Considering HOD, placement question

Hillcrest Academy · Post by **Hillcrest Academy** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:51 pm

I am so excited to have discovered HOD and I think it's going to be a wonderful fit for us. We have been using MFW and completed K and are trudging through first with many "tweaks" which defeats the point IMO.

My question is what programs I should use for my kids. It would be nice if they could be combined, but it's not imperative, since they are at such different LA levels.

I have DD6 who is enjoying reading, but is still early on in phonics. Can sound out any CVC words, and remembers sight words very well. Is also remembering blends that we learn pretty easily, although we haven't done many. She is also writing nicely.

My DS5 is another story

He just turned 5 on Saturday and still doesn't know all his letters, because he would rather be working with Dad or playing with his cars! He's also a lefty, so has a very right-brained approach to most things (I think he's an auditory learner - not sure though) and I'm going to have to work hard on right-left tracking etc with him.

What should I start them on!?

TIA for your help - we can't wait to get the joy back in our learning!
~Caryn~

netpea · Post by **netpea** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:01 pm

Welcome to the boards, we all love to help. But first check the placement guide here and then let us know more about your kiddos and where you think they might fall...

http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

Hillcrest Academy · Post by **Hillcrest Academy** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:15 pm

I had a look at the guide earlier, and couldn't figure out where to put them because my dd looks like she's in between some, so I wouldn't know where to put her.

For example, she's ahead of "ready for phonics instruction" (Little Hearts) but nowhere near "Finishing phonics, an emerging reader, or reading independently" (Beyond).

But with writing she's "Knows how to form uppercase/lowercase letters; able to copy sentences; can study and copy spelling words" (Beyond) - although not confident.

She is not "Ready for a gentle introduction to the basic parts of speech, mechanics and usage (1 time a week)" (Beyond)

With math she is way behind and probably "Developing an awareness of math concepts using hands-on activities (1 time a week) " (Little Hands)

I think she would prefer the Bible and History of Little Hearts, and probably the same for the Science, Storytime and Poetry and Rhymes.

For my DS it's easy and I'd put him in Little Hands. But I was wondering how combining ages works.

Melanie · Post by **Melanie** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:31 pm

Hi Caryn!

When we finished MFW K, we moved into Little Hearts. We were (just as you said) in between....past beginning phonics, but not ready for emerging readers. We have spent the year reinforcing phonics and doing easy readers (LLATL blue level and dr. Suess readers). This has given me (and my kiddos) confidence with their reading and I know we'll be ready for the emerging readers in Beyond next year (2nd grade).

I think LIttle Hearts also would be your best bet math wise. I added some copywork to Little Hearts, but it really does not need much beefing up to make it a good solid program. My kids LOVE the storytime books and the rhymes are a huge hit!!

Little Hands does sound exactly right-on for your ds.

Please, just keep asking questions and giving information....it's helpful for placement and placement is the hardest part!

Mel

Hillcrest Academy · Post by **Hillcrest Academy** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:46 pm

Thanks for that...I was leaning on the side of reinforcement and going over some of what she might have done, rather than pushing ahead and getting frustrated.

When you have 2 kids as close in age as mine, do you find them each participating in some of the other's program so that there's some overlap? Just wondering how much of Little Hearts my DS will want to join in on, and which might make it boring for him next year...

Kelly · Post by **Kelly** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 8:06 pm

When you have 2 kids as close in age as mine, do you find them each participating in some of the other's program so that there's some overlap? Just wondering how much of Little Hearts my DS will want to joinin on, and which might make it boring for him next year...[/quote]

I tried to do the quote thing, I hope it worked.........

