Sheila in OK Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I'm trying to decide between these two for next year. I will be combining 4th/7th graders. They will be doing their own math/LA, of course, and I'm leaning toward having them do their own science, even if we go with HOD. We are using HOD's Bigger this year and I like many things about it but also feel drawn to the 'simplicity' of MoH. Has anyone used or looked over both? We have been through CHOW before, when we did Cores 1&2 with SL, but honestly it's been long enough I think we could get a lot out of it again. I do like that Preparing includes extension books for older children to read to themselves. I know MoH also has a literature list included, but how complete is it? And is MoH vol 1 enough for 7th grade? Thanks for any input you may have. Oh, and I have also considered separating them in HOD next year and having dd move up into CTC--I'm just not sure if that would be too much to get through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Hi, Sheila! I was just thinking about you! Actually, you have been on my mind for a few days now. I've been wondering how Bigger Hearts is going. I have all of the MOH Vol. 1 materials. I'm very happy with Preparing and plan to continue with HOD next year. I'd be glad to answer any questions that you have about either. I only used about 1/3 of MOH. Looking back on it now, I realize that it was probably just great but instead of just enjoying the simplicity of it I felt like we needed "more". The elusive "more"... There is a book list in the MOH book but I don't recall it being very extensive. However, at the time, I was probably comparing it to something enormous (like the book lists in MFW - huge). I'll pull it all out. Let me know what questions you may have about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zantoc Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 (edited) I have not used Preparing but have seen it and used a few other HOD programs. While I like them, I didn't use the LA/Math sections and wanted more Bible so I felt like it was a waste in the end. I am now doing MOH volume 1 with a 9 and 11 year old and they are loving it! It has totally simplified my life and I plan to continue on with MOH volume 2 next year. If you join the Yahoo group they have booklists in the files section. You can always get the extension pack of Preparing or CTG because HOD's book selections are one of the best!! Good luck with your decision! Christa Edited January 23, 2010 by zantoc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I'm no help, but I'm eager to see what other replies you get. Personally, while I like the idea of simplicity, I know that for me, I wouldn't keep it simple. HOD adds in geography, poetry, art, hymns, Bible, character, etc. I'm trying to figure out next year for us- either Bigger or a mix of stuff I come up with myself. HOD might actually end up being simpler, since it's already planned! Even if I pick one history book for us to use, I'd still want to add something for geography, something for character, something for poetry, etc etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 BTW, my niece is in 7th grade and using MOH Volume 1, and my SIL said it's great for that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetobehome Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 We have used MOH 1 and are now in MOH 2. I tried Bigger and Preparing, and dropped out of both. To me, it is a matter of whether you are a boxed curriculum type or not. I felt like the kids were getting so little history and science in HOD, compared to what I could do if I were going at my own pace using my own choices. I tried to love it...I love HOD in theory! It is very well done. But I feel like we are learning SO much more now that we have moved on. If you can be happy using a boxed curriculum, HOD is nice! If you want more flexibility, go with MOH... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 There are of course pros and cons to both.... MOH - 1 subject - so it gives you flexibility vs. HOD - "boxed" - so lots of planning is done for you. MOH - does a good job of integrating Biblical and secular history, but you will want to read as much sample as you can to see if you like the writing style. HOD - Preparing - has some reaaly nice "living" books scheduled, but how is your 7th graders writing? Preparing will walk you through the steps to do a written narration once a week (in addition to some creative poetry writing once a week) - does she need this hand holding at her current level? will you be comfortable tweaking it? You could add a separate writing program for her. I love HOD guides, but I did start itching to change things after awhile when I used them. The year I tried MOH (vol 1), it was only Oct. before I started looking for something to make history better. It wasn't long before I dropped it entirely. For *me* things tend to work better with a really good narrative spine and then more living books added in. (We have really enjoyed Christine Miller's Story of the Ancient World this year.) So, with MOH it may just depend on what you plan to add to it, imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessedmother Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I love Mystery of History! A great resource to go with it is All Through the Ages by Christine Miller. It gives you plenty of resources/literature to go with each time period and is broken down by ages. That way you can chose what you want/what your library has to use as go-long reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I have not used MOH (but probably would be if I hadn't discover HOD), but we have used Preparing. If you are looking for a curriculum that ties history with other subjects such as science and Bible then Preparing would be a good fit, however if you are just looking for a history curriculum, then I would go MOH (All through the Ages is also great if you are looking for books to flesh it out or enrich it as the previous poster mentiond). Also MOH Vol 1 covers Creation through Christ where Preparing does an overview of history using CHOW & Grandpa's Box. Some of the earlier HOD series is lighter in their history (mainly LHFHG & BLHFHG) because as those ages usually we are concentrating on reading & writing. History starts to get heavier in Bigger and definitely in Preparing & CTC. Both are great choices. Praying you find the one that is right for your family! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Just wanted to put in a plug for MOH. It is perfect for the ages you are teaching. I did MOH with younger kids and it was "okay", but my oldest got much more out of it. As is, MOH is plenty for History. However, as others have said, there are book lists and suggestions for "extras" should you want any. I tried to add too much...and ended up "losing" my kids. They were not big History fans anyway. Looking back, I would have just done the lessons and added in projects/extra books for only the topics of interest. I have looked at Preparing and comparing it to MOH is like comparing apples and oranges. it seems a little "light" for 7th grade, imo. It is, or course, a "boxed" curriculum while MOH is just History. I will tell you that I found MOH to go quite nicely with the Christian Kids Explore series for science...same sort of format (same publisher). As for Bible, there were verses to memorize in MOH and in CKE. Of course, you could add a devotional. Just throwing that option out to you. I like Preparing (from what I've seen anyway). But, probably more for the 4th grader than the 7th grader. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila in OK Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 Thanks for all the replies, this is really helpful! I do like many things about Bigger (the history, scheduled extension books, poetry), but I don't like other things. The science is not nearly enough for us--though to be fair, I *am* using it with a 6th grader and it is not intended for that age. And I'm also not crazy about the Bible--most days it is just practicing a short memory verse with a longer reading scheduled only once a week or so. I just feel like we should be doing more. I will probably have dd do something like Apologia General Science next year no matter what route we take, since she is really ready to move on in that area. I'm just not quite ready for them to be separated in history. And we are already basically doing our own thing for math/LA. My 6th grader is using Write with the Best and Paragraph Writing Made Easy; ds is using the R&S English recommended by HOD but I don't really *need* that scheduled for me. I like the idea of adding All Through the ages to MoH; that was one thing I was concerned about with MoH because I do want to add a lot of independent reading for my 7th grader and I wasn't sure there would be enough listed in the MoH guide. I am going to check out the MoH loop. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila in OK Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 I guess that is my dilemma. I wanted 'simplicity' and I was hoping HOD would be it, but I can't leave it alone. The science is too light so we are adding to that. I'm also adding in a few history books here and there (mostly from SL's cores 3&4) to flesh out the history study. I know on the HOD boards they would tell me my problem is that I'm trying to combine dc that are too far apart in age, and they are probably right. ARGH. Decisions, decisions. I'm no help, but I'm eager to see what other replies you get. Personally, while I like the idea of simplicity, I know that for me, I wouldn't keep it simple. HOD adds in geography, poetry, art, hymns, Bible, character, etc. I'm trying to figure out next year for us- either Bigger or a mix of stuff I come up with myself. HOD might actually end up being simpler, since it's already planned! Even if I pick one history book for us to use, I'd still want to add something for geography, something for character, something for poetry, etc etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I think that Preparing with a 7th grader would require more extensions than HOD provides as written. I would use the history as written (with both CHOW and Grandpa's Box, which is a huge hit here... that book is wonderful and I think your 7th grader would love it) with the extension reading. I would also add a meatier spine for your 7th grader to read independently. I like Van Loon's book for that... it goes along with CHOW very well but would be better for your older child. What is the title? Story of Mankind I believe. I read all of it awhile back and really liked it. It is not written from a "Christian perspective" but I didn't find anything objectionable in it. Personally, that would be enough for me for a 7th grader. If you needed even meatier readers for your 7th grader you could select titles from Sonlight's alternative 7and assign them to use with DITHOR, if you use that. And, yes, you would definately have to do something else for science. But, I do think you could make the history work if you decide to go that route. We are adding some read-alouds, mostly using books that I've purchased for Sonlight Cores 6 and 7. I love the Bible in Preparing. I'm sure it's much more than Biggers because you are getting the Biblical view of history. The Bible is sometimes scheduled for your storytime readings in addition to the history and the study of Psalms. I am considering using Biggers history with both of my sons for next year. My oldest will be a 6th grader but if I do that I'm going to beef up the extensions (using a different spine, as independent reading, than A Child's Story of America). Everything else HOD that my oldest does will be from the CTC guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila in OK Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 Thanks, Donna, this helps a lot. I am having her read most of the Extensions in Bigger this year (a few she has already read) plus a lot of the Sonlight books from that time period. We are also doing A Child's Story of America just because I think she needs the independent work, but she really really dislikes it. So I was afraid that I might need to add something to Preparing as well. I'll look at the book you mentioned. I think that Preparing with a 7th grader would require more extensions than HOD provides as written. I would use the history as written (with both CHOW and Grandpa's Box, which is a huge hit here... that book is wonderful and I think your 7th grader would love it) with the extension reading. I would also add a meatier spine for your 7th grader to read independently. I like Van Loon's book for that... it goes along with CHOW very well but would be better for your older child. What is the title? Story of Mankind I believe. I read all of it awhile back and really liked it. It is not written from a "Christian perspective" but I didn't find anything objectionable in it. Personally, that would be enough for me for a 7th grader. If you needed even meatier readers for your 7th grader you could select titles from Sonlight's alternative 7and assign them to use with DITHOR, if you use that. And, yes, you would definately have to do something else for science. But, I do think you could make the history work if you decide to go that route. We are adding some read-alouds, mostly using books that I've purchased for Sonlight Cores 6 and 7. I love the