Tenaj Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I've made the mistake of heading over the HOD website this week and I really like what I see. The only problem with this is that we're a MFW family :) I'm going to spend some time at the HOD booth this weekend and hopefully make a rational decision. The only thing I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around is whether or not HOD really works with a large family. My highschoolers will continue with MFW. My 10yo and 8yo will probably do Preparing together and my 6 yo would probably be in Beyond. Which would work fine for this year, but what happens next year? and the next? I've got two more littles coming up, would I end up doing four different books????? I know, I know, I can ask Carrie all this tomorrow but I want to be able to get a feel for it before I'm sitting there looking at all those wonderful books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singbanshee Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I was also wondering about this very thing and posted about this yesterday. The answer I got was that with a big family expect to do 3 but that no one (so far) has successfully done 4. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 I was also wondering about this very thing and posted about this yesterday. The answer I got was that with a big family expect to do 3 but that no one (so far) has successfully done 4. HTH Thank you for this. I'm not sure how I missed your post because I've been obsessing about HOD for the past week :) After reading your response, I realized that this makes sense. For instance, I would have a fifth grader and third grader doing Preparing next year. As I keep adding kids in, my fifth grader would hit highschool which I'm assuming would become indepedent work (either with the new HOD programs that will be out or with another program) so as I'm adding kids in on the bottom rungs I would be moving the olders "out" the other side. Thanks, you've given me an "aha" moment this morning. I'll sound much more intelligent at the HOD booth later today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I have a large family and we will be back with HOD next year. I used HOD two years ago and while we loved the program- we stopped it because it was just too much. I was teaching three programs with two sharing Preparing and it was overwhelming and frustrating. Also the program fit we were in was great for my second son but not challenging enough for my first son- which was also frustrating. However, I am totally changing the way we use the program. Next year my sixth and fifth graders are going to be working very independently. They will also be in their own separate guides. My fifth grader is capable of using Preparing very independently and that is what we are going to do. My sixth grader places well into RTR- so he will be in that program. He is a driven first born and likes to get his work done. I also do not use all of their recommendations. And I have to hold to my guns with that again- or I will be really overwhelmed again. I do not use DITHOR, for one. We use Saxon Math and also some other things. We worked a lot on independence this year and I feel confident in their ability to run with their guides. I don't know if this makes sense or helps at all. I do think a large family has to really think things through and consider their own uniqueness when making their decision. I stare at MFW and ponder if that is what we should use! I like the personal touch I have with HOD and the ability to minister to their hearts. I also like all the books. We love books and I am terrible, terrible, terrible with the library. (fees galore!) I think HOD really works best when each child is placed correctly according to the placement chart and they can work independently as much as possible. I know when my 8 year old finishes Beyond and moves into Bigger- I am planning on beginning to hand over more parts of the guide to him. I have to or we will never make it through. And there is a thread about this on HOD. I stay connected with my kids and their learning through at least once a day meeting times. Oh- I also spend A LOT of time with my little children- because I feel strongly that they need that- so they get a lot of one on one instruction from me. I hope this helps a little. Rebecca DS,10,9,8 DD 6, DS4,2, baby twin girls due in July Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I just wanted to add that there are people who do four guides. I have seen them on the HOD forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singbanshee Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks, you've given me an "aha" moment this morning. I'll sound much more intelligent at the HOD booth later today. Glad I could help! The other suggestion that could make it work is having your kids "buddy" with a younger and have the olders teach as well as doing the idea of independent learning. This is how it was done in a one room schoolhouse back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Have you looked at samples of the new guide? I think it is completely independent (except checking their work of course). I'm thinking by the time we have kids in the upper guides, they will be able to do most of it on their own and I can focus on teaching the younger ones. The only downside would be that they are all learning separately. I'm thinking of adding an extra "class" we can work on as a family...music, art, foreign language, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thank you for all the responses. I have some big decisions to make this weekend. I have really enjoyed MFW but just from looking at the samples, HOD looks good. I don't seem to be the only one being torn between the two. I can't wait to hit the HOD booth tonight - I don't even have a catalog yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Just piping in with 2 comments. Are you still using PR? If so, this may make HOD scheduling a wee bit problamatic, although doable to sub in PR where HOD uses others. 2ndly, I have a local friend that was pushing 3 levels of HOD and switched to TOG so she could keep everyone in one place. In your case, I'd say MFW would be a "stick with it" option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Just piping in with 2 comments. Are you still using PR? If so, this may make HOD scheduling a wee bit problamatic, although doable to sub in PR where HOD uses others. 