This is happeningat our house. My daughter is listening in on Ds(7) schoolwork. Especially history, Bible, read aloud, science. I guess that's everything but math and spelling! Anyway, I was wondering the same thing. She is doing Little Hearts and loving it also. I know that my kids like to hear stories more than once so I am hoping that she'll be happy to redo these things next year!! I do have to step in and make her allow him to answer the questions first, then she can. He does the same thing to her.
I agree that Little Hearts sounds perfect !
Kelly

my3sons · Post by **my3sons** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 8:37 pm

I agree with the placement these wise moms and you have suggested - Little Hands to Heaven for him, and Little Hearts for His Glory for her sounds great! Like Melanie, I think it is better to reinforce than to jump in too advanced. You can choose the higher level handwriting for her in LHFHG (A Reason for Handwriting A), and also the higher level fine motor skills option (Grade 1 Thinking Skills). Also, whenever you finish phonics and feel she is ready to start the Emerging Readers Set, you can just purchase the Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory guide and follow the plans in the back for the Emerging Reader's Set. We did that in the middle of LHFHG one time, when my ds finished phonics a bit early and was ready for the Emerging Readers while we were still finishing LHFHG.

I agree with what Kelly said about the things that could be joined in on, but if your ds would rather go play toys and hang out with dear dad, that's just great too!

With all of that being said, if you are not starting this for a while (like after summer), you may want to reevaluate the placement chart for your dd if it seems like she's grown more into Beyond. But if you take the summers off, like we do, the dc always regress a bit anyway, in which case, LHFHG still fits best!

HTH, and I'm so glad you are here! Keep on posting - we love enlarging our HOD family!

In Christ,
Julie

netpea · Post by **netpea** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:29 pm

Hillcrest Academy wrote:I had a look at the guide earlier, and couldn't figure out where to put them because my dd looks like she's in between some, so I wouldn't know where to put her.

For example, she's ahead of "ready for phonics instruction" (Little Hearts) but nowhere near "Finishing phonics, an emerging reader, or reading independently" (Beyond).

But with writing she's "Knows how to form uppercase/lowercase letters; able to copy sentences; can study and copy spelling words" (Beyond) - although not confident.

She is not "Ready for a gentle introduction to the basic parts of speech, mechanics and usage (1 time a week)" (Beyond)

With math she is way behind and probably "Developing an awareness of math concepts using hands-on activities (1 time a week) " (Little Hands)

I think she would prefer the Bible and History of Little Hearts, and probably the same for the Science, Storytime and Poetry and Rhymes.

For my DS it's easy and I'd put him in Little Hands. But I was wondering how combining ages works.

I agree with the other ladies that you should probably do Little Hands with your younger and Little Hearts with your older. If you went with the Kindergarten math set and did the activities in the manual, it would probably be just right.

Once you get her placed, the hard part is over and the fun begins.

mom2boys030507 · Post by **mom2boys030507** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:12 am

I agree that Little Hearts sounds great for you daughter. I also add some copy work and plan to move into the Emerging Reader set before we are done.

For your son, he might suprise you and be ready for Little Hearts by the fall with the lower level thinking skills and handwriting options. I would look at is he willing and able to sit and listen to the stories. Is he willing to sit for a 10-15 min phonics lesson? Remember that all the parts do not need to be completed one after another they can be spread out through the day. This is what we did at the beginning to help my son focus for "school time." But if he is not Little Hands will be a great program for him. From the little I have used it, it is great for busy little boys.

I also have a lefty and we did lots of conecting animals to their homes type worksheets and really focused on starting on the left and going to the right. Also as he began to start reading simple word the left to right thing seemed to click.

Hillcrest Academy · Post by **Hillcrest Academy** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:57 am

Thank you for all those ideas. I think Little Hands and Little Hearts would be good.

I was actually planning on starting right away. Our previous curriculum has been such a bad fit that, on top of having a baby in November, we just haven't done anything. We've worked on HOP with my daughter which she loves, but nothing else has been achieved, and my little guy is ready to be doing something, and my daughter definitely wants more. I think we need to continue through the summer (we usually school Jan to Nov anyway) so that we can take advantage of the gorgeous weather and do some of the activities and exploring outside.

It's funny - as much as the other curriculum hasn't worked for us, I'm afraid to sell it! It all of a sudden feels like a safety net of sorts to me. And I definitely need to sell it in order to get this, because we're in a financial crunch right now.

I see a test of faith coming on...

