mom2denj Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 There has been alot of discussion lately about HOD. Not specifically about LHFHG, but I am wondering how this has worked for you. Do you feel it is/was a solid program? We are going to use it in the fall for Kindergarten. I just recieved mine and it looks great! I would just like to hear thoughts from those who have used this already. We will also be using HWT K, RS A math, and OPGTTR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I love this program, and I think it is excellent. My dd had a tough time at first with the story time, and history, but she is doing much better now. She turned 5 at the end of October, so she is a bit young. We are almost half way through now, and she is loving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbosh237 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 It was a good program, the part I didn't like was that each day was mapped out. I know this is what a lot of people liked though. The reason I didn't like it like that though was because if we weren't able to get to all of it that day, it would mess up the next day, and then it would continue to be off until we did "double duty". Personally, as it turned out, I am just not one for an AIO curriculum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer2911mom Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) We are using LHFHG this year for K and are wrapping up Unit 19. It started off very well and we enjoyed all the activities. Lots of picture taking opportunities! We liked the Family Time Bible (which we recently finished using) and the scripture memorization CD. The layout of the teacher manual works well for me. I like the math activities that Carrie has written to go along with SP Earlybird. (We, too, have been using RS A, by the way.) The Thorton Burgess books for Storytime took some getting used to for my daughter, but now she loves them. I suggest you stop frequently at first to make sure your child is understanding what you are reading, since the phrasing is sometimes not what children are used to hearing these days. The history book can take some getting used to as well. I like the key ideas that Carrie includes in the teacher manual for each subject. Oftentimes, however, I have found the "theme" for the day/connections to be a stretch. I think that is inevitable when you are always trying to make connections, though. The cons for me include the lack of K literature outside of the Thorton Burgess books and the Beatrix Potter compilation. There are recommendations in the back of the teacher manual, but so far they have been bible related and aren't to be found in my library. Another con is the lack of music and art appreciation. I have resolved this by using Memoria Press' K guide. (I also use it for more literature.) I also feel the science is very light and don't like the way the CLP books are used. My biggest issue has been with the devotional. I would caution you to pre-read it before using it with your child. There were several times when I would read something and think, "That doesn't quite sound right to me." That I can overlook, but I did have quite a setback with the story of a child soldier being whipped to the point of death to try to parallel the sacrifice of Christ's death on the cross. This devotional is on p. 99 (and is used in Unit 16, Day 4) and I strongly encourage you to take a look at it before reading it to your child. I was blindsided by this one and it really caught me off guard. The use of a devotional like this has made me question whether or not HOD is going to be a fit for us. But when I posted a head's up on the HOD forum, I got feedback that others did not share the same concern. So I would just take a look and decide for yourself. We don't use either of the reading programs but are using OGPTR. ETA: To answer your question, I do feel it is a solid K program. There is more depth to HOD than appears at first glance. I like that I have been able to finish each day's worth work of work very efficiently. The layout of the manual really matches my teaching style. I've had issues with the content moreso than the overall setup and layout of the program. Edited January 24, 2011 by jer2911mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RachelFlores Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 We are only on week/unit 6 so we haven't been doing this for very long, but my impressions are fairly positive so far. Pros: I LOVE that it is open and go. I spend about 20 minutes on Sunday looking over the week's lessons and then I am ready for the week, SO nice compared to my hours a week of planning that I did prior to switching to LHFHG. I LOVE the length of the lessons, almost every lesson takes 10 minutes or less. I never worry about dd getting bored or distracted and it gives me easy places to stop and start lessons. We can also easily do two days of work in one day (which we often do as we school on a 3-4 day a week schedule) and still not get burned out. Also, since we get done with school pretty quickly, I can add extra subjects, and still not feel overwhelmed. I am a list checker and I admit that it feels very good when I can finish all the boxes on the two pages and know that dd covered all subjects and had a "full" day of school. I like the math activities that go with the EB books. Dd absolutely LOVES all the dramatic play that is involved. Ds (3) can participate in a lot of the activities with us. We both like the Burgess book we just finished last week, I have seen dd's vocabulary grow through it and like the lessons it teaches. I expect this to continue with the other books. I really appreciate the discussion/ narration questions at the end. I am so bad at thinking of those things myself. I like the overview of history that she will do throughout the year and enjoy that it starts with the Bible. I think it is a great start to a history rotation. Cons: We use a KJV bible for scripture memory work so we do not use the CD. We do not use the devotional book for several