I would love to know more about HOD ~ Questions?

[Hope]

Good Day Ladies!

We are starting our 7th year of home schooling. Some of those years I have been more eclectic going to the next page in the books that we are using. Some of those years I have used curriculum that schedules all of the subjects. I usually research our year in the spring and summer. After spending an entire summer though planning this school year I decided I would begin to research and pray about next school year now. I would like to order next year in March so that I can become much more familiar with the materials we will be using in the fall, then I was able to do over a few weeks in August this year. As my children are growing older I would like to settle in a place next year that will take them through high school. I will be thinking and praying about this over the coming months. My hope is for an over all planned path that will build towards an end point.

I would like to ask some questions about HOD. I am not concerned about placement at this point. I am more interested in knowing what moms love about the curriculum, where the challenges are, and the benefits they are finding over time. I have been reading the pinned notes at the top of this board and reviews on other boards. So I have learned much about HOD. I would like to learn though from those of you using it currently. Some of these questions come from both the positives and negatives I have read.

Questions:

*Are you able to finish the entire scheduled day each day? Are you able to finish a guide in a year? Can you do the 4 days scheduled in 4 days (I am looking at probably 3 guides between Preparing and MTMM), or does it take you 5 to complete the 4 days of work? Is there any time to add other things you or your children are interested in learning; such as a foreign language or sport? Is there any time to add extra Bible with all of your children during the day or with dad in the evening?

*Do your days feel at all rushed? Are you just pushing one thing to the next? Or, is there just enough time that going through the material at the speed of HOD is allowing for an integration of learning?

*Do you do everything suggested in the guides, including Drawn Into the Heart of Reading and Writing Programs?

*We started with Singapore math for years, but I am using a different math at this point. Will that impact our ability to complete guides?

*Is HOD truly Christ centered?

*I have read conflicting reviews on some of the books in the Geography guide. HOD looks to me like it knows well Jesus Christ is the one and only way to Heaven and salvation. To clarify though does the program reflect an ecumenical view of Christianity and conflicting teachings or does it stay centered on the teachings of the Gospel when Jesus told us that He alone is our only way to the Father? (To clarify I am referring to the review that mentioned that the Queen of Sheba book says there is no literal hell and there are many paths to heaven. Was this review on this book accurate? If that information is accurate do the parents read that book to discuss? How is it handled in the guide?).

*I noticed that HOD uses the Scarlett Letter. I haven't read the Scarlett Letter in decades, since I read it in college, and have vague memories of it. Since then I have learned that in the 1800s Christians wouldn't touch the book, and that other books in fact out sold the Scarlett Letter substantially. I have noticed it is used in various Christian curriculums. I honestly don't remember the book much at all. Why is it OK for us today as Christians, when Christians of the past wouldn't touch it? I don't have an answer to this question. I really am only asking because I don't have an answer of whether it would be good for us to read or not.

*What benefits have you found in HOD for your family?

*What do you love about HOD?

*I had a fairly rigorous academic education. Is HOD working for moms with that background?

- Does HOD's history show God's hand in history?

*We have ended up doing a lot of family learning (I actually started K with text books). Has anyone switched from family learning to HOD independence and had it work? They are used to sitting in on everything together. How did that splitting up of children's academics work for you?

*What advantages have you found to having your entire day scheduled and planned? I think I read Carrie that you have graduated your oldest without the HOD Guides. Compared to educating your oldest without the Guides, what benefits do you see in your younger children's education with the HOD plans/Guides?

*Will HOD match our home school goals as a substantial part of our day:
~ Our first and foremost goal has been to encourage our children towards a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; knowing only the LORD can do this amazing and magnificent work in them.

~ Bible: we have spent many hours teaching and training them in the Word of the Lord.

~ Academic rigor: this is the area I have struggled achieving the most, and it does matter to us. Our children learn easily, but they need to learn the discipline of study and I have struggled to teach this element that I know how to do to them. Would HOD help me teach an area that is important to me that I am struggling to teach?

~ Character training: this probably should be above academic rigor. It is another area I have struggled to teach. Would HOD help me in this area?

I realize that I just asked a lot of questions for a first post, and that I am talking to moms that are as busy, or busier, then I am. I hope over time perhaps I can receive some answers as moms are able. Please take your time, as you have time. I am in no hurry.

Thank you.

