Lovedtodeath Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Now I see it all over the place. This has been within the past 2 months or so. How long has it been around and why the sudden interest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 So what is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensway Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 heart of dakota Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I just found it myself...but I am totally in love! :) It is a living book history/science curriculum that has a guide to make it more AOI...but you can pick and choose what completes the rest. For istance, they use Singapore math, but you can do whatever you want. They recommend R&S English, but you don't have to do that either. You buy the parts separately, so you can skip some and get others. :) You can also find the books on Amazon, PBS, and other places. It has good extensions so parents can combine kids and still work at each child's level. We will start BHFHG and BLHFHG this fall. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I know that it has been around for at least 4 yrs. I think that interest in curriculum just comes in waves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbaby Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I know that it has been around for at least 4 yrs. I think that interest in curriculum just comes in waves. :iagree: Seems like one month, there's a MFW wave, next a TOG wave, then a HOD wave, and so on. It's usually around "ordering" time and tapers off by summer. HOD has been around a few years. I had used their preschool program with my toddler. It's a Charlotte Mason curriculum. They have a wonderful forum on the site also if you would like more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I just discovered it last year and started using it this year and it has been great. I think the biggest draw is the open and go plans along with the great books and activities (literally using around the house stuff) that are included. it is an all in one program but you can also uses just parts of it. Drawn into the Heart of Reading Curriculum was Carrie's first book which was self published in 2001. (She had been an elementary school teacher before that and had put this together during those years) She then started a preschool curriculum with her second son. I guess it hadn't been talked about much because they were only a couple of guides to start, but she has been putting one out each year and so the publicity has started to pick up momentum with there being more to fit more people's needs. Anyway hope this makes since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Heart of Dakota Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birchbark Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 We just got back from our annual homeschool conference and Heart of Dakota had a booth there with Carrie running it. I was able to look through the curriculum and have questions answered and I was very impressed. It has the draw of the other literature-rich curricula but seemed less "heavy" or intimidating. Looked very doable for both teacher and student. I had just heard about it recently myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 This year the little man is using WP's AW, but next year I really wanted him to do a 1-year American history. WP doesn't have a 1-year history option. So, I knew I wanted a CM-inspired 1-year American history appropriate for first grade. First I looked at MFW Adv, but I wasn't sure about the book basket and the types of projects. I also wasn't thrilled with the CLP books that were used as the spine. I had heard of HOD, so I checked it out. HOD's Beyond looked similar to MFW Adv. It also used CLP, but no book basket. OTOH, it used a textbook spine for science (yuck). Then, I looked at Bigger. I liked the Eggleston spines better than the CLP used in HOD Beyond and MFW Adv. Like Beyond it also didn't use a book basket. Like MFW Adv it uses living science, but I liked the selection of books and the general treatment of topics better than MFW Adv. Also, the activities in HOD just looked more doable than those in MFW. For some reason there seems to be a large number of homeschoolers wanting a 1-year American history for early elementary school. As far as I know, HOD Bigger, HOD Beyond, and MFW Adv are the only CM-inspired 1-year American history appropriate for first grade. Maybe this is why these programs are being discussed so much right now. Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyInTraining Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I have Bigger Hearts for His Glory and Little Hearts for His Glory manuals up over on the sale board if anyone is interested. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91772 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91771 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I was not familiar with this curriculum. I am glad I saw this thread although it's just one more thing to throw into the "Is it right for us pile?" that seems to be growing by the day! :D TOG, AO, SOTW, HOD.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 I got the catalog. The activities that are samples look really age-appropriate and beneficial. Scooting across a huge globe on the floor? Brilliant! So someone mentioned that the bible is integrated into everything. How does that work? And specifically, how does that work for American History? Also... is it not possible to secularize? What if you believe in God and creation but your beliefs are not mainstream? Thanks for the discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieF Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I've been following this with interest as it offers a one yr US history based course which would be suitable for us being British. I'd also be interested in whether it can be secularised. Also trying to compare it with SL and WP which I was going to combine this Sept Stephanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyinNNV Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I can only speak to the year we've been using, Bigger. We have used it secularly. Obviously, we don't use the Bible portion of the program. Other than that, I just do what comes naturally. For example, the other day for science we were to copy a Bible verse and draw a picture