Can you tell me more about Heart of Dakota?

[BlessedMom]

Pros & cons? How does it differ from other programs like WP, MFW, etc......

[birchbark]

I'd be interested in hearing how it compares with My Father's World especially.

[MommyInTraining]

:lurk5:

[MrsMe]

Let's see. HOD is not as exhausting as far as reading goes as WP, but it is still literature-based. You're not reading several books at the same time for a single subject, but you are using living books.

 

HOD uses some physical activities for Bible Verse memory, like hopping and bouncing balls and going back and forth from mom to student to remember the verses. The bible verse has to do with the history's key ideas, so it also ties in w/application. Unlike MFW, it does not read a lot of verses at a time, but may a few surrounding the verse at hand. MFW bible has more bible-related activities for the verse where HOD has more application. Once a week or every two, there's a bible activity/craft.

 

Unlike MFW & WP science isn't continuous in subject. If the history is about landing at Pilgrim's rock, you may do a science activity on the ocean shelf and why they would have to keep the ship so far away.

 

HOD has easier crafts than WP, they're not from a book. They're pretty homemade as are MFW's. But you need less "yogurt cups and milk cartons" for HOD than MFW. So you need to save less crazy stuff around the house in comparison to MFW.

 

WP clearly has it's bulk it it's title...The brunt is science or history, where HOD is pretty evened out throughout it's subjects.

 

They are all -all-in-one, but it's easier to be "off" in WP than MFW or HOD. If get out of schedule w/history in HOD, you'll be out of sinc w/science. Same as MFW. But not so much as WP, because they're programs are science or history and if you add in either, it most likely will be an outside source that doesn't correlate w/the rest of it.

 

HOD is the least expensive, then MFW, the WP being the most expensive.

 

HOD includes comprehension questions and genre's in it's reading per book, where the other two don't. You have to do that on your own.

 

I think if you're child is very academic and loves reading, WP is good. It delves deep. MFW and HOD are more topical in the age levels it specifies. Although I would say that HOD is less topical than MFW as far as Adventures vs. Beyond goes. If your child likes to have some fun, HOD is a good choice. MFW the most biblical and contains a lot of straight reading from the bible and WP is the least adding in a bible book without any applications or verse readings. MFW has longer bible verses to remember and HOD has shorter more applicable ones for the age levels giving you ideas to make them stick. MFW has one verse every 2 weeks or so and HOD has them once a week, but they're easier to remember.

 

I've used MFW K and Adventures, WP AW, AS1, HOD "Beyond".

 

You can use HOD for every single subject or use your own English, Phonics and Math. Same w/MFW. WP you NEED to buy math, LA, reading, phonics separately.

 

I'm sure more will chime in with ideas I forgot.

[tkeller]

Great post! Thanks for the comparison, it is really helpful. We are using HOD as well, but only for PreK so far so I'm not much of a help. :) I do like how you don't really have to add bible in as a seperate subject because it is intertwined in with all the subjects!

[angela&4boys]

Let's see....

 

I'm sure more will chime in with ideas I forgot.

 

Oh my goodness - you didn't forget a thing that I can think of! Not the op, but this is an excellent comparison! Thank you.

[hmschooling]

The pp summed it up well. I'd have to see the core of HOD is bible and that it's the most Christ-Centered curriculum I've ever seen! I'm a former MFW user as well. I've used MFW Pre-K, K, 1st and part of ECC. I always had burnout from MFW not long into it b/c of the amount of time it took and how much weird stuff we needed for crafts and such.

 

HOD we've been at for 17 weeks and no burnout! We've usually had everything we've needed for all the projects and experiments and activities. HOD is more rigorous than MFW in many areas and yet easier to implement. It takes a gentle approach in the early years like MFW, but doesn't go so gently that you have to really hit it hard in the middle school years. There is a steady progression in all subjects each day and they are usually all tied in together. I like the cohesiveness of how Bible branches out into application in our lives, the lives of those we are reading about in history and the science we study which is also tied in with the history reading.

 

Math activities are planned out as well for up to Singapore level 2. Then every guide has a schedule for the other levels that fall within the age range.

 

MFW tailors to the olders and drags the youngers in to let them "catch what they can of it" where as HOD tailors to the youngers and gives you book choices to beef it up for olders. You can easily use it with kids within a short age range (maybe up to 3 years apart, and more if you get the "beef it up" extension packs!) It's easy enough to do time wise and it's so open-and-go that you can easily use 2-4 guides to tailor to your children. I have 3 children (age 2.5, 5 and 7.5) and use 2 guides right now. We can easily be done by lunch even if we don't start until 9 or 10 (including 2yo interruptions!)

 

There is much more reading aloud in MFW since you are reading books for older kids but your youngers have to hear it b/c it's too far above their heads to read for themselves. With HOD you have a storytime and you can read the history or have your child read it, as well as science. It's a very mangageable amount for each story time...with MFW, it was a l o n g reading each time. The storytime in HOD is meant to help children mature in their listening skills so it starts off very short and gets longer with each guide but is always reasonable.

 

HOD has a very solid reading program (Drawn Into the Heart of Reading) whereas MFW doesn't have anything like that. It's multi-level teaching for the youngest independent reader (about 2nd grade) up to 8th or so...then each child has their own level books to read and activity book to work from but all the kids are on the same genre and studying the same character traits from it.

 

HOD has been wonderful for us. If you want to see into it a little, you can look at my blog at this link as well as check out the forums here. You can look in there for "week in review" where moms post lots of pictures. The moms there are VERY helpful and the author is on the board.

 

Oh, HOD uses Rod and Staff English and ALL subjects are PLANNED, not just noted to do that subject like in MFW. Also, MFW uses a weekly grid format and you have to jump page to page for the notes on different subjects for different days. HOD is all on a 2 page spread in neat boxes with notes right there, and it's a perfect bound book. No flipping and it lays flat. I had to make LOTS of copies with MFW. I haven't needed to make any for HOD and it's saved me lots of money! It was cheaper too.

 

You don't have to go to the library with HOD, unless you choose not to get book packs they offer in order to either spend less money or in order to use books you already have or want to use. You have a lot of flexibility with HOD with storytime and reading books. It uses living books and the only real text book we have is math.

 

Right now, it goes up to a 4th/5th grade guide, but with extensions it's up to 7th. Others are using guides with older kids so they can combine into one guide- you just add grade level math and LA. There's a new guide each year and it will be up to 7th/8th, 10th with extensions.

 

Overall, I'm a HUGE fan of HOD. It might go into high school, but if not, we'll finish HOD in 8th and then use MFW high school. HOD leads up to the independence in the MFW high school program nicely. There's not much indendence built into the MFW program since it's meant to include youngers. There's plenty in HOD!

 

HTH!

[MommyInTraining]

:iagree:

 

OK hmschooling, I think you've convinced ME to stay with HOD :D!!!

 

Great comparison. That really hits the nail on the head. After having done MFW K and Adventures, and now HOD, I agree with your assessment. It makes it clear for me why I don't want to go back to MFW. HOD just seems to make things more "doable" for this busy momma:driving:.

[birchbark]

Thanks for the great posts! I like piecing together my own curriculum for now, but I'd like a "boxed" choice to fall back on if I get too much on my plate in the future. This looks just right: classical, literature-based, inclusive, flexible, Christian, reasonably-priced, doable. I think I'll be taking a close look at it at the homeschool conference.

Edited February 15, 2009 by birchbark