Friday, February 4, 2011

Switching

Yikes!  I'm doing something I thought I would never do - changing homeschool curriculum in the middle of the year.  I started researching for the fall because I wasn't entirely happy with My Father's World this year and wasn't sure Lucy would place very well in their next level.  I intended to find something to do for a gap year before moving on with MFW.  Once I started seriously comparing and thinking about what was working for us and what wasn't... I decided to switch.  Well, sort of, I just placed my orders tonight and am excitedly awaiting their arrival.  We plan to start our new books as soon as we have them all.  Here are some of my thoughts on the topic:

Just to be clear, I think that My Father's World is a great company and admire their goals and work.  We may end up using more of their curriculum in the future.  I've thoroughly enjoying being a part of various yahoo groups for MFW users as well as their helpful message board.  I do not want to detract from their company or discourage anyone who is using their curriculum.  However, I know that I enjoy reading well thought out curriculum reviews and comparisons.  The beauty of homeschooling is that we get to tailor the learning experience to fit our children and what works best for our families.  Take my thoughts with a grain of salt.  ;)

Lucy started school when she was four.  She was ready and eager to learn.  After much thought and prayer, we started with My Father's World K.  She did very well, and continued on to MFW 1st grade this year.  There are many things I have enjoyed about MFW and our learning experience so far.  Lucy learned to read and has had many fun learning experiences.  Just so that this post doesn't become a mile long though, here are some of my reasons for switching:

(Ok, I'll let the cat out of the bag.  We're going to be using Heart of Dakota Little Hearts for His Glory.  Its quite similar to My Father's World, yet I'm hopeful it will be a better fit for us.)

- Too much work.  I felt like MFW was a bit teacher intensive.  At this point with three little kids and not a lot of planning time, I struggled to feel prepared.  Science and math both required books from the library as a pretty integral part of the learning.  Even with having an online library request system, I just couldn't stay on top of this.  We did really enjoy the math literature books and I think I will refer to that list even in the future.

-  Lack of information.  In MFW K, the teacher's manual would say things like "present information on insects" and leave me scrambling and wondering how much to cover.  Much of the science information relied on library books and the teacher finding information.  In first grade I felt like this happened with the memory verses.  The teacher's manual says to discuss the verse and apply it to your lives.  I felt like I needed a bit more of an idea on how to do that.

- Bible application.  Going along with the above thought, the personal Bible application for my child was lacking.  The proverbs studied are great, but we need more help on applying them.  There is not any direction given other than to "discuss and apply the verse".

- Bible stories.  The Bible stories (history) are read right out of the teacher's manual.  I found them to be over Lucy's head and included too much information for her.  Again, these were fairly dry with not much explanation.

- Science.  Lucy was really overwhelmed with the Usborne books used as science texts.  I feel like the pages are cluttered and there is just too much information all at once for a younger child like her to think about and absorb.  We struggled to get the experiments done.  Without a clear text to tie them to, they didn't really seem to make sense to Lucy.

- Read Alouds.  This is not necessarily a big issue for me, but reading out loud is not scheduled in the teacher's manual.  You are supposed to use Honey for a Child's Heart to find good read aloud books.  I like that Heart of Dakota schedules the read alouds and includes some discussion questions and direction in this area.

- Confusing.  As the teacher, I felt a bit confused as far as what I needed to include daily.  At times the teacher's manual would say things like "from now on, make a chart every week" or "use these games to review reading", but not remind me to do it.  The manual contains fun games and learning ideas, but I felt like I was not remembering them or getting to them because they weren't scheduled.

- Lacking.  The teacher's manual just sort of dies off and becomes pretty minimal towards the end of first grade.

Of course as you read through these and consider your own family and teaching style, these might all be reasons for you to choose MFW!  Hopefully my thoughts on this are helpful to you either way.  If you have any questions feel free to ask.

