Overwhelming!

[mommasell]

Hi everyone. Well, a small introduction - I have two children, my oldest being 4. We're currently doing some Pre-K stuff and I'm just browsing my options for next year when she starts K. I thought I had it all organized in my mind, until I found HOD. I seem to now be going back and forth between this and MFW. I have had some reservations about parts of MFW, that I feel HOD would make me feel more confident. But the decision (while I don't have to make it anytime really soon) is just weighing on me.


So,did your child use Little Hearts for His Glory? Anything you can tell me about it? From the way we're going now with Pre-K, I definitely believe my daughter will be more than ready for it at 5yrs.

Any experience, or words of wisdom, will be more than welcome! Our family is absolutely brand new to homeschooling, and not of my initial goals is to not be a "curriculum hopper", so I'm hoping to really make a prayerful decision right from the start. Thanks!

[lissiejo]

I have no experience with MFW, but I have used Little Hearts for His Glory once before and will be starting again with my second daughter for K. The first time I used it as a pre-k 4 and loved it. I had no intention of homeschooling, but my husband and I felt strongly that I wanted my kids home until the school years. Those plans have changed now and we're homeschooling until God moves us in a new direction.

There are a lot of moms who prefer to wait until 1st grade for this particular level. I'm not one of those for my particular children. My daughter beginning soon already is reading at a 2nd grade level. She has completed the Rod and Staff books this year because she was bored and I wanted to give her something fun to do, so we'll be doing the 1st grade Thinking Skills this year. She is more than ready for every aspect of this guide.

HOD has made me feel incredibly confident as a teacher! I am not concerned that they are missing anything, I don't have to go out and buy a bunch of supplies, and my kids have LOVED everything we have done. I don't spend hours planning, just some time reviewing the material and activities so I know what I'm doing. The math is a little easy for her, so I've chosen to go a little faster for the time being than the guide suggests, but that is just because my girl surprised me by being able to add math facts up to 12 without my teaching her...I suppose listening in to her older sister has helped!

My girls are also on the young ends of the guides. When we brought my oldest home this year for 1st grade she jumped right into Beyond without any trouble and really loved it. She is the one who did Little Hearts in K-4. I did discuss this with Carrie via e-mail back when we used it way back then. She said that even though the guides are leveled each child is uniquely created possibly placing into guides earlier or later than suggested, and to make sure I took that into consideration. I don't regret following that advice for a minute Since we knew we were homeschooling I didn't use it for k-4 again because I knew it would be a fabulous Kindergarten curriculum.

I also didn't want to be a curriculum hopper and spent HOURS reviewing all the levels before deciding for sure to go with Beyond when we brought my oldest home this year. I LOVE the skills built into every level and how they gradually progress so the student is ready to move on to the next level. She'll begin Bigger next week (at her request!) and I feel she is more than ready even though she will only be turning 7 in August. We're starting slower paced until she's ready to go full speed. I'll be following her lead in this. The other things I love about this curriculum is that everything is all connected...Science connects to History connects to Bible connects to Poetry...and the list goes on. My daughter is getting a fuller education than I ever imagined traditional school or homeschool.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you have. You can message me if you want or just write it here. We choose HOD after prayer and I don't plan on ever leaving

Melissa

[mommasell]

Thank you very much for your response. I don't feel that I can go wrong either way, and that is what makes this so hard!

I'm going to be asking my husband to review both, and get his input. This far he's been saying, "I trust you. Do what you feel is best." But I certainly need his help with this choice.

The more I am looking/reviewing HOD though, the more I am really enjoying what I'm seeing.

[lissiejo]

I definitely asked my husband to look over everything. He said the same thing, but it helped me to talk it through and have his full support. He asked several questions which I appreciated because I knew he was taking it seriously. Ultimately since you are teaching I'm sure your husband understands the need to leave the decision up to you, but having his input also keeps him as head of your home. Going over both programs with him with the pros and cons will help you as well.

Have fun with your first year homeschooling!

[Molly]

I LOVE the skills built into every level and how they gradually progress so the student is ready to move on to the next level. She'll begin Bigger next week (at her request!) and I feel she is more than ready even though she will only be turning 7 in August. We're starting slower paced until she's ready to go full speed. I'll be following her lead in this. The other things I love about this curriculum is that everything is all connected...Science connects to History connects to Bible connects to Poetry...and the list goes on. My daughter is getting a fuller education than I ever imagined traditional school or homeschool.