2ndly, I have a local friend that was pushing 3 levels of HOD and switched to TOG so she could keep everyone in one place. In your case, I'd say MFW would be a "stick with it" option. :iagree: with Tina's ?s and comments as I'm in the cesspool of indecision right now on whether or not I want to try to make HOD stick. I LOVE HOD and it is my favorite program (and has long been a desire of my heart to use it)...but teaching from multiple guides is a reality with a large family. Your olders will work independently eventually and while that is a fantastic option for some family dynamics (perhaps where there is a wider age spread among the kiddos) you may find that when your kiddos are older you'd rather be studying together somewhat on content subjects. I've been beating this thing to death and it's definitely worth pondering....If you think you want the kiddos studying together as they get older it's a something to deeply ponder...do you want to talk about Bible & History together? Do science & art together? Not that you won't do some of that if you choose HOD but you'd be doing a lot more of it if you stay on the same topics in those content areas. My oldest 3 kiddos are only 3.5 years apart. Developmentally they are wide apart now but I expect the gap to close somewhat as they get older...multi-teaching a la MFW or TOG or VP or whatever :D becomes appealing when my kids hit about 5th, 3rd and 2nd grade. My idea is to try HOD for two years and when my oldest is on the cusp of 5th grade I'll know whether or not we need to shift out or whether we want to stay in.... I think I have to get it out of my system or find out that it's a great fit. But, I am keeping my concerns in view at all times. I know that I'll need to make a firm decision about whether or not to stay with HOD or move over to something else when my oldest is ready for 5th. At that point we can have a strong four year history cycle before high school and I could teach the children together during those years...I would have lost nothing time wise and only gained experience by using HOD. If you ARE using PR for your youngers don't drop it! Even if you try HOD ...don't drop PR just in case HOD doesn't pan out for you. You can always shift to HOD's recommendations a little later if you decide to stay with HOD. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbt1294 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We are a family with 6 kiddos 10 months to 12 years old. We tried HOD last year juggling 3 manuals and even though we made it work. I didn't like how my oldest was doing a totally different time period than my two youngers. We ended up doing MFW this year and it just seems simpler to us. Kyle (hsing mom of6) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Just wanted to kindly remind that independent workers are not necessarily independent learners. I have bright 5th grader, whom I teach, then she finishes on her own. She is also included in our discussions. If you plan on discussions with your older dc, then having them in different places means you have to know a variety of materials for both teaching and discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbt1294 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We are a family with 6 kiddos 10 months to 12 years old. We tried HOD last year juggling 3 manuals and even though we made it work. I didn't like how my oldest was doing a totally different time period than my two youngers. We ended up doing MFW this year and it just seems simpler to us. Kyle (hsing mom of6) I meant, even though we made it work, I didn't like that my oldest was doing a totally different time period. I worded that whole post funny. I must be tired! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I think I need to jump back in here later when I have time and really share why I decided to go with HOD rather than MFW (or even tapestry of grace). The HOD manual makes it simple to facilitate discussion in different time periods with discussion prompts and key ideas. HOD has a very different flow than MFW. I think some of it is teaching style. I have three great friends IRL who use MFW and they love it and I am SO DIFFERENT from them and the way they run their school. I also humble myself and say- our year could not work out at all and I could be on here saying that. It is not a success we have achieved but rather a hope for the future. I think every family has to know their own needs and that pushes a lot of what you choose in your curriculum. I hope this makes sense. Also- I would really say: stick with what works for your family! School that gets done (especially in a large family) is a school well run! My two cents... Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I think I need to jump back in here later when I have time and really share why I decided to go with HOD rather than MFW (or even tapestry of grace). The HOD manual makes it simple to facilitate discussion in different time periods with discussion prompts and key ideas. HOD has a very different flow than MFW. I think some of it is teaching style. I have three great friends IRL who use MFW and they love it and I am SO DIFFERENT from them and the way they run their school. I also humble myself and say- our year could not work out at all and I could be on here saying that. It is not a success we have achieved but rather a hope for the future. I think every family has to know their own needs and that pushes a lot of what you choose in your curriculum. I hope this makes sense. Also- I would really say: stick with what works for your family! School that gets done (especially in a large family) is a school well run! My two cents... Rebecca I'm interested in the ages of your dc and the levels you're using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I think I need to jump back in here later when I have time and really share why I decided to go with HOD rather than MFW (or even tapestry of grace). The HOD manual makes it simple to facilitate discussion in different time periods with discussion prompts and key ideas. HOD has a very different flow than MFW. I think some of it is teaching style. I have three great friends IRL who use MFW and they love it and I am SO DIFFERENT from them and the way they run their school. I also humble myself and say- our year could not work out at all and I could be on here saying that. It is not a success we have achieved but rather a hope for the future. I think every family has to know their own needs and that pushes a lot of what you choose in your curriculum. I hope this makes sense. Also- I would really say: stick with what works for your family! School that gets done (especially in a large family) is a school well run! My two cents... Rebecca Rebecca, Your views are wise and I agree