My plan is to continue phonics and math with MFW 1st grade.  Its easy enough since Heart of Dakota lets you make your own choices for these anyway.  We'll keep using the blue workbook and Bible reader for phonics as well as keep adding to our Bible timeline.  I'm going to continue MFW math for a while and switch to Singapore math once we finish the MFW book which should be about half way through.  Starting in the next few weeks will allow us to get a good portion of the way through the program before summer.  I imagine we'll take a summer break and pick back up in the fall, maybe moving to the next level in January?  We'll have to see how that goes.  For now I'm happy about finding a better fit for us and anxious to try it out!

See here for more curriculum reviews.  :)

42 comments:

  1. I am switching in the fall with my 2 and 8 y/o. I am using MFW-ECC this year and I know the other years are different but I feel so drawn to HOD for many of the reasons you listed. We are Charlotte Mason homeschoolers and MFW feels lacking in many of the CM things I value.

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  2. I too, may use MFW in the later years if HOD doesn't continue into high school (I hope they do).
    The reasons above would be the reasons i wouldn't use MFW either, though it is similiar to HOD in some ways.
    I love HOD and have used it from the beginning with minimal tweaking.
    I have a 7yr old, almost 6yr old , 3yr old and one due in a few months. I need it all laid out for me and HOD is so wonderful with that.
    Good post.

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    1. my kids ages are very similar to yours. Can I ask what HOD you are using?

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  3. Thanks for this... We were using MFW K, and already switched out math & reading. I have some of the same issues you do. "discuss and apply?" :) Anyway, I had never heard of Heart of Dakota, so I'm off to check it out, thank you!

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  4. Thanks for this post. Very interesting! I am using LHFHG this year and am planning to switch to FIAR followed by MFW in the next couple of years. I am planning to switch because I feel too confined by all of the specifics in HOD. I want more freedom to feel like I can do as little or as much as I am able with different things (like discussion questions, read alouds, etc). I am looking forward to the science in MFW because I feel it is lacking in HOD and needed supplementation with library books anyway. However, I have not yet used MFW, so I may come to some of the same conclusions that you have. I'm glad there are choices out there so we can find what fits best with our family personality. Hope you enjoy your new materials!

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  5. Hi,

    We are using MFW Rome to Ren. I actually switched from using HOD. LOL!!! I totally agree with you however, about the MFW K and MFW 1st grade program. They are sitting perfectly UNUSED in my closet downstairs! I do want to say, however, that MFW is totally different from 2nd grade on up! The teachers manual and ALL is TOTALLY different! YAY!!!!

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  6. Hmmm...thanks for sharing this!!! I have been going back and forth quite a bit about ordering MFW and still haven't done it. Something about not have entire peace. Perhaps this was it? I still love MFW but am gonna look at different teacher friendly, bible friendly alternatives too!

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  7. Missy - Yeah, at first glance MFW K looks like so much fun. Then when I'm actually doing it and it says "make a kangaroo" or "draw a map" I realize I wish they had given me worksheets for more of that!

    Anon - I agree that we'll probably continue to use the library a lot for science. Some of my girls' favorite books to look through are the tree and leaf identification type books, lol.

    Anon2 - I have heard the teacher's manuals are different. I'm interested to see what they are like and compare. I think 2nd grade was going to be a bit over her head anyway, which is why I started looking elsewhere. We might go back to MFW, I hear so many fun things about ECC and other years.

    Rebekah - Sorry to sway you! lol Good luck deciding. :) Let me know what you come up with.

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  8. Hi, I appreciate your post, too. I'm currently using LHFHG with a Ker and chose it because scanning the MFW K and 1st manuals left me with the same impression. I needed more hand-holding, which HOD definitely does. It is VERY specific and easy to accomplish each day. The layout is extremely efficient. I will say that I really wish there was more literature scheduled this year. I feel like we are missing a lot of the good K literature. For that reason I am supplementing with Memoria Press K. I use it to add art and music appreciation, read-alouds, poetry, and recitation that is missing from HOD. I don't require formal recitation or anything, but it reminds you to teach your child certain things like how many months are in a year, how many continents there are, what city, state, and country they live in, compass directions, and things like that. In hindsight I definitely would have added more science this year. The use of the CLP books is very scattered and just not enough for us. My daughter loves science. I would have added something like Sonlight K if I'd know how light it was going to be. One other caution is to preview the devotional. I really wish I had known this. There was one on p. 99 in particular that I found disturbing and frightening to the child. I assumed that HOD would be gentle and never thought I needed to preview, then was blindsided. I also found things I didn't agree with in the devotional. So I would just say as a heads up to preview it. Overall the program is helping me as a first-time teacher find my groove and I like how easy it is to use. I am still researching if I want to stay with HOD or try SL or MFW. I may end up combining Beyond and Adventures next year. HTH, Kathy (Sorry, couldn't figure out how to add my name. What does it want for IRL?)

