heartofdakota.com

Oh and can I just add... "I love talking to you ladies. You feel like family to me. I dont' want to leave you all. I like hearing about your lives and not feeling like a number at the DMV in a forum of people who could care less about me or my family's struggles and triumphs."

So all that to say.... here is a big "SKWUNCH" for all of you from all of me.

Jessi,

Here's a past thread where someone had a question almost identical to yours. (I haven't reread all of it just now, but I remember at the time that it was helpful in seeing the philosophy about why HOD is put together like it is.) viewtopic.php?f=6&t=848&p=6292&hilit=co ... sial#p6292

I think your desire to have your kids "own" their faith and be able to answer what they believe and why in the face of questions out there is great! I know that's a desire of mine for my kids...and I bet most of the moms here, as well. (And God's path to get there for each of us won't be identical.) I'd say too that your desire to honor your husband's wishes is right on. (And I'd be hoping he liked HOD, too, a little selfishly.) I looked at Sonlight pretty extensively, but only used it for pre-K. We were disappointed with it...it just didn't work for us.

I'm using Bigger this year, and one of my favorite things about HOD is that I see it really teaching my son to think biblically about what's coming into his mind. When we're reading especially the books for storytime and DITHOR, the questions or discussions that are suggested have him evaluating the charcters and their choices in light of God's Word. The books we're reading are the ones HOD reccommends...but they're not all "Christian". (I like it that Carrie has screened them for language or other objectionable content, but the book charcters aren't perfect.) I think evaluating what comes into our minds (from media, TV, music, books, friends...) is so important! I love it that my son is able to look at things and search for what God has to say about it.

OK, I've got to go to bed, but Jessi I'm saying a quick prayer for you and your husband that God would make His path clear for you.
Kathleen

I've used Sonlight Pre-K (I think it's called Core B now) and some LHTH and are now half way through LHFHG. My DD and I really enjoyed our time with the Pre-K from Sonlight. We did not use their instructors guide but instead joined the yahoo group and used the theme schedule listed there twice! If you use the other yahoo group schedule, it will make it a great K program. Since we had run through the program twice, I couldn't have DD do it again for K and was not ready for her to move on to the K core books. So we ended up here and tried LHTH which was too light and easy. So here we are using LHFHG and enjoying the Bible stories. We are adding WP Animals and Their Worlds since DD needed more.
With all that said, I would encourage you to take a good look around the Sonlight website. They have a list of 27 reasons why Sonlight is NOT for you. It really helps to give you a feel for their curriculum. Also join one of the yahoo groups for Sonlight and ask questions. I think Sonlight is a great program but the core numbers give you a false indication of level.
If you are short on cash and want use books as your base, you could look at homeschoolshare.com for some great unit studies using library books. They have enough books there to last till 2nd grade last I looked. And they are always adding more. They also have a yahoo group to share more ideas to use with their books listed. Maybe you could do the Bible portion of LHTH and add a unit study using the library books. Then you could pick the activities out of each that are of interest to your family without adding an expense this year. This would allow you to save up some money for the curriculum of your choice for next year's K year.
Only you and your hubby know what's best for your family. So I encourage you to work together to find a good fit for you.

Hi Jessi,

Oh I feel for you! My sister and I (this is the 6th year for both of homeschooling) talk frequently about what a huge learning curve there is for the mother as she transverses her way through grade levels, curriculum, time-management, personality styles, and just plain teaching! This is the first year I feel that I really have a handle on things!

A few things about my journey are very different from you...I didn't start homeschooling until my oldest was in fourth grade, my kids are much older than yours now, and I didn't find HOD until this year. For the five previous years I tried LOTS of things...some worked out, most didn't. We tried Sonlight...for me personally I did find that it seemed like a secular curriculum with the Bible tacked on, but my biggest complaints were how time-intensive it was for me and my kids and how HARD some things were, especially the LA for my son (who's not a grammar person).

As far as HOD, although this is our first year so I've never used LHFHG, I've always read classic literature to my kids. Many of the books (Huck Finn comes to mind) really presented a different world view and lots of other issues (like the race issue, abortion, evolution, etc.), and while my oldest was able to discuss the concepts eventually, my youngest was always hopelessly lost. I feel that presenting kids with alternative POVs before age 10 or so is merely confusing to them. I agree with the idea of teaching the truth so they have a strong foundation, then exposing them to the world when they are able to spot lies...which is one reason why we homeschooled our son for five years, then put him into PS (ninth grade) this year. We feel he's got a strong foundation and is ready to be exposed to the world with a solid head on his shoulders.

