If you've done both MFW and HOD....

[KeriJ]

Thoughts please. :)

 

I waffled around between the two last year, and spent hours comparing and researching. We finally decided to go with HOD, and we've actually been pretty happy. I'm expecting baby #5 and really needed my days spelled out for me. HOD has done that, and I love the book choices and the fact that it is simple yet thorough.

 

But I guess I'm suffering from a little bit of "grass is greener" syndrome. One reason is that HOD's teachers' guide is so detailed, and if I don't keep up with it, I get a little anxious. The 1 day spread is bothering me a little too. I'm wondering if I would do better with the week spread of MFW.

 

Also, 3rd grade dd is getting tired of pilgrims and homesteading. (and I kind of don't blame her) Since I've combined both of them into Beyond this year, she'll have even more of it next year with Bigger. So, I'm considering switching to MFW ECC for next year and deciding between the 2 after that.

 

Anyway, since I only have experience with HOD, I would love to hear from someone who has used both. (Keep in mind that combining my kids is important to me at this point)

[Robin's Song]

Keri-

 

I'm in a similar boat :). My kids are the same age as yours and we are expecting #5, but we are doing Bigger and LHFHG this year.

 

Bigger is WONDERFUL. DD (2nd grade) and I are still enamored, even though the honeymoon phase should have been over long ago :lol:. BUT we are leaving HOD after this year. I just can not handle 2+ guides every year.

 

I am also having trouble with the daily schedule format. Everything is so intertwined that you can't get behind on any of the boxes. Poetry is related to the history which is related to Bible and science... We are so behind on our HOD work because if we don't have time to finish all of the boxes one day then we have to finish them the next day before we move on to the next day's lessons-- it never ends! We are doing great in English and math because those are stand-alone subjects!

 

I considered switching to Adventures this year and next year but I finally realized that MFW isn't open-and-go enough for me. I've switched to using Bigger my own way and we are so much happier. Next year I am considering a switch to SCM for history/geography/Bible (adding hands and hearts kits, etc...) so I can combine but in a way that is easier on me than MFW would be. I am also considering designing my own thing. I dread this up front I think we will be happier on a daily basis.

 

Not sure if my blathering has helped at all... let me know what you end up deciding on, it might inspire ME! :D

[mommy24angels]

:lurk5:

[raceNzanesmom]

Thoughts please. :)

 

I waffled around between the two last year, and spent hours comparing and researching. We finally decided to go with HOD, and we've actually been pretty happy. I'm expecting baby #5 and really needed my days spelled out for me. HOD has done that, and I love the book choices and the fact that it is simple yet thorough.

 

But I guess I'm suffering from a little bit of "grass is greener" syndrome. One reason is that HOD's teachers' guide is so detailed, and if I don't keep up with it, I get a little anxious. The 1 day spread is bothering me a little too. I'm wondering if I would do better with the week spread of MFW.

 

Also, 3rd grade dd is getting tired of pilgrims and homesteading. (and I kind of don't blame her) Since I've combined both of them into Beyond this year, she'll have even more of it next year with Bigger. So, I'm considering switching to MFW ECC for next year and deciding between the 2 after that.

 

Anyway, since I only have experience with HOD, I would love to hear from someone who has used both. (Keep in mind that combining my kids is important to me at this point)

 

I can't help with MFW, but, from what I read about Bigger, the time period is studied completely differently than in Beyond. We're actually looking forward to it.

 

I think the one day vs week spread is a personal preference. One reason I went with HOD over MFW is because I prefer the one day at a time planning. I know others prefer the week layout.

 

And, the grass is greenest where you water it. ;)

[jewel7123]

 

I am also having trouble with the daily schedule format. Everything is so intertwined that you can't get behind on any of the boxes. Poetry is related to the history which is related to Bible and science... We are so behind on our HOD work because if we don't have time to finish all of the boxes one day then we have to finish them the next day before we move on to the next day's lessons-- it never ends! We are doing great in English and math because those are stand-alone subjects!

 

 

Do you think if you were to create your own weekly grid and put Bigger's assignments in it you would be happier? Is everything intertwined per UNIT (week) or per DAY? So long as you completed all the assignments for the week would it still flow well or will it really not work unless you do each days poetry on the same day as the history box on the same day as the Science box, and so on?

 

I hope I'm making sense here, lol. :001_smile:

[Robin's Song]

Do you think if you were to create your own weekly grid and put Bigger's assignments in it you would be happier? Is everything intertwined per UNIT (week) or per DAY? So long as you completed all the assignments for the week would it still flow well or will it really not work unless you do each days poetry on the same day as the history box on the same day as the Science box, and so on?

 

I hope I'm making sense here, lol. :001_smile:

 

They are somewhat intertwined per day and by unit. Sometimes it may work to combine a few days but others it does not work well. I won't say that it can't be done, just that the curriculum does not lend itself well towards that end. I'll have to sit with my manual some more and see how this might be done, or if I can provide you with more concrete examples. :)

[Tenaj]

I've done both . . . we did MFW for two years and then switched to HOD this year and we love it. I'm actually running three guides because of the spread and abilities of my kids (and that doesn't even count my teens!). My 6yods is doing Little Hearts, my 8yods is doing Bigger and my 10yods is doing Preparing. There were two main reasons I switched out of MFW: The first was that I felt that trying to combine 2nd through 8th just wasn't working in our family. Someone was always either too young or too old for the material. The second has to do with the personalities of my boys. I have an 8yods who overshadows my 10yods with a very strong, enthusiastic personality as opposed to a very quiet, reserved older child. Narrations just weren't working because my 10yo was coasting along very quietly and letting my 8yods do all the work :) 10 yo needed a separate program.