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  9. Kathy - Thanks for the heads up. I enjoy hearing others input!

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  10. Thanks for sharing what you're switching to. I haven't done any MFW curriculum for a couple months now. I've mainly been unschooling and I'm pretty happy with it. BUT. I would love to have a guideline for those times when I have a spaz attack and think, "oh my gosh, my child should know this!" Or when my husband does the same. :) I'll check out the one you're switching to.

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  11. Hi Christy, I found your post on the HOD yahoogroups. We are also new to HOD (a few weeks ahead of you) and my DD is the same age. We looked at MFW and steered clear of it, much for the reasons you listed. I know it's a great curriculum, because I have a lot of friends locally who use it and love it. However, we love HOD because it's really well-laid out, gentle, already prepped for the mama, and we have enough side resources available that I feel that I have enough to supplement if I need to. Thanks for your analysis!!!

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  12. Christy,
    I am so glad I found your blog and am so glad that you have found your way to HOD! You have such a way with words! Consider it a blessing. I have always done HOD and have loved it from day 1, for all the reasons you wrote. The fact that the guess work has been taken out of it for me as the teacher, it's biblical approach and the message board being very uplifting and a wealth of information. I hope to see you on the official HOD message board!
    Moedertje

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  13. "missing from HOD. I don't require formal recitation or anything, but it reminds you to teach your child certain things like how many months are in a year, how many continents there are, what city, state, and country they live in, compass directions, and things like that."

    I just want to add that these above lessons are indeed included in HOD. All of them are covered in Beyond.

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  14. I have a three year old that I am using HOD Little Hands to Heaven on. I LOVE it! I was however thinking of switching to MFW next year as I have heard many many good things. Thank you for your review though as now I think I will re-evaluate as I really do like how things are laid out so easily in HOD.

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  15. I have always used HOD and loved it from Day 1. I like how it grows with my children, adding more and more books and skills through the years, and yet Christ-centered learning runs throughout. The living books are outstanding, and the follow-up activities have clear directions and meaningful connections that we enjoy. The discussions we have about the Lord are personal, and we spend time in the Bible daily with HOD. There are many reasons we enjoy it - too many to share here - but I am excited for you to begin! I am the sister of the author, and the editor of HOD, but first and foremost, I am a home school mom. HOD fits our family just right, and I think you will enjoy it as well. I know you are already a part of the HOD Board, but for others reading this, here is the link: www.heartofdakota.com
    The HOD board is a great place to get your questions answered, and just in general a positive place to visit. The ladies are very uplifting to one another and so helpful with their time - I always leave the HOD board feeling refreshed and inspired to keep on keeping on - so be sure to visit it!

    In Christ,
    Julie

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  16. Rebekah, you were looking at getting K, right? I was just looking at mine and rereading this. Most of what I said applies to 1st grade more than K. K did take some work and adding a few things, but I still might use it again. I do not think I would use 1st again though. Anyway, just a few more thoughts on that...

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  17. What you listed are some of the issues I had with MFW and we used it from 2nd grade on (ADV, ECC & CTG). I was wondering about using MFW K and 1st. I think you have helped firm my decision to stay with HOD for K instead of going back to MFW for K. We are using HOD LHTH and PHFHG and loving the change. So much of what you said about the differences I found to be so true for our family too.

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  18. These are really candid thoughts and I'm grateful for your reviews. Just wanted to add, though, that MFW1 is really geared for older than 5 years old ... even if you've completed MFWK ... the material in MFW1 will be a bit advanced (the Bible stories, dates, summary work, etc) since their little minds are still thinking so abstractly at that sweet, young age under 6. Both tremendous programs ... I hope you find what you love!