Also, in the BHFHG, I choose read-alouds from the three "lists" Carrie provided in the catalog, some of which are "Christian" based and some of which aren't. And since that section is the teacher's manual isn't story-specific, I think I could have chosen my own books for that. And we are using DITHOR for which I choose ALL the books. The questions for the different genres are not story-specific for that either. And I get to choose the order we study the genres in. After trying many things, this is what works for us.

My kids like work books too and I chose Abeka workbooks for both math and grammar. This gives them a nice variety.

All that being said, I am a firm believer in respecting your husband and doing what the Lord is leading you to do first and foremost, regardless of what anyone else thinks or says or suggests. We have taken some flack for putting William in PS this year, but my husband and I know that is how the Lord is leading us, and I am obedient to God and my husband no matter what (as you are! ) So while my post shares my opinion and what has worked for us, it is just that...a recounting of someone else's story. God bless you on your journey, Jessi. I know He will!!!

Hi Jessi! I think it's important to consider the time period of history being covered. In LHTH, the time period covered chronologically is from Creation to Paul's missionary journeys. It makes perfect sense for this time period to use the BIble and devotions pertinent to the Bible to cover that time period. Praise the Lord that we did not cover this time period with our 2-5 year olds reading about Rome, their gods, Greek mythology, child sacrifice - ahhhh! You get the picture! I enjoyed this precious beginning to our homeschooling very much.

In LHFHG (ages 5-7), the historical time period covered is one year overview of history, from Creation to 1970's. The idea is to build upon what was learned in LHTH, and to continue to show God's hand through history. More literature is added, but the literature choices take into account that children at this age are still learning the habit of listening attentively, and moving toward listening to chapter books with few pictures. I liked the readings and the amount that was scheduled. I also appreciated the focus I could give to teaching my children phonics, writing, and basic math since those basics are soooo important at that age. Mid-year of LHFHG, my ds's were both reading well enough that we could begin Beyond's... Emerging Reader Set. The time I could give to teaching my dc writing allowed them to be able to start Explode the Code workbooks - which your child would probably enjoy as well since she likes workbooks. I enjoyed the preparation LHFHG gave me for more literature and more listening required that was coming in Beyond...
(*BTW, my dear, I think that your dd should have probably been placed in LHFHG instead of LHTH after reading your post. She sounds like a smart little cookie raring to learn! I think she's ready for LHFHG now.)

In Beyond (ages 6-8), the historical time period is American history from 1565-1860. Longer history selections/readings are used, as well as longer science. The Emerging Reader's Set has 14 books, and I LOVED the selections made for those. Very fun! The read-alouds (which you are reading out loud to your dc) are not Bible-based, though the HOD guide has questions that lead discussions about the good/bad character traits shown in each. We've read them all - or listened to them on audio. Just looking at a few titles in the Classic Pack: In King of the Wind, the royalty does not believe in God and appears to believe instead in good and bad karma, the stars, mysticism (his actions show this and my dc and I had many wonderful discussions about his beliefs); in The Railway Children, some disreputable men falsely accuse a father and he's wrongly sent to jail while his wife and children have to flee; in Follow the Leader, a boy throws a firecracker in the face of another child and blinds him - the boy that did this is not remorseful in the least. Everything is not "rosy" in these books. There is enough worldliness there for ample discussion. Characters are not all Christian. The people in these books are "of the world" - they are not perfect, and they sin just like all of us do. I like that Carrie chooses books that allow us to discuss this in a Christian light. Also, the books don't contain swearing, horrific details, sexual innuendos, etc. I appreciate that these books were chosen - here's a link to the different Deluxe Package read-alouds for Beyond...:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/byd-little ... ckages.php

In Bigger... (ages 7-9), the historical time period is American history from 1500's - 1970's. Still longer history/science selections are used, and more books are used; thus, as the children grow, so does the amount of literature. The read-alouds (which you are reading out loud to your dc) continue to get longer, and your child begins DITHOR now. You get to choose the books to go with DITHOR. I chose to use their book packs, but here is some wiggle room for you and your dh. The two of you could choose whatever books you want your dc to read to you together (DITHOR is what your dc does after the Emerging Reader's Set, so the dc are doing the reading and you are listening to them read, just to clarify). You just need to choose any 1-3 books for each genre (ideas are given for book choices too on the Sample Book Ideas List). This puts you and your dh in the driver's seat. Choose whatever books you want - as worldly or not as worldly as you want for whatever themes you want to bring up and discuss with your dc. Bigger... is a jump - it is more than enough literature for that age, and I personally feel that it makes this move to heavier literature and more work at exactly the right time. We loved Bigger... last year.
*You can also read aloud the Extension Pack if you want even MORE books to read pertinent to the time period.