 

The daily vs. weekly grid was bothering me for a while so I now have a spreadsheet for each child on which I list everything out for the week. That has helped me mentally to see what's coming up the next day, what we've done and where we need to go for the week.

 

I've also adjusted our schedule - Preparing is a four-day schedule with very long days so I do a weekly spreadsheet for him and on Friday we have a blank schedule (except for math). Anything that is left-over from the week gets done that day. I've adjusted Bigger the same way so we only do four days of work and have a light day on Friday. I don't mind slowing my 8yods down on this as that will mean I won't have to start repeating Preparing right away at the beginning of the next school year :)

 

I've been able to "let go" of the daily look of the HOD manual by using the grid. If we have a hard day and don't get through a whole "days" worth of work, the kids just finish their checklist from the previous day before beginning the next spread. That way we aren't getting way behind in any topic and our topics continue to match-up. One thing that has helped us also to visually not lose track of where we are is that I've torn our HOD manuals apart and put them in page protectors. When the kids complete a box, they stick a sticker on the page protector over that box. It's easy to see at a glance where they are and what needs to be done before going on to the next pages.

 

Best wishes as you decide the best path for your family.

[AngelBee]

Lurk

[Sue G in PA]

Janet, I am using 3 Guides here as well. Would you mind sharing your spreadsheet? There are weeks that I just can't get it together to finish all the boxes with all my dc. FWIW...we use Beyond, Bigger and RtR (my boys are mostly independent with this though). Thanks!

[Chelli]

Janet, I am using 3 Guides here as well. Would you mind sharing your spreadsheet? There are weeks that I just can't get it together to finish all the boxes with all my dc. FWIW...we use Beyond, Bigger and RtR (my boys are mostly independent with this though). Thanks!

 

I know I'm not who you asked but...

 

Here is a sample of the weekly spreadsheet I made for Bigger. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AuIl6qCFCseJdGdKanRmZHdCckc5ZDRuVWNmVzBIQkE&single=true&gid=0&output=html

 

If you would like a copy of it, I will email it to you.

[abrightmom]

I know I'm not who you asked but...

 

Here is a sample of the weekly spreadsheet I made for Bigger. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AuIl6qCFCseJdGdKanRmZHdCckc5ZDRuVWNmVzBIQkE&single=true&gid=0&output=html

 

If you would like a copy of it, I will email it to you.

 

Chelli,

 

Your spreadsheet looks great! Is it for you alone or does your DD use it? When you move up to PHFHG with "I" boxes will you modify your grid? How about when your youngers move up to the next guide? :001_smile:

Edited January 14, 2012 by abrightmom
silly iPad is ALWAYS editing for me...grrrrr.....

[abrightmom]

Janet, I am using 3 Guides here as well. Would you mind sharing your spreadsheet? There are weeks that I just can't get it together to finish all the boxes with all my dc. FWIW...we use Beyond, Bigger and RtR (my boys are mostly independent with this though). Thanks!

 

I'd love to hear more about JanOh's spreadsheet also!

[abrightmom]

Nm....oops! :)

[twoxcell]

Just wanted to chime in and say the history in Bigger is quite different than Beyond and I think we only read about the Pilgrims for about 2 units. My ds has loved the history in Bigger so far!

[twoxcell]

We haven't studied pilgrims in Bigger. :001_smile: So far we have studied Columbus, Cabot, Pocahontas, Squanto, and Myles Standish. There has been some mention of pilgrims here and there but only an occasional blip.

:iagree: Each unit is basically about one important historical figure.

[Chelli]

Chelli,

 

Your spreadsheet looks great! Is it for you alone or does your DD use it? When you move up to PHFHG with "I" boxes will you modify your grid? Hw abou when your you gets move up to the next guide? :001_smile:

 

Right now it is for me alone. I use a workbox type grid thing so that she knows what is next, but I don't give her a list of assignments yet. She does her independent work by me color coding it and using tabs.

 

Once we get to Preparing I will probably use Homeschool Skedtrack to enter her independent assignments only, but keep the weekly spreadsheet for me. I've used Homeschool Skedtrack in the past and like it a lot. You can enter the assignments for specific days (M, T, W, Th, F) and then whatever you don't finish is automatically looped onto the next day. So that will be her own thing to handle and accomplish. You can print out a week's view at a time or a single day, whichever she prefers.

 

I will probably keep modifying this plan as she moves up in the guides.

[Sue G in PA]

The spreadsheet looks great...thanks for sharing! I made a spreadsheet that incorporates all 7 of my children, the guides they use and times to work with each. It was beautiful. Simply a work of art..on paper. :glare: In practice, it left me feeling like a chicken with her head cut off running around trying to get to each kid at the right time slot, etc. Block scheduling works so much better for us but it's not perfect. I find myself just skipping stuff here and there b/c it is too much for me. 7 of them...1 of me. :001_huh: I was hoping somebody who was running more than 1 guide like I am could share a spreadsheet of how they keep it all on track. KWIM? Cause I'm at a loss. :tongue_smilie:

[Tenaj]

Janet, I am using 3 Guides here as well. Would you mind sharing your spreadsheet? There are weeks that I just can't get it together to finish all the boxes with all my dc. FWIW...we use Beyond, Bigger and RtR (my boys are mostly independent with this though). Thanks!

