HOD Bigger/Prairie Primer/or A Year of World Geography??

[Dustybug]

Will you all help me decide on what I should do next year? I have to choose soon because we collect our material slowly throughout the year rather than all at one time. It's easier on us financially.

 

Should I...

 

1.) Continue with HOD with my oldest (she'd be in Bigger and she's done only HOD since LHTH) and then start LHFHG with my DS and LHTH with my youngest?

 

2.) Do Prairie Primer with both of my older two (and LHTH with my youngest)? (My oldest is asking to do the PP but I'm not sure how much my DS would enjoy it)

 

3.) Do PP with my oldest, LHFHG with my DS, and LHTH with my youngest DD?

 

4.) Combine my two oldest and use Expedition Earth as a base to do a year of world geography?

 

I cannot decide!!!

[Dustybug]

:bigear:

[SorrelZG]

I heard HOD really starts getting good (or even better) with Bigger (or was that Preparing?). It sounds like a busy plan though so I'm partial toward combining in one of the other plans. I'm not familiar with the other two though but a year of geography sounds fun.

 

How was that for completely unhelpful? :D ... It's almost like I just want to see myself type ... :tongue_smilie:

[Chelli]

We are doing your fourth option this year. I am combining my Kindy and my third grader into a World Geography study. I didn't want my oldest to hit Preparing until fourth grade.

 

In all honesty, though, I wish I'd stretched Bigger into two years (2nd and 3rd grade), then started Preparing in 4th, but I loaned Bigger to a friend this year, so I went ahead with my World Geography plans. Bigger just had so much that I could have easily stretched it over two years and just let my middle child tag along doing American history with older sister those two years. She did a lot of the science experiments and history projects along with us last year anyway.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

What are you doing this year?

I have not used any of the ones you mentioned so I don't know which I would choose. However, if you did some US history this year I would do World Geography next year or the PP for a different approach to US history.

 

Last year we did US, this year we are doing World Geography using Children Just Like Me and http://homeschoolcreations.com/Geography.html , next year we are doing US again using the American Girl Doll books and Time Traveler cds.

[Dustybug]

What are you doing this year?

I have not used any of the ones you mentioned so I don't know which I would choose. However, if you did some US history this year I would do World Geography next year or the PP for a different approach to US history.

 

Last year we did US, this year we are doing World Geography using Children Just Like Me and http://homeschoolcreations.com/Geography.html , next year we are doing US again using the American Girl Doll books and Time Traveler cds.

 

This year my oldest DD is doing HOD's Beyond which focuses on a segment of early American history. My DS is doing Teach Me Joy's Fruit for Tender Hearts with a lot of supplementation. It doesn't have a history portion, it focuses on the fruits of the spirit.

[walkermamaof4]

I'd do Bigger.

[Esse Quam Videri]

My oldest only did HOD until this year, so we used Bigger last year for 2nd grade. It was a ton of the same from Beyond, just with different resources, and has a strange focus at times (a few days of the Civil War and then six weeks of the Wright Brothers... no joke). Also, DS had sat in on all sister's stuff and done LHFHG. Though he loves American History I thought another year would be overkill. This year we are combining SOTW and Veritas Press, and I LOVE all doing the same things together. I would do the geography study if I were you.

Edited October 11, 2012 by mofbethany

[raceNzanesmom]

We're using Bigger and love it! My 8 y/o begs for "fun school" aka the left side of HOD with science and storytime. :D We are taking it a bit slower this year (this is our third guide). He does reading, spelling, math and read aloud everyday, the rest gets done 3-4 days a week (3 if we have a field trip, 4 if we don't). On Fridays we are doing a state study and family time (board games, baking, the park, skating, etc).

[Dustybug]

I really can't decide! I think I have eliminated PP for now because I don't think that DS is old enough and it still might be slightly too much for my DD next year.

 

DD says she wants to do the next HOD guide, but if I keep doing that, I'm going to be doing early American history for the next3 years between her and my DS cycling through LHFHG and Beyond too.

 

I've tried to think of ways to combine them in HOD, and it just won't work.

 

One minute I feel like I'm ready to leave HOD behind, the next I'm having a panic attack about trying to configure how to run 3 guides at once.

[Esse Quam Videri]

 

One minute I feel like I'm ready to leave HOD behind, the next I'm having a panic attack about trying to configure how to run 3 guides at once.

 

That was my first and last year of running three guides (Bigger, LHFHG, and LHTH). Especially as the kids get older... I have a good friend running four guides (RevTRev, CTC, Bigger, and LHFHG). She seems to be getting through it, but not happily :-). I think Heart of Dakota can work really well for parents who only have to run one or possibly two guides. For us, though, it just makes SO much more sense to be combining. That way I get to put way more into each project/read aloud that we're doing. Here's some of the projects we've done this year for Ancients- made papyrus, cuneiform tablets, King Tut golden mask, pyramid models, lift the lid on mummies, archaeology dig, lots more little ones. Plus we're adding to a really beautiful lapbook and notebooking pages each week. But the best part is we're all enjoying it together, rather than each kid working independently on their own stuff.

 

I was also nervous to make the switch... I actually made my own guide HOD style. I'm realizing it was entirely unnecessary, but I thought I needed the boxes!