In Preparing... (ages 8-10), the historical time period from Creation to Present is covered, giving a one-year overview of history before we get into the four time periods of history in the next 4 guides. We are doing Preparing... now. We just researched on the Internet different ways that people believe the world began. Of course, evolution was one of them. It was also discussed in the HOD history selection, "Life in the Great Ice Age", though it gave reasons to refute it. These activities were planned in the HOD guide - alas, I did not come up with them on my own. (That's what we have HOD for, right? ). Heavier, more diverse viewpoints and varying lifestyles (including religion) are read about/covered in Preparing..., though always with the HOD guide leading the discussion back to God. More literature/longer readings are used, there's still the read-alouds, DITHOR, and the extension pack if you want to use even more books. We're thoroughly enjoying Preparing!!!

WHEW! Well, there's a quick walk through HOD! You hinted for some discussion points for you to have with your dh, so he can better see HOD and the route it's going. I think it's a super idea to sit down with the HOD catalog, discuss the historical time periods that are covered, and show how the literature "grows" as the child "grows". I also think that it's important to note that all "Christian" books are not used. A good majority of the people your dc will read about will not be Christians, which gives a wonderful opportunity to talk about this with your dc. Also, it's important to note that your dc won't be reading about Christians being burned at the stake, Greek gods being worshiped by child sacrifice, the bathhouses , etc. until they are old enough to handle it. Sonlight does not screen for this. (I used it for awhile - it was not for us; perhaps if I had ONE child, very few other responsibilities in life, Sonlight added in hands-on activities, wove Bible throughout, and stopped racing through books at breakneck speed - nope, still not for us , but that's just my opinion. ) I think HOD is every bit as literature-rich as Sonlight - HOD's books are just screened for content in regard to age appropriateness. Also, if your dh wants some input in what your dc are reading, DITHOR will be right up his alley because he can help you pick every book your dc will read!
HTH, and I'll be praying you and your dh have a good discussion about this and come to peace with a decision.
In Christ,
Julie

I am feeling more peace about this. The past couple of months have been difficult. I guess I just knew that God led us here for a reason, and I am trying to make the best case for this program with my husband. Part of me wanting to keep them out of public school is to instill a Christian world view in their minds and to be in charge of their spiritual training. That is what drew me to HOD in the first place. I do love that we are all training up "soldiers" in the way God is calling us to do so. I wouldn't want us all to be robot Christians spitting out the same little believers. Look at the richness and diversity within God's creation- he likes uniqueness!

Kathleen thank you for praying for my husband and I. Since tonight is Friday and we are finally at home together, we'll talk tonight more in depth. My hope is to convey why I like HOD for us after my husband witnessing my daughter's lack of interest in LHTH. He is home in the mornings when we school, which is wonderful for him to be around for our learning but it also puts more stress on me because he sees all the little problems and comments on them.

crlacey- I will look into the SL yahoo groups. If my husband is still wanting us to try that, I'll have to look into it. I have heard the Instructor's Guides are very confusing and everything moves too fast and is disjointed in the reading unless you rewrite the manual to work for you. Is this true? I have also checked their website extensively and it appears a lot of people are using the p 4/5 for K instead of the K program. Is that what you mean about level indicators?

Sniz- I do appreciate sharing your story. You never know what inspires other people. We are not totally against public school and feel that if God ever calls us to put them in, we will do so (albeit kicking and screaming...how's that for obedient LOL) and trust that God has a plan and purpose for that. Thank you for sharing how you've followed God's call for your son even when it went against what others thought you should do.

