Getting cold feet about using HOD

[MommyInTraining]

I was going to go with HOD next year and then I started thinking about TOG again and now have landed at looking at SOW. I want something that will unify us as a family, but will also meet the needs, and be interesting to each child at the level they are at. I am beginning to wonder if the workload involved with HOD (doing 3 programs) is going to be too much for me to juggle. The baby is still not on a good schedule, so I am wondering how to get it done.

Any wisdom or advice would be much appreciated!


Thanks!

Terri in WA

[netpea]

I don't know anything about TOG or SOW but this is my 4th year of HOD and we are totally satisfied with it. Have you thought about just doing 2 programs? How bout putting the 5 and 7 year olds in Little Hearts, and doing Bigger with the 9yo and just waiting with the 3yo?

[Jessi]

I like netpea's idea. You might be trying to do too much. Simplify. See if that works. Your 3 year old could do the finger plays and perhaps set out some manipulatives (play-doh, water bucket with toys, alphabet letters and magnet boards, etc) to do while your 7 & 5 year old are doing LHFHG.

I can't even imagine how stressed out you are. I don't know much about TOG but from what I have heard...yes you can teach them all together but it is more labor intensive for mom to prepare and with five little ones I wonder if you'd have the time. I know nothing at all about SOW.

Perhaps just be still and ask God why you were led to HOD in the first place. In your weakness he is made strong. That is not to say HOD is the end all be all but why were you led to believe this would be the best option for you? It is natural to feel overwhelmed and question if you've made the right decision. Things will get better!!

[water2wine]

I completely agree with the idea to simplify. TOG is not usually where people go if they are looking for easy. Most people say it is a very teacher intensive program. That does not sound like what you are up for this year. Sometimes we over think it. We think ourselves into something then think ourselves out of something only to repeat the process. Could you do LHFHG with your older two and if need be just use Beyond (the manual only) for Math and LA? I am assuming those are the levels you are hitting with your kids. Then if you wanted to do LHTH with your younger one that would be great. Is maybe something simpler like that possible? I think you suffer from my condition of wanting to cover it all so you do everything possible as to not leave anything out. Not that I am admitting that or anything but it could be true about me.

Ultimately you have to do what is right for you and your family and only you can decide that. But for me I do HOD with six kids ages 3-10 (when I started) with one of those being a child with cerebral palsy and learning delays (and many medical appointments among other things). And it works great. Not because I am hot stuff but because this program is designed to work for the mom instead of the mom working for it. Plain and simple it allows me to accomplish with my children the goals I have on my heart that to accomplish on my own would be way too much on my plate, if I could even do it. Instead in all honesty Carrie makes the lesson plan and researches all the material for me then gives me the easiest way to pull it off. And she does that all while allowing enough flexibility to allow for my unique situation and this may sound weird but without making it feel like HOD is the boss of me instead of a tool that helps me do my best (which it really is). Essentially she does all the hard work so that I can enjoy teaching my children how I know God is calling me to teach. In that, HOD allows me to use Carries gifts to cover my weaknesses.

To me that is the perfect program. I want something that helps me accomplish what I could never do on my own instead of makes me do what I never wanted to do on my own to accomplish what someone else has decided. For me that is HOD, for you it may very well be TOG or something else. So I think beyond simplify maybe looking at what is the ultimate goal for you and which will help you accomplish that and work with your strengths while covering your weaknesses. Also check your other choices for content to make sure there are no conflicts for you because I know you are also a very careful mom and have a clear idea in your head about what kinds of materials you want to use with your children (as am I )

And if none of that helps...praying for peace for you in your decision.

[inHistiming]

I have no experience with TOG, though I've heard of it.

I've spent a lot of time looking at SOW myself in the last couple of years. It's something that looks great...but I have wondered how difficult it would be to implement. If I remember correctly, there were also a lot of resources you would have to purchase in addition to the teacher's manual. It's been very appealing to me, because I so want my kids to be grounded in the Word; to have God as their foundation. It could be somthing I'd take a look at later, maybe for High School.