with you! For some Moms, teaching multiple HOD guides works beautifully for them. For others, it doesn't work. Some children work extremely well on their own (and prefer it) with low levels of accountability and others need more parent/teacher involvement. Family dynamics and Mama's teaching style are unique factors which is why each family fleshes it out differently. I do agree that HOD has a fabulous way of keeping Mom engaged and facilitating discussion... it IS there as long as you work with the tools given to you. I've spent a LOT of time with HOD, samples, books, guides, etc. and it is amazing. It took me awhile to see that though...from the outside looking in it just is NOT as apparent. God kept pulling me in though and I kept reading, looking, asking, thinking, praying ....while doing other things. There was a day when the light bulb went on and I just "got" HOD. This is why I don't want to face the decision to say NO to something I really want for my kids. But it may not be in the best interest of our family as a whole if we believe God wants us to "team teach" versus not. Our crew seems to be moving in that direction. I know another Mom with two kiddos who used HOD one year and absolutely loved it. She recommends it to everybody. But she had to make a painful, difficult decision to walk away from HOD because her kids REALLY wanted to study together. She couldn't keep her younger out of her older's work. They love doing projects and having discussions together. This Mom had the courage to choose what was best for her family dynamics and say good-bye to a program she really loved. She is able to pull and implement ideas from HOD though....:001_smile: There is a Mom on this board who uses TOG for part of her crew and HOD for one of her students. She is truly fitting stuff to the kid.... The wisdom and ability to make these choices for our own families is borne out of experience...we have to try different things and make honest assessments. It's not easy! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I love HOD as well......but ultimately I decided against using it for the long run because of this exact problem. Eventually I would have to use 3 seperate guides and have my three girls in different time periods for history and studying different topics for science, and I just wasn't happy with that. I WISH, WISH that HOD made supplements for their upper level guides that would be for those wishing to keep everyone on the same page with science and history, but alas, that dream is not a reality, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeriJ Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I started a thread asking about writing across the curriculum in HOD (or MFW) and it morphed into a discussion about combining children. http://welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258709 I really think I am going to combine my soon to be 6 year old and 8 year old next year and then just move them up together. You can read more about my thoughts in that thread. If I decided to get really perfectionist about it, I might start finding all the reasons why it wouldn't work out just perfectly. But overall, it seems like it will work just fine...let alone the fact that other moms have done and seen it work for them. (edwena gave some great thoughts on that in that thread). I know that HOD is not perfect for combining kids, but I really think it could work. I'll never find the perfect program. Even if I did find a perfect fit for one year, children and family dynamics change over time, so it may not stay a perfect fit. I'm just going to do the best I can each year to do what works for our family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RecumbentHeart Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I started a thread asking about writing across the curriculum in HOD (or MFW) and it morphed into a discussion about combining children.http://welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258709 I really think I am going to combine my soon to be 6 year old and 8 year old next year and then just move them up together. You can read more about my thoughts in that thread. If I decided to get really perfectionist about it, I might start finding all the reasons why it wouldn't work out just perfectly. But overall, it seems like it will work just fine...let alone the fact that other moms have done and seen it work for them. (edwena gave some great thoughts on that in that thread). I know that HOD is not perfect for combining kids, but I really think it could work. I'll never find the perfect program. Even if I did find a perfect fit for one year, children and family dynamics change over time, so it may not stay a perfect fit. I'm just going to do the best I can each year to do what works for our family. Actually Keri, it works GREAT if you're combining two kids who fit the guide (each guide has an age range of 3 years) and Carrie designed it that way. It's actually a strength of HOD because it's a skill oriented program. Combining EVERYONE does NOT work, though, if you have several children with a wider age or skill spread. That is where it gets tricky. You CAN combine an 8 and 6 year old! But if you had a 10 year old in the mix then you would have to run two guides to use HOD. :001_smile::001_smile: I'm willing to give it a whirl because I think HOD is a rich, beautiful program and worth digging into for a couple of years. :001_smile::001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 And this is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you twoxcell! (saw you over there Katrina ) I read that link. That was a wonderful explanation. It sounds like HOD is a wonderful progressive program in the writing areas. I'd be concerned that I'd miss some skill building, so I would have to sub. the appropriate levels (for language arts and math) if I were combining, but it doesn't seem like that will be too hard b/c the materials you'd sub (like math adn RS) are already in levels for you. I can see how the all-in-one school is great for some. Best wishes in your decision. I've enjoyed reading all about HOD today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I believe that there is a thread (perhaps a "sticky") on the HOD board that talks about the reason for separate levels as opposed to keeping all kids together. Combining is terrific and MFW does it very well. I used ECC with 4 children a couple years ago. I found that my youngest was always getting "lost" and disengaging from dicussions, etc. This year we went with HOD and I am using 2 guides: Preparing and LHFHG. I will add that I also have