Michelle My Bell
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Posts posted by Michelle My Bell
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What element is going to jack the price up that high? If it's expensive textbooks as spines, could you use an older edition even if its going to mean some work for you to find the right chapter? If it's the cost of the guide, can you resale or reuse to lessen the overall cost (even if it's still a lot of money up front)? If its materials, can you eliminate or substitute some of the projects?
If your dd's heart is set on it, I'd try to work out a way to do it. It's much easier to hs an enthusiastic student, even if they're enthusiasm seems misplaced. Good luck finding something you can both agree on.
I wish that this were a possibility. But Carrie has chosen books that are specific so I can't use old editions. I also can't resell my other years because I have already invested so much money in them and my next daughter in line is already using them. I am actually a queen at buying used, reselling to get what I need but the way the program is integrated together will make it really difficult, if not impossible to make a working option. For example, last year the Exploration Education Science program is woven in. It is part of the program and not cheap. It would be impossible to find all the parts and manuals for that program. A lot of her stuff is like this. Also, she uses a lot of books that can not be found at the library, even if you have a large system like I do. Also, since we are right at the top of her guides, there are no older used guides to purchase online. The saving money tricks just don't work with HOD.
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Oh, I don't have a problem with people dissecting or criticizing curriculum. And I do believe that people stick up for other curricula here. What touched a nerve with me were the phrases she "has led us to believe..." and that she "hasn't worked hard..." I feel that crosses the line into bashing someone's character. That was my point.
I do feel she has led us to believe she is selling a CM curriculum. It is right on her website. Where did I say she hasn't worked hard? I know she spends and huge amount of time choosing and writing her guides.
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Why does this always happen when someone criticizes or disagrees with HOD or its author? I can think of no other curriculum or supplier that is above discussion or criticism on these boards. I wouldn't want anyone to get the idea that they can't critique or opine about HOD without being scolded.
I agree. The reason I don't post on HOD's board is because it is like this. I am astonished how whenever Carrie gives a new sneak peak, NO ONE says anything that questions her choices. It is all full of love and awe. I want to stay with HOD because we have used it for so long, but I am frustrated at her choices this upcoming year with literature, science etc... With her choices, the cost will be over $1000.
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Ouch. I think you have turned this into a bashing thread. I'm sorry that you feel this way, I totally don't believe Carrie was trying to mislead anyone. I would take this to her before venting on a public forum about it.
Actually I have. Are we only allowed to express thoughts that are positive? I am expressing my thoughts on HOD vs CM and the changes to the new HS guide that include books/materials/methods being used and the cost.
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Hmmm. . . well it sounds like a HOD bashing thread to me. But, I guess I am curious as to what the CM's handicraft ideas are and why you think the HOD projects are not building skills. My kids are learning some art skills, how to read and follow directions, and how to express their creativity through art.
Not bashing, just dissecting. I mean we have used HOD for 4 years now and we are still using it. I love a lot about the program. I am just realizing that it isn't very CM.
Handicrafts are actual skills. Woodworking, Sewing, painting (not the artistic kind), building a fire (I am thinking stuff like boy scouts would do) etc...
The projects are not even actually artistic. I teach art, and have for a number of years. HOD projects are step by step and pretty useless. For instance a recent project in the Preparing Hearts manual while learning about the Star of David...
Day 1 - In this unit you will be drawing and painting the Star of Bethlehem. On a 9"x12" sheet of paper, use a pencil to lightly draw a star that fills the paper. Erase the lines inside the star so that only the outline remains. Cut the star out. Lightly sketch a line around the outside of the star to make a border that you can paint on Day 2. Then, with your pencil sketch 5-10 shapes inside the star. Make sure none of the shapes touch one another.
Day 2 - Take out your star from Day 1. Get blue and white paint, a think paintbrush, and a paper plate to mix paint. First, paint the outside border around the edge of the star with blue paint. Next, place blue paint on your mixing surface and add a little white paint. Paint 2 shapes in the middle of your star with the new color. Then, add a little more white paint to the previous color and paint 2 other shapes. Continue adding a little white paint at a time and painting shapes until they are all painted. Leave the space between shapes white.
Day 3 - Take out your star. On the back, copy in cursive Luke 2:14.
First of all the Day 1 instructions don't even make sense. What are they talking about paint shapes inside the star? Secondly, art concepts are not explored. There is no mention of shades or tints when you are mixing your two colors of paint you are allowed to have. Thirdly, there is no creativity. It is a step by step project. Art is an expression of oneself and ideas. This is an assignment. Art is very different. As I said, this is not a bashing thread, but you did ask.
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Have you looked at Ambleside? http://www.amblesideonline.org/
Yes, I have been on a quest the last month to really understand CM's way of teaching and looking at all the available resources. My oldest daughter has been using HOD for a number of years and has loved it. This past year I used Preparing Hearts for His Glory and I think it is great in a lot of ways. I was saddened to find that I haven't enjoyed about 1/2 of it while loving the other half. I am realizing now it is because I really relate to the CM that is in it, but the other areas feel really poorly done.