reasons. The program is lacking nothing without it. Science and art ARE weak. We do extra science and art weekly, but I don't think it is a big deal if we don't get to it. It's more than she would get in most regular Kindergarten classrooms. I like the rigor of the program for a kindergartener, but I (personally)don't think it would be enough for a first grader. But we are at the very begining of the program, I may feel differently by the end. Overall, I am very happy. This is a great fit with my teaching style and dd's learning needs. I hope I find something as good for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 We really loved Little Hearts. We supplemented Science because my ds is a Science buff and wanted "more" - we did Elemental Science along with what was recommended in Little Hearts. I am more than thrilled with the education my kids are getting from HOD...as you can see from my sig. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Cons:We use a KJV bible for scripture memory work so we do not use the CD. We do not use the devotional book for several reasons. The program is lacking nothing without it. Oh man! You are missing out! The CD and the devotions were my son's absolutely favorite part of LHFHG. I admit, I loved them too! Science and art ARE weak. We do extra science and art weekly, but I don't think it is a big deal if we don't get to it. It's more than she would get in most regular Kindergarten classrooms. I like the rigor of the program for a kindergartener, but I (personally)don't think it would be enough for a first grader. But we are at the very begining of the program, I may feel differently by the end. The Science ramps up in CTC - actually even in Bigger and Preparing...but I prefer the layout in CTC. Until then, we supplement with Elemental Science. Art also ramps up in the later guides. My older son, using CTC, paints a watercolor painting once a week (most weeks) and he also uses draw and write through history to work on drawing - all of this is scheduled in the CTC guide. My son used Little Hearts as a first grader. He would NOT have been ready to use Bigger by 2nd grade. It worked perfectly for us. My son is 7.5 and reads at a 7th-8th grade level...so it is not a matter of intelligence, either. I think it has more to do with preference, writing abilities, and whether or not you want to push the pace. Bigger is a HUGE jump from Beyond and that is where the decision was made for me. Lots of folks do it the other way too...it is personal preference. I have found that my ds is right on level and enjoys Beyond right now as a 2nd grader. We just keep the "basics" at his level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaHappy Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 We did Little Hearts last year and this year we're doing Beyond. I really, really like HOD! It's not perfect, but nothing is. :) I love the short, meaningful lessons. It's very CM. I love the book choices. I love that so much is included, it's very complete. It's very balanced and well-rounded. My main complaint is that I wish the early guides were written for 4 days/week instead of 5. I do agree that the science in the early guides is very light. I tried supplementing, but then I got lazy and now we just do it as written. I really don't have an issue with it and my ds looks forward to the science activities. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I'm using it with my 1st and k'er. My 1st grader gets more out of the program than my k'er. I use CLE LTR with my k'er. Handwriting is included in CLE LTR. I do EB math, but I don't do all the activities. I have added several extras. I have added more of the R&S ABC series books for scissor and coloring skills, some games and I do the drawing lessons from DWN. My 1st grader does the LA and Math from the Bigger guide. I really like the program and am still planning on using it next year, which is a bid deal since I am the kind of person who is always looking for something better. :lol: The best thing about HOD so far is how easy it is to add or substitute. I don't feel overwhelmed if I add something and I don't feel like I have missed something important if I decide to use a substitute for a subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Thanks so much for this wonderful response! I appreciate the great detail. I will definitely be going through the devotional. Thanks for the heads up! My dd is pretty sensitive. I forgot to mention that I will also be using FIAR book list and lapbooks. I am glad to see that for the most part everyone seems to really like the program. Thanks again. Kristen We are using LHFHG this year for K and are wrapping up Unit 19. It started off very well and we enjoyed all the activities. Lots of picture taking opportunities! We liked the Family Time Bible (which we recently finished using) and the scripture memorization CD. The layout of the teacher manual works well for me. I like the math activities that Carrie has written to go along with SP Earlybird. (We, too, have been using RS A, by the way.) The Thorton Burgess books for Storytime took some getting used to for my daughter, but now she loves them. I suggest you stop frequently at first to make sure your child is understanding what you are reading, since the phrasing is sometimes not what children are used to hearing these days. The history book can take some getting used to as well. I like the key ideas that Carrie includes in the teacher manual for each subject. Oftentimes, however, I have found the "theme" for the day/connections to be a stretch. I think that is inevitable when you are always trying to make connections, though. The cons for me include the lack of K literature outside of the Thorton Burgess books and the Beatrix Potter compilation. There are recommendations in the back of the teacher manual, but so far they have been bible related and aren't to be found in my library. Another con is the lack of music and art appreciation. I have resolved this by using Memoria Press' K guide. (I also use it for more