In Christ,

[Jennymommy]

Hope, welcome I wanted to reply to what I see as the heart of your queries. As for Christ centered- absolutely! Any reviews that indicate otherwise are short sighted and limited in my opinion. My thoughts on the WG guide, having just completed it; yes you do learn about other religions and ideas along with the cultures and peoples, but there is no way you could go through this guide and not see very clearly that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, the only light. As well, you will know with certainty that there IS one true God, He is personal, we are made in His image, there is an eternity either with or without Him, that eternity is determined by our response to His son Jesus, and eternity without Him is absolute hell.
I am raising my sons to know the reality of the awful sickness in the world, and of the One who came to save the world. They have to be "Wise as serpents and innocent as doves..." I choose for them to live as Daniels, Shadraks, Meshaks, Abednegos, Josephs, and ultimately as Jesus- choosing to follow where God is leading, knowing Him through their own personal relationship, and standing strongly for Him in the midst of the world's chaos. HOD is a strong partner for me in this, and my one regret is that I allowed others to influence me in thinking that it was too much or too expensive, etc.
I do adjust things within the guide based on my situation...one son does everything exactly as written, and thrives in it; one son is not doing the health product in WH due to the fact that we have thoroughly covered these topics in conversation over the years; another son is working a year ahead in science and doing a different LA this year since he had worked so far ahead already- he will do LA as scheduled in the next guide.
In addition to school, I have a 15yo who works one day a week, does Civil Air Patrol and Search and Rescue, runs cross country and track, training year round; I have a 13yo doing Civil Air Patrol and Sunday school; I have an 11yo doing school and spring and fall soccer, with time for computer programming and boredom . It is doable! God bless and guide you

[Mumkins]

[
Lots of questions, but I'll answer what I can!

quote="Hope"]Good Day Ladies!

We are starting our 7th year of home schooling. Some of those years I have been more eclectic going to the next page in the books that we are using. Some of those years I have used curriculum that schedules all of the subjects. I usually research our year in the spring and summer. After spending an entire summer though planning this school year I decided I would begin to research and pray about next school year now. I would like to order next year in March so that I can become much more familiar with the materials we will be using in the fall, then I was able to do over a few weeks in August this year. As my children are growing older I would like to settle in a place next year that will take them through high school. I will be thinking and praying about this over the coming months. My hope is for an over all planned path that will build towards an end point.

I would like to ask some questions about HOD. I am not concerned about placement at this point. I am more interested in knowing what moms love about the curriculum, where the challenges are, and the benefits they are finding over time. I have been reading the pinned notes at the top of this board and reviews on other boards. So I have learned much about HOD. I would like to learn though from those of you using it currently. Some of these questions come from both the positives and negatives I have read.

Questions:

*Are you able to finish the entire scheduled day each day? Are you able to finish a guide in a year? Can you do the 4 days scheduled in 4 days (I am looking at probably 3 guides between Preparing and MTMM), or does it take you 5 to complete the 4 days of work? Is there any time to add other things you or your children are interested in learning; such as a foreign language or sport? Is there any time to add extra Bible with all of your children during the day or with dad in the evening?

I always finish faster than the allotted times. I add extra in too, like french and home Ec. There's plenty of time. You can spread it out to 5 days, if yiu want an even shorter day, but it's not neccesary.

*Do your days feel at all rushed? Are you just pushing one thing to the next? Or, is there just enough time that going through the material at the speed of HOD is allowing for an integration of learning?

I don't feel rushed at all

*Do you do everything suggested in the guides, including Drawn Into the Heart of Reading and Writing Programs?

yes, except we do a different math

*We started with Singapore math for years, but I am using a different math at this point. Will that impact our ability to complete guides?

you can use whatever math you want. Only difference would be in how much time, if any, it adds to your day

*Is HOD truly Christ centered?

YES! Like no other currciulum I've seen. This is the main reason we use HOD


I'LL let some other answer some of the other questions:)

[LynnH]

I will try and answer some of your questions. We have used HOD for 6 years and are now in our 7th year using it. My son's day is always done within the allotted time specified for each guide and sometimes even a little shorter. He has dysgraphia and types things which can take longer and he still has no trouble finishing a week in 4 days. We do co-op on the 5th day as well as volunteer at the animal shelter on that 5th day so there is no way he can get any school done then. He also does a parkour class in the middle of the day one day a week and still is able to come home and finish up his school day, even this year when he is doing the high school World History guide.

