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Heart of Dakota Program

Publisher: Heart of Dakota Publishing Author: Carrie Austin, M.Ed. Review last updated: May 2010

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The Heart of Dakota program is a comprehensive, Charlotte-Mason oriented curriculum in seven volumes that might be used for children ages 2 to 14 (preschool to eighth grade). Titles and grade levels covered are:

Little Hands to Heaven - ages 2 - 5
Little Hearts for His Glory - ages 5-7
Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory - ages 6-8
Bigger Hearts for His Glory - ages 7-9 (extending to ages 10-11)
Preparing Hearts for His Glory - ages 8-10 (extending to ages 11-12)
Hearts for Him through Time: Creation to Christ - ages 9-11 (extending to ages 12-13)
Hearts for Him through Time: Resurrection to Reformation - ages 10-12 (extending to ages 13-14)

Each volume is a one-year curriculum, divided into 33 to 35 units, each of which will take one week to complete. The primary "tool" you work from is one large book that lays out daily lesson plans. It really covers everything! Subject areas and the amount of emphasis upon each vary from volume to volume.

Instructions for learning activities are written out in each manual. Some of the activities at lower levels for math and grammar direct you in the use of other resources, and most math and grammar is through other resources so as you move into the upper level volumes. Also, read aloud assignments rely upon other books.

Little Hands to Heaven serves as a preschool program teaching letters, sounds, numbers, pre-reading, and pre-math skills, music, art, and Bible, all with lots of physical movement and hands-on activity. (I have not reviewed this volume.)

In Little Hearts for His Glory, the subjects/skills covered are history, Bible, story time, science, phonics, math, art, dramatic play, music, thinking skills, gross motor skills, and fine motor skills. Bible study in Little Hearts centers around Devotions for the Children's Hour by Kenneth N. Taylor. History readings come from the Christian Liberty Press books History for Little Pilgrims and History Stories for Children as well as a Bible storybook. [Note: in Little Hearts, the history book readings and themes give the study a decidedly Protestant slant with focus on Luther, Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards, but, overall, children learn a great deal of Bible history and U.S. history with brief introductions to a few other people and events.] Phonics is taught from