I am also upset and struggling with the fact that my high school daughter, who has done this program for about 4 years, will want to continue with the program next year. I feel sad that what has been revealed about the new guide is very schoolish and not CM at all. It is also crazy expensive. I believe it is going to be over $1000 for the new program. I feel like Carrie (the author) has led us to believe that she has a CM philosophy and we have gotten really deep into the program and it would be foolish and difficult to change my oldest now. I feel sad that Carrie has not worked hard to choose materials that keep the program reasonable. I mean I have 3 other children to home educate next year. I know this is rambling, I am just upset.
I am still going to search for my younger kids and see what I can come up with. I may end up putting together my own thing. I just feel like I lean towards AO, then towards Charlotte Mason Help, then I think about Beautiful Feet... I am really unsure.
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But the more I learn about Charlotte Mason and her ideas, the less I think there are any curriculum suppliers that are Charlotte Mason in nature. For instance, HOD has projects that are absolutely nothing like CM's ideas about Handicrafts. They really are silly useless projects, not projects that build up lifelong skills. I realize that the only thing about Heart of Dakota that is CMish are narration/dictation (for History only most of the time), a little bit of poetry study (although the poetry is not simply enjoyed, it is often used as a Language Arts assignment) and... well that is all I can think of. I guess the books are usually CMish. Is the only way to have a CM homeschool is to make it ourselves?
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Sorry, Michelle, I just read through the other replies and realized my post is probably not very helpful. Rather than delete it, I'll just leave it there for whatever it's worth (two cents, LOL).
When we were first starting to wrap our heads around homeschooling, it seemed as though most of the conventional wisdom was to place History in the center and work out from there. For whatever reason, it never felt like a fit for our family. That's why we came up with the above-outlined structure. To me, it seems to put History in its proper place, for our kids, at this level. The skills are essential, so we focus on those. Bible and Literature content is more central for us, so we place those "higher" in the scheme of things. Anyway, I hope this ramble about a non-History-focused structure helps someone.
Note: Another option instead of Boy Scouts might be Royal Rangers.
Actually your post really spoke to me! I am so glad you shared. I love the idea of a tiered approach. I feel like this might be what I am looking for. Thank you so much for sharing. I am going to use your ideas to help structure next years work. :)
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I have never used a history focused curriculum. History is content. I have always focused on skills and/or religion first.
I have never bought the Robinson Curriculum, but Art Robinson was a big influence on me in the late 90s when I was panicking over teaching high school science. There were times we used Saxon math and it and other math took up a big part of our day. I would no longer allow math to take up such a focus, but it's what I did back then, but I still prioritize advanced maths over high school science texts.
I've gone through phases where I wrote my own Bible based unit studies or used Students of the Word and Blessed is the Man. Now there is also ULBUSA for just $14.00 if anyone is looking to for a Bible focus. Also there is Bedell and Teaching With God's Heart for the World (free).
Part 2 of Climbing Parnassus was my scope and sequence with my youngest for a couple years, when he thought he wanted to pursue a degree in classics. We used a lot of Loeb Classics back then, including the Greek math books. These cute little books have the Greek/Latin on one page and the English translation on the facing page. Before LCC was written, there was The Devil Knows Latin and Quintilian as well as Climbing Parnassus. Another popular oldchool preLCC test was Composition in the Classical Tradition.
The social studies and science topics that I have prioritized are centered on the topics covered in the overlap of geography and environmental science. There is an AP environmental science test that makes a good spine for late high school science for some students. Most 2 year colleges and some 4 year colleges offer environmental science and nutrition as nonlab courses that fill the science requirements. There is much historical precedent for teaching geography as the only content subject and this practice is still followed today by Amish schools. Train Up a Child about the Amish schools is a must read and there is a large sample at Google Books. They prioritize the 3Rs, art, geography, and health in that order of importance.
Prepare and Pray is an interesting curriculum that focuses on emergency preparedness using Swiss Family Robinson as it's focus.
I looked at Prepare and Pray. I really like the looks of it but not for a whole curricula. I am thinking of looking into the Webelos books for ideas for handicrafts for boys. Since I am single, I don't really want to join a Boy Scouts organization, but I like the idea of gaining the skills none the less.
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We're looking at a Waldorf-inspired curriculum (self created). So, 1st grade focuses on fairy tales; 2nd grade Native American tales, Saints and Heroes, Trickster tales; 3rd grade Old Testament/Creation Stories and practical life (shelters, food, clothing), 4th grade is Norse myths, etc.
There's a big part of me that wants to do SOTW type stuff at this age, but there's still so much time to cover that--but I feel that the time to really enjoy fables and such is more limited.
I'm not traditional Waldorf in that while I may do those as blocks, I don't forego math for a month or two either. We do daily math, daily foreign language, etc. I also really like the concept of letting a child sleep on a story... so I'll often tell a story at bedtime on Monday.
This sounds really interesting. Thanks for sharing :)
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What grade is this for and how much is it?
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I have never used Spellwell but when I was searching and deciding between it an Rod and Staff, I thought R&S pages just made more sense.