As far as Christ being at the center of the curriculum-yes, yes and again yes. He looks up multiple bible verses during the day and not just for bible class. He looks them up during lit, and history and even health. He fully understand that the Bible is the source of all truth and Christ is the only way to heaven. He has also learned more about church history than I even thought possible. As far as the WG guide goes. I know what review you read and I have to say there are many fallacies in that review. I will tackle the one you mention. The Queen of Sheba is not the book that mentions there not being a literal hell. The Queen of Sheba is a fiction book used as part of the living library. The book that mentions this is one of the World Religion Spines, but I can't remember exactly which one. How Carrie deals with it is how she deals with anything that is controversial. She has them look up what the bible says and points out a verse that says there is a literal hell and also tells the student to discuss it with their parents. She is very good about this. Obviously the only infallible book is the Bible so there will be the occasional item that requires her to do this and I have found that she always does, especially if it is something they are doing independently.

As for the Scarlet Letter I think Carrie addresses that in her sneak peak of the American History guide. She has scheduled a Christian study guide to be done side by side with this book.

As for benefits for my family there are almost too many to list. My son came home from ps hating school and convinced he was stupid due to his dysgraphia. Thankfully I found HOD that first year and started in Preparing. My son went from hating school to loving it. He loved that Christ was so much a part of his day. He loved that the work was broken down in to small doable increments and that the writing was taught in a slow but steady way. He went from not wanting to even attempt any writing assignments or papers to actually enjoying doing creative writing and even essay's. It has been very easy for me to adapt things so that he can type as much as needed. Carrie and her sister Julie have been a source of encouragement and have helped me to figure out how to make things work for him on many occasions. They truly have partnered with me on this homeschooling journey. I have a 16 year old boy with some learning challenges, who still enjoys school, that says a lot as far as I'm concerned.

As for academic rigor again I can only speak from personal experience. I am a Physical Therapist so I went through a rigorous academic course and I feel like HOD is very rigorous. I know what my son is doing in 10th grade English is much more challenging than what my daughter did in honors English in public school. She came home in 10th grade and I threw together an eclectic curriculum using many top rated textbooks. I can honestly say looking back at what she did, it was no where near as challenging as what he is doing. I laugh and say my gifted student did much easier material than my average student, and yet he is successful because of the way HOD incrementally builds skills in each guide. I read all the history books and have learned so much more than I ever learned in school. I feel HOD is fully preparing him for college if that is the route he takes.

[Nealewill]

I understand wanting to research a curriculum. I found HOD in my 5th year of homeschooling. I am now entering my 7th year of homeschooling and feel like I have finally found my forever fit. Here are some of my answers:

*Are you able to finish the entire scheduled day each day? Are you able to finish a guide in a year? Can you do the 4 days scheduled in 4 days (I am looking at probably 3 guides between Preparing and MTMM), or does it take you 5 to complete the 4 days of work? Is there any time to add other things you or your children are interested in learning; such as a foreign language or sport? Is there any time to add extra Bible with all of your children during the day or with dad in the evening?

When you first start HOD, there may be an adjustment time period. I started off half speed for the first month or so. But then once we all got into a grove, we have gone full speed with not trouble. In addition, make sure your kids are placed correctly. If the level is too hard, it will be difficult to do one days worth in one day. In addition, you definitely can run multiple guides. I work from home and run 3 guides. Right now I am running two guides that have the most amount of work for the parent and I will say this year is a little more challenging that I thought it would be. HOD specifically recommends not running Bigger and Preparing at the same time. I am. But I knew going in this would be a busy a year. I spend about 5 hours a day of my time with the kids 5 days per week. Last year and in future years, I only spent at most 4 hours per day 4 days per week. I never feel the need to add anything at all to this curriculum although my kids do Latin separately and we also participate in AWANA. This year is my oldest's last year and AWANA and I am actually glad. It will be nice to only have the HOD Bible to complete starting next year. I feel like the Bible is very full! When the kids are younger, they do more of an overview but once they get to CTC, they are a really digging deep. I absolutely love it. I think the levels you are looking at are very solid.

*Do your days feel at all rushed? Are you just pushing one thing to the next? Or, is there just enough time that going through the material at the speed of HOD is allowing for an integration of learning?

I guess it depends on the type of homeschooler you are. I like my kids to follow a scheduled and keep it moving. I wouldn't say my days feel rushed but I am a box checker. I feel like my days are truly packed with learning and my kids really like what we are doing. I also feel like there is a happy balance of types of activities each day and week. However, I do feel like there isn't a ton of time for playing or taking long breaks between subjects or the your time spent is going to be WAY longer than what the guide states.

