MFW Adventures or HOD Beyond?

[1shortmomto4]

I tried to search on the forum and I know this has been asked but can't find an answer. Which one of these programs is more challenging? I see some will do Beyond first and then Adventures (if they were considering both programs, of course). I'm down to my final, final, final decisions and want to be sure that I select the one that will be more challenging - learning-wise. My ds (2nd grade) picks up concepts fast and if he is not challenged, he tunes it out. The books used in both programs look like a good fit and he likes some hands-on activity but some is key. I'm using something different for LA and science is fine in either (I know both are a bit light but we are doing a science co-op so this is just extra although he enjoys it.)

[Donna A.]

More "challenging"? I don't know... I suspect he would likely find the state study in Adventures redundant, but there's a lot you can do to add variety to that. The state sheets that you complete through the year are, by their very nature, pretty much the same. But you can have a lot of fun with it by adding more books from the Book Basket list, doing more notebooking/artwork or whatever way he likes to express himself, using the Draw Write Now books wherever they fit in topically, ordering brochures and other state info from the state's tourism department or the capital city's Chamber of Commerce, using the internet, etc.

 

I also like the names of Jesus study in Adventures.

 

I had the HOD Beyond TM at one point, but don't anymore. I really liked it especially for the language arts component for my dd, but I ended up selling it and deciding to use Adventures with her. (Already owned Adventures since I used it with my older girls.) One reason was because there seemed to be too much of a gap ability-wise between the history and the hands-on activities in Beyond. Plus I really just wanted to do that state study and the names of Jesus study w/my dd. I did keep all the books from Beyond, though, because we'll read them as we go through Adventures.

 

I also like the patriotic songs and symbols in Adventures. And while the science seems really light to some, I like how it ties in with the names of Jesus.

 

I *personally* think that Adventures offers more flexibility depending on whether you want to keep it light, or beef 'em up, partly because of Book Basket, and partly because of the variety of activities throughout the program. (Since even the repetitive parts, i.e., the state sheets, can easily be rounded out with more ideas if you WANT to.) HOD's TMs seem a lot more "scripted" to me... so if you got into it and found that it wasn't challenging enough, or was too challenging, you could end up potentially only using a fraction of the program. Which is fine if you really, really like one or two components but not the rest... ADV just seems more flexible as far as adding or taking away throughout the week/year without losing the core of the program.

 

JMO, of course. :)

[sassenach]

I spend some time comparing the 2 programs and decided to go with Adventures. I don't know which is more challenging, but it feels like Adventures has more potential to be made more challenging if needed. I decided on Adventures for a couple of reasons. First, I read several reviews from people who did both programs and almost unanimously they said that Adventures was more fun. Second, I have done MFW for 2 years now and been very happy. I look ahead to future programs and I like what I see. In the end it came down to, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The thing I really liked about Beyond is the time spent developing narration skills.

 

I've had the Adventures IG in my hand for a few days now and I am very pleased with my decision. I think we're going to have a great year!