Which is more "hands-on"? MFW or HOD?

[Chloe]

By "hands-on", I mean has more crafts and activities. I prefer more reading and discussion than activities, though I know my dc love craft stuff.

 

I'd also like to know which curriculum promotes more independent learning by the dc. It's important to me that my dc take more responsibility for their learning as they get older.

 

Thank you!

[MrsMe]

They are both equally hands on, although having both I feel HOD is easier, because for the most part (at least at the level I used) it was truly household items. Both also do hands on experiments and crafts throughout the subjects.

 

HOD I think involves the student more. If you print out their week sample you'll see that there's much more discussion about topics as it applies to the student. There's a ton of application in HOD. There's a lot of "what if you......" or "how would you.....". MFW asks the student questions, but in my personal opinion it doesn't involve the student. You would have to do that on your own.

 

They both work on independent work, although I feel HOD does a better job. They teach the child to do work independently from Bigger on up. MFW will tell them to do something independently without teaching kids how. It'll say something like, "have the child do notebooking..." HOD will actually get into what you should look for and write and things to draw. HOD goes through the steps of independence and gets more independent as you move in the programs.

 

So in my personal opinion, HOD does a better job of involving the kids and getting them to independence. Look at the wording in their samples. It'll give you a good indication.

 

They are both great programs. It'll be what ever works for you.

Edited April 13, 2009 by alilac

[cbollin]

I have no idea which one is "more". I haven't used HOD. (it looks nice, but 2 of my kids are too old for it really.) I have used MFW extensively.

 

In order to get a real feel for MFW and independent learning, I suggest you get a CD that MFW's David Hazell has given. Then you'll know what MFW is about in that area. It is called: Developing an Independent Learner -- (brief description) "Literature is a vital part of expanding their minds and giving depth to a world they have been introduced to over the past 5 years. But this is also the time when we need to help our children develop their own interests, researching in the world of books the topics they love the most, along with the topics we all must know well."

 

How to order?

click here for a long list of their workshops or just for the Independent learning one...

 

ordering info is at Rhino Technologies (currently their #3 on best seller list of all homeschool conventions they record)

click here to Rhino

 

************

If you get that CD, you'll learn that MFW starts with baby steps of independent learning even as early as Pre K believe it or not. In elementary years, book basket reading is an integral part of independent learning. Additionally, there are notebooking assignments. Notebooking instructions are provided in the manual in the teaching tips section to help teacher help the student. Some of the independent work can be with the math workbook (both programs recommend Singapore.)

In jr. high years, you really begin a lot of the big pushes to independent learning with transition to lesson plans for the student in math, science, and the use of Progeny Press, applications of grammar. Then in high school, the student is adding in Bible and history. The manuals at that level help the student a lot with independent learning.

 

so it is a gradual process in MFW sequence and happening prior to 7th grade and prior to high school.

 

 

I have felt very involved in helping my students learn the material and find that MFW doesn't just involve me reading to my kids. We stop and talk naturally in life, why should that change in school time? So, I feel involved with their studies in Bible and history and science. I love that MFW doesn't have me teach the doctrine from the manual. (not a comparison to HOD, just a statement about MFW.) I love that it means I help my child learn how to study the Bible the way I want them to learn. That's a good thing in my opinion. I'm not just reading out loud to my children. We talk and read together in elementary years. I observe my children and ask them questions and do narrations. We do school together while they are young. We take turns reading to each other. How is that not being involved and engaged with your kids? I've been very involved with my kids in the years of using MFW. It's not like either MFW or HOD is a video based teaching style or a hands off teaching style.

 

I get the idea that both programs really do a lot of hands on stuff.

 

I have used the following programs in MFW:

Pre K, K, 1st, ADV (just the Bible and Science, history came later), ECC, CTG, RTR, EX1850, 1850MOD and back to ECC this year in the cycle.

 

 

The supplies needed are normal stuff. I buy my household items at the grocery store or a place such as walmart. MFW gives me a nice list to add to my regular routine purchases. In all of the 6 years of using all of MFW programs, I have only not found one item at the grocery store or wally world. That was one item - modeling beeswax. Used in week 16 of ECC. One item in 6 years that I couldn't find easily. And you could skip that suggested craft if needed. It was in the book global art.

 

It's pretty common stuff that MFW uses. It is household stuff or even if your house doesn't routinely carry it, it is easy to find at grocery store. Oh, I guess you need common school supplies too. So, I'm not really sure what was meant by another poster that somehow MFW's material list is not "truly household items" or that somehow HOD is more "truly household". It's grocery store stuff that is easy to find. It's not like either of these programs asks you to find hard stuff. Which is great!

 

just one opinion and one experience from the using MFW side and working well.

 

hope something in there helps a bit. They are both good stuff.

 

-crystal

[Donna A.]

The supplies needed are normal stuff. I buy my household items at the grocery store or a place such as walmart. MFW gives me a nice list to add to my regular routine purchases. In all of the 6 years of using all of MFW programs, I have only not found one item at the grocery store or wally world. That was one item - modeling beeswax. Used in week 16 of ECC. One item in 6 years that I couldn't find easily. And you could skip that suggested craft if needed. It was in the book global art.