 

[Dustybug]

That was my first and last year of running three guides (Bigger, LHFHG, and LHTH). Especially as the kids get older... I have a good friend running four guides (RevTRev, CTC, Bigger, and LHFHG). She seems to be getting through it, but not happily :-). I think Heart of Dakota can work really well for parents who only have to run one or possibly two guides. For us, though, it just makes SO much more sense to be combining. That way I get to put way more into each project/read aloud that we're doing. Here's some of the projects we've done this year for Ancients- made papyrus, cuneiform tablets, King Tut golden mask, pyramid models, lift the lid on mummies, archaeology dig, lots more little ones. Plus we're adding to a really beautiful lapbook and notebooking pages each week. But the best part is we're all enjoying it together, rather than each kid working independently on their own stuff.

 

I was also nervous to make the switch... I actually made my own guide HOD style. I'm realizing it was entirely unnecessary, but I thought I needed the boxes!

 

 

Thank you! This is encouraging. I feel like it would make our lives so much less stressed if my oldest two could be together. I just also have that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" line circulating in my head too.

 

I think I'm going to do some praying and some researching over the weekend and see if I can't find some resolve one way or the other!

[Another Lynn]

Thank you! This is encouraging. I feel like it would make our lives so much less stressed if my oldest two could be together. I just also have that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" line circulating in my head too.

 

I think I'm going to do some praying and some researching over the weekend and see if I can't find some resolve one way or the other!

 

It looks like your oldest would hit Bigger at the younger age for the guide. If you do something else for two years, you could go back to Bigger when she's nine and your 2nd dc is 7 and possibly combine them then. IF you decided to go to SOTW - you could do a mini cycle - SOTW 1, SOTW 2, followed by Bigger.

[Dustybug]

It looks like your oldest would hit Bigger at the younger age for the guide. If you do something else for two years, you could go back to Bigger when she's nine and your 2nd dc is 7 and possibly combine them then. IF you decided to go to SOTW - you could do a mini cycle - SOTW 1, SOTW 2, followed by Bigger.

 

I never thought of it that way. We'd have to do something other than SOTW 1 though, because it clashes quite a bit with some of our beliefs.

[alisoncooks]

I never thought of it that way. We'd have to do something other than SOTW 1 though, because it clashes quite a bit with some of our beliefs.

 

My kiddos are the ages of your two oldest. We aren't quite ready to jump into our history cycle yet -- I plan on using Veritas Press self-paced (which is super-expensive, IMO, and if I'm paying that much, I want BOTH kiddos to get the most out of it. :D)

 

Anyway, we've decided to do a few filler years:

1. a Little House on the Prairie series study year

2. using Elemental History as a filler year, American-history lite

3. a world geography year

 

Good luck finding a way to make your job easier! I definitely like the idea of combining when you can!

[Guest]

This year we are combining SOTW and Veritas Press, and I LOVE all doing the same things together. I would do the geography study if I were you.

 

I know I've already shared my thoughts on your other thread, but this was the bottom line for me. I am loving having them together. Since you are already feeling the stress and you haven't even started, I think you are going to eventually want your kids together.

[Esse Quam Videri]

I never thought of it that way. We'd have to do something other than SOTW 1 though, because it clashes quite a bit with some of our beliefs.

 

Have you actually seen the materials or are you just going off what someone else has said? Just wondering because it actually fits very well wtih Veritas Press (VERY christian) except VP goes more into detail on Biblical characters. For example, in SOTW Abraham and Joseph share a chapter, whereas VP gives each of them several weeks.

 

Biblioplan may be a good option for you though, if you want someone else to have already planned out what to include/supplement with SOTW. With BP, you also have the option of choosing MOH instead of SOTW as your spine.

[Another Lynn]

Have you actually seen the materials or are you just going off what someone else has said? Just wondering because it actually fits very well wtih Veritas Press (VERY christian) except VP goes more into detail on Biblical characters. For example, in SOTW Abraham and Joseph share a chapter, whereas VP gives each of them several weeks.

 

Biblioplan may be a good option for you though, if you want someone else to have already planned out what to include/supplement with SOTW. With BP, you also have the option of choosing MOH instead of SOTW as your spine.

 

:iagree: There are ways to incorporate your beliefs into SOTW or use a different spine for ancients (like MOH). There are schedules around for co-ordinating SOTW with a children's Bible or with VP or MOH or whatever. You can also omit chapters if you need to.

[joyfulhomeschooler]

My vote is for Bigger ;) We are loving it!

[Dustybug]

Have you actually seen the materials or are you just going off what someone else has said? Just wondering because it actually fits very well wtih Veritas Press (VERY christian) except VP goes more into detail on Biblical characters. For example, in SOTW Abraham and Joseph share a chapter, whereas VP gives each of them several weeks.

 

Biblioplan may be a good option for you though, if you want someone else to have already planned out what to include/supplement with SOTW. With BP, you also have the option of choosing MOH instead of SOTW as your spine.

 

I have seen the SOTW 1 book. Even in the first few chapters, there were things that I'd have to eliminate entirely. I like the looks of MOH, but I think my kids are a tad young for it right now.

 

My vote is for Bigger ;) We are loving it!

 

I've heard it is a great year, but you have yours combined in it. :) My son would NOT be ready for Bigger next year. He's only going to be 5.5yo.