When we decided to go with HOD it was because I already had some experience using Beyond...and had enjoyed it. Plus, Carrie has all the lessons laid out, all the resources on her site to purchase, and has pre-screened all the books for good content. To me, that was a simpler way to go for us at this time in our lives. When we decided in the spring to go back, completely, to HOD it was because we needed something that would take less time to complete, while making sure the kids were learning academically and spiritually. I feel Carrie has hit a good balance between the two. Now, we're getting very near to starting our school year, and we've just found out we're expecting another baby. I'm afraid if we'd gone with SOW, I'd either be scrambling to find something simpler, or dreading all the work involved. I'm not bashing it because I am drawn to that program myself. But for us, in this 'season' HOD is perfect, and I can relax knowing that even with a new baby coming school will be doable, and fun. There are many ladies here who run two or three programs and claim to still have a life! I will be doing BHFHG and LHTH in the fall, and DITHOR with my olders. I feel good about the decision.

If you really feel drawn to SOW, that may be what you need to go with. God will lead you in the direction you should go. My advice would be to just make sure you really look into the resources that are necessary, the teacher-time required, and whether it will be something you all enjoy and have fun with. CCOmpare it to HOD and find out what you like about each, and what you think will fit your family best at this time in your life. Only you know what you can commit to. I was especially drawn to the plans being laid out for me in HOD..it's pretty much open and go. That's what I need right now!

I know you'll find a great fit. Keep asking your questions here...everyone is very helpful. I'm praying right now that you'll nake the best decision for your family.

[MommyInTraining]

One of the things that really drew me to HOD was the ease in which the lesson plans made things. I don't think I would have that with SOW. Plus, as much as I would like to have everyone unified on one subject, I don't know how well it would work.

Thank you so much for responding ladies, it has really helped me.

Carrie, I know that you have talked before about how when everyone uses the same program someone's needs tend to get neglected. If you wouldn't mind sharing more of your thoughts on that I certainly would appreciate it since that is what seems to be drawing me to SOW (that everyone is focusing on the same thing).

Thanks!

[water2wine]

Teri I am not Carrie but can I share with you my experience anyway. I know Carrie will also share her reason as well. I have six kids and one of those has special needs that has learning issues with it. I really wanted the family feel of all doing the same subject at the same thing. I wanted the bonding time that I felt it would bring. But what I actually found was that no matter how great it was what we were studying it was an incredible amount of working filling in the gaps because the author wrote general and so therefore I had to fill in all the specific. It was a tremendous amount of work meeting them at their level. And then the other unforeseen thing is that it generated a lot of competition and bad feelings amongst my kids because the little ones could not do it all and my dd with learning delays was right back in ps again or so it felt to her with not being able to understand it all. Because the harder is presented in front of the ones that can't yet comprehend, what I found is bright kids started feeling not so bright. It was not giving me what it sold me in the first place and it took a lot of struggling and hard work on my part to see it until finally school just started later and later in the day because I was dreading all the work and hassle even though I loved what we were teaching. That's when I realized for our family all in one can't possibly meet everyones needs and that was part of the reason that I was hsing in the first place. That is when HOD came into play for us. I first separated out the little ones and when I realized how great HOD is later the Bigger ones came along. And literally it was like instantly everything was fixed and we were all happy. We do still do Bible in a large group (that is actually just reading the Bible together not HOD Bible which we do at age level). And I do group together kids in groups as much as possible which is why we just do two programs. But within that everyone is getting taught at their level. So there is still the mini group flexibility just not the macro group deal that for us really does not work.

But what I found with HOD is that meeting them at their needs was best for them and oddly it provided the experience I was looking for all along. We are not all studying the same things all the time together but we are all using HOD and sometimes kids sit in on both sides but ultimately it does not matter because we all have the same fun peaceful feel to our day and that is building our hsing experience and memories in a way that nothing else has before. I now feel like how can we slow this down so that it can last instead of let's hurry up and get this done so I can just have free time with my kids. I am actually having to force us to take a summer break this year. I usually do not take a long break at summer but we need it due to health issues. The kids though are really missing HOD and it has been hard for me to do for that reason. It's odd to be needing a break for something other than burn out though. Odd in a good way. HOD is a blessing to us. I know for the next several and maybe more (praying hard for more HOD ) that the needs of one of the most important things in my children's lives and mine are completely met. I have total freedom to focus on other things. It's wonderful. Hopefully something there helps.