a 9th grader using MFW AHL. :D My 5th grader is virtually independent with Preparing. My 7th grader "could" be but works better when I am around and guiding him. Ds9 (4th gr.) is doing Preparing 1/2 sped. Dd14 is completely independent except for daily discussions and weekly "check ins". LHFHG does not take a ton of time at all. We save Storytime for bedtime, do Bible at lunch, etc. Preparing takes more time, but my dh does Storytime with the boys before bed. Next year I will be doing RtR, finishing up Preparing with my 4th grader and using Beyond (or MFW Adv.) with dd6 and ds8. I like how HOD is set up. I like the "box" format, the inclusion of dictation and copywork, poetry, art, music, etc. I like how each each guide included books that are specifically geared toward the age-range specified. I like how it is "open and go", no tweaking necessary (unless you want to :D). I don't have to worry about watering down for the littles or beefing up for the olders. I found I had to do that with MFW. That being said, there are some MFW programs that I do prefer over HOD (K and Adv.). There are many families on HOD who use multiple guides and have shared their schedules on how they make it work. I am a PR user (level one so far) and I don't find a conflict so far (b/c LA/spelling) is not included in LHFHG...you can choose your own Phonics. I guess it is all a matter of preference b/c both MFW and HOD are fabulous programs. MFW high school fits my dd14 very well. It would not however be a good fit for my ds12. He is not as avid a reader as dd14 and would not thrive in the program at all. I can see him, however, thriving in the future HOD guides. I am so grateful that there are so many great curriculum options out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I don't have to worry about watering down for the littles or beefing up for the olders. I found I had to do that with MFW. This is why I decided against MFW and will be trying out TOG next year. I think if TOG ends up working for us, then it will solve my future problems as far as beefing up/watering down are concerned, because I won't have to do either, and will still have everyone on the same history/science cycle as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeriJ Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Actually Keri, it works GREAT if you're combining two kids who fit the guide (each guide has an age range of 3 years) and Carrie designed it that way. It's actually a strength of HOD because it's a skill oriented program. Combining EVERYONE does NOT work, though, if you have several children with a wider age or skill spread. That is where it gets tricky. You CAN combine an 8 and 6 year old! But if you had a 10 year old in the mix then you would have to run two guides to use HOD. :001_smile::001_smile: I'm willing to give it a whirl because I think HOD is a rich, beautiful program and worth digging into for a couple of years. :001_smile::001_smile: True! I'm still stuck thinking about my 2. I plan to run 2 guides when my littlest ones start a few years down the road. (......IF I decide to use HOD ;)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I read that link. That was a wonderful explanation. It sounds like HOD is a wonderful progressive program in the writing areas. I'd be concerned that I'd miss some skill building, so I would have to sub. the appropriate levels (for language arts and math) if I were combining, but it doesn't seem like that will be too hard b/c the materials you'd sub (like math adn RS) are already in levels for you. I can see how the all-in-one school is great for some. Best wishes in your decision. I've enjoyed reading all about HOD today. Tina, I'm glad you read it. HOD is a very flexible program although it is "scheduled". There are several ways to adjust skills when combining (and Carrie gives a lot of wise counsel on how to do that). It is written so that you can do what you want with grammar, spelling, literature, etc. I hear your question now....so, why can't you do PR with HOD? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 One issue I've had with HOD is that the answers aren't available in a simple format. I think this would be difficult with multiple guides, but apparently other parents do it successfully. We're using CTC right now with one child, and they ask questions for history, science, etc...but the answers aren't written in the TM..so you have to either know the subject, or have time to look it up in the student books. I have adapted the program, and I skip quite a bit of it. I think there are great materials in HOD programs, but it sometimes feels like it's choppy to me. All that being said, I may use HOD again. I would definitely use it and tweak it if they had a question format more like Sonlight uses (with answers :)) Best of luck to you, I know I can't figure out what to do for science or history this fall...I realize this is where I was at last year also :tongue_smilie:. Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 One issue I've had with HOD is that the answers aren't available in a simple format. I think this would be difficult with multiple guides, but apparently other parents do it successfully. We're using CTC right now with one child, and they ask questions for history, science, etc...but the answers aren't written in the TM..so you have to either know the subject, or have time to look it up in the student books. Is this an issue with HOD? I'd like to hear more about this topic in particular :bigear: I'm going to ask on the HOD board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 This is why I decided against MFW and will be trying out TOG next year. I think if TOG ends up working for us, then it will solve my future problems as far as beefing up/watering down are concerned, because I won't have to do either, and will still have everyone on the same history/science cycle as well. I have looked at TOG extensively over the years and it is always a temptation. However, I get very overwhelmed looking at it and all the planning involved and especially overhwhelmed looking at the pricetag. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I have looked at TOG extensively over the years and it is always a temptation. However, I get very overwhelmed looking at it and all the planning involved and especially overhwhelmed looking at the pricetag. :D I completely understand. But if you're running 1 MFW guide and 2 HOD guides, I'll bet that's quite pricey as well. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I completely understand. But if you're running 1 MFW guide and 2 HOD guides, I'll bet that's quite pricey as well. ;) You are quite right. I never sat down and added it all up to compare. I think there is a reason for that. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
