momof3ns&p
- Reviewed on Monday, November 02, 2009
- Grades Used: 1st & 2nd
- Dates used: 2008-2009
We are just finishing up "Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory". This is a wonderful curriculum! I love it because it is honest-to-goodness "open & go". I have tried other curriculums that claim to be "open & go", but would require lots of prep from me. HOD is thorough, fun, and easy to teach. Items required for art and science activities are things most would have around the house. It is very Christ-centered and weaves the Christian theme nicely throughout all subjects without seeming "forced" or "tacked on". It provides LOTS of flexibility-I am able to teach my 1st and 2nd grader from the same teacher's manual, which saves time & money! If you don't care for Singapore math or HODs recommended reading programs, you can just add your own without having to pay for something you won't use. Also, we check out all the read-alouds and books for the reading schedule from the library, which also saves money. If you prefer the convenience, book packs can be ordered as well at reasonable cost. I was a little disappointed with the science portion, but could have added something to it easily enough had I chosen to take the time to do so. Bottom line: If you want a Christ-centered curriculum that is thorough and requires very little prep time from you, this is it!
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MichelleMyBell
- Reviewed on Thursday, October 08, 2009
- Grades Used: Bigger & CTC
- Dates used: Currently
I am using the Bigger program, but since CTC is new, I wanted to write about that. We are currently in our 4th week with this curriculum. I am using it with my 9th grade daughter and my 7th grade daughter. I have to say, it is FANTASTIC!!! I have homeschooled for 10 years and never have I been so excited about a curriculum.
My daughters love it also. My style has always been Charlotte Mason and this curriculum fits it to a T!
What I love...
Notebooking pages... My daughters have 4 weeks of gorgeous, rich notebooking pages to show. I am thrilled with this!
Learning Styles... I love how it covers so many learning styles. Auditory with the Diana WAring History CD (we LOVE this addition) to independent readings, hands on activities and dicatation and narration.
My oldest daughter is considered too old for this curriculum by the chart at the site, but I have found it to fit her wonderfully. She is a smart girl also. This year I had her tested and she scored post-high school in every subject except math using the Stanford Achievement Test. Yet, even with this, she is learning SOOO MUCH!
The Biblical focus is awesome. I recommend this curriculum highly!!!
Michelle
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ladybug29
- Reviewed on Saturday, August 29, 2009
- Grades Used: pre-k & k/1st
- Dates used: 2009
Heart of Dakota is a great curriculum choice for you if you want...
1). every subject & activity planned - the guide book is open & go and a blessing for busy moms!
2). a curriculum focused on God's Word - not just Bible stories & devotionals, but history & science through a Christian Wordview
3). fun, hands-on activities for your children to do each day that correspond with the lesson (which means minimal worksheets! :o) the things used in the activities are what you have around your house - nothing fancy, minimal prep, too!
4). a Charlotte Mason approach to learning
5). a curriculum written by a mom who's love the of the Lord is evident in her work and she has used/is using the curriculum with her own children
Check out the Heart of Dakota website - there is a lot of great information, including the first week's sample of every guide as well as friendly HOD users on the message board that are willing to help you & answer your questions.
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taylorfamily6
- Reviewed on Friday, August 14, 2009
- Grades Used: 1st and 3rd
- Dates used: 2009
At first, I really liked HOD, but I was only using it as a supplement to public school at the time.
I have already posted a review on Little Hearts for His Glory so I will only focus on Bigger Hearts for His Glory.
Pros:
1. short, quick lessons
2. Singapore Math
Cons:
1. light language arts-spelling list seems to be more first grade level than 2nd-3rd.
2. light dictation-if you are past the spelling you do dictation which is really easy words that aren't any harder than the spelling words
3. light science-while you do neat and fun science experiments and notebooking you really don't explain science to the child.
The do have a sample week, but it doesn't show a sample of the spelling list or the dictation passage for the sample week. If I would have known how light the language arts were in the guide, then I probably wouldn't have chosen the program.
I did not buy my guides from HOD, but from another site and they never mentioned Charlotte Mason or the light language arts. I found the history section on both guides to be geared for the higher end of the age ranges and might be difficult for those on the lower end of the age range. Likewise, the activities from each guide seemed geared to the lower end of the age ranges. All the subjects seemed this way. They were either on the high end or low end of the age range.
I would really look at the progression of the guides (print out all the sample weeks) and look at them in person to look at the index and the spelling lists or dictation passages. I know it would have made a difference in my decision had I seen the spelling lists and dictation passages before purchasing.
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