heartofdakota.com

Agreeing with the other posters here. I agree totally in regards to being spiritually grounded before introducing false gods, etc. However, in addition to the totally "religious" reason, here is a brief synopsis of the two different paths we have taken. We began with ancients with my oldest dd in fi...

It looks like you found what you needed with the book descriptions for read alouds. As far as the phonics/reading instruction..... I don't know anything about CLE reading so I do not know what all is involved with it. But depending on how long it takes each day, you could possibly do the Emerging Re...

I agree with everything w2w said....especially this part: The thing is, and I am speaking hugely from BTDT, you have to use it as much as possible as written and trust it. :wink: It's especially important if you have a ton on your plate. It took me a while to take my hands off the wheel and just let...

Hi Renee, welcome to HOD! You and your little guy are going to have a great year in Bigger! On the dictation, there is more to it than it appears at first. It does look quite simple. However, spelling is only a part of the dictation process. The passage is to be studied in such a way that dc can vir...

Welcome to HOD! (and to home schooling in general!) We are heading into our 8th year of homeschooling (if you count kindergarten), our third year with HOD. You are blessed to have come across HOD from the beginning of your journey. Not that our first 5 years were bad, but our last few years with HOD...

I had the same debate a couple of years ago with my now going-into-7th grader. I decided we would have to back track too much to switch at that point, just to get the methodology. I hate it sometimes, because I see my youngers thriving SO much with Singapore methods and conceptual thinking that my d...

I think pencil sharpeners are from the devil :twisted: . Seriously, though...we have gone through countless sharpeners here. I bought a vintage one last year and, so far, it is still going strong. I think I got it for around $15 on ebay. Before that we had all kinds. I have also switched over to all...

You are in for a great year! Just be prepared for Box Day. Your kids are going to want to dive right in, and you are just going to want to "shooooo" them away so you can peruse all your new books! HOD box days are so.much.fun!!
Angie

I am certainly no expert in writing. I am a math person and writing was never my "thing". But if it makes you feel any better, my dd is 12 and this is the exact "level" that she would write. At this point, I don't usually correct anything other than spelling and grammar. As long as she has followed ...

We also used R&S 3 with Bigger. No problem at all. We just did a lesson a day (mostly orally, as the others have said).
You will have a great year with Bigger!
Angie

Yay!

I will also be doing Beyond with a 1st and 2nd grader. You will probably be starting before we will though. We still have several more units in Little Hearts. But we will be following right along after you .
Angie

Yay! We too are enjoying Bigger. And I felt the same way you do after our first year with HOD. Such a relief to have that, "this really is going to be okay!!" revelation after going through mediocre (at best) years. We have just started our 3rd year with HOD, and still have that feeling :D Angie

Congratulations, Michelle! So exciting!
Angie

That's wonderful! We school year round also, and it does seem more difficult to get back on track after longer than normal breaks. So glad to hear it went smoothly! Enjoy your year!
Angie

Sounds like you're settling right in !
We have started some up this week but not everyone. But so far, all is well
Angie