home'scoolmom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I use HOD with six of my children, plus I have a toddler and a newborn. It is doable but the key is organization. To be honest it was rough for a while until I realized I had to have a schedule of exactly who was to be doing what when, including me. My tendency is to just go from thing to thing without much structure, but I can't do that with HOD, there are a lot of moving parts and the details need to be worked out. Once I got a schedule in place, and the kids got through the rough part of adjusting to it, it works awesome! I love it! We get under way by 8:15 and are done by 1:00 each day. That includes 30-45 minutes of a family lesson that we do together, which came about because I want to have something we all study together each day, so we rotate through family lessons on geography, art, composer study, nature study, and patriotic/civics studies. (these are lessons I put together myself from other resources - not HOD related). Sometimes my olders will have some reading to do after lunch, but that doesn't bother me. My work is done by 1:00. So the keys are an organized schedule, and to also MAKE THE CURRICULUM WORK FOR YOU. DON'T be afraid to change it where you need to to make it work. A large family requires a different game plan and that's ok. Like some of the previous posters have mentioned, they modified the program to make it work for them, and I have too. It is worth it, these programs are so rich and so well-laid out, I am regularly amazed by the author's genius. At the end of the day I feel so fulfilled and accomplished. I haven't done MFW, but I've looked at it extensively and I feel there is no comparison. However of course different currics fit different people, that is just my opinion. If you felt strongly about using HOD I say go for it. If I can make it work, anyone can. I am one unstructured and disorganized mama by nature, and stretching myself to become more organized so I can use this curriculum has been very rewarding. I love it and will probably keep using it. I wish the high school guides were going to be ready for my oldest two. This author is just so talented I can't wait to see what she produces for high school. MCP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I use HOD with six of my children' date=' plus I have a toddler and a newborn. It is doable but the key is organization. To be honest it was rough for a while until I realized I had to have a schedule of exactly who was to be doing what when, including me. My tendency is to just go from thing to thing without much structure, but I can't do that with HOD, there are a lot of moving parts and the details need to be worked out. Once I got a schedule in place, and the kids got through the rough part of adjusting to it, it works awesome! I love it! We get under way by 8:15 and are done by 1:00 each day. That includes 30-45 minutes of a family lesson that we do together, which came about because I want to have something we all study together each day, so we rotate through family lessons on geography, art, composer study, nature study, and patriotic/civics studies. (these are lessons I put together myself from other resources - not HOD related). Sometimes my olders will have some reading to do after lunch, but that doesn't bother me. My work is done by 1:00. So the keys are an organized schedule, and to also MAKE THE CURRICULUM WORK FOR YOU. DON'T be afraid to change it where you need to to make it work. A large family requires a different game plan and that's ok. Like some of the previous posters have mentioned, they modified the program to make it work for them, and I have too. It is worth it, these programs are so rich and so well-laid out, I am regularly amazed by the author's genius. At the end of the day I feel so fulfilled and accomplished. I haven't done MFW, but I've looked at it extensively and I feel there is no comparison. However of course different currics fit different people, that is just my opinion. If you felt strongly about using HOD I say go for it. If I can make it work, anyone can. I am one unstructured and disorganized mama by nature, and stretching myself to become more organized so I can use this curriculum has been very rewarding. I love it and will probably keep using it. I wish the high school guides were going to be ready for my oldest two. This author is just so talented I can't wait to see what she produces for high school. MCP[/quote'] :001_smile: Thank-you for such an encouraging testimony! Great job making such a wonderful curriculum serve your family's needs! This is very inspiring to me. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I use HOD with six of my children' date=' plus I have a toddler and a newborn. It is doable but the key is organization. To be honest it was rough for a while until I realized I had to have a schedule of exactly who was to be doing what when, including me. My tendency is to just go from thing to thing without much structure, but I can't do that with HOD, there are a lot of moving parts and the details need to be worked out. Once I got a schedule in place, and the kids got through the rough part of adjusting to it, it works awesome! I love it! We get under way by 8:15 and are done by 1:00 each day. That includes 30-45 minutes of a family lesson that we do together, which came about because I want to have something we all study together each day, so we rotate through family lessons on geography, art, composer study, nature study, and patriotic/civics studies. (these are lessons I put together myself from other resources - not HOD related). Sometimes my olders will have some reading to do after lunch, but that doesn't bother me. My work is done by 1:00. So the keys are an organized schedule, and to also MAKE THE CURRICULUM WORK FOR YOU. DON'T be afraid to change it where you need to to make it work. A large family requires a different game plan and that's ok. Like some of the previous posters have mentioned, they modified the program to make it work for them, and I have too. It is worth it, these programs are so rich and so well-laid out, I am regularly amazed by the author's genius. At the end of the day I feel so fulfilled and accomplished. I haven't done MFW, but I've looked at it extensively and I feel there is no comparison. However of course different currics fit different people, that is just my opinion. If you felt strongly about using HOD I say go for it. If I can make it work, anyone can. I am one unstructured and disorganized mama by nature, and stretching myself to become more organized so I can use this curriculum has been very rewarding. I love it and will probably keep using it. I wish the high school guides were going to be ready for my oldest two. This author is just so talented I can't wait to see what she produces for high school. MCP[/quote'] Thanks for the reminder to not become a slave to the curriculum. I needed to hear that. I am a box checker and if one of my boxes (or God forbid more!) isn't checked...I am a big ball of stress. :D If you don't mind me asking, what HOD programs are you using and would you mind sharing your schedule? :D And most importantly...welcome to the Hive! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Tina, I'm glad you read it. HOD is a very flexible program although it is "scheduled". There are several ways to adjust skills when combining (and Carrie gives a lot of wise counsel on how to do that). It is written so that you can do what you want with grammar, spelling, literature, etc. I hear your question now....so, why can't you do PR with HOD? :lol: :D I'd at least use the first 2 levels :) Sounds like they'd fit in easily as the intro. program, but that after that, you're getting all you need through application...application, application! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
home'scoolmom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the reminder to not become a slave to the curriculum. I needed to hear that. I am a box checker and if one of my boxes (or God forbid more!) isn't checked...I am a big ball of stress. :D If you don't mind me asking, what HOD programs are you using and would you mind sharing your schedule? :D And most importantly...welcome to the Hive! :D Thanks for the welcome! We have my oldest two in CTC, my middle two in Bigger Hearts, and the younger two in Little Hearts. If I had to add in another guide, I think I could as long as I have it SCHEDULED! Plus the upper guides have the kids working really independently. Honestly, when you are schooling a large family, it's a challenge no matter what curric you use and scheduling probably just becomes a necessity. I fought that for a while but now I embrace it. Here's our schedule: 7-7:30 Family scriptures and prayer 7:30-8:15 Get ready for day; breakfast 8:15-9:00 Family lesson together 9:00-10:30 I do Little Hearts with my younger two, we go through the whole thing During this time the other dc are doing individual studies: dd15 Science and Math dd13 Math and history dd11 English, copywork, and read extension books ds9 copywork, DITHOR book and page, explode the code 10:30-11:45 I gather my middle two and do Bigger together. I go over their English with them (they both struggle in this area so we spend some extra time here), and do dictation, poetry, history, and science. I also just go over their DITHOR page with them (I don't have them read their DITHOR books aloud to me). If there's time I read aloud their storytime book with them. Occasionally there's something we don't get to or don't finish completely. If I feel it's important, we finish it the next day. If I don't, I let it go and move on. Usually we get to everything though. I don't do the Bigger Bible Study alone with them, since I think it's great and we do it all together as a family in the morning devotional. During this time individual studies for the others: dd15 History and English dd13 Science, English, and reading (DITHOR or extension) My younger two who are finished with their Little Hearts work are having free time. 11:45-12:45 I do CTC with my oldest two. We do the rotating geography/Genesis study, storytime with the discussion/activity listed in the box, and dictation. If there's time, I go over their math, science and English and correct it. During this time individual studies: ds9 Math and more reading dd11 DITHOR book with page, then math 12:45-1 tie up loose ends, then lunch After lunch my oldest two usually have some literature reading to do on their own. The hardest part really, is keeping up with my toddler and baby during all this. I have activities I pull out for my toddler, plus she will watch a video for a little while. My baby I will nurse while I'm helping the others. She sleeps a lot right now, which helps, but when that changes I will probably have to change the schedule so that the others take short turns helping with the toddler/baby. But I know I can make anything work as long as I've got my trusty schedule. That's it, nothing fancy.:) MP I forgot to add, I use TT Math for my oldest four, so they are able to do it independently. This cuts way back on my teaching time. Love TT! Occasionally I have to give one of them extra time with something, but most of the time they work through it on their own. Edited April 1, 2011 by home'scoolmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 I left this conversation hanging because I've been busy running around the Midwest conference and I come back tonight and find out so much helpful information! To answer your question, Tina, about PR, I did decide to abandon ship on it after PR2. I had to do it to keep my sanity. Don't hate me too much :) I spent much time at the HOD booth today and Carrie was very, very gracious and helped me work through all the ages and personalities in my "little boy" group. My 10yo will be doing CTC next year and I'm going to put my 8yo and 6yo together in Beyond and beef it up just a bit for my 8yo by adding in the Rod and Staff grammar, cursive handwriting, dictation. I think it will work out great - though in my perfectionist mind I'm still wondering if I should try to do Bigger with my 8 yo (it would be a more natural fit for him). I've got the books here now and if I change my mind this summer, I can add it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 JanOH, What are you going to use for your 13 year old next year? I just got a box from HOD with my RTR guide and Preparing guide and other things in it. (I think I got it yesterday). To Tina: I don't want to write my HOD guides on here for fear it will look too crazy!!;) I like HOD also for the CM and literary approach. This works really well for our book loving family. I also like the age appropriateness of the selections. Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 JanOH,What are you going to use for your 13 year old next year? I just got a box from HOD with my RTR guide and Preparing guide and other things in it. (I think I got it yesterday). To Tina: I don't want to write my HOD guides on here for fear it will look too crazy!!;) I like HOD also for the CM and literary approach. This works really well for our book loving family. I also like the age appropriateness of the selections. Rebecca Hi Rebecca - I'm going to use MFW AHL for my *14* yo (I keep forgetting to change my siggy line). He'll be a freshman next year and since HOD doesn't go to that level yet, the plan is he'll use MFW for highschool. I already own the second and third year of the MFW highschool series. I'm really excited about the HOD guides for next year. Their customer service is so excellent. As I was picking up my books this morning, I realized I already owned one of the books that was in the basic package. Did you know they have a substitution policy? I was bowled over. I don't know how many times I have purchased packages that contain books I already own just because it was cheaper to do that than to buy everything seperately. They actually let me trade that "package" book for another book I really needed. Awesome customer service! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie in Oh Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 here I sit in my hotel room at the Midwest Conference in the same boat, Janet. I made the mistake of going to the HOD website a few weeks ago. Now I changing from MFW to HOD too. I am doing LHFHG with my 5 yo, and doing Bigger with my 7 and 8 yos. I agonized between Beyond and Bigger and decided on Bigger. It will be a stretch for my 7 yo, but it is such a better fit for my 8 yo, and she is the one who really needs challenged. Oldest will do MFW for highschool in another year. Oldest three are taking a break and doing other things next year. I am really excited about HOD for my younger crew next year. So, Janet, you are not alone. I found both sets used, so all the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Thanks for letting me know! I appreciate it. HOD does have excellent customer service. I am excited for our year too. Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I will share my experience, for what it's worth :001_smile:. We used HOD last year for the first time. I used Preparing with the Extensions for my 5th grader and Little Hearts for my 2nd grader. I used it pretty much as written. My 2nd grader sat in on most of Preparing. We had a great year and all of us loved it. My 2nd grader never felt excluded. He listened to all the read-alouds from Preparing, the poetry, and anything else that I helped my oldest son with. My oldest son ended up listening to alot of Little Hearts, also! As far as how our days flowed and ease of use, HOD was a breeze. The only "negative" thing about it was that our days were longish (around five hours to really do everything and do it well). But, we were doing practically everything in both guides, except that my youngest son was not following Little Hearts' math or LA because he was beyond the skill level. That didn't matter to me because I choose that program because I wanted 1) a lighter program for him since we were new to HOD and I wasn't sure about teaching two guides and 2) it goes along well with Preparing since both cover World History in one year. I thought those two programs meshed together very, very well. There were many days, especially in the first half of the year, when they were studying the same things. It never felt like two different programs. It felt like one. I just had to pull out the other TM to complete particular readings and activities, but that was no big deal at all to me. I LOVE HOD's TM. Everything all bound up in one easy to use, simply laid out format. If you are not using HOD's spelling lists, then I can't for the life of me imagine any reason not to combine children into one guide. You can use whatever level of R&S English you want or not use R&S English at all. You can use whatever level of Singapore you want or not use it at all. You can read more of the books outloud to both of the children if you want to, or you could have the older child read to the youngest, or you could read to the youngers after your oldest has read to himself, or find audio books. We are doing the same thing now with our Sonlight program. My oldest will read it and then hand it over to my youngest. Or, I will read it as a bedtime reading directly to him instead of having him read it to himself. HOD is a great program. I would really encourage anyone who wants to use it to try it and be willing to adapt the assignments. Just because something has a little "I" in the box doesn't mean that you have to use it that way! I would purchase according to the needs of the oldest child and then work through the same material with the youngest child while offering that child more help. The Extension Packages really do provide for a wide range of ages. For example, Creation to Christ is being successfully used from ages 9 to high school!! That is a pretty large span. Or, use one "main" guide and then purchase another for the spelling lists. If you really, really want to use only one guide and use it as is with little adapting, then I would suggest Preparing Hearts because that is the year that really focuses on writing and building independence in your older children. It is easy to adapt those lessons for youngers. If we go back to HOD next year, I will use Creation to Christ with both my 7th grader and my 4th grader. Both of them fall into the suggested age range. If I had a younger child and wanted to include him, I would add a simplier spine book, like Story of the World 1, alongside CtC and find books at the library on Biology, or use some lapbooks that cover Biology. Or, I may just have that child listen to the Diana Waring audio's (as scheduled in CtC) and call that enough for an elementary aged child. I could get the activity guides that go with the Diana Waring Cd's and that in itself would be plenty for a young child. A child of any age would enjoy the poetry and art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I left this conversation hanging because I've been busy running around the Midwest conference and I come back tonight and find out so much helpful information! To answer your question, Tina, about PR, I did decide to abandon ship on it after PR2. I had to do it to keep my sanity. Don't hate me too much:) I spent much time at the HOD booth today and Carrie was very, very gracious and helped me work through all the ages and personalities in my "little boy" group. My 10yo will be doing CTC next year and I'm going to put my 8yo and 6yo together in Beyond and beef it up just a bit for my 8yo by adding in the Rod and Staff grammar, cursive handwriting, dictation. I think it will work out great - though in my perfectionist mind I'm still wondering if I should try to do Bigger with my 8 yo (it would be a more natural fit for him). I've got the books here now and if I change my mind this summer, I can add it in. No hate :) Enjoy HOD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 If we go back to HOD next year. Donna, Just curious as to why you didn't continue with HOD this year? It seems like you enjoy the program so much. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 MP, thanks for sharing your schedule! It would be a stretch to get my older kids up that early...and me, too, might I add! I might have to try doing LHFHG with my littles all at once. Right now, I space it out. Always feels so disjointed. My 5th grader does Preparing practically independently but my 7th grader (go figure) needs a bit more hand holding. Ugh. And my 9yo (also using Preparing but at half speed) needs me practically in his lap in order to complete his work. Marie...I never thought I'd see the day you'd switch to HOD, LOL! There is a certain "draw" to it, isn't there? My oldest uses MFW AHL and loves it. I've seen a real growth in her spiritually this year. She is really growing up and learning a lot. Can't wait to do World next year. That being said, I am sooo glad Carrie is planning high school guides b/c I don't think MFW would be a good fit for my boys. HOD is perfect, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 here I sit in my hotel room at the Midwest Conference in the same boat, Janet. I made the mistake of going to the HOD website a few weeks ago. Now I changing from MFW to HOD too. I am doing LHFHG with my 5 yo, and doing Bigger with my 7 and 8 yos. I agonized between Beyond and Bigger and decided on Bigger. It will be a stretch for my 7 yo, but it is such a better fit for my 8 yo, and she is the one who really needs challenged. Oldest will do MFW for highschool in another year. Oldest three are taking a break and doing other things next year. I am really excited about HOD for my younger crew next year. So, Janet, you are not alone. I found both sets used, so all the better. Marie - I think we started doing MFW about the same time, also. I was doing the same dance between Bigger and Beyond for my 6 and 8 yos but Carrie convinced me that the program should fit the younger and be beefed up for the older. You'll have to let me know how it works out the other way for you. We can both report back :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie in Oh Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Marie - I think we started doing MFW about the same time, also. I was doing the same dance between Bigger and Beyond for my 6 and 8 yos but Carrie convinced me that the program should fit the younger and be beefed up for the older. You'll have to let me know how it works out the other way for you. We can both report back :) Since I am also doing Little Hearts, we decided that it would work because my 6 yo could bounce back and forth, but since my 8 yo is ridiculously advanced, she'd be super unchallenged in Beyond. She's much more like a rising 4th grader than a rising 3rd grader. We shall see how it all works out. I kept my eyes out for you at the conference but no such luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen Academy Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 If we go back to HOD next year, I will use Creation to Christ with both my 7th grader and my 4th grader. Both of them fall into the suggested age range. If I had a younger child and wanted to include him, I would add a simplier spine book, like Story of the World 1, alongside CtC and find books at the library on Biology, or use some lapbooks that cover Biology. Or, I may just have that child listen to the Diana Waring audio's (as scheduled in CtC) and call that enough for an elementary aged child. I could get the activity guides that go with the Diana Waring Cd's and that in itself would be plenty for a young child. A child of any age would enjoy the poetry and art. Donna, I was very interested to read this, because I'm considering CTC for at least two, possibly three of my kiddos for next year. I will have one fairly advanced 8th grader, two on-target 5th graders and a 3rd grader with auditory processing and attention issues. The two middles would use CTC as written, at least for history (we love our ILL) but I have some questions I wonder if you (or any HOD user) might be able to help with. Do you think CTC would be enough, with the extensions, for an 8th grader? (I have considered getting him Notgrass World History, and using the first half, or using a BF package as an alternative for him.) I don't think ds8 would be able to follow much of CTC, but do you think it would be fairly easy to plug SOTW in? As an alternative, would it be maddening to run two programs? Would we use a lot of the HOD program if we chose our own LA? Thanks and blessings, Aimee mom to 6 great kids ages 7-20, some homegrown, some born in Korea, all born in my heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdeno Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I want to marry it but I think MFW lends itself for use in large families better. I have used both and have 5 children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen Academy Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I want to marry it but I think MFW lends itself for use in large families better. I have used both and have 5 children. We used MFW last year for that reason (ex-1850), but unfortunately, my two middles retained very little - they did better with SOTW grouped in units, like Biblioplan does, better than chronologically. Because one of the middlers has mild auditory processing and attention issues, HOD was suggested as something that might capture his attention more effectively. If we don't do that, we may go back to Biblioplan, which we did enjoy for two years, but there is always MFW ECC, sigh... Did you ever try to use more than one guide or incorporate kiddos into one guide with HOD? Thanks and blessings, Aimee mom to 6 great kids ages 7-20, some homegrown, some born in Korea, all born in my heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 In the spirit of exploration, does it make sense to try HOD with one child (or set) and retain MFW for others? Jessica: who does not have a large family and is in awe of what you guys accomplish, but thinks having children is great for experimentation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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