 

My spreadsheet looks pretty much like the one posted upthread - I don't put all the detail on it though because we use the actual manual for directions and page numbers. I just put the book title, or name or lesson number (math and grammar for example). I need to figure out how to upload or link these things . . . I'm befuddled by it and have tried it several times to no avail :confused:

 

As far as doing the three guides, I should sit down and do a spreadsheet that would incorporate everyone's schedule but I haven't figured it out. I basically just juggle everyday until we're all done. I tend to do chunks of time with each kid. In general, we all start with math and then I spend about 1/2 hour with the child in Preparing, then 1/2 hour with Bigger and then 1/2 on phonics with the 6 yo and I just keep rotating.

 

Many times I do end up having the kids in Preparing and Bigger read their own story time because I just can't get to it . . . not my ideal but they are both great readers and that's the way it is. I love, love, love the independence I see happening in Preparing and am looking forward to CtC next year.

 

As far as doing all the boxes everyday . . . . sometimes it's impossible - that's why I've had to let go of the idea of really finishing everything every day. The four-day schedule for everyone gives us enough of a cushion that we can at least get those four days completed and I can keep a healthy attitude towards school.

[abrightmom]

Right now it is for me alone. I use a workbox type grid thing so that she knows what is next, but I don't give her a list of assignments yet. She does her independent work by me color coding it and using tabs.

 

Once we get to Preparing I will probably use Homeschool Skedtrack to enter her independent assignments only, but keep the weekly spreadsheet for me. I've used Homeschool Skedtrack in the past and like it a lot. You can enter the assignments for specific days (M, T, W, Th, F) and then whatever you don't finish is automatically looped onto the next day. So that will be her own thing to handle and accomplish. You can print out a week's view at a time or a single day, whichever she prefers.

 

I will probably keep modifying this plan as she moves up in the guides.

Chelli,

 

I love your ideas! Wonderful. So sorry about the WEIRD typos in my previous post. They made NO sense! My iPad LOVES to edit for me and it is NOT a good editor. It just makes me sound like an idiot! :D

[Tamberly]

This is my second year using HOD, for my 8 year old, who is now in Bigger.

I'm having a baby next week but it's only my 4th :) so I can relate some. We are also considering using MFW ECC next year, though for the content not so much a change - my daughter LOVES learning about other cultures and will often read about how other countries live just for fun.

Anyways, we tweak Bigger A LOT. She has difficulty transitioning (always has) so we minimize it and do longer lessons.

Eg:

Bible - we do about 2 times per week. Combine day 1 and 2 discussions, write her verse and character trait in her notebook on the first day, do the day 4 and 5 reading on a different day.

History - Read day 1 and 2 on Monday, day 3 and 4 on Wed, then note booking/timeline on Friday. Sometimes we skip the activities if they don't have enough educational value for the time it takes.

Science - not a fan of theirs so we do twice a week, and the AIG the rest of the time.

Poetry - only once a week, to discuss meaning and whatever technique it is teaching.

Storytime- about three times a week. We combine narration with whatever else it's teaching.

Anyways, the point is I feel this takes less time and still accomplishes the important stuff without taking as much time.

So tweak to meet your needs! Don't let it own you :)

[KeriJ]

I know I'm not who you asked but...

 

Here is a sample of the weekly spreadsheet I made for Bigger. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AuIl6qCFCseJdGdKanRmZHdCckc5ZDRuVWNmVzBIQkE&single=true&gid=0&output=html

 

If you would like a copy of it, I will email it to you.

 

I would love a copy! I'll message you my email if you don't mind.

[KeriJ]

Good thoughts everyone. Still pondering. I know there is no perfect plan out there, and we still really love HOD. but DH got excited over the idea of ECC and learning about different countries...as did dd.

 

I always tell everyone else to make the guide work for you rather than being a slave to it, but I'm finding it's easier said than done for me.

 

I'm still sometimes tempted to make my own thing for next year, but then I love the auto-pilot factor on days of 1st trimester or post-partum fogginess.

 

Dh made the comment that if I am capable of putting together my own plan, then I am certainly capable of tweaking an existing one. Hmmmmm. Still considering that.

 

Now I'm rambling....:)

[happyWImom]

Good thoughts everyone. Still pondering. I know there is no perfect plan out there, and we still really love HOD. but DH got excited over the idea of ECC and learning about different countries...as did dd.

 

I always tell everyone else to make the guide work for you rather than being a slave to it, but I'm finding it's easier said than done for me.

 

I'm still sometimes tempted to make my own thing for next year, but then I love the auto-pilot factor on days of 1st trimester or post-partum fogginess.

 

Dh made the comment that if I am capable of putting together my own plan, then I am certainly capable of tweaking an existing one. Hmmmmm. Still considering that.

 

Now I'm rambling....:)

 

Well, you could add it a country study. Even with ECC, I am constantly ordering more books and more DVD's on each country from the library, because my dc get so much more out of it that way. You could either put together your own country study (very easy, really) or you could try to get a really inexpensive copy of ECC to use as a guide while you continue with HOD.

[Donna A.]