*Do you do everything suggested in the guides, including Drawn Into the Heart of Reading and Writing Programs?

Yes - I feel like HOD is best balanced when you utilize their Language Arts program fully. I have been extremely happy with the variety and very impressed in the growth of my kids.

*We started with Singapore math for years, but I am using a different math at this point. Will that impact our ability to complete guides?

In the younger guides, math is schedule to take between 20-30 minutes. In the higher guides, math is schedule to take 45-60 minutes. As long as your math program takes a similar amount of time, using your own math should not be a problem.

*Is HOD truly Christ centered?

Absolutely - the Bible is a central resource used daily and included in most subjects.

*I have read conflicting reviews on some of the books in the Geography guide. HOD looks to me like it knows well Jesus Christ is the one and only way to Heaven and salvation. To clarify though does the program reflect an ecumenical view of Christianity and conflicting teachings or does it stay centered on the teachings of the Gospel when Jesus told us that He alone is our only way to the Father? (To clarify I am referring to the review that mentioned that the Queen of Sheba book says there is no literal hell and there are many paths to heaven. Was this review on this book accurate? If that information is accurate do the parents read that book to discuss? How is it handled in the guide?).

HOD writes notes and comments in every guide if there is any conflict in any way with the true path of salvation. HOD's guide preaches that Jesus only the way to salvation. He is the way the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by him.

*I noticed that HOD uses the Scarlett Letter. I haven't read the Scarlett Letter in decades, since I read it in college, and have vague memories of it. Since then I have learned that in the 1800s Christians wouldn't touch the book, and that other books in fact out sold the Scarlett Letter substantially. I have noticed it is used in various Christian curriculums. I honestly don't remember the book much at all. Why is it OK for us today as Christians, when Christians of the past wouldn't touch it? I don't have an answer to this question. I really am only asking because I don't have an answer of whether it would be good for us to read or not.

I do not have a specific answer for you as to why it is okay for Christian's to read something now that they wouldn't touch before other than as times change and so do people. As a parent, you would need to pray about that and what you choose to let your kids read. I will let my kids read it because I think it is an excellent example of how people judge others with an unforgiving heart. It has been such a long time since I read it before but I do remember it being dear to my heart when I did read it. In addition, as a parent, I do not necessarily shelter my kids from things in the world. I purposefully bring stuff up now and use it as an opportunity to teach what God's words says about it. I feel like this books has many teachable opportunities. But I would spend time in prayer about it if you feel concerned about your kids reading it.

*What benefits have you found in HOD for your family?

I personally love teaching my kids separately. I never knew I would till I tried. It was glorious LOL. I find HOD makes it really easy to have everyone learning something right at their level. I love the books. I love that the Bible is woven through out. I love the hands on projects and resources they use. I actually chose HOD because I loved the diverse language arts program along with the living and hands on approach to science. I never knew it was meant to become so independent as the kids get older and that also been a huge blessing. For me - the major benefit I have found is that it fits us perfectly and school gets done well. We love it.

*What do you love about HOD?

See above

*I had a fairly rigorous academic education. Is HOD working for moms with that background?

I went to one of the top 100 high schools of the nation. I also have a bachelor's degree and master's degree. I am not saying you need that type of education to homeschool necessarily but showing you that I think school is important. I actually chose this program because of it's diversity in teaching the kids interesting things, it's rigorous volume, and it's completeness in skills. I think it is highly educational program and kids will walk away overly prepared for college.

- Does HOD's history show God's hand in history?

The entire time. Every resource they use is God focused and it constantly includes the Lord in each area.

*We have ended up doing a lot of family learning (I actually started K with text books). Has anyone switched from family learning to HOD independence and had it work? They are used to sitting in on everything together. How did that splitting up of children's academics work for you?

I started with Abeka and we found that to be a terrible fit. I switched to eclectic after that. I then discovered MFW because it was more relaxed. But then after we started our 2nd year with them and trying to learn together, it was a flop. I was always frustrated and getting made at everyone. My kids are VERY close in age and constantly competing with each other. When we switched to HOD, life was SO much better. I also struggled with the kids doing their assignments. They always complained about how much each had to do (since they had to do vering amount of work based on age). Every day was a fight! Now that they have their own level and their own directions, no more complaining

*What advantages have you found to having your entire day scheduled and planned? I think I read Carrie that you have graduated your oldest without the HOD Guides. Compared to educating your oldest without the Guides, what benefits do you see in your younger children's education with the HOD plans/Guides?

