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Abbeygurl4

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    If you use HOD

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    HOD is gentler in the early years with a very fun and engaging science with very little text bookish reading. Its presentation is lighter but has had far greater retention for us than anything, making it actually much more "rigorous". The later years continue being living and engaging but stress the scientific method and IMHO, it's fantastic and plenty. The way it's taught makes it seem lighter bc it's just such a joy to teach an learn, simple to implement, and isn't at all dry. Don't let it fool you...it really is an excellent science program!

     

    We kinda add some Latin and Spanish. Nothing too formal just yet. And I casually add in composer and artist study that I would no matter what curriculum we use bc it's fun-- Go Fish for Art and Themes to Remember. We are very informal with these. The art and music is covered wonderfully in HOD. I don't feel I NEED to add anything. HOD is totally complete and incredibly solid without adding. :)

    :iagree:

    HOD vs MFW w/newborn

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    For me, HOD is easier to use. I used MFW ECC for a few weeks and sold it. I just started using HOD's Preparing with my 8 yo dd and she can do some of it on her own. I put a Post-it flag by the boxes in the guide that she can do independently and have her do that portion when I'm busy with my ds. I like the layout of the HOD guides because everything you need to know are in the boxes and it's open and go. Some people don't like the layout of the guides, so you should print out a 1 week sample and really look it over.

    Balancing the Sword - can anyone tell me about this

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Hi! I just saw that you had posted this a while back when I was doing a search. I've written a couple of posts about Balancing the Sword if you are still interested in it. The K-8 board moves so quickly that I rarely catch questions like this!

     

    Try reading through this more recent thread:

    http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286238

     

    And then this much older one:

    http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showpost.php?p=883673&postcount=14

     

    HTH!

    Jetta

     

    Thank you! I see you are using HOD's CtC also. We just started it last week!

    Does anyone else the Diana Waring

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I like what she has to say and she IS intelligent, but her laughing gets on my nerves. It's almost mocking, kwim? Like she is saying "hahaha ..... can you believe some people actually think/believe ....... hahaha"

     

    My 12 yo ds is very fact oriented and no-nonense kind of personality and so am I so it's a bit of a chore to listen to her. I want to post on HOD to see if there is an alternative, but I feel we'd be in a minority on this.

    Does anyone else the Diana Waring

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    CD's are irritating? We are listening to "what in the World" and her constant laughing is really irritating. It undermines her knowledge and makes the cd difficult to listen to.

     

    We are using HOD's CtC so it's part of the curriculum. Can anyone tell me if the CDs get better or if there is something we can replace them with?

    Talk me into HOD Preparing

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    This is so encouraging to me! We are starting Bigger this fall with dd7. I used LHTH with her for pre-K and then spent two years (K and 1st) mixing curriculum and trying to do my own thing. While my attempts got the job done, I feel like learning had lost its enjoyment. I won't voluntarily schedule in a lot of history projects or science experiments, but for some reason if the TM tells me to, then I will bend over backwards to try and check off that box :D I can't wait for my dd to tell me in the fall, "School was fun today!"

     

    Chelli,

     

    The history projects and science experiments are very DO-ABLE in HOD. I'm not crafty and neither are my dc, but the projects are sprinkled in and done in increments so they aren't overwhelming. I just needed to get off the curriculum treadmill and HOD helped me to do it. And it's helping my very ADD ds to become more independent a little bit at a time.

    Cant I just do it all??

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I think a lot of it for me is that there is a lot of good stuff out there and I just love curriculum :-)

     

    I am doing Preparing and adding just a *few* things since it is a 4 day program. I just like SO much.

     

    I used to feel the same way. I had shelves of SL books in pristine condition that I could not part with. I had Trail Guide to Learning, Winter Promise and TOG and I sold them ALL so I could buy HOD and I am so glad I did. I realized that I had all those books and different curriculum because *I* liked them and *I* wanted them and my dc could care less. I just started using Preparing with my dd and CtC with my ds and they both actually said they had FUN! My dd even got out the Preparing Guide today and asked if she could get started!

     

    I think if you find something that you are capable of teaching and your dc enjoy it and are learning, then ditch the rest cuz all "the rest" is just a temptation and a hinderance and causes doubt. I feel so GOOD and so FREE right now because I know what we are doing each day and I no longer have to make choices! :001_smile:

     

    That may not be your case, you might be fine with lots of choices, but it's drives me batty! :)

    Talk me into HOD Preparing

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I just started Preparing with my 8 yo dd and CtC with my 12 yo ds. We have used SL 1+2 and 3 and 4 and Paths of Exploration (Trail Guide to Learning). For the FIRST time ever my dd said "School was fun today!". I like the "Independent" boxes in the guide because my dd can actually follow the assignments and DO them on her OWN. Like your ds, my dd is an advanced reader and advanced in math. In Preparing there is a lot of emphasis on honing the skills of narration, dictation, drawing and writing and it will take my dd some time to get up to speed. I could have put her in Bigger with extensions, but I wanted Preparing in case my son had problems with CtC and I needed to take him down a level.