Good thoughts everyone. Still pondering. I know there is no perfect plan out there, and we still really love HOD. but DH got excited over the idea of ECC and learning about different countries...as did dd.

 

I've been lurking as I'm trying to decide whether to continue with MFW or HOD with my youngest. (The older two are already on an independent path.) Both are beautiful programs, each with its own uniqueness, which makes it a hard decision. But my enthusiasm for the missions emphasis of MFW was renewed at church today as we had a missionary from Indonesia speak and share about the Bible translation work they're doing there (w/Wycliffe).

 

Ideally, I'd love to combine HOD and MFW, and I've been trying to do that, but.... it's extremely difficult and time consuming to plan it out. :001_huh: Partly because they don't exactly line up, and partly because I have to pick and choose how much we can realistically do from each program every week. I guess it's really more time consuming than difficult. I feel like I'm trying to reinvent the wheel. :tongue_smilie:

 

I think it's probably easiest to use MFW as our base, then add in books from HOD where they fit. Otherwise, what I find I have to do is alternate between the two, devoting a whole week (or more) to first one program and then the other, staggering between the two. That's just crazy on every level! Not to mention that there's no way we can fit it ALL in, so it would take 12-1/2 years to complete 8 years of elementary work. :willy_nilly:

 

Dh made the comment that if I am capable of putting together my own plan, then I am certainly capable of tweaking an existing one. Hmmmmm. Still considering that.

Yeah, well.... The Queen of Tweaking (yours truly) is here to tell you that if you're already tweaking in your mind, then you're gonna' tweak every single piece of curriculum you ever lay a hand on. :D

 

I find that whichever "program" I'm using (or trying to use), it really ends up being a "guide" to help keep me on track through the year. But it's doubtful that I'll ever do an entire week of anything exactly as written. ;)

[Donna A.]

or you could try to get a really inexpensive copy of ECC to use as a guide while you continue with HOD.

 

I think you'd still end up having to "alternate" between ECC and whatever HOD program you're doing... vs. trying to do both simultaneously. You can do the country studies easily enough because of the way ECC is set up in units by continent. Just pick the unit (continent) which corresponds to whatever part of the world you're studying in HOD's history. But you'd lose something in the Bible/missions part of ECC doing it that way. I haven't yet figured out how to keep the Bible part of ECC going while doing HOD... and to me, that's almost more important than the geography part of it. I'm still working on a plan, though! ;)

[Sue G in PA]

I wanted to pop in again and share our experience with ECC. ECC was the first MFW Guide we used (with the exception of K)...and the last. I LOVED the idea of studying different countries and cultures esp. with a focus on missions. The guide looked like so much fun, I researched books to go along with each country/culture, etc. We dove right in...all 4 of my school-aged dc (ranging in age from 6th gr. down to 1st) with my PreKer just tagging along and coloring flags and such. The first month (say 4-5 weeks) were okay. They enjoyed the mapping games, coloring the flags, the crafts, cooking, etc. They never enjoyed the workbook pages and much to my dismay, didn't enjoy the book about the different cultures. :glare: We trudged through for about 15 weeks until we gave up. It had become a chore. I considered doing MFW CtC but was too jaded from using ECC. We used MOH instead. And then we found HOD. :D Do you want to keep your dc combined in HOD? Have you re-checked the placement charts? We ended up skipping CtC and moving right to RtR after doing Preparing b/c my older boys both placed securely in that Guide. We ended up moving ds10 down to Bigger and putting ds8 and dd6 in Beyond. It's tough to juggle 3 Guides, but I "tweak" a bunch and skip some things that they already know (a lot of the Geography stuff my dc already know) to make it work. Just wanted to share our experience. I will add, in all fairness, that many MFW users have said that ECC was their favorite year. So YMMV. :D

[Donna A.]

I will add, in all fairness, that many MFW users have said that ECC was their favorite year.

 

Yeah, and others say it was their least favorite. It seems like most people either love ECC or hate it. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. :tongue_smilie: I think you have to decide whether it's just geography you're looking for, or the missions emphasis with the study of real people and real problems that can only be solved through the Gospel. If you primarily just want the geography, go with something less complicated to use. ;) But the real heart of ECC is the missions & "people" part of it... at least for our family.

[Sue G in PA]

Yeah, and others say it was their least favorite. It seems like most people either love ECC or hate it. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. :tongue_smilie: I think you have to decide whether it's just geography you're looking for, or the missions emphasis with the study of real people and real problems that can only be solved through the Gospel. If you primarily just want the geography, go with something less complicated to use. ;) But the real heart of ECC is the missions & "people" part of it... at least for our family.

 

Donna, I agree about the love/hate thing with ECC. And I also agree about the missions/people focus being central. I was very disappointed that my children didn't enjoy this part as much as I did. I often wondered if we gave it another try now that they are older if they would. But, I am too happy with HOD now to go back. :D

[Donna A.]

Donna, I agree about the love/hate thing with ECC. And I also agree about the missions/people focus being central. I was very disappointed that my children didn't enjoy this part as much as I did. I often wondered if we gave it another try now that they are older if they would. But, I am too happy with HOD now to go back. :D

 

I do think age makes a difference with ECC, particularly on the abstract "prayer needs" part of it.

[KeriJ]

......and today, we had a really good day with HOD. Who knows. We could always just do a countries unit over a summer.....

[mom2boys030507]

Just to add to your confusion. You could look at doing a year of Galloping the Globe.