Bible in Preparing. I'm sure it's much more than Biggers because you are getting the Biblical view of history. The Bible is sometimes scheduled for your storytime readings in addition to the history and the study of Psalms. I am considering using Biggers history with both of my sons for next year. My oldest will be a 6th grader but if I do that I'm going to beef up the extensions (using a different spine, as independent reading, than A Child's Story of America). Everything else HOD that my oldest does will be from the CTC guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetobehome Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I found Bigger with extensions too light for my fourth grader. Preparing might have fit him well, I used that for a short time. But Preparing for a 7th grader is going to require a lot of tweaking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himfirst Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 My youngest is in the boat your oldest in in only I'm no longer needing to combine as my oldest is a sr. this year. This is our first year that we have not combined anything (except some family devotions) . We have always done some history, science, and Bible together. My 6th grader is also doing Bigger this year and I am looking at next year. We chose Bigger not to combine, but because I really wanted her to do Early American history and I felt drawn to HOD. We have truly "Tweaked" it because of her age/ablity level, but it has been so relaxing. I am terrible with boxed curriculums never finishing, always adding in other stuff, etc. That is what I love about HOD, I can use the meat, skip the rest and add anything else we want. We tried the extensions, but weren't thrilled with these particular choices, so have been using the history adding in books we already own (Which is plenty-many are from WP and Sonlight) , Native Amerian pages from WP, and anyting that may naturally stem from our reading. The science is way too light for her, but I have had her do ALL the readings and only the activities we need. I have added in extra stuff pertaining to the subject, suchas Hme Science Birds during the John Audubon section and some other Homes Science stuff. (Ony because ths is what I already owned and it was a good fit) She is very science oriented so adding to science is no problem with he. She doesn't care for history/geography so having it all aid out in a simple format has been wonderful. (Though I haven't been happy with the mapping portion). We usually cover the poetry in one day and only do Day 1 & 5 of Bible, plus copying the verse. Then she uses Dangerous Devotions on her own. Again, a resource we already owned and is working well. We add in any other Bible readings as I feel led. We use our own copywork/ dictation/ spelling as the ones in Bigger are WAY below her. We also do our own thing for Language Arts and Math. She is using Singapore, but playing catch-up and doing many more pages a day than would be scheduled in any of the manuals. I must mention, I drive a school bus and my husband is military out of state, so I travel a lot, so it has been nice not being overwhelmed by a cumbersome curriculum. Finally to your question, I saw on HOD's message board the other day that a lady was doing Preparing and replaced the spine with MOH and was loving it, so that may be another option. Or, what I think would be easiest if you believe Preparing will be a great fit for your youngers, stick with it adding for your oldest as follows: History - extra readers pertaining to time period, extra writing, allow her to make her own "projects" (essays, posters, notebook, models, etc) displaying what she has learned. Allowing her the freedom to choose her own mediums, etc. This will he bring her delight as well as independence and higher thinking. While freeing you up to help the others. You could also add in extra mapping. Science-Apologia General Science (as you stated) or any other level appropriate curriculum. (I'm still debating over this one as well-Mine is NOT a textbook girl, though when my son was younger he did this text and she loved joining in on the experimets. We may have to do a more hands-on program) Bible-Do the readings together as a family. Maybe she cold come up with something to help/ or quiz the youngers. Then have her do an independent study &/or short teen/ family devotion style book with you. Or you may look into some type of purity study the two of you could do. I know...too many choices. I would go to the Heart of Dakota board as well. There are many combining. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Just wanted to mention that Carrie will be incorporating MOH into some of the upper HOD guides. Something to consider! We LOVE HOD!! Even if you don't use all of it, the guide is worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himfirst Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Forgot to mention, I am leaning toward skipping Preparing & moving her into CTC, substituting the science, because she has studied animals for years on her own and we've done a lot of human body stuff. I am also considering using the reading portion (and possibly some of the activities) in MOH I We did use some of MOH 2 last year and really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himfirst Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I agree HOD is great! And, the personal attention Carrie gives is unheard of. (and,we are only using part of it) Well, worth the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila in OK Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Thanks so much for the info. Glad to see I'm not the only one doing this. :) I knew going in the science in Bigger would be too light, but i wasn't too concerned since she also does a weekly science coop using the God's Design books. Well, this has ended up being too light as well which is why I'm considering a textbook for next year. I have also considered moving right on into CTC; it looks really great! But I think my ds needs that year of Preparing to get him ready for CTC and I can't quite wrap my mind around doing both those programs together. I will try to ask at the HOD boards too. We don't have internet access at home right now so my time on boards is really limited. Forgot to mention, I am leaning toward skipping Preparing & moving her into CTC, substituting the science, because she has studied animals for years on her own and we've done a lot of human body stuff. I am also considering using the reading portion (and possibly some of the activities) in MOH I We did use some of MOH 2 last year and really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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