Julie- Thank you for sharing about each Guide so in depth. I have the HOD catalog but I just can't get as much information in the surface reviews as I can sitting down and hearing about specifics from those that have used. I like the books that you have talked about. They show real world stories and characters. See this is what I didn't know when talking to my husband which is why I think I felt more pressure to try Sonlight. I agree that my daughter should have been in LHFHG from the beginning. But after much advice and the fact I couldn't get over that she was only 4.5- well I thought I could just minimally supplement LHTH but I am doing everything different to make it more challenging for her. On the same token, I've taken nearly all the fun stuff out of it because she doesn't want to do the book. I love the activities and crafts and want to incorporate them but she wants more of a challenge hence where I am leaning more toward LHFHG. I never wanted to cover greek mythology or anything like that in preschool. Just more fun books to do neat crafts or projects with. Anything simple science related that we could read for pre-k level and then have some tie in learning activities. Like I have said though, I know that is peculiar to my daughter at her age. It is not disrespecting LHTH. Most pre-k kids would be great with LHTH. Then I had to go and have my hard headed,determined, challenging, lovely, endearing, daydreaming daughter who had to mess the whole plan up. LOL I love that girl.

Jessi,

I just had one other thought about your situation today. (I was mowing the lawn...so I had 2.5 hrs to think when I couldn't hear the kids. ) Anyway, I was thinking about how our family dynamics affect what we feel our kids need in regards to curriculum. With my oldest at age 4, I definitely would have felt the need to do more than LHTH. But at the time he was an only child soon to have his sister enter our world. I (obviously) had a lot more time on my hands, and wanted to do more directed learning things with him. Now I have 3 precious kids to raise. My 4 yo is in the middle. She's a spunky little charming firecracker of a girl. She absolutely loves LHTH! And, I don't feel the need to do anything more. Obviously I'm busier doing school with a 3rd grader and a preschooler (and a half). I also think though that her life is really enriched by having not only her parents but her brother(s) to learn from. There's so much learning that takes place that we don't need a curriculum for.

OK, you're probably wondering why I'm saying all this by now. I guess I'd say that you're probably pretty normal if you feel like you need "more" for your dd. I think that's something that we moms feel like we need with our 1st borns. (Although maybe I'm not "normal"... I've just been thinking through how my thinking has changed during my parenthood/homeschooling journey.) I'm guessing that what you feel is "enough" for school for your kids will also change as time ticks on. And I don't really think it's that you're wanting to teach them less, it's just that we realize all of the natural learning that's available that we don't need a curriculum for...so we don't need to add more in. Siblings are great learning tools.

One quick story from our week: Grant is learning about faithfulness and one of the questions in the guide talked about being faithful to our family and friends by asking if we'd heard anyone who talked bad about their family/friends. SO, we were talking about loyalty and not putting others down when they're not around. I asked if he always liked everything about our family. No...arguing with your sister, having her hit you...those things aren't good. But, we talked about how we still don't have to present our family to others in a negative light because they're God's gift to us. He wants us to learn to forgive others and be kind...even when others aren't kind to us. Isn't the family perfect for that?! God had a great plan! I could see the light bulb come on when I said that. Grant added..."But I'm not going to tell Allison thank you when I get to forgive her." He was glad to hear that wasn't part of the plan.

All right...after all my rambling, I hope I'm actually communicating. I know this doesn't help you or your hubby with which curriculum to use... I just thought I'd share as I was seeing in my life and others here, that the moms who want more to do in the day with LHTH are typically ones who have their oldest doing it. In our house I know that Grant is teaching Alli to tie shoes, helping her "read" books, learn about $, etc. There is a lot that I don't feel like I have to have in her "school" time when she can learn from her brother (and lots of other ways). I guess it's one of the benefits of NOT being the oldest. (The oldest gets quite a bit of extra 1:1 time with mom or dad though.)

Julie did a great job of outlining HOD for us! (The voice of experience!) Praying that your discussion goes well with your husband.
Kathleen

Jessi,

I wrote yesterday on this topic, but I did want to add something. It is so great that your husband has an active role in what you are using. My husband never looks at our curriculum. To him that is my job. (Please don't think I am being negative, just stating facts.) I think it is fantastic that your husband actively engages in helping to find what is right for your children. i just wanted to commend him for that.

I am done now .