[KeriJ]

The blessing about HOD going so well today is that I realized how quickly we are able to get through it at this point. Which leaves room for other things. So my thoughts now are to continue on with HOD and add to it as the mood hits us.

 

Thank you to the pp who reminded me that "the grass is greener where you water it". I really need to stick it out a little longer before I jump ship. :)

 

How time-intensive is Galloping the Globe? That is one I had considered.

[jer2911mom]

Keri, do you have the book Children Just Like Me? It gives a neat overview of how children live around the world. (I was just thinking it would make for some fun summer reading. My dd7 really likes this book.)

 

Kathy

[mom2boys030507]

I found Galloping the Globe to be only as time intensive as I wanted it to be. Some countries we would find on a map, color the flag, and read a little bit about. Others, we would also do crafts, make food, and read lots about. It is all up to you. I just find the books is a good jumping off point.

[KeriJ]

Keri, do you have the book Children Just Like Me? It gives a neat overview of how children live around the world. (I was just thinking it would make for some fun summer reading. My dd7 really likes this book.)

 

Kathy

 

I'll check on that one. thank you.

[KeriJ]

I found Galloping the Globe to be only as time intensive as I wanted it to be. Some countries we would find on a map, color the flag, and read a little bit about. Others, we would also do crafts, make food, and read lots about. It is all up to you. I just find the books is a good jumping off point.

 

 

Good to know. That's what I was hoping. :)

[coffeefreak]

]I wanted to pop in again and share our experience with ECC. ECC was the first MFW Guide we used (with the exception of K)...and the last. I LOVED the idea of studying different countries and cultures esp. with a focus on missions. The guide looked like so much fun' date=' I researched books to go along with each country/culture, etc. We dove right in...all 4 of my school-aged dc (ranging in age from 6th gr. down to 1st) with my PreKer just tagging along and coloring flags and such. The first month (say 4-5 weeks) were okay. They enjoyed the mapping games, coloring the flags, the crafts, cooking, etc. They never enjoyed the workbook pages and much to my dismay, didn't enjoy the book about the different cultures. :glare: We trudged through for about 15 weeks until we gave up. It had become a chore. I considered doing MFW CtC but was too jaded from using ECC.[/b'] We used MOH instead. And then we found HOD. :D Do you want to keep your dc combined in HOD? Have you re-checked the placement charts? We ended up skipping CtC and moving right to RtR after doing Preparing b/c my older boys both placed securely in that Guide. We ended up moving ds10 down to Bigger and putting ds8 and dd6 in Beyond. It's tough to juggle 3 Guides, but I "tweak" a bunch and skip some things that they already know (a lot of the Geography stuff my dc already know) to make it work. Just wanted to share our experience. I will add, in all fairness, that many MFW users have said that ECC was their favorite year. So YMMV. :D

 

:iagree:

I was just going to say this! We have used two other years of MFW and loved it! We were excited to do ECC. We LOVE geography AND missions, so that had nothing to do with it. It had to do with the B.O.R.I.N.G. books, the student sheets were above my 3rd grader's head, and I personally thought it moved way too slow. My girls wanted to jump right into other countries and it took 8 weeks to get through the intro and North America. We were done. I couldn't even get my girls to engage anymore. We'll be using MOH until we cycle back to the MFW years we enjoyed.

 

 

Yeah, and others say it was their least favorite. It seems like most people either love ECC or hate it. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. :tongue_smilie: I think you have to decide whether it's just geography you're looking for, or the missions emphasis with the study of real people and real problems that can only be solved through the Gospel. If you primarily just want the geography, go with something less complicated to use. ;) But the real heart of ECC is the missions & "people" part of it... at least for our family.

 

I have heard and heard that, but I don't think they do a very good job of engaging the kids. The books are so boring! They are so above the heads of a 3rd or 4th grader, but even my 6th grader was bored. I think MFW would do better to use Missionary Stories with the Millers, or other books like that.n They need to re-vamp that program to make it friendly for the younger kids.

 

......and today, we had a really good day with HOD. Who knows. We could always just do a countries unit over a summer.....

 

Look into Galloping the Globe. I used it with my oldest and wish I had just started with it again this year. We're using it now and I am in love. It would be very easy to combine GTG with HOD. I haven't used HOD (never been able to fit my girls in with the program), but it seems to me that you could do a country a month, and maybe do one activity, and one book a week. The book is only $22 on Amazon, and most of the books they use can be found at your local library.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

[Laura in MI]

I know I'm not who you asked but...

 

Here is a sample of the weekly spreadsheet I made for Bigger. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AuIl6qCFCseJdGdKanRmZHdCckc5ZDRuVWNmVzBIQkE&single=true&gid=0&output=html

 

If you would like a copy of it, I will email it to you.

 

I PM'd you :)

Edited January 18, 2012 by Laura in MI

[Mallorie]

Dorinda, can I ask which years of MFW you liked the best? We are doing ECC, and I'm curious how CtG compares.

[Donna A.]

I have heard and heard that, but I don't think they do a very good job of engaging the kids. The books are so boring! They are so above the heads of a 3rd or 4th grader, but even my 6th grader was bored. I think MFW would do better to use Missionary Stories with the Millers, or other books like that.n They need to re-vamp that program to make it friendly for the younger kids.

 

Did you not get any of the books that were in Book Basket? Also, some people buy books from SL to use in lieu of Book Basket.

