How do I know which level to begin with?

[singingranch]

I am thinking about using HOD next year. My dd is doing Abeka for K this year, and doing very well with it. I am drawn to HOD because of the Bible lessons, discussion, and the use of living books along with textbooks.

How do I know what book to put her in? Any tips on deciding?

Also......is it worth it to do HOD if I may continue with Abeka phonics and Abeka math???

I really like Abeka phonics and don't want to switch; however, I would consider using Signapore Math. How would I know what level to start her in for the math? Where can I see good samples of the math?

[TrueGRIT]

Hi! Welcome to the board.

First of all it is fine to continue with the current phonics and math. Those are 'choices' part of the program.

To decide what would be the right guide you would check the placement chart (closer to actually switching over) and look at the lower end guides and see
where she fits best. http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your/child.php
Little Hearts (LHFHG) and Beyond (Little Hearts for His Glory) would be the closest fir for her age and just beginning with a Charlotte Mason style approach.
None of the guides are certain grade levels, but rather certain age & skill levels.

Hope this helps some!

[singingranch]

The problem is that she is past Little Hearts, but I am not sure she is ready for the next level.

[countrymom]

You could do Little Hearts with the 1st grade options - so whatever math level she is at, finish phonics and onto the emerging reader set, and finish up handwriting where she is at. Little Hearts is a good program and there are a lot of skills packed into it that are not noticed at first glance. Given she is K now and you don't feel she is ready for Beyond, I would go with LIttle Hearts and place her where she is at for reading, math, and handwriting. You could use the first grade option basic skills book. You will find additional reading suggestions in the back for the history portion, and although I couldn't find many of the books at our library while going through the Bible stories part, once we got beyond that our library had many of the recommendations and that can help beef it up a bit.

[RachelB]

Hi! We switched to HOD after using ABeka for kindergarten and first grade. If your daughter is doing k-5 now, I would guess that she would place wonderfully in Beyond! Have you checked the placement chart? We're using Beyond for first grade this year with the emerging readers and my dd is thriving!

[my3sons]

Welcome to the HOD Board! The reasons you are drawn to HOD are many of the same reasons why I have loved using HOD for the last decade. The living books, the Christ-centered focus, and the heartfelt discussions are priceless, and I cannot imagine enjoying parenting our teenager as his mom and as his teacher half as much as I do now without HOD's help in Godly training, solid academics, and responsibility for quality work (in all areas - teacher-directed, semi-independent, and independent work). It is an incredible blessing to truly love our homeschooling life together. I am excited you are going to get to enjoy HOD in your home as well! I am wondering if you could please share how old is your dd? That makes a difference due to the writing required and the maturity of the content. Also, if you get the chance to share a bit about your dd's reading, writing, and math skills according to the placement chart, that would be such a help too! Thanks, and I look forward to getting to know you here - the ladies on this board are wonderful!

In Christ,
Julie