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I had heard the actor was leaving the show. How should they have handled that? I am very unhappy as well but I don't know of a better alternative.
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I had heard the actor was leaving the show. How should they have handled that? I am very unhappy as well but I don't know of a better alternative.
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Yes I do think so!
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I really love Matthew Crawley because he is so charming and witty yet still handsome and smart.
I also love Daisy because she is so sweet and she tries so hard.
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I have been homeschooling for 13 years now and I feel like we have always had a strong History emphasis in our homeschool. Even the different programs out there on the market have history at their core with even the literature readings revolving around the history topic. I just don't want to do it next year. My older ones will work through their program of study, but for my youngest two, I want to do something else. I have been leaning towards Beautiful Feet Geography but I am not sure about that even. This year my son used Memoria Press which doesn't really have a lot of history. We have read a bunch of picture books and had a wonderful time. I may go that route again and include longer read alouds. I would like to know what others have done for inspiration. So what have you done for your kids besides a history focus?
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After using AAS levels 1-3, I switched over to R&S Spelling and was surprised to find the SAME rules taught (particularly when you get to level 4). We started at level 3 and now are in 4. I absolutely love it. He's getting phonetic spelling with plenty of work with the words, breaking words into syllables, etc. And most important, his spelling in his original writing is improving! So I'm very happy. It's completely independent (except the test), which I really like because I HATE teaching spelling. If I had a child that struggled with spelling, I'd make the time to use AAS or WRTR or something else, but this child is an average speller. Once he is taught a word and the phonics involved, he remembers it. He doesn't need an O-G program. So I finally decided to stop wasting my time on something he didn't need. We are both very happy now, and again, he's learning the same things he was learning in AAS. It's awesome. I had discounted R&S Spelling after trying the grade 2 book for a week, but once he actually worked through the grade 3 book, I saw the phonics in there. And then the grade 4 book... wow. It actually gets difficult (the work, not the words). So I've been very pleased with it, and I wish I hadn't discounted it from that first glance long ago.
I was actually going to say all of this but you said it so well. We have used AAS for the last few years and have done pretty good with it but I found it time consuming and wanted something more independent. So I began my search and after a lot of recommendations, I purchased Rod and Staff's spelling program. First of all the price is fantastic. It is so inexpensive compared to AAS. But here is what I am really excited about...
My girls really like having a workbook format for Spelling. With AAS, we talked about the rules a lot and worked them on the whiteboard but then put the tiles away. With Rod and Staff spelling, when my daughter forgot a rule, we just turned back a page and looked at her previous work. She remembered the lesson and understood what she needed to do. I like the idea of the workbook as a reference tool.
The lessons are easy to schedule. Do part A on Monday, part B on Tuesday etc... with a test on Thursday.
The very first week my daughter who has always struggled with spelling got a 100% on her spelling test. We were both very excited.
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Some of the books seem like odd choices to me. I have never even heard of a few of them. It seems like she should have stuck to traditional classics.
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They put up the list of novels that go with the guide and are interspersed with the BJU Lit.
yes, what do you think of them?
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I have had similar response to our new Spelling program - Rod and Staff. The girls love it and are singing its praises. :)
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Thank You! I totally get it now. So does anyone have any recommendations for providers? I just looked at Verizon.
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I am considering getting a cell phone for my daughter and I to share since she and I work in the early morning hours before the sun rises delivering newspapers. We usually do it together, but occasionally she does it by herself and I feel it would be wise to have some sort of phone on her. I will use it occasionally for texting & phone calls. I don't see myself using for internet very often. She will use it the same, maybe a bit more internet but not a lot. We have found a deal on Verizon's website for a free iphone 4 (love Apple products :) ) with a share everything data plan 2 GB for $60. I don't even know what the data plan is. Can someone explain that in a nutshell for me? I am pretty computer savvy, but I have never owned a cell phone that was more than the most basic of phones. Also, since I don't know what a data plan is, I don't know how much I need. Maybe I should go with something else? I know I want more than a basic phone, but it should be reasonable. Any advice? I don't want a prepaid phone.
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This year my daughter took Henle Latin following the Memoria Press guide through a co-op so she only did the first half of book 1. I would like her to take the second half of the book next year but we won't be returning most likely to the coop for a number of reasons. Are there any online classes that she could take to finish it out next school year? We have never done an online class before.
This is not a Heart of Dakota bashing thread...
in The Chat Board
Posted
Ya know, I get passionate about stuff. I am upset and feel the need to vent. I really do appreciate HOD and all they do. I guess I my frustration just needed to be let out here. I don't have anyone in real life that I can talk about this with. I want to use HOD. It has been a blessing in many ways. I feel sad that it is getting more and more schoolish as it gets into the older guides. I want my girls to have a CM education but I need it to be planned out. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the notebooking pages. I think they are beautiful. I want to use HOD all though my daughters schooling but I feel like it has changed and the cost has sky rocketed. Most of the programs were around $400 but then last year I spent around $800 (paying monthly) and I didn't even get everything.
I am sorry for getting so worked up. It is easy to do when your not talking to people face to face.