of something (I think it was fungus). So, instead of copying the Bible verse, I just had ds copy a sentence from the science book that we were using to draw the fungus. Or if the main idea is that "God wants us to remember......." I substitute my own words. I actually don't have to do much to make it work. For reference-I used WP, SL and TOG secularly. TOG was a bust for me. But, the others worked just fine. As far as using Rod and Staff with HOD, I'm not sure how long we'll be able to do this. For second grade, it has been no problem. It may become unwieldy later. I think that HOD bigger is the best program I've come across for our family. I wish it had been around for dd. Carrie is very very good at choosing activities that are challenging, but not too challenging. She picks reading selections that are perfect lengths for my child. I haven't developed scratchy throat-read aloud syndrome as I did during SL. And the activities are much better for our family than any other program I've used. And as another poster said, as the program has expanded, so has the interest in it. Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I think the history books she picked for Bigger were awesome. The program didn't work for me mainly because I don't follow a schedule well, but she picks great books. I'm just using the books as we can fit them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I think you may be able to with Bigger and up. Beyond little hearts and below takes a "God's world" approach to History and Science and the books she chose are CLP books that mention God over and over in the teaching. The literature is decently secular in the reading portion, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Bigger would be the easiest to use in a secular fashion. Preparing uses CHOW, but many of the living books for history and science are young earth Christian. In Creation of Christ it would obviously be difficult to eliminate the Christian content. Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 I thought bumping this would benefit someone else who is looking at HOD. I went with HOD Bigger for American History. It is going very well. The books are engaging, the reading is short enough that we don't tire of it. (We tried SL in the past and it was awful.) The activities really cement what we have read... and geography is covered very well (which is my big focus when writing world history, so I am very happy that she has it covered here). We are getting more done with HOD because it is do-able. The science is so-so. I like that the lessons tie in with history and it is easy, but some of it is below our level and some of it seems to be disconnected. We read about science in Colonial days and then we were to make a map of the big dipper. I didn't get why that was important so we skipped it. So... to sum up... it is easy to implement and the books are not boring... this year that is exactly what we needed. :D I am trying to decide if we will do Preparing. I am pretty sure the other levels won't work for us because of the religious (Protestant) content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I had heard and even looked at it last year. It was too "Christian" for me then. I've been able to come back to some measure of faith...and so I wanted to take another look at it. The thought of having everything planned for me is really appealing!!!! That said, my kids are heading into the middle ages next year, and I don't want a "western mindset" centered curriculum. I have since learned that quite a few of the suggested books would be a bad fit for us...in fact I would be doing so much tweaking that I just don't think it is worth it :confused:. So, I'm still looking. I like the way it is put together...I just wish it was more balanced or secular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I love HOD! I have looked at it on and off for the past 3 years, but finally jumped in this last summer after pulling my hair out trying to plan out our year myself. Next year I will be using three guides, and can not see changing curriculum in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I think I love it too! While I'm not super thrilled with the science, my dd really seems to enjoy it. I only wish it took longer :001_smile: (the whole daily plan, not just the science). It is hard to move so slowly through the books, so I have added some additional read alouds that we go as fast as we want to with, since we LOVE to sit and read here. My dd is loving the Burgess books in LHFHG and begs to do that first every day, and also loves the action rhymes. I think it really is the perfect match for her age. Sometimes I consider just doing my own thing for US history next year, but HOD is so deceptively thorough that I don't think I could include as many great activities on my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschooling6 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Now I see it all over the place. This has been within the past 2 months or so. How long has it been around and why the sudden interest? Hmmm....I looked into using this a few years ago. Purchased about three guides but decided not to use them after all. Also the year I needed at the time wasn't going to be available in time for me. My HOD fever is gone;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manamana Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) I'm planning to use Beyond next year with my first grader. I don't like the CLP versions of the history texts so I'm planning to use the original versions of the books published in the early 20th century. None of the history texts for Beyond were originally written by CLP. Two of the books are available on http://www.mainlesson.com in the original versions (Boys and Girls of Colonial Days and Stories of the Pilgrims). The other book, American Pioneers and Patriots by Emerson was published in the 1950s under the title "Pioneer Children in America". This book looks very good and will be easy to use with the Beyond guide. I checked it out from the library to make sure. I haven't figured out what to substitute for the CLP science yet but it will probably be Elemental Science's intro to science or Singapore's Start-Up Science. Edited February 11, 2011 by Manamana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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