Jessi,
Hi, I was just browsing the forum tonite and saw your post. I haven't read all the replies so what I have to add may have already been said. I just want to encourage you to really listen to, and pray about, what your husband has to say. I spent many (8 total) years homeschooling the way I thought God was calling *me* to and basically ignoring what my husband was telling me. He would add his input and then say the decision was ultimately up to me, because I knew what was out there and had researched so much more than he had. So, I would pray and "feel" like God was calling me to this or that curriculum, and basically do what *I felt* was the right thing. When all the while there was hubby offering wisdom from God and I blindly went merrily along my way thinking "Well, I am following my husband's wishes, after all he said I had to be the one to decide." Finally, this year I have begun homeschooling the way my husband has been advising all along and, WOW!! what a difference! This is the first time in our whole homeschooling journey that all the children are really learning!! Okay, all that to say I have been where you are and just wanted to encourage you that God gave us our husbands to lead even if it doesn't seem to us like they know what they are talking about at the time LOL!! HOD is a wonderful curriculum, (my 2 8 yr. olds are really enjoying Beyond) but if God has other plans He will provide the answer and the finances and the time to get it all done. I hope this was helpful to you rather than confusing. I just don't want anyone to be as confused and stressed as I was for all those years. I'll be praying for you.
Blessings,
Amy

I really don't have any advice to asnwer your question specifically, but I have an advanced little girl, and we went ahead with LHFHG at 4.5. Well, actually 4 yrs 8 months, but you get the picture. It's been perfect! I was deciding between LHFHG and Sonlight K and finally decided on LHFHG. It has been PERFECT! I think Sonlight just wouldn't have been what we were looking for. I wanted the activities and stuff, and aside from science, it is my understanding that Sonlight just doesn't have them. Also, we have enjoyed adding the estra books that Carrie suggests in the appendix ever week. That has really added a lot. We have just finished Unit 16 (and she just turned 5 last Monday!!) and we are just loving it. We should be starting Bigger in the spring and I think that will be just about perfect. C is very precocious, been reading some since she was 3, been doing simple math (2+3=5, for example) since she was 2 1/2, and has been fascinated with science. Sure, we still add a little-the books in the appendix, more books from the library as read alouds, science classes from the local science museum, but honestly, it's very little tweaking. I really think that if you gave LHFHG a try, you wouldn't be disappointed. You could always use the Sonlight Pre-K or K as a booklist to give you ideas of things to check out from the library. We've done that. Anyway, it's just something to think about.

FWIW, my husband is very interested in our homeschool too, and I know it's such a blessing. I think it's a great thing that he's so concerned. I know it can also add an extra dimention that you don't expect (been there, too), but it's definitely a blessing.

Jessi,

I think if you have a library nearby you already have a full curriculum for k! We used SL for K...but mostly it was a bunch of read alouds and then I had to add on Math and Phonics. But, my kids enjoyed the library more than the SL books which left me wondering why I spent all that money just for read alouds! So..I'd just shelve LHTH if it's not working and head to the library, get her her own library card so it feels special, maybe even print out the SL read aloud list and take it with you, then you can personally check out the SL books before spending the $$. At age 4 you don't really need a literature guide, you just need some good books and a blankie and a couch! Hope that helps!

crlacey- I will look into the SL yahoo groups. If my husband is still wanting us to try that, I'll have to look into it. I have heard the Instructor's Guides are very confusing and everything moves too fast and is disjointed in the reading unless you rewrite the manual to work for you. Is this true? I have also checked their website extensively and it appears a lot of people are using the p 4/5 for K instead of the K program. Is that what you mean about level indicators?

I did find the preschool guide to be a little disjointed. Others have said the same thing that's when I stumbled upon the yahoo groups with alternate schedules.

Yes, many use the P 4/5 for K since the K has a lot of chapter books with few pictures. I certainly think the P 4/5 program would make a good K program.

I hope that you can find the right fit for homeschooling your family.

Jessi and all other kind ladies who responded,

I think you have gotten some great responses to your questions, and I'll just pop-in to say that at this point it would be better to take any further discussion of Sonlight curriculum over to the Sonlight board, rather than continue to discuss it on the HOD board. I fully understand that moms may need/desire to use something other than HOD, but the focus of this particular board (as stated in the Board Guidelines) is to discuss HOD curriculum and its implementation.

Before ending this particular thread, I will share that with my firstborn son, I used Sonlight Pre-K, K, Core 1, 2, and portions of 3 and 4, so I am very familiar with Sonlight's cores. I had originally made a plan to stay with Sonlight through all of my kiddos and had planned all the way through graduation with Sonlight. But, as time went on, I struggled with Sonlight more and more as we traveled down that road. First, the content of many of the books that we were reading became problematic for me, then I noticed more and more the lack of integration of Bible within the subject areas, also the lack of anything hands-on which my son really needed, and even more the frantic pace at which the books were consumed. There was little scheduled to do with the books, except discuss them based on a list of mostly comprehension level questions, and the reading was scheduled for me to do for literally hours daily, when my son could easily do it himself. When I did allow my son to do the readings on his own, we had very little interaction in his day, as little to none is scheduled in the Sonlight guides (except for the endless lists of questions) and some map activities which were never successful for us. At that point my son seemed to be off reading most of the day, with me not knowing much about the books he was reading. Doing 2 cores, which was then on the horizon for us, was just not going to be possible.