For me - have a guide and my day planned, school gets done. That is the largest benefit I see. Before, it was very easy to blow school off and activities got skipped. Now that I have a guide, we are much more likely to complete the activities.

*Will HOD match our home school goals as a substantial part of our day:
~ Our first and foremost goal has been to encourage our children towards a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; knowing only the LORD can do this amazing and magnificent work in them.
HOD is completely Christ focused and has lead to some wonderful discussions.
~ Bible: we have spent many hours teaching and training them in the Word of the Lord.
My kids are very versed in the Bible as well. We do participate in AWANA until 6th grade and those are the only verses I make my kids memorize until then. But HOD has wonderful character training in their guides and in many of the guides covers quite a bit of Biblical History. We are very happy with the teaching and I feel like my kids have learned a lot.
~ Academic rigor: this is the area I have struggled achieving the most, and it does matter to us. Our children learn easily, but they need to learn the discipline of study and I have struggled to teach this element that I know how to do to them. Would HOD help me teach an area that is important to me that I am struggling to teach?
I do feel that it would. Your kids would become more independent and would need to bear some of the responsibility. My oldest is 10 but about half way through the year last year she all of the sudden changed from being a free spirit who could care less about working hard into a strongly driven young woman with a desire to work hard. I feel like HOD really helped her in this area because she is now used to doing things alone. She is now working on Silvers and Golds in AWANA alone and loves being dramas, she also does this study alone and does not procrastinate. I feel like HOD has really helped my kids to become independently.
~ Character training: this probably should be above academic rigor. It is another area I have struggled to teach. Would HOD help me in this area?
HOD is filled with Character study each year. We absolutely love it.

[Little Women]

I can't answer all your questions, but I can answer a few of them.

We have homeschooled for many years, and I have 2 in college right now. Carrie's kids are a bit younger than my older ones, and HOD was not available when my older ones were younger. Because of this, I just came to HOD this year with my youngest, who is in 7th grade. (I also have a 10th grader at home, who is continuing with our previous program.) Here are a few observations after a few weeks with HOD:

1. It is VERY Christ-centered. Coming from a program that used lots of great books, which we really loved, I have to say that this is one thing that really stands out about HOD. Every book, every topic, Christ is always in the middle of it. We are really liking this.

2. It is very strong academically. The previous program had a lot of great books and very good discussions, but it didn't have as much writing. I felt some of the analysis was lacking. I really like the way HOD is building my child's skills in writing, narrating, and analyzing. I appreciate the way it brings out things like plot devices and vivid descriptions. I love how poetry and art are woven easily into the rest of the program, in the year we are doing.

3. I think the work load is just about right, if you find the right level for your child. It has taken us a little while to get into it, and we took the first few weeks slowly, but my dd was able to step up to it pretty well. I do still have to be consistent in making sure she gets to all the parts. But the amount of writing seems to flow pretty well, giving variety without being overwhelming.

With regard to The Scarlet Letter, I would suggest that you read it again. I have found that the maturity I've gained over the past 20 or 30 years makes a big difference in how I see books. I think if you re-read it, you will see both why people then may have not wanted to read it and why many people now think it's a good book to read. This is one of those books that I would not give a younger teen, but I think it has a lot of value for older teens. Once a child gets to 16 or 17 years old, it's good for them to think about things like how we deal with hidden guilt, how things are perceived versus how they often are, etc. There is a lot in the book that is worth talking about, both things we would agree with and things we would disagree with. There is also a lot in the book that sets the stage for the way much of the world sees these issues today, and we have to teach our kids to deal with these viewpoints, to which they will be exposed more and more as they grow up. It is possible to remove a given book or exchange it (easily done with subjects like math, a bit harder with literature but still possible), but I think you will find that there is value in reading it with proper discussion, too.

[Tiffini]

Hi, Hope, and welcome! You ask great questions - many of the same I asked before I came to HOD. You are already getting great answers from the ladies here. I echo all that they have said so far. Awhile back, I wrote a series of posts outlining all the reasons that I love HOD and the difference it has made in our lives. Some of these posts answer your specific questions. I don't have time to answer your questions as thoroughly as I would like to right now, so I'm going to point you to those posts. The first one is found here:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13541

After that, you could do a search for my posts and just look for the ones that say "Reason #2 or #3 or whatever to use HOD".

I tell you the truth - there is nothing like HOD out there for Christ-followers to use in training up their children. It is Christ-centered. It is rigorous. It is interesting. It is perfectly planned out. It is doable. It is genius if you ask me. Carrie has been given a gift that has enabled her to write this for us, and I'm thrilled to be using it for our family.