 

It's pretty common stuff that MFW uses. It is household stuff or even if your house doesn't routinely carry it, it is easy to find at grocery store. Oh, I guess you need common school supplies too. So, I'm not really sure what was meant by another poster that somehow MFW's material list is not "truly household items" or that somehow HOD is more "truly household". It's grocery store stuff that is easy to find. It's not like either of these programs asks you to find hard stuff. Which is great!

Just wanting to add on a bit about supply lists.... At the beginning of each TM, there are extensive teacher notes that tell you how to prepare and set up for the year, and how to approach each subject, including notebooking. I've never felt like MFW didn't tell me *how* to do something. The information is in there, if not at the beginning of the TM, then in the notes following each week's lesson plans which are laid out on a chart style grid. In fact, we've done a LOT over the years that I would've never thought of or known how to do on my own! I find the TMs very easy to follow.... although there is some more flipping back and forth in the K and 1st grade manuals than in the other years, due to the fact that those two years include phonics and math lessons and have to accommodate that.

 

But in addition to teacher notes, there's also a complete supply list, a long one at the beginning of the manual so that you can have all the things on hand that will be used repeatedly throughout the year (such as poster board, crayons, 3-ring binders, etc.) Then at the beginning of each week, there's a short supply list of consumables for that week's hands-on activities. Prior to beginning your year, if you want to be really organized, you would read through the teacher notes at the beginning of the manual and make sure you have all the year-long supplies in the house. Then sometime prior to each week, double check that short list and make sure you don't need to add anything to your grocery/Walmart list for the week. Simple.

 

I don't know which one has "more". But I do know that the only hands-on stuff that *I* deem necessary for my girls are the notebooking and timelines. Everything else can be skipped if time and interest aren't there. I have one dd who loves getting her hands messy and "creating" things, one who can't stand glue or anything too complicated, and one who loves it but needs a lot of help. So some weeks we'll just pick the one out of several that looks most interesting, or we don't do any of them, or one child will do a project but no one else will. Or you can do all of it if you want. I love the flexibility that's built into MFW!

[Chloe]

I'm really drawn to both of these, but can't decide. I much prefer the layout of MFW, and I love the missionary focus, but the history spines used in HOD are more our style (not to mention the price more in our range). I thought maybe the amount of work involved to do the activities and how independent the students can be would be the deal breaker. I'm going to have to pray about this some more.

[Julie in MN]

the amount of work involved to do the activities

 

Some thoughts to keep in mind when you're comparing hands-on:

 

(1) Do you consider paper activities to be hands-on. Some programs advertise lots of hands-on, but it is almost exclusively coloring and other paper activities.

 

One thing I like about MFW is the wide range of hands-on. This year (1850MOD), we learned the states & capitals through singing, using a large blank US map tablet, and playing card games (provided in the student pages). That is a wider variety of methods than I've found in a lot of programs, and yet it's not gigantic or impossible.

 

(2) Is there a proper amount of time set aside in the lesson plans to realistically accomplish this activity? Again, I've seen programs where this was nowhere near the case, and large activities were suggested alongside standard amounts of history reading. And again, I love that MFW was test piloted with lots of families who actually did the projects & gave feedback.

 

(No experience with HOD, so I won't even guess.)

[Rebecca]

I only used K and 1st of MFW. I have used eight weeks of Beyond, and am in process with Bigger and Little Hearts.

 

For me, MFW was way more hands on. In fact, I felt it was a very kinesthetic program- and it overwhelmed me.

 

HOD has hands on learning experiences scheduled every week. I am able to get them done. That is enough said in itself! :) I also enjoy doing them with my children- and feel that *they* are doing the activity/project, not me!

 

I am not a craft/hands on person AT ALL and you will find me with my nose in a book or reading to my children before all else- yet the active learning really helps their retention and reinforces learning.

 

HOD and MFW are both wonderful programs. Both have a special heart for the Lord and a focus for God.

 

I don't have any experience with upper MFW- but I would assume that it promotes independent learning- and you could look at samples and check their forum.

 

HOD takes you babystep by babystep into independent learning. This is a relief for me- teaching a housefull.

 

I hope this helps.

Rebecca

[Tree House Academy]

HOD is very hands on. Example...Unit 1, Day 1 in Beyond...

 

 

Outline a huge circle on the floor with

masking tape. Say, This circle is

Earth. Earth has 7 continents. A

continent is a large body of land

 

 

 

surrounded by water.

 

On separate

pieces of paper write these continent

names: Asia, Africa, Antarctica, North

America, South America, Australia,

and Europe. Help students tape

each continent name on Earth in the

correct place. Give students actions

to follow using the continent names

(i.e. Hop on one foot from Africa to

Asia).

 

 

 

Other actions might be to walk

 

backward, tiptoe, crawl, twirl, stomp,

or gallop. Last, have students use

p. viii in American Pioneers and

Patriots

 

 

 

as a guide while they scoot

 

on a pillow to show Columbus’ route

 

 

and Magellan’s route.