This is how I feel about HOD in general. I so look forward to seeing them progress though and getting such a rich and varied education at the same time.

With regard to LHFHG, I think if you have checked the placement chart and your daughter fits all the boxes for LHFHG, then go for it. It is a great program. We finished Unit 10 today with my 6 yr old son (with learning delays), and I am loving seeing the progress he is making. He is starting to really enjoy learning, which is something I really want for my children.

[MelInKansas]

Yes, it is very overwhelming. I am like you, in that both of those programs really appealed to me, because of their basis in Charlotte Mason philosophy, their approach to making learning gentle and fun (again CM), hands-on learning, and an all-inclusive package with the planning already done for you.

I haven't used MFW, but here is what I love about HOD. And this is just some of it, believe me, I could say a lot more.

1) Easy to use, planned out for me
2) Cohesive plans/units, combining many different activities that reinforce the stories/lessons from different learning styles
3) Quick, you just spend a very short time in each subject. Right now I am doing Beyond, LHFHG, and LHTH and nursing my baby. We still easily get all of our school work done by 11 AM if we get started around 8:30-8:45.
4) The Bible is the main focus. Between the memory verses, thought provoking questions, devotional selections, and in Beyond, day 5 of your history is a Bible reading that ties together the history you have learned about that week, I feel like training in godliness is a major if not main part of what my children are learning.
5) I spend fun, quality time with each of my children, discussing God's Word, their hearts, and the things they are learning and growing in.

I have prayed for wisdom each year or each time I am preparing to school my children and God has always provided and blessed us greatly through using HOD. I pray the same for you.

As to age - my older DD was 5 1/2 when I started LHFHG with her and we took a year to do it. My 2nd is a little younger than her sister was, but she's 5 also and she is doing great with it. We are halfway through The Reading Lesson and we are starting unit 6 (week 6) of LHFHG. She is really so ready for it. In fact her narration skills or her comprehension/retention of what I read to her is better than her sister's was, she just has different skills in that way.

[lmercon]

Hi,
It can be SO overwhelming! You're not alone in that experience. I suggest that you do a forum search here for MFW. There are several very involved posts comparing the two. Now, keep in mind that these posts were written by HOD users, but many of them have used MFW, so you can get a bit of a feel for why people switched from MFW to HOD. Either way, you won't make a mistake. They are both lovely programs. Of course, I'm a HOD lover, so I'm biased. These programs just get better and better. I have never doubted from the first day we used HOD that we should or would ever use anything else.
hth,
Laura

[mom23]

Both of my sons have been or will be 6 when doing LHFHG, but I have a friend using it with her daughter who's barely 5 and she's doing well so far. That age range will give you a general idea, but the placement chart will give you a better one.

I love LHFHG! Even my son, who generally does not enjoy school work (because he'd rather play) liked it. We had great discussions together, and the learning was so gentle that it seemed more like fun to him, but when we got to the next guide I was amazed at how much he had really improved on skills that weren't there before! He made the decision to trust Christ as his Savior as a result of our studies in LHFHG one day-I'll always treasure that! I think his favorites from the guide were the storytime books. He still talks about Reddy Fox, or Peter Rabbit, or Chatterer the Red Squirrel .

[psreit]

We only did some of MFW K when dd was starting out, so I'm not familiar with the format in the higher grades. She then went to a Christian school for a complete year of kindergarten, because of some struggles she was having. Thankfully, I found HOD and brought her home for 1st, at which time she did LHFHG. Although she struggles with the three R's, she loves the history and storytime reading in HOD - LHFHG and Beyond so far. Most importantly, the Bible and character study have been very instrumental in my dd's maturity and spiritual growth. We are now moving on to Bigger, and I am so excited about the transition in Bigger, to more in-depth science(which I'm sure will be a hit), and I know this will be a very important year in building on the 3 R's. I have every confidence that HOD will bring out the best of dd's potential in those areas. What has helped me, as the teacher, is having the instructions in boxes. Honestly, that has kept me from feeling overwhelmed with my job. Carrie's instructions are simple, yet to the point. I was a curriculum hopper with my older children. I was just learning about all the different curriculum out there and became curious. But, I am determined to NOT be that way with my younger dd. With HOD, I honestly have no desire to 'stray'.