[MelInKansas]

Weighing in here with just a few thoughts, you've received some great answers already, but I will tell you from my perspective what I love about HOD.

HOD is Christ centered, balanced, and cohesive. I knew going into homeschooling that I am not a teacher, not a good planner, and not a very detail-oriented person. It would be very difficult for me to even try to come up with something that puts so many things together in a way that provides a well-rounded education with a Christ-centered focus. I was amazed at how simple it seemed in the early guides, and now with my oldest in CTC I am amazed at how in-depth she is studying the subjects and all the things she is learning. I think the benefit of having each child in a guide they fit in is that they are able to do a lot of things they wouldn't be able to do if I was trying to teach them all together. My oldest gets to do projects and read books that are right at her level and interesting to her. I still spend time teaching her and seeing what she has learned, but she is also learning to work independently, read instructions and follow them, motivate herself when she doesn't necessarily want to do the work (well we are still working on this one), plan out her day (to some degree), and she is learning to organize her work so that my husband and I can check over it later (math, English, and some of the history notebooking she does in her notebook and we check on it). I think as far as academic rigor, you will be very pleased with what HOD offers, even what they CAN offer because of how well written the guides are.

Even though there are a lot of books, wonderful books, you don't just read and read and read. You take your time on things, adding in projects and other things that enhance learning. You approach things from many different angles. As others have mentioned, the Bible is the center, and whenever there's a question you go to the Bible and discuss what it says. I so appreciate the guidance provided on this in HOD. This is exactly what I want my children to do, but again, while I do add to it at times with other Bible passages I feel are important, I don't have to research it myself, I can use the research that's already been done. I love the discussions we have coming from some of these readings. I love the way HOD helps my kids think critically and discuss important issues.

I do use all the HOD recommended resources and LA except for handwriting (you are probably not going to be doing that anyway). I have found them to be excellent, effective resources and the way they all fit together is amazing.

It sounds like moving to HOD will be a big adjustment and you should expect it to take some time to fall into a good routine and go smoothly. Once you get about 3 weeks into a guide I would say the days flow smoothly and it is not difficult to get a day's worth of work done in a day. Planning does help - but rather than planning which pages you are going to do on a given day you end up planning what order to do boxes in, when each child is working independently (and on what) and when they are working with you, things like that. What to do when you have a 10 AM doctor's appointment. Some people will stagger start their children so they're not trying to step 3 children through new guides all at once. Start one for 2 weeks, then start the next one, etc. I think especially with the older guides this might be a very good idea.

I would also say HOD provides plenty of time for other subjects you wish to add in or extracurricular activities. This is why the 4 day weeks start in Preparing. I kind of get it, for early grades, 5 day weeks make more sense, they need more consistency and regularity, especially with learning to read. We use all the guides 4 days a week as someone else mentioned. My oldest gets her guides done in a year, my younger ones do not because of the 4 day/5 day thing.

I hope this is helpful!

[MelInKansas]

Just one other thought to add - I could have edited my previous post but just thought I would add it on instead.

If you are used to family-based learning (learning together for some subjects and trying to plan things out for the whole family) HOD may be an adjustment for you. I have to confess that sometimes I feel really ADD jumping back and forth between my kids in different guides, who are learning about different stages in history and different science concepts. It's not a major criticism or a major problem, just sometimes it's a little tough for me.

Then I love when we do have crossover and one child sits and listens to the school the other is doing, or joins in on an activity (there are some activities they have to get someone else involved in anyway). I am drawn towards the togetherness of learning together. But HOD works so well for me that I don't think trying to do learning all together would be nearly as effective.

[Hope]

Thank you so much ladies for all that you have shared and every answer to my questions.

This thread has been such an immense blessing to read. I feel encouraged as a home school mom even looking into HOD!

I have Loved reading this thread. I see so much fruit in all of your children from the curriculum itself. I love hearing that it is indeed Christ centered with a huge YES. I love reading that it is over preparing for college, if God should lead them to go. I loved reading Tiffini's link to 8 reasons to use HOD which was priceless to read. This really is the warmest and most positive home school board I have ever read. I am definitely seeing the fruit of the Spirit.

Thank you also for the insights that HOD would take time to adjust to and that many of you coming from other curriculum or eclectic or both took it slowly for a month or more. This is very helpful to know.

I forgot to ask a few science questions. I think I will start a separate thread for it.

Thank you!