 

I'd like to see MFW incorporate A Child's Geography somehow, but it's not likely since they just revised ECC a couple years ago.

 

Look into Galloping the Globe. I used it with my oldest and wish I had just started with it again this year. We're using it now and I am in love. It would be very easy to combine GTG with HOD. I haven't used HOD (never been able to fit my girls in with the program), but it seems to me that you could do a country a month, and maybe do one activity, and one book a week. The book is only $22 on Amazon, and most of the books they use can be found at your local library.

 

The nice thing about GtG is that each country is a stand-alone unit, and there's no "continuation" of Bible from one continent to the next like there is in ECC. You can plug in a country from GtG wherever you want. :)

 

But you'd have to figure out where to put HOD "on hold" in order to do the GtG units. Which is not that big of a deal, really. Just something to keep in mind.

[Donna A.]

Dorinda, can I ask which years of MFW you liked the best? We are doing ECC, and I'm curious how CtG compares.

 

Not Dorinda, but they're very different in that CTG and the other history years flow better because it's telling a "story" -- the story of God's people and the ancients. It's based on time. ECC is based on space and separate groups of people around the world. So they just have a different feel from one another, and you know that with CTG, the story continues.

 

You also read much more of the Bible in CTG than in ECC, since of course you're studying the OT and ancients period, and therefore read large chunks of the Old Testament at the elementary level.

 

Israel (geography) is not studied in ECC, but it's studied in great detail in CTG.

 

But see..... there's another year of MFW and HOD that would be great to combine somehow (CTG and CTC). I actually tried that one year. :001_huh: If I was going to do it again, I'd plan ahead better.

[abrightmom]

Look into Galloping the Globe. I used it with my oldest and wish I had just started with it again this year. We're using it now and I am in love. It would be very easy to combine GTG with HOD. I haven't used HOD (never been able to fit my girls in with the program), but it seems to me that you could do a country a month, and maybe do one activity, and one book a week.

:iagree: with this! We are moving toward something like this. I picked up Galloping the Globe and bought all of the recommended Core Books. They are BEAUTIFUL. I also bought blank passports for the kids from Rainbow Resource.

 

I really want to drop Bigger and just do GTG with all of the kids for awhile, picking up HOD with Preparing in 2013. But, my oldest really likes Bigger right now. :001_smile: I might take a week or two off Bigger and whet his appetite with GTG. It really looks like so much fun with wonderful, wonderful books to read.

 

I also agree with Dorinda about ECC. It really looks like such fun but I found that many of the books and worksheets were just too much for a family where the oldest kid is 3rd or 4th grade! It felt like a lot of waste to me. The Bible focus is the Gospel of Matthew read out loud and talked about. That is something that can easily be done at home with a simpler, less "full" program (i.e. Galloping the Globe or Expedition Earth). ECC would ROCK in my family if all of my kids were middle to upper elementary/middle school. :001_smile:

[abrightmom]

But see..... there's another year of MFW and HOD that would be great to combine somehow (CTG and CTC). I actually tried that one year. :001_huh: If I was going to do it again, I'd plan ahead better.

 

Donna,

 

:D:D Why on earth would a Mom want to combine CTG and CTC???? I'm dying to know!!! CTC is a challenging year, especially with the reading. Then there's the whole notebooking thing. HOD's notebooking is SO different from MFW's....

 

And HOD is just so very full with so much to do!!!

 

Oh please enlighten me. :001_smile: What did you do and why?

 

I am trying hard to stay with HOD but running so many guides provokes insanity for me. Right now I'm running ONE for my oldest and letting the youngers work on their 3 R's. Sigh.

[Donna A.]

Donna,

 

:D:D Why on earth would a Mom want to combine CTG and CTC???? I'm dying to know!!! CTC is a challenging year, especially with the reading. Then there's the whole notebooking thing. HOD's notebooking is SO different from MFW's....

 

And HOD is just so very full with so much to do!!!

 

Oh please enlighten me. :001_smile: What did you do and why?

 

The shortest answer is that I'm crazy and I mess with curriculum like that. :lol:

 

Really, though, I just wanted to glean from the best of both programs.... but it's *too much* to try to do both. HOD CTC is *very*, very full.... too full, too time consuming, and too tedious for some kids. You can't do both. It IS feasible to alternate between the two (not trying to do both in the same weeks), but of course that would take twice as long to get through everything. In the end, I found CTG a lot more efficient to get done. It just depends on how detailed you want everything to be and how long you want it to take.

 

CTC had some gold nuggets in it that *I* enjoyed a lot more than my dd did, but I think she would've seen the purpose in them if we'd finished out the year and had that beautiful notebook for her to look back on. However, it was very tedious work for her, so.... it's a trade-off. :tongue_smilie: (And yes, I placed her according to the charts. I personally think those charts are off a bit, as I've experienced the same problem every time I've purchased a program for one of my two younger children, several times now.)

 

I am trying hard to stay with HOD but running so many guides provokes insanity for me. Right now I'm running ONE for my oldest and letting the youngers work on their 3 R's. Sigh

This is exactly what I've done over the past few months. I started Bigger with my youngest in the fall, and had to set it aside to work more on her reading and writing skills (despite having placed squarely in Bigger according to the charts), as she's delayed due to a speech disorder/LDs. I'm trying to do it again now, but she says she doesn't "like history". :confused: So I'm skipping all the "scripted talk to mom" and sort of doing my own thing with it, including some activities from MFW Adventures.