The final straw for me was when Sonlight made the Bible portion of their cores optional (and something you no longer automatically received in the actual core without adding it on). Yes, the schedule for the Bible portion was still there, but you did not receive the needed Bible study books anymore without adding them in. That was not the philosophy I was looking for in a curriculum that was meant to be Christ-centered. Sonlight had also about that time explained that they were of the old earth philosophy as well, so it was one more thing that pointed us in a different direction. While we certainly could work around the old earth philosophy, it was the final stroke on a long list of things that no longer worked for us.

After coming into a more Charlotte-Mason philosophy of learning, I realized that Sonlight would never be what I needed. It was at that point I began writing the HOD guides for my own kiddos (that were coming up after my oldest son).
Each family needs to seek the Lord prayerfully to see what their goals for their school are. If your family goals line-up better with Sonlight's, then you should definitely check out their board and catalog. Only you can know where the Lord is truly leading you.

In a nutshell, our simple family goals for our kiddos are as follows:

1. Do fewer things better
2. Work hard in the morning and early afternoon on school subjects to give our kiddos much free time later in the day to pursue their own hobbies and interests
3. Inspire our kiddos through great literature
4. Teach them how to be discerning from a Biblical viewpoint
5. Train each child to be able to learn on his own and to seek answers to questions that he has
6. Systematically work toward having children that grow in maturity, character, integrity, and Godliness
7. Guide our boys in the areas required to be Godly husbands and fathers one day
8. Prepare our children academically so they have the option of higher level education if God leads them in that direction

Sonlight no longer fulfilled our goals for numbers 1, 4, 5, 6, or 7. So that is why we no longer use it.

Blessings,
Carrie

Carrie- Thank you for your response. I humbly apologize about bothering people about Sonlight on here. I wanted a more realistic view of it. I wasn't wanting people to tell me that Sonlight was great on an HOD board. I just knew if I went to Sonlight they'd praise it and I wouldn't get the real dirt, so to speak. But again, I apologize and beg you to take this off the boards.

Thank you for sharing their view on an old earth philosophy. My husband and I do NOT agree with that philosophy at all. That sealed the deal for me. I don't mind discussing hot bed issues but if the basis I am using to teach my kids about Christ doesn't line up with our beliefs, no can do.

As for anyone interested- I talked to my hubby and he has agreed to use LHFHG after I showed him the various guides in the catalog and really spoke about what age he really thinks it is appropriate to discuss other worldviews. He'd never come right out and said. So we were talking about evolution and creation science and he kept using these big words. I finally stopped him and said "I'm an adult and I barely understand what you are talking about when you use those words. I dont' think our kids will be ready for those talks until at least junior high but probably more like high school." He paused as if realizing for the first time that what I said made sense. But we did agree that if they see something that doesn't align with our beliefs we'll talk about it no matter what, just at an appropriate age level.

It was good because then I could show him the strength of HOD in preparing our kids to know the truth. He is willing to continue with HOD. PRAISE GOD! I was willing to do whatever he felt we ought to do but I was hoping he'd see reason.

Thank you all for your input. Now I have to figure out LHFHG and how to implement that for us.

Jessi,

We've been where you are. It was the science topics of different programs which prompted us to look elsewhere. I looked at every single booth of our local homeschool convention and found science that was either extremely basic (things like colors, shapes, etc.) or leaned towards evolution. Even though the ones which leaned towards evolution were designed for adult conversation and explanation for their children, DH said he didn't feel comfortable leaving the kiddos alone with the books. LOL

The last booth I visited was CLP and their science was just what we were looking for. And because we use CLP Science, a gal pointed me towards HOD. I am so excited that we're going to use a curriculum which includes materials in which we don't feel as though we need to constantly explain stuff.

Yes we know that one day the kids are gonna go out into the world and they need to be able to discern what's true and what's not. My DH is a Reverend and has worked in various forms of ministry. One thing he notices about the cults and other groups out there (based on his counseling them) is that "they know a lie better than we know the Truth." He believes this is why so many will get sucked into thoughts and modalities that aren't Biblical. So, for us, giving the kids a super strong Biblical worldview at a young age is our best defense.