     

    I guess what I'm saying is that you really need to make sure your son is up to the writing, narration and dictation in Preparing. It's easier to "beef up" than to "water down" HOD. Also, post on the main board over at HOD. I got a TREMENDOUS amount of help in placement from the author and her sister and all the seasoned HOD users! I can honestly say that for the FIRST time in all my curriculum buying years that I am not disappointed! I think I am actually a "reformed curriculum junkie".

    How do I know if my son has a real problem with handwriting?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    He is 12 and handwriting has always been a chore for him. I bought "Classically Cursive" from VP for him and he can trace it and then copy it perfectly underneath. So perfect that I can barely tell which one is the copy. BUT .... he an only COPY cursive handwriting. If I just tell him to write something in cursive he can't do it. He can't remember what the letters look like, his lower case "b" looks like an "f", his "w" has too many dips. He can look at anything and copy it perfectly , he can draw and print but he can NOT write in cursive if he doesn't have a model to copy. Should I just give up on cursive? I just don't know what to do :confused:. Can anyone help?

    Write With the Best

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We used it as part of HOD's CTC last year and loved it. The only part I tweeked was the part where the child had to underline all the descriptive adjectives in one color, nouns in another, etc. I had him do 5 of each and then went over them with him on those days. My BA is in English and my focus was in writing, so I feel qualified, in some way, to teach writing to my kids. WWTB was a good program and I felt my son learned a lot with it. He produced some very excellent final drafts of his work too! I love how it took weeks to complete a section (instead of days). My son never felt overwhelmed and really enjoyed looking back from the beginning to the end of the lessons.

     

    ETA: My son was 11 y/o and in 6th grade when we used WWTB. At the time, he was not a great writer and had never had a lot of instruction in writing beyond a paragraph or two prior to using this program.

     

    Hope this helps.

     

    Thanks! That was very helpful. We will be starting HOD's CtC pretty soon and my 12 yo ds hasn't had formal writing instruction yet. WWTB will be our first attempt.

    What curriculum have you left that you later wished you had stuck with?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    HOD! But...we went back and I am now no longer a curriculum junkie at all! :)

     

    I just ordered HOD's CtC and Preparing and am PRAYING that this time next year I will be able to say those exact words you said above!

     

    I have tried it ALL and I need to get off the curriculum merry-go-round!

     

    I spent a lot of time on HOD's message boards before I ordered and have been blessed beyond belief by the women over there! Everyone is so helpful and encouraging. I can't wait to get started.

    How accurate is the CLE LA diagnostic test

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I'm thinking of using CLE LA for my 12 yo ds who hasn't had much grammar instruction. Basically he knows what a noun, pronoun, verb, adverb and adjective are. Is there a lot of review so I could start him at a slightly higher level than he tests at and just get him up to speed? Is there a lot of guidance in the Teacher's Guide?

    Is 9 too young for HOD's RtR?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Well first of all, know that MFW RTR and HOD CTC are different time periods: MFW Rome to Reformation and HOD Creation to Christ. So first you need to decide which time period you're wanting.

     

     

    Let me know if you have any more questions about that... or feel free to post on the MFW board or call the office. The issue here isn't that one program does it "better" than the other one. They're both wonderful, and I've admired (and wanted to use) HOD off and on, too. There ARE features about HOD that I like. But in the end, I think it really boils down to which one works better for you logistically. That may mean getting separate HOD programs for your kids, I don't know. :)

     

    Thank you! That was helpful and gave me a lot to ponder.

    Is 9 too young for HOD's RtR?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I've looked at MFW RtR and also HOD's CtC. After really looking at what is required skill wise, I agree, my nearly 9 year old is too young for HOD's RtR. I need to see both MFW RtR and HOD's CtC side by side to really know. I'm drawn to HOD's inward bible focus (we are sorely lacking in that area) and there are more notes for LA instruction and independence. MFW, on the other hand, seems easier to combine my two who are 3.9 years apart and the LA seems a little more gentle, but the teacher's notes aren't quite as extensive as HOD. I just keep going round and round ...... :confused:

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