MFW vs. HOD Kindergarten

[mom2denj]

I am wondering if anyone has had experience with both?? COuld you tell me what you liked/disliked about both?? I have HOD - LHFHG right now and it looks good, it just doesn't seem to have enough hands-on which my dd loves. I am not liking the children's devotional at all! It is awfully brutal for a K'er, IMO. Can anyone give me some insight?? Thanks!

[mom24boys]

We are doing LHFHG now for ds5 (K) and ds7 (1st). I have not used MFW. Hopefully someone will post soon to compare the two from experience. From what I could tell LHFHG fits right in between MFW K and 1st, skill-wise. So MFW K seemed too young for my ds5 as he already knew all his letters and sounds. MFW 1st, seemed a little hard, because it gets to a point where it really shoots through the phonics stuff (although the Bible is adorably cute). All that to say, here is the part I can comment about with knowledge: the devotional. I learned my lesson and I read ahead in the devotional. IMO, the most concerning section of the devotional seems to be the "real life" application story at the end of the section. Sometimes I leave this part off (see story pg 99 of devotional). It would be very easy, regardless, to use a different devotional whenever the book calls for the devotional to be read. HTH

[MamaHappy]

I have done both MFW-K and LHFHG. I much prefer MFW-K for kindy and LHFHG for 1st grade. MFW really focuses a lot on phonics and the science activities are just perfect for that age. I think LHFHG has more advanced reading material (the Burgess books have few pictures) that is much more appropriate for 1st grade. I agree with you about the devotional- it's a lot for a kindergartener!

 

Let me know if you have any more specific questions. :)

[RachelFlores]

I haven't used MFW, but I agree that the devotional in LHFHG is too harsh. I don't use it. Sometimes I introduce the topic covered by it, but sometimes I don't. The program is great without it.

 

I've felt the Burgess books have been a wonderful introduction to chapter books for dd, each chapter is short enought that I don't loose her attention and she often asks for me to keep reading and she is not a kid that loves read alouds. My dd loves hands on too and we have found plenty with the program. Dd's favorite parts are all the opportunities for dramatic play and acting the readings out. She likes the crafts and the math lessons too. Since you already have it, I'd suggest trying it before you switch, but that's just what I'd do. :D

[fenni]

I have experience with both. MFW K is a really fun year! I like LHFHG as well. Does your daughter know her letters/sounds? read CVC words? if not, go with MFW K. You won't regret it. I used MFW K with my second child with some tweaking. (He didn't need all the repetition in the reading.) I am using LHFHG w/ my 3rd child for his K year because he was already reading CVC words and I wanted to combine him with my 2nd child. If I had more time on my hands, I would have included some pieces of MFW K for my 3rd child. I look forward to using it with my 4th child.

[mom2denj]

Thank you all so much for your feedback. It has helped tremendously! Yes, she does know all of her letters, sounds and most CVC words. She would not be starting until the fall, so I think that I will stick with LHFHG. I will probably look for another devotional though. My dd is very sensitive. Thanks again!:D

[krismoose]

I have used LHFHG and the first half of MFW K, and I agree that LHFHG is more challenging overall than MFWK. MFW K could even be a great preK year, depending on the phonics a dc is ready for. It would have flowed very nicely to have used MFW K first, then LHFHG, but that's not the order I found them in ;-). LHFHG can also be slowed down a bit if it gets to be too much - do the history/Bible/activity page over more than one day. Have fun! We love HOD :D

[LittleIzumi]

I have used LHFHG and the first half of MFW K, and I agree that LHFHG is more challenging overall than MFWK. MFW K could even be a great preK year, depending on the phonics a dc is ready for. It would have flowed very nicely to have used MFW K first, then LHFHG, but that's not the order I found them in ;-). LHFHG can also be slowed down a bit if it gets to be too much - do the history/Bible/activity page over more than one day. Have fun! We love HOD :D

 

I wasn't a fan of the LHFHG history muself, but I totally agree that MFW K can be used for Pre-K. If I sell some stuff I want to buy it (again) for my dd who will be 4.

[Sue G in PA]

We used MFW K for PreK (4yo). My dd already knew her letters and sounds but MFW K was just perfect for her. She loved it and so did I. I liked the science and art and how it tied to the letter/word being studies. I actually can't wait to do it with my ds2 in 2 years! We used LHFHG this year and although I do like it, I don't like it as much as MFW K. It's a good thing that they are very, very different programs. :D I also do not like the devotional and so we skip it. I like the History portion, the Geography, Bible, art, etc. The math is way below my dd5 and ds7's level. It is really more PreK material. My kids don't get into the little games or dramatic play like some kids do so we skip that as well. That being said, it is bridging a nice gap for ds7 who finished MFWK but was NOT ready for MFW 1st (the phonics moved too quickly). The REading Lesson is a good bridge for him.

[jewel7123]

I used part of HOD'S LHTH, bought LHFHG, used part of MFW K, bought MFW 1st, and ultimately for our K year I decided to scrap any "boxed curriculum" where I had to follow their schedule and I'm just checking out interesting books from the library for History and Science, along with some from our own collection. I kept History for Little Pilgrims, but we just read through it at our own leisure, as well as many other history and America related books. It was so much simpler to do my own thing, since I found in all the above curriculum that while part of it may have worked, other parts of it didn't.