Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 1 month ago by viljoenavenue.

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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May 4, 2012 at 7:46 pm
viljoenavenue
Member
What would you recommend: songlight vs Heart of Dakota (kindergarten-1st grade)
May 4, 2012 at 7:56 pm
Evergreen
Member
We used Sonlight K with one of our boys, and loved it. However, if you look at the reading material, you may see that some of it is fairly advanced for many K students who couldn’t sit through chapter books (and some mature themes), and we found it also made a great first-grade program for some of our other boys when the time came. What they sell as a pre-K program, we found to be a great K program for another child, minus, of course, the reading material; we subbed in our own. It’s also a very rich program with lots of great literature, a bit more age appropriate in some cases, IMO. I haven’t used the HOD early programs, but from the books I see listed, I’d prefer SL.
May 4, 2012 at 8:03 pm
viljoenavenue
Member
Sonlight looks like such a rich curriculum, many different books compared to Heart of Dakota there isnt much…..not sure.
May 4, 2012 at 8:12 pm
eawerner
Participant
I think the layout of the two IG’s would make a big difference in what you might prefer or think you could keep up with so you may want to download the samples to check them out. I don’t care for all the different activities and finger plays in HOD. I just want a good list of books and a general schedule to follow (SCM!) because I don’t feel the need to add in all the cutesy things that come with a traditional preschool/kindergarten class.
May 4, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Tia
Participant
HOD focuses on Biblical and American History during the young years, Sonlight dives into World History. The HOD guide has a list of books in the back you can use for enrichment if you want more books, or you could order the Sonlight P 4/5 or Core A read alouds to supplement. The HOD guide is easier to follow. The Sonlight Core A bookslist is a great list. I actually think you could use HOD and use the books from Sonlight to read during Read Aloud time.
Just some things to consider…they are both good programs imo.
May 5, 2012 at 2:14 pm
viljoenavenue
Member
Thank you so much for all the great information!!!!
May 5, 2012 at 3:32 pm
botanicalbecky
Member
I am using the P4/5 with my 4-nearly-5 yo and he and I both LOVE it. It isn’t overwhelming at all and the literature is wonderful. It deals with the alphabet, vocabulary, seasons, simple machines, nature, different jobs people do, stories from around the world, poetry and rhymes, plus some other “classics”. (We also read other picture books outside of what’s in the SL core, just not in any scheduled way.) I did get the K Core, but I’m not sure when he will be ready for that. The book choices are pretty awesome though, I just think they might be a bit long for his attention span right now. I’ve never looked at HOD, so I can’t compare the two.
May 8, 2012 at 5:21 pm
viljoenavenue
Member
I am so excited, I went ahead and ordered sonlight! They have awesome books and Im looking forward to reading them with my kiddos!