Thanks again for your help and encouragement. I look forward to getting started!

netpea · Post by **netpea** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:28 am

Hillcrest Academy wrote:Thank you for all those ideas. I think Little Hands and Little Hearts would be good.

I was actually planning on starting right away. Our previous curriculum has been such a bad fit that, on top of having a baby in November, we just haven't done anything. We've worked on HOP with my daughter which she loves, but nothing else has been achieved, and my little guy is ready to be doing something, and my daughter definitely wants more. I think we need to continue through the summer (we usually school Jan to Nov anyway) so that we can take advantage of the gorgeous weather and do some of the activities and exploring outside.

It's funny - as much as the other curriculum hasn't worked for us, I'm afraid to sell it! It all of a sudden feels like a safety net of sorts to me. And I definitely need to sell it in order to get this, because we're in a financial crunch right now.

I see a test of faith coming on...

Thanks again for your help and encouragement. I look forward to getting started!

I can understand your feelings on not selling. I started with HOD and switched to MFW Adventures for about 12 weeks. We came straight back to HOD! I didn't realize how blessed we were to have found HOD from the beginning. I never sold my Adventures manual. I do use the book list from the back for extra reading, but other than that I don't use it. The books that came with it though are wonderful additions to our library.

There is an MFW curriculum sale group on Yahoo groups if you are interested and many people resell on Ebay. If you need to sell first before you can buy HOD, then take a deep breath, say a prayer for strength and as Nike used to say "Just Do it!" Many people buy curriculums that don't work out for them before finding the one that does. Take that leap of faith....

my3sons · Post by **my3sons** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:15 am

netpea wrote:
Hillcrest Academy wrote: It's funny - as much as the other curriculum hasn't worked for us, I'm afraid to sell it! It all of a sudden feels like a safety net of sorts to me. And I definitely need to sell it in order to get this, because we're in a financial crunch right now.

I see a test of faith coming on...

Thanks again for your help and encouragement. I look forward to getting started!
I can understand your feelings on not selling. If you need to sell first before you can buy HOD, then take a deep breath, say a prayer for strength and as Nike used to say "Just Do it!" Many people buy curriculums that don't work out for them before finding the one that does. Take that leap of faith....

I so agree with Lee Ann here! I have struggled with selling curriculum that wasn't working for us too. I think part of it was I didn't want to fully admit that it wasn't as great of a fit as I thought it would be. However, I'd encourage you not to do what I've made the mistake of doing by holding on to it and having it die a "slow death" by trying to do parts of it, until alas... noooooo, it still doesn't seem to work!

Quality books are always good to have though, so if you can't sell those, they can just go on your at home library shelf to read at leisure. So, get ready to jump in and "Just Do It" as Lee Ann (and Nike) said so well - trust me, it'll be a weight off your shoulders!!!

In Christ,
Julie

inHistiming · Post by **inHistiming** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:46 am

I have to admit, I have a problem with this too.

What we are using this year for my son, and tried with my daughter, and the whole reason we are switching back to HOD, is sitting on my shelf 'looking' at me, making me feel like I can't let go of it. What if...what if..what if...? I have taken many of our other things off the shelves, and will be selling them at our curriculum sale. If there's one thing hubby doesn't like, it's 'stuff' sitiing around that we don't use. I have a tendency to hold onto things'just in case' and he would rather re-purchase later if necessary. I'm working on it!

I think what is stumping me is that the next volume is American history and I'm wondering if I could supplement with it...but do I need to? I think the answer is no...but you get my drift, right? Anyway, having moved away from HOD and now coming right back to it, I realize that nothing more is needed. It is really just a security thing; but God has always provided and I know He will in the future. It's definitely a test of our faith and trust in Him! He's so good; why do we hesitate?

Post by **Carrie** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 4:54 pm

Caryn,

The ladies have done an absolutely wonderful job of helping you, so I'll just jump in and welcome you! We're glad you're here.

I want to encourage you that doing "Little Hands..." and "Little Hearts.." is the placement I would also recommend based on what you've shared about your kiddos.

Blessings,
Carrie