 

She LOVES the spelling, poetry, and Bible in Bigger. The science is.... eh.

 

Meanwhile, my 7th grader has been doing MOH 2 this fall, with a few assignments here and there from RTR. Right now we're just about at the point where RTR starts scheduling MOH 3, so I'm going to "shift" her to working primarily from RTR (left side only) in about two weeks.

[Mallorie]

 

:D:D Why on earth would a Mom want to combine CTG and CTC???? I'm dying to know!!! CTC is a challenging year, especially with the reading. Then there's the whole notebooking thing. HOD's notebooking is SO different from MFW

 

Ok, now I need to know the differences in notebooking between HOD and MFW?? I'm curious. I've only used MFW ECC and I've never used HOD.

 

Thanks, Donna, for the clarification of ECC vs. CtG.

 

I will have a 3rd and 6th grader next year, and I'm thinking combining will be easier with MFW. I don't know if I could juggle two guides~ i'm still feeling so new to hs'ing, despite this being our 2nd year.

[abrightmom]

The shortest answer is that I'm crazy and I mess with curriculum like that. :lol:

 

Really, though, I just wanted to glean from the best of both programs.... but it's *too much* to try to do both. HOD CTC is *very*, very full.... too full, too time consuming, and too tedious for some kids. You can't do both. It IS feasible to alternate between the two (not trying to do both in the same weeks), but of course that would take twice as long to get through everything. In the end, I found CTG a lot more efficient to get done. It just depends on how detailed you want everything to be and how long you want it to take.

 

CTC had some gold nuggets in it that *I* enjoyed a lot more than my dd did, but I think she would've seen the purpose in them if we'd finished out the year and had that beautiful notebook for her to look back on. However, it was very tedious work for her, so.... it's a trade-off. :tongue_smilie: (And yes, I placed her according to the charts. I personally think those charts are off a bit, as I've experienced the same problem every time I've purchased a program for one of my two younger children, several times now.)

 

This is exactly what I've done over the past few months. I started Bigger with my youngest in the fall, and had to set it aside to work more on her reading and writing skills (despite having placed squarely in Bigger according to the charts), as she's delayed due to a speech disorder/LDs. I'm trying to do it again now, but she says she doesn't "like history". :confused: So I'm skipping all the "scripted talk to mom" and sort of doing my own thing with it, including some activities from MFW Adventures.

 

She LOVES the spelling, poetry, and Bible in Bigger. The science is.... eh.

 

Meanwhile, my 7th grader has been doing MOH 2 this fall, with a few assignments here and there from RTR. Right now we're just about at the point where RTR starts scheduling MOH 3, so I'm going to "shift" her to working primarily from RTR (left side only) in about two weeks.

 

Donna,

 

:001_smile: Thanks for sharing!

 

Do you have a short list of what CTC provided for you that MFW did not? Are they on equal ground in any way?

 

When you say "tedious" what do you mean? Do you mean that there is a lot to do, detailed vs. open ended assignments, or.... ? Based on your kids, what age/grade do you think CTC is best for? What about RTR? Why did you drop MFW for your 7th grader?

 

I've considered using MFW for Creation to Christ, thus avoiding the Guerber text and the painting (!), and then shifting over to HOD. However, I'd hate to miss the notebook for CTC with HOD. :001_smile:

 

Placement via the placement chart hasn't been ideal for me either. It is a great starting point but it's unrealistic to think that any chart is really going to assess your child's readiness for a "program". It can't gauge a child's attention span or comprehension level. For example, my child can write and loves to write but he lacks the comprehension needed to be in the guide he places in. This is not a fault of HOD or the placement chart. It's just how we happen to fit. :glare:

[Julie in MN]

The books are so boring! They are so above the heads of a 3rd or 4th grader, but even my 6th grader was bored. I think MFW would do better to use Missionary Stories with the Millers, or other books like that.n They need to re-vamp that program to make it friendly for the younger kids.

 

Look into Galloping the Globe. I used it with my oldest and wish I had just started with it again this year. We're using it now and I am in love.

Well, ahem, maybe we should clarify that this is one family's experience? My son was in 3rd grade the first time with ECC, had just come home from public school, and he loved the YWAM missionary books so much that we read many extras. We did also read a couple of Missionary Stories With the Millers during reading time, but they were just short little "stories" and didn't have any impact on my son. Whereas I credit the YWAM bios with really changing my son's view of what a hero is, and what a lifetime accomplishment can be. I do remember the first one on Cameron seemed long to me. It had exciting events like an earthquake, but really the focus was on hearing about one man's mission for getting the Bible to people in their "heart" language, so it seemed very tame to me. But at the end, my son expressed awe at the idea of meeting Cameron, and wanted to read more of these great bios. So yes, a 3rd grader can love those more than the Millers :)

 

Ds did Galloping in a co-op one year and he wasn't in love, but that's not my area of expertise.

