As much as I love My Father's World, I have been considering switching over to Heart of Dakota for next year. I got a catalog in the mail last week and was browsing through it...I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH IT!!! It is sooo similar to My Father's World...and yet it seems to be stronger in some areas in which I feel are My Father's World weak points.
MFW K is wonderful in the Bible lessons and connecting it to the science projects, but James was more advanced in every other area of study it offered. (Don't get me wrong. I do love the program, and will more than likely do it with Bella for Preschool. I just think it is more of a PreK program than K...in my humble opinion) So we decided to start James with MFW 1st grade. So, why am I moving to a different curriculum for next year???
- MFW 1st grade does not teach each of the subjects everyday, there is not a flow and consistency from day to day in the teacher's manual. Somedays are very short with a review of the memory verse in Proverbs, math and reading. One day every week there is an science exploration day and no other subjects are covered and you are encouraged to spend the day outdoors. Because of this, we don't follow the teacher's manual day by day. I look ahead in the days/weeks ahead, and cover the whole week in 2 or 3 of our schooldays most of the time. We are well ahead of schedule, and should finish up the first grade material by the end the summer IF we don't take a typical summer break. (I am considering this option so that we can begin a new curriculum at the same time as the typical new school season starts out. We would still have 4 weeks to take off with this plan)
- Instead of listing the Math instructions for the day in the manual, you have to flip to a special section divided for math and find the assignment for that day/week. And they suggest living books as well, but that is also in another section in the back of the manual. True, this is not horrible, but it is a pain! I would rather it all be listed under what day/week it is to be done in the manual.
- The science living books are listed the same way, in the back of the manual, instead of with the day/week it is applicable to. Plus, the science isn't really connected to the Bible lesson as it was in the Kindergarten level, and that is why I liked the program...everything the child studied was interwoven together.
- Looking ahead in the manual...starting at Day 126 the student has completed the phonics lessons, and most of the math lessons, and the specified Bible lessons are not continued. The remaining SHORT lesson plans are not as structured and they encourage you to spend time outdoors and reading library books, etc. I am all for outdoor activity and reading, but in addition to regular learning. So I am very bummed about that aspect of the curriculum.
- I was talking with another homeschool mom at Coop and she uses MFW for her older children (2nd/3rd grade). She also loves MFW, with the exception of the Language Arts. She felt it was lacking in instruction compared to schools in her same grade level, and she felt the need to supplement. The whole reason I got MFW was to have a complete program, so I wouldn't HAVE to supplement (even though I still do from time to time as I find fun things) Now, on the flip side...I have been extremely impressed with 1st grade phonics that it presents! James is doing amazing in reading and it is because of the curriculum.
- And one last minor complaint before I move on to why I am considering Heart of Dakota. MFW relies heavily on library books. I love the library (It's free and I hate the idea of buying tons of books only to be used once) so I thought that this would not be an issue for our family, in fact it was a plus. However, it is really difficult to go to the library every week or two and look for 10 or 20 books with a toddler! Most of the time, I find that our library doesn't cover many of the suggested books, and it takes even longer to find other substitutes. So this has been a hassle.
Here's a peek at the teacher's manual for Heart of Dakota.... Simple daily plans are divided into 9 boxes, which can be spaced throughout the day as time allows. Quick and easy activities require little or no preparation and use only materials you're likely to have on hand. Each day of plans is divided into the following 2 parts: "Learning Through History" and "Learning the Basics". It is laid out on two pages, so each day is very easy to see what you will be doing. No flipping back and forth!!! And these areas are covered every day. That is music to my ears.Christ-CenteredThe "Learning Through History" part of the program gives a chronological overview of early American history from 1565 - 1860's. It emphasizes God's plan throughout history. A weekly Bible story wraps up each unit by focusing on an example of Godly character that corresponds with the history stories. The areas listed below are linked with the daily stories:
|  | CompleteThe "Learning The Basics" part of the program focuses on language arts and math. It includes the areas listed below: Introduction to Capitalization and Punctuation |
For me, it confirmed all of the reasons why we are going to choose HOD next year, but it may do the complete opposite for others. Isn't it wonderful to have many Christ centered programs to choose from? There are so many more out there too!
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