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  19. I agree, she was on the young side for it. That was my main reason for starting to look elsewhere because I felt she was too young for Adventures. We're enjoying the ability now with HOD to slow down on the phonics or elsewhere when we need to without messing things up. :)

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  20. I've finally made the decision to homeschool my 7 year old daughter. Planning on going to the homeschool convention. As a beginner, which curriculum would be easiest to implement in your opinion?

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  21. Anonymous, I think Heart of Dakota is very easy to implement and fun! :) Enjoy the convention, and have fun with your homeschool journey.

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  22. Thank you so much for this post. I too used MFW-Adv. the year before last and all of these "issues" sound SO familiar. I became VERY frustrated by the end of the year with the TM. This year, however, I tried to piece meal some things and we just haven't seemed to cover all that I thought we should. So, next year we are going to start PHFHG. I am SO excited about this open and go program!!! As an organizer though, I am just concerned about what a typical day looks like and I can't seem to figure it out! I guess maybe I will have to figure it out as I go. If any of you have used PHFHG and have any daily scheduling tips please let me know. Thanks in advance!

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  23. I know this is silly, but I am a little confused. MFW is My Fathers World, HOD is Heart of Dakota, but PHFHG? LHFHG? CLP? ECC? Can someone translate, I'm a little lost!
    :o)
    Thanks!

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  24. Chelsea - The other abbreviations are the different years of MFW and HOD. ECC is a year in MFW called Exploring Countries and Cultures. PHFHG and LHFHG are Preparing Hearts for His Glory and Little Hearts For His Glory - both years in HOD. CLP = Christian Liberty Press and refers to the Science text used by HOD. :) Sorry for all the shorthand!

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  25. I have previously used MFW Adventures and I LOVED it! It was very well laid out and the teacher's manual was wonderful.This year my oldest 2 will be doing MFW countries and cultures.

    This year we are using MFW 1st grade with a younger sibling and I can see that it is a little bit more laid back in the teacher's manual, but it's nice to have a simple layout and know that I can add what I feel is important or my child needs to work on.

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  26. I appreciate your review. I have a 4 and 2. Thinking of doing MFW next year. I had never heard of Heart of Dakota. I checked it out and it does seem wonderful. Thank you!

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  27. A year later, how did you like it?

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    1. Hm... I don't know if I ever posted much of a review of Little Hearts. We had fun with it, and are using Beyond Little Hearts right now. The review of that one is here - http://onelittlewordsheknew.blogspot.com/2012/01/homeschool-update-beyond-little-hearts.html :)

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  28. We have used MFW K, 1st and Adventures and are using ECC next year....

    I have a 2nd, K and 31/2 year old.

    We just used the activities in K and added Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and Math U See (the first 10 lessons in the Primer...)and Zaner Blozer HW

    First grade was good....didn't do ALL the Bible Notebook drawings or all the Copywork....just adapt to fit your needs and it's great! We finished OPGTR and did MUS Alpha and Zaner Blozer HW (starting cursive halfway through year)....good year but skipped things if busy/overwhelmed!

    Adventures has worked really well for ALL the kids. Again, read the days plan and do what you choose. GREAT learning! I have loved it and we have all learned so much. But don't feel you have to do it all if you have young ones! Let it be a tool to help you.

    Next year we will do ECC and Math U See and I added in Christian Light Language Arts for my 3rd grader to simplify the many "parts" of language arts. She can do CLLA mostly by herself and it covers spelling, penmanship, grammar etc.... Happy discovery. :) She enjoys it so far!

    I will say I found K manual to be "all over the place" but we only used the activity section and loved that for ideas. Again only using it when we had time.

    First grade was an incredible foundation for my first grader spiritually and we learned lots!

    If the state sheets become boring...don't do them all or switch it up....my children are enjoying them so far...the beginning of the year you don't use them...and not every week when they do start up...