literature.) I also feel the science is very light and don't like the way the CLP books are used. My biggest issue has been with the devotional. I would caution you to pre-read it before using it with your child. There were several times when I would read something and think, "That doesn't quite sound right to me." That I can overlook, but I did have quite a setback with the story of a child soldier being whipped to the point of death to try to parallel the sacrifice of Christ's death on the cross. This devotional is on p. 99 (and is used in Unit 16, Day 4) and I strongly encourage you to take a look at it before reading it to your child. I was blindsided by this one and it really caught me off guard. The use of a devotional like this has made me question whether or not HOD is going to be a fit for us. But when I posted a head's up on the HOD forum, I got feedback that others did not share the same concern. So I would just take a look and decide for yourself. We don't use either of the reading programs but are using OGPTR. ETA: To answer your question, I do feel it is a solid K program. There is more depth to HOD than appears at first glance. I like that I have been able to finish each day's worth work of work very efficiently. The layout of the manual really matches my teaching style. I've had issues with the content moreso than the overall setup and layout of the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Rachel, thank you for taking the time to break this down for me. I am so excited to see that so many are happy with this curriculum. I spent ALOT of time researching curriculums. I wanted to have a thorough program, but a gentileone too. Thanks! Kristen We are only on week/unit 6 so we haven't been doing this for very long, but my impressions are fairly positive so far. Pros: I LOVE that it is open and go. I spend about 20 minutes on Sunday looking over the week's lessons and then I am ready for the week, SO nice compared to my hours a week of planning that I did prior to switching to LHFHG. I LOVE the length of the lessons, almost every lesson takes 10 minutes or less. I never worry about dd getting bored or distracted and it gives me easy places to stop and start lessons. We can also easily do two days of work in one day (which we often do as we school on a 3-4 day a week schedule) and still not get burned out. Also, since we get done with school pretty quickly, I can add extra subjects, and still not feel overwhelmed. I am a list checker and I admit that it feels very good when I can finish all the boxes on the two pages and know that dd covered all subjects and had a "full" day of school. I like the math activities that go with the EB books. Dd absolutely LOVES all the dramatic play that is involved. Ds (3) can participate in a lot of the activities with us. We both like the Burgess book we just finished last week, I have seen dd's vocabulary grow through it and like the lessons it teaches. I expect this to continue with the other books. I really appreciate the discussion/ narration questions at the end. I am so bad at thinking of those things myself. I like the overview of history that she will do throughout the year and enjoy that it starts with the Bible. I think it is a great start to a history rotation. Cons: We use a KJV bible for scripture memory work so we do not use the CD. We do not use the devotional book for several reasons. The program is lacking nothing without it. Science and art ARE weak. We do extra science and art weekly, but I don't think it is a big deal if we don't get to it. It's more than she would get in most regular Kindergarten classrooms. I like the rigor of the program for a kindergartener, but I (personally)don't think it would be enough for a first grader. But we are at the very begining of the program, I may feel differently by the end. Overall, I am very happy. This is a great fit with my teaching style and dd's learning needs. I hope I find something as good for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Thank you! My dd will be a young 5 also (June) so I am glad to see that this is a good age for this program. I love this program, and I think it is excellent. My dd had a tough time at first with the story time, and history, but she is doing much better now. She turned 5 at the end of October, so she is a bit young. We are almost half way through now, and she is loving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 It was a good program, the part I didn't like was that each day was mapped out. I know this is what a lot of people liked though. The reason I didn't like it like that though was because if we weren't able to get to all of it that day, it would mess up the next day, and then it would continue to be off until we did "double duty". Personally, as it turned out, I am just not one for an AIO curriculum! Thanks! I do like the mapped out feature. I am a box checker:D I just hope that I can deal with spreading the program out if I need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 I want to say thanks so much to everyone who replied. I really appreciate the time you took. i am very excited to start in the fall!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Just wanted to jump in and say that I've also appreciated reading the responses here. We're getting all ready to start LHFHG next week and I am so excited. We've also been using OPGTR, so we'll stick with that, and I think we're going to do Saxon for math. I've been reading through the history books on my own and they seem really readable and on target for my dd's age. She is excited about the Burgess books and has a good attention span for books with few pictures, so I'm not expecting any problems there. This will be a good "trial" year to see if we continue on with HOD for the future, but I have high hopes that this will prove to be the right curriculum for us! Tomorrow we get on a plane back to East Asia from the US, so hopefully by next week we'll be sufficiently recovered from jet lag to begin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.