 

I also agree with Dorinda about ECC. It really looks like such fun but I found that many of the books and worksheets were just too much for a family where the oldest kid is 3rd or 4th grade! It felt like a lot of waste to me. The Bible focus is the Gospel of Matthew read out loud and talked about. That is something that can easily be done at home with a simpler, less "full" program (i.e. Galloping the Globe or Expedition Earth). ECC would ROCK in my family if all of my kids were middle to upper elementary/middle school. :001_smile:

I'm really scratching my head now. What worksheets? You can't mean the little Trip Around The World worksheets that are meant for little ones? Are you thinking about the Geography worksheets that are not meant for 3rd graders at all? Or maybe it's the maps - I agree there's a lot there. Sometimes my son would just outline the oceans in blue, rather than color in; sometimes he'd combine a couple of maps. But learning all the info on a map was a main skill learned, so it felt appropriate to me? Maybe I was used to the public schools at that point, I don't know, but it felt weighted towards hands-on and stories to us.

 

And the Bible for us was very full, with Matthew readings, copywork, Hero Tales (and copywork there, too), and prayer focuses. And best of all, we really were in the Bible, every day, it wasn't just good intentions that got put off again and again. Altogether, the Bible portion was a lovely preparation for starting the history cycle the next year with prayer for those who don't know Jesus yet.

 

My son did ECC again in 8th grade and it was "informative" and "solid," but it wasn't the fun year we had in 3rd. We didn't have time to try fairy tales from all the different countries. We didn't spend as much time doing the optional activity ideas from Trip Around the World. We didn't grow as many plants or cook as many foods. It was a good prep for high school, but for us, ECC was at its very best in 3rd grade :)

 

Hope I'm not overstepping, but I just had my eyes popping a bit when the posts came up.

Julie

[abrightmom]

Well, ahem, maybe we should clarify that this is one family's experience? My son was in 3rd grade the first time with ECC, had just come home from public school, and he loved the YWAM missionary books so much that we read many extras. We did also read a couple of Missionary Stories With the Millers during reading time, but they were just short little "stories" and didn't have any impact on my son. Whereas I credit the YWAM bios with really changing my son's view of what a hero is, and what a lifetime accomplishment can be. I do remember the first one on Cameron seemed long to me. It had exciting events like an earthquake, but really the focus was on hearing about one man's mission for getting the Bible to people in their "heart" language, so it seemed very tame to me. But at the end, my son expressed awe at the idea of meeting Cameron, and wanted to read more of these great bios. So yes, a 3rd grader can love those more than the Millers :)

 

Ds did Galloping in a co-op one year and he wasn't in love, but that's not my area of expertise.

 

 

I'm really scratching my head now. What worksheets? You can't mean the little Trip Around The World worksheets that are meant for little ones? Are you thinking about the Geography worksheets that are not meant for 3rd graders at all? Or maybe it's the maps - I agree there's a lot there. Sometimes my son would just outline the oceans in blue, rather than color in; sometimes he'd combine a couple of maps. But learning all the info on a map was a main skill learned, so it felt appropriate to me? Maybe I was used to the public schools at that point, I don't know, but it felt weighted towards hands-on and stories to us.

 

And the Bible for us was very full, with Matthew readings, copywork, Hero Tales (and copywork there, too), and prayer focuses. And best of all, we really were in the Bible, every day, it wasn't just good intentions that got put off again and again. Altogether, the Bible portion was a lovely preparation for starting the history cycle the next year with prayer for those who don't know Jesus yet.

 

My son did ECC again in 8th grade and it was "informative" and "solid," but it wasn't the fun year we had in 3rd. We didn't have time to try fairy tales from all the different countries. We didn't spend as much time doing the optional activity ideas from Trip Around the World. We didn't grow as many plants or cook as many foods. It was a good prep for high school, but for us, ECC was at its very best in 3rd grade :)

 

Hope I'm not overstepping, but I just had my eyes popping a bit when the posts came up.

Julie

 

Julie,

 

MFW is a fantastic curriculum. :001_smile: We had wonderful school years with First and Adventures. My boys LOVED Adventures! ECC came home with me at convention last summer. I think that my rising 3rd grader would have loved a lot of it but there was just so much more than I wanted for my group. If my oldest was my only student then perhaps I wouldn't have returned it. I called and talked to Bret in the office after realizing my concerns about it fitting. I prayed, pondered, and decided it wasn't the right time for this crew to study with ECC. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE ECC and dreamed about using it with my kids for years.

 

I guess what I am saying is that for some families and seasons it doesn't fit. Using something like Galloping the Globe keeps the approach simpler and more accessible to a younger crowd without having to set aside so many resources my particular students aren't ready for.

 

Who knows though! I hate all this planning and keep popping over to MFW to peek at ECC. :D:D

[jer2911mom]

Julie, Katrina, and Dorinda, I was curious if you are discussing the same version of ECC. Wasn't it updated recently?

 

Thanks,

Kathy

[Julie in MN]

I guess what I am saying is that for some families and seasons it doesn't fit.

 

Oh, sure, I think that's true of everything. I just didn't see that coming through in those original posts I was reading & quoting. So I just felt an irresistible impulse to share my own 3rd grader's experience to balance what I was reading :) Thanks for chiming back in.

 

I agree we all vary, and in the end I always like to remember that some of our greatest forefathers were educated on nothing but a Bible and firelight, and they went on to great things. But I was just adding that the ECC materials seemed very streamlined for our needs, and we didn't set aside anything except the Geography book that was for older kids (we saved it and he used it in 8th grade). Granted, I was teaching my youngest child, but I often have my grandson here, too. When my son was doing ECC in 8th, dgs was 3 and loved participating in things like the music and dressing up in a turban, and that was enough learnin' for him ;)

 

Julie