[gratitude]

I think you are very wise to try and prayerfully consider and choose a curriculum that you can stay with. The best education, I truly believe, comes from not hopping around (I have hopped. ). I like what one wise mom once said that the best curriculum is the one that we use and that gets done. All of the curriculums build on themselves, and so it really is easiest to start with one and stay there. It is also easier on mom. As you come to know one program and the way guides are done they become easier and easier to do; it also becomes easier and easier to individualize to our kids.

So all that said, I thought I would chime in since we are in the process of switching from MFW. I have done MFW pre-k, K, 1 (currently 2nd time), & ADV with a lot added to it. I am currently bringing my oldest to HOD for Preparing, my dd5 over for LHFHG, and when my ds7 finishes MFW1 I am planning on bringing him over next January. Since LHFHG suggests mom picking one of Carrie's phonics choices or their own I am planning on pulling Marie's phonics out of MFWK and using them with LHFHG (I already own the guide, and have used the phonics before so this works for me).

I recently received my HOD box and I am reading the Preparing and LHFHG manuals and I am LOVING what I am seeing. I put a lot of prayer and research into this decision; I too want this to be our last curriculum switch so they can receive a solid education that builds over years. My DH and I did come to the conclusion that HOD best lines up with my teaching style, how my kids learn, our own personal home school goals, and what we are most wanting from the curriculum that we use.

I thought I would share the reasons that I choose HOD:
*Christ centered. *Literature based learning *Skill building integrated into the program for writing/LA throughout the LA materials & history & Bible & science *The help I want teaching writing *Incremental skill building in the area of LA *Strong academics *Carrie's book choices (she has chosen a large number of history spines, English books, readers, etc. that I would choose myself if I was putting a program together). *Genesis 1 - 11 emphasis *Ability to have my kids in their own programs for their skill abilities so they can each move at their own abilities and pace *A focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ *Christian world view *Bible through out the program *Lots of books that fit our family *No library necessary if I don't manage to take my 4 kids each week (we go at the most once a month). *No student sheets. *Charlotte Mason influence is higher than MFW. *Believes all learning starts with scripture, and I agree. *Two page lay-out for one day at a time rather than a week grid.

MFW is a great program. MFWK is not my favorite personally, but other moms love it. My favorite was MFW1 (which I still plan on using as our phonics progress).

So the reasons I decided to not continue with MFW:
*Family learning is great, but it didn't work for me with ADV. I didn't like my younger kids 'getting what they can' while my older was held back so my youngers could 'learn what they can'. I saw this problem magnifying in the cycle *I taught piano for 8 years and really prefer teaching one on one. I think tutoring is highly impacting and effective. *I want my olest to soar, and my younger children to get the one on one attention they need from me. *I wanted more help with LA *It wasn't a good fit for my oldest academically (he tends to be advanced, and he was bored in MFW; he loves all the books that HOD just sent to us). *Student sheets (repetitive) *High number of Usborne or text book type books in the history cycle. *Story of the World Volume II in RTR & Volume III in Exp.

I hope this wasn't too much information for a mom whose oldest is 4, and that over all it is helpful. I have done research for the past two years on many of the materials in both, and looked at many of the books in both history cycles. I thought when I found MFW originally it was the best I could find; but for us HOD over all is a better fit.

I pray that God will make it clear to you. I would encourage you and your DH to write down your educational goals the best you can at this point and try to decide which curriculum lines up better with them.

Blessings,

[striving2Bprov31]

It is so overwhelming! I'll be honest and tell you that I wasted so much time being overwhelmed over curriculum, especially the first few years of homeschooling. I would love to tell you--don't do it! Just some input from my past experience on that.

HOD is the most open and go that you can get. It's great because I could keep using it if I were sick or if something happened, and I had no ability whatsoever to plan ahead (with homeschooling). It really gives more time to devote to other areas of life. I like that it helps with focusing more on my relationships and LESS on school planning (which would really consume all my waking hours if I let it). Also, if I do the planning myself-honestly-I just get plain tired of it.

God bless in your decision. Don't focus too much on this decision and waste time worrying like I did!!

[mommasell]

Thank you guys so much. Your replies have helped me tremendously. I sat down with my dh last night, and he looked at both websites/lesson plans/etc. I did not tell him how I felt about either, I didn't want to sway his opinion. He ended up telling me that as of now, he is more comfortable with HOD. We requested the catalog, and we will go from there! Now I only wish we would have found this before we started PreK (we're in the middle of using something right now, and I'm just going to stick with it since it's working.)

Hopefully in 2013, when she's entering K, I'll be able to pop in here and start our homeschooling journey! Thank you.