HOD not CM?

I think if you don’t enjoy it, you should change it up. I feel with local homeschool moms like its a but if a dirty secret that I enjoy my homeschool time with my kids but I do. Just another benefit of a CM education– that it can be enjoyable, interesting and educational for mom too.

Nebby

http://www.lettersfromnebby.wordpress.com

We used HOD for 2 and 1/2 years and had to stop to to focus on my daughter’s struggles in math and reading, due to her dyslexia. I am planning to do HOD again next fall. I think I am drawn to HOD because 1) it is planned out (I need that:) 2) I really like Carrie’s book choices so far and 3) I think there is excellent Bible and character training woven into the lessons. Honestly, there will probably be some of the ‘busy’ work that we will not do, because I still need to focus on reading/spelling and math. When we were in HOD previously, we did not make maps that were scheduled in the history/geography part. My daughter has some visual problems and maps would drive her crazy. Also, she didn’t do the science notebook exactly as instructed, since her writing skills are not strong. I am sure I will have to make adjustments when we go back to it. I like having the guide. But if some of the work does not fit my daughter’s needs, we will change some things. I may not be able to continue HOD when we get to the upper guides, depending on the level of books. My daughter is 10 and is still not working independently. I am going to take it slow and see how it goes. I am not going to be tied to the guide, and feel we have to complete things exactly according to the guide. I just know I can trust what HOD stands for and that my daughter will grow spiritually and in character by using it. CM teaching is finally making more sense to me, especially since I came here to SCM, so maybe certain aspects of HOD will need to be made more CM, but I am not going to hesitate using it.

Melissa, Thanks for the review on DITHOR. I had wondered the same thing myself about it being repetitive. My daughter loves when I read to her, and I don’t want to take the joy out of it by making her do a lot of writing. I’m sure it is a good reading program, but because of my daughter’s LD, it would probably be too much. I’m sure she would just enjoy discussing what we read.

I am actually considering HOD for my 7th grader to do independently next year. We will be studying the same time period (roughly Module 6 – 1850-modern times) as a family with SCM. The reasons we are considering it:

1. She is ready to move into more independent work, but I wanted something that would help her organize her school day.

2. The books correspond to what I would have selected anyway (in addition to the SCM resources, which she will also read).

3. She is a voracious reader and I have always had to ‘pad’ her work.

4. She loves hands on projects….and she has a momma who is soooo not good at assigning that type of thing. I think she will really enjoy the notebooking aspect.

All that considered, she will probably NOT do all the busywork. She will probably NOT be required to do assignments that we feel are superfluous. In other words, we will adapt it to fit her. I am considering it a ‘base’ and a source of ideas.

Also, we will not be using their grammar recommendations but will go with a more CM friendly English program. And DITHOR is out, for sure. Written narrations along with the book package are effective for her and will be continuing. Map studies will continue along the SCM lines. It is simple and effective.

I have used HOD in the past. I LOVE the way it is scheduled (good pace, easy to organize your day, etc). I also love the ideas for activities – I am not a creative type so that is helpful for me!

I did not love all of the book selections and the busywork. But after primarily using SCM, I feel much more free to take the good portions and substitute where I need to.

I am a curriculum ‘tweaker’ and at some point I just had to accept that about myself ;0). SCM is the closest I have come to a no-tweak curriculum. Until I decide to write our own curriculum (ha!) I am happy to adapt the ideas from HOD or SCM to our particular style.

Well, you have to realize that Carrie (the author) put a lot of thought into the curriculum and wouldn’t view ‘tweaking’ it as a positive. She believed it to be a complete system and that is how it is marketed. But you are the teacher of your kids, you are the steward of their education. If something isn’t working for them or if you feel it is lacking, you have the freedom to change it. God will give you wisdom to do what is best for your kids and to speak to their hearts and minds. I wouldn’t restrict that freedom just because someone else felt they had a good system! I respect Carrie greatly, but she isn’t living in my house teaching my children – I am ;0)!

Anyway, that is one of the things I LOVE about SCM – there is a lot of freedom to make changes and do what feels right for your family. The All Day Seminar from SCM is an incredible resource to show you how to apply CM to all the different subjects that need to be taught. It is really incredibly fun when you realize that you can do exactly what you and your kids like to do (!) and give them a great education in the process.

I guess my goal is to make sure we read the books listed. I may need to adjust some of the writing/drawing activities that go with it. We will use different math and maybe different English. I don’t think what I’m doing will make it fall apart. I just need to follow it at my own pace, so it doesn’t turn into ‘getting boxes checked off’. I’m not going to worry if an HOD day is not done in a day. That way we can add nature walks and other books to go with the topic if desired. If we get to a guide that seems too difficult, we will change. My daughter’s educational needs are out of the ordinary, so I have to take a day at a time.