questions....concerns, confusion Help!

[edsnyder]

Ok - I have a question(s) -

Q. -- Comparing HOD to Sonlight would you say that they are the same as far as being on level or would one be more advanced than the other (and if one is advanced further - which one and how?)

Just from glancing some of the Sonlight looks like it has more but it might be grouped differently in HOD catalog. I love HOD we started using it this year.

Q -- I have a ds7 almost 8 that is currently in in beyond and if we do a guide a year he will graduate with no gaps in guides - however we have to do state history - is there a place to include this or do I have to find my own? I also feel like he should have started in bigger because he was 2nd grade but I didn't want him to be overwhelmed because it looks more intense than beyond I did put him in the Math 2 and Science 2 and he is also doing Dithor level 2...so I have this idea that I should push him through bigger without a big summer break and keep going until we get caught up to where he should be...Ugh I know this might seem crazy he is a really bright kid and I just want to do the right thing for him but I don't really know what it is...suggestions, ideas Help Please!!!

Q -- And I have a ds5 in LHFHG and he will have gaps, but he is not a very good listener - he can do all the work but when it comes down to sitting and listening to the storytime and any history or science that he can't see pictures or touch or feel something he does not receive any information so with that said I am not sure if I should advance him to beyond next year. He knows his letters and numbers he is doing great in math and does ok with reading but not great. Suggestions, ideas, Help Please!

Q -- I also have a dd2 will be 3 next fall and I thought about putting her in LHTH and going through it twice with the older books the second time.


Q -- Also do you use only HOD or do you add in other things to supplement history, bible, science, etc?

Q -- And finally do you add in other subjects, foreign language, typing...and where do you put that in your schedule?

This is our first year homeschooling, and I want to make it fun for them and still make sure they get all the information and learn everything they should be - but I don't know what all that is and it seems that every curriculum has different scope and sequence so nothing is exactly standard lol. My main goal is for my kids to know who God is and I believe the rest will follow (not to say I am leaving the rest out)

[lmercon]

Congratulations on making the decision to hs! It has been one of the best decisions I've ever made, with using HOD as a close second! I have never used SL, so I'm not going to be very helpful in that respect. There are many ladies here who have used it in the past. I know there have been posts in the past here about the two programs. You may want to try a search and see what you find. I did look into SL when I was first starting out. It did not appeal to me because it was not as close to the CM way of doing things that I wanted as far as the speed at which you go through books and the sheer volume of books read in a year. The CM (Charlotte Mason) way of approaching books is to read fewer books but to read ones of exceptional quality and to do so slowly so as to form relationships with the characters and truly learn along the way. I love how HOD does this and incorporates so much of the CM style into all the subjects.

I was just like you when I first started in terms of mapping out my kids education all the way to college! Needless to say, that "map" has changed pretty drastically already! Honestly, I wouldn't worry about gaps. There really is no way to predict how a child will advance through each program. He may be chugging along steadily and then all of the sudden, he hits a roadblock and needs to slow things way down. Additionally, there are a variety of outside factors, such as health, economics, siblings, etc, that can upset the plan. With my own ds, I had always assumed that we'd move along with one guide per year. Then he was diagnosed with severe dyslexia, and I realized that we needed to take more time. We will be taking 2 years to complete CTC, and I realized that, THAT'S OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is the great thing about how HOD is set up. It's age range, not grade levels. It really takes the pressure off.

As far as your younger ds, if you aren't seeing the maturity to handle all that LHFHG requires, maybe you want to slow him down to half-speed now. That would mean that he would be a little older before he started Beyond. Having gone through Beyond once before, I purposely started LHFHG when my dd was 6 because I didn't want her to get to Beyond before she was 7. Being at the upper age range of the guides has been great for both of my kids. They just seem to get so much more out of it. If you slow your ds down, you may be able to fill in that gap that you are concerned about. You may want to take 1 1/2 yrs. for LHFHG and 1 1/2 years for Beyond. Then you'd have that gap year already taken care of, and your ds will be in a better place maturity-wise to handle the upper programs.

Just my 2 cents,
Laura

Just wanted to add in: One of the motivating factors for choosing HOD over a few other programs that had much more "eye candy," was the God-centeredness of this program. I have found that to have gone way beyond the advertising to reality. Day in and day out my dc are presented the gospel, the need for Christ, and the glory and sovereignty of God. If for nothing else, we will stay with HOD because of this reason alone. But, the great thing is, there are MANY other reasons to stay with HOD too!