    Our thoughts. :) Hope it helps someone. :)

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  29. Thanks for the info! I want something laid out for me, we "played" with MFWK, I am seriously debating between MFW1 and adventures. My first grader is very advanced, reading chapter books etc, but I'm scared for her to miss something. My original plan was to skip first grade and go to adventures. We aren't really CM people as much as classical, so we will be using the well trained mind for language. Any advice?

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    1. I never did Adventures, so I'm not sure. Lucy was/ is fairly advanced for her age especially with reading and writing. I am finding though that some concepts (a war, a president, etc) are hard for her to grasp. I would suggest spending time on these lower levels thoroughly before moving up too far and getting into more of the history concepts. Thats just my two cents though. :)

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    2. You probably already decided...but either one would work just fine in my opinion...the only thing is they are COMPLETELY different. The Bible is the big focus for the first grade year...and also includes all the language arts. Adventures does not include any of the language arts so you'd need to have a plan for that or combine the two somehow...

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  30. Any thoughts on MFWK reading lessons? I ordered All About Reading Level 1 because I thought that MFW didn't include reading and now I see that it does. So trying to decide if I should cancel the other order.

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    1. Yes, reading is really a big part of MFW K. We did enjoy it, Lucy learned to read that way. I'd say they do a good job of teaching it. You definitely dont need to add another reading program :) MFW 1 picks up where K leaves off and starts in with more of the phonics lessons, K is kind of like the first half and learning to read and 1st finishes it. Hope that helps! Enjoy your K year. :)

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  31. I just wanted to comment in case anyone finds this blog on a search like I did that MFW K was updated for the 2012 year and now has grids and is much easier to follow. I find it requires basically no prep for me. And the 1st grade curriculum has a new edition for March 2013.

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    1. Thanks for commenting! It does look like they added in more of the prep work and worksheets that were needed. :)

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  32. The new MFW K is really great. I used the old one a few years ago and always felt like something was missing. The new one fills in those holes, and the grid is wonderful! I highly recommend it. My daughter and I are having so much fun this year. I have used MFW 1st in the past as well, and had decided not to use it again in the future, but I've been so pleased with the changes in K that I have high hopes for the new 1st grade edition as well. I also have a girl who loves to draw and write, so I think she will really enjoy MFW 1st. I don't know that we will use the science, though. I may pull some things in from HOD LHFHG.

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  33. Hi Christy! I have three little girls - ages 6, 4, and almost 1. We're over halfway through the MFW 1st grade curriculum (see my review here: http://metropolitanmama.net/2013/03/review-my-fathers-world-1st-grade/) and I plan to switch to something else for 2nd grade.

    Are you still using Heart of Dakota? Did you end up moving ahead with Singapore math? I'm interested to hear what you're using now and what resources/books you would recommend.

    stephanie@metropolitanmama.net

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    1. Hi Stephanie,

      Your review of MFW 1st grade was interesting. I agree with much of it. I think that you are right, you'll be happier just picking and choosing what you want. I don't think HOD will be your best fit either, but that's just a hunch. A few things we love - Math Mammoth, REAL Science Odyssey, ... I'll post more soon on what we're using. We're in MFW ECC this year, but in the fall I'm basically going to piece it together myself. :)

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  34. Hi Christy,
    I really appreciated your review... it helped me decide, as I'm also torn between HOD (Beyond) and MFW Adventures. I'm so glad you mentioned the REAL Science Odyssey and Artistic Pursuits. I'd never heard of them, but after checking them out, I'm really intrigued! Can I ask a couple things? Just wondering how long each of those programs take per day, and how many times do you do each per week? I'm unsure, if I used them, if I'd add on to HOD or replace the HOD science and art. Also, do you still think the HOD guide is helpful enough to justify the purchase (even with using a different science/art)? Thanks!

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  35. We used MFW K this year, and as a first time homeschooling mom, I thought it was very easy to use and well laid out. I am also excited to get into their new edition of 1rst grade for next year. I constantly research curriculum and look for fun supplements, etc so it has not been a big deal for crafts or whatever. So many moms have wonderful printables available that it has been easy. I have nothing to compare it to, but I have loved this year doing MFW K as well as Exploring Countries and Cultures. I have heard good things about HOD also, but for now I am not making the switch! - Amy S.

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