA, which we still plan to use their math, so this will be a new learning style for us, but I think it's desperately needed.
Glad to have you here! 