[LynnH]

I haven't done SL either, so I can't help you there. Just looking at the booklists I think they introduce dc to subjects at a young age that Carrie waits to introduce until the dc are older. I know they don't have the hands on activities and the bible isn't integrated in everything the way it is in HOD.

As far as your your ds doing beyond that is a perfect 2nd grade guide. I wouldn't push through Bigger. There are a lot of skills taught in Bigger and Preparing that are critical for being able to handle the older guides. As far as an individual state study that will be included in the new guide MTMM. There is a 50 state study in Rev to Rev. So no you don't have to add that.

I honestly feel like it works best to not add much and do the guides as written. They are really complete as is. The only thing I do add is one day a week he does a typing program, but he has Cerebral Palsy so good typing skills are very important for him. I also add Megawords because he was having trouble decoding bigger words and I thought this might help. He only does that 2 days a week and it takes 10 minutes.

[edsnyder]

Just wanted to add in: One of the motivating factors for choosing HOD over a few other programs that had much more "eye candy," was the God-centeredness of this program. I have found that to have gone way beyond the advertising to reality. Day in and day out my dc are presented the gospel, the need for Christ, and the glory and sovereignty of God. If for nothing else, we will stay with HOD because of this reason alone. But, the great thing is, there are MANY other reasons to stay with HOD too!

Thanks Laura! I think I just saw the Son LIght catalog and flipped out what you said is the truth for me as well - and I know my kids are getting things and it sinks in deep. I wasn't posting because I was considering changing to SL, I just saw all the eye candy and flipped out. The thought of changing from HOD makes me sick to my stomach I know that this is what we are supposed to be using Thanks for bringing me back!

[blessedmomof4]

HI, about state study, Bigger includes learning the 50 states in order of entrance, along with the capitols if desired, by making flashcards. There is a full-blown study of the fifty states in Revival to Revolution.
I have never found it necessary to supplement anything in Heart of Dakota.
As for other extra subjects like foreign language, from Preparing on up you have a 4 day week, so those things could be done on the 5th day. Some people even slow down the younger guides if needed by doing them only 4 days a week and thereby taking about 9 weeks longer to finish them

[Heart_Mom]

Regarding Sonlight, I've used their program in the past and I do not think that HOD is lighter by any means. There is less reading aloud with HOD, but I think my children retain better because they get smaller "chunks" to really take in and they also do meaningful activities to help them process the learning (narration, acting out, projects, etc.). I love reading aloud to my children, and when my oldest was 5, 6, and 7, I could really get away with reading aloud lots and lots because he was the only one I was formally teaching. But now that I'm officially teaching three children, there's just no way I could do two or three Sonlight programs at a time. It just would not fit in the day! HOD has great, compelling books with just the right amount of reading scheduled each day.

Also, I was very troubled by some of the content that was introduced at a very early age in Sonlight. That's the main reason we stopped using it.

I hope this is helpful for you!

Oh, we really don't feel the need to supplement HOD. I do a different math and spelling program than is scheduled in the guide. I think the only think we really add is a thinking skills workbook and a computer typing program ... and I think my children could be perfectly fine without those at this point.

[4Hispraise]

We used SL 1-4 and then jumped into HOD at Preparing. It was such a good move for us! Some of the differences are the gentler introduction of history in HOD (books are not as graphic) and the focus of our days. We are seeing everything from God's perspective and not man's. HOD is in no way lighter than SL. There may be less books (I am not really sure this is true), but the books, IMHO,are used in a much richer way. And the reading program (DITHOR)....EXCELLENT!! And, science loosely ties into what is in history...many connections are made across the curriculum.

As for me and my family, we are so glad we found HOD!! Honestly, we saved the boxes of Sonlight; I was saving them for my younger son...until we experienced HOD. Now, I am going to be changing things up for him. I am so excited about schooling him the HOD way!! Anyway, that has been our experience.

[MomtoJGJE]

As far as supplementing... I don't technically supplement, as in, I don't quiz them about their knowledge or expect them to retain much.... BUT I do read from a booklist I've made up (combining Ambleside online, Sonlight, Five in a Row, and even the other books from the other book packs in HOD) each night and I read some from the Bible each night. They have surprised me at what they do retain from those readings. There is no pressure for them and I feel it gets those books in without adding to school.

Also, we school year round. Occasionally I'll take a break from HOD and do a unit study or lapbook on some subject the kids have brought up. Takes a week or two and gives a nice break from what they consider school. But it also allows us to be able to do half days when needed or just take breaks when needed without worrying about getting behind.