[Carrie]

Terri,

I can't remember specifically what we discussed about placement for your little sweeties, but if your heart is leading you to combine, you can certainly do that for the "Learning Through History" part of the plans and for storytime (you just need to be willing to tweak the guides a bit by adding in a higher - or a lower- level of language arts and math from one of our other guides).

If combining doesn't seem like it hits your kiddos needs well, you can also do the younger programs at half-speed to free up time for your older one. Both LHTH and LHFHG can be done at half-speed.

If you have a link to any old thread discussions where we talked about placement for your kiddos, or if you'd be willing to refresh us on how your kiddos fall on the placement chart, we can help you get the best fit for YOUR family, which will be different from the best fit for MY family! Here's a link to the placement chart: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

The great part of HOD is that it works well for those who combine and for those who don't. Sometimes it takes a little sliding around to get the best fit for each child, but once you find their spot, you'll have such a peace. So, we'll be glad to help you talk through ideas!

It also really helps to have the guides in hand, so you can always talk through options here... make the best decision.... order... look through the guides... and make sure you're on target. If not, you can return or exchange as needed!

Blessings,
Carrie

[MommyInTraining]

What is really bothering me at this point is wondering if I can get this all done. I really wanted to be able to do Bigger for my older dd and not combine her with LHFHG. I just don't know if I can do it all.


So, what do you do when you miss a craft or science box...do you just skip it and keep going or do you backlog it and keep playing catch up? (I am so tired of playing catch up!)

Thanks!

[eazbnsmom]

Terri,

I have not used HOD yet (very excited about starting), but with other curriculums if we don't have the time/energy/means to do a project than I just go ahead and skip it. If you don't think you can get it all done....then prioritize what you would like to get done first, then if you have time for the others....great, if not just keep moving. If you can, I would go ahead and get Bigger for your older daughter and try, you never know unless you try. If it doesn't work out then combine them on LHFHG and you will already have Bigger for next year. Maybe you can have your daughter do most of Bigger and then combine a couple of things with LHFHG to make things easier. HOD is very flexible, try some things and see what works for you. Just some thoughts. Praying that you will find the right balance!

[Mommamo]

I'm only using LHFHG, but if we don't get one of the activities, the box under the history box, done for the day (which doesn't happen often, but has happened), we just skip it. I tried going back for it one time, but it just isn't worth the hassle. We don't skip things often though, because they're so natural and so fun to do.

As far as your situation goes, why don't you do LHFHG half speed as suggested at first, just to get your feet wet? Then you can kind of ease into doing all of it. I have found LHFHG very easy to do so far though. It takes us just over an hour every day, and the only reason it takes that long is because we're doing a different math other than what Carrie has suggested which takes a little bit longer. Oh-we also do our phonics later while the 2 younger ones are sleeping so I'm not including that time, but it only adds about 15 minutes.

Why don't you give HOD a try? It's laid out so well, I really do think it will be easier to implement than it's feeling right now. I know you have to feel overwhelmed with the idea of 3 programs going at once! I've already been thinking ahead and at some point I will likely be doing 3 programs too! But Carrie has designed all of this with that in mind, and I'm pretty positive that she is doing 3 or so at a time right now herself, plus writing the next book. I really think that if you'll just ease into it and then maybe pick up the speed once you're comfortable you'll do just fine. Good luck with your decision! I know it's tough.

[Vicki]

Terri, none of us can be you, but we can give you ideas for what seems to work for us. I can't even begin to compare myself to your situation, because I'm homeschooling only one. The thing is, so many of these moms do combine their children successfully and have enjoyable days. The manuals are written so that your day will be both doable and enjoyable. I don't think there's a huge stress issue involved when it comes to HOD programs. It's all written out for you, and that in itself it what (to me) is the stress reliever.

Please don't stress yourself any more than you need to. It will all work out in the end (something my mom always tells me---and it's pretty much true). Is there a homeschool supply store that carries copies of the manuals you could peruse through? To me, that would be so helpful in resolving your worries.

I think the 3 y/o would probably at some point be listening in with the other children, and you could have some easy toddler activities around to keep the little one busy. A few activities set up in baggies would go a long way to keep your littlest happy, and the stories and songs from LHFHG will probably be fun ones to join in with.

I am not immune to stressing myself, and I've been dealing with my own "what ifs?' lately. But the good Lord keeps bringing me back to the place where he led me, and I see the peace to be had in the great picture of it all. Here's a hug, and hopes that you can find peace in your search. We're all here to listen and sound your concerns to.

[water2wine]

What is really bothering me at this point is wondering if I can get this all done. I really wanted to be able to do Bigger for my older dd and not combine her with LHFHG. I just don't know if I can do it all.
So, what do you do when you miss a craft or science box...do you just skip it and keep going or do you backlog it and keep playing catch up? (I am so tired of playing catch up!)

Teri I do LHFHG and BHFHG with six and we absolutely get everything done. It is not hard at all. I read aloud to my two in LHFHG while my others are doing LA or Math. It works wonderfully and I feel refreshed, not drained after we are done. Last year we had so many doctor visits with my dd that has special needs I thought I was going to lose my mind and we still got things done. I never fell behind or felt like we were doing catch up. It is set up so well your day is just easy. You are never going to know until you try and you talk yourself in and out of it. The worst homeschooling mistake I personally ever made was the year I talked myself out of HOD because I was sure it would be too much and went for the "easy" online school. I learned one thing for myself, never make a homeschooling decision out of fear. One of the best things about HOD is that you actually can get it done. It does a lot and you learn a lot but you are not learning everything in one day and it is just a little bit at a time. You should be great ruining those two programs. I think they are wonderfully suited for each other.

[netpea]

What is really bothering me at this point is wondering if I can get this all done. I really wanted to be able to do Bigger for my older dd and not combine her with LHFHG. I just don't know if I can do it all.

I have two kids, we are doing LHFHG with the younger one who turns 6 in Oct. and Bigger Hearts with my 8yo. You can mesh the two nicely and most days you should be done in about 4 hours (give or take). My kids take a little longer because my oldest doesn't want to miss out on ANYTHING the younger does and does not want to do any written work, so he puts up a fuss. Are you sure you can't combine the 5 and 7yo kids into Little Hearts?

So, what do you do when you miss a craft or science box...do you just skip it and keep going or do you backlog it and keep playing catch up? (I am so tired of playing catch up!)

If we miss something, we try to do it the next day if we can or if not we just skip it. Sometimes we read our history readings or storytime readings for our bedtime stories if we have a lot going on. Sometimes, my kids work ahead in one area because they want to then we slow down if we need too, it all evens out in the end.

I love HOD for so many reasons, and I'm betting you will too. I love HOD first and foremost for the strong biblical foundation that mirrors our beliefs so well. Second, I love the open and go ease of the manuals. It is so easy to go through the boxes and check them off as we go. No worries about forgetting anything. I use the white space of the manual to pencil in extra books to read from the reading lists, piano practice, spanish, etc...

When we first started homeschooling, (with HOD by the way) I was worried about getting it all done, but after doing 3 of Carrie's programs with my oldest and after getting the encouragement that this Board provides, I no longer worry. Carrie has often mentioned that if you only get through 28 units in a year, you just take a break and then start up again on Unit 29. When you finish the manual, then you move into the next one. This is so freeing! If you wanted, you could start Little Hearts and Bigger both at half speed until you get comfortable, then ramp the programs up to full speed.

I hope I don't sound like I'm rambling, but these are the thoughts springing to my mind. I think if you give HOD a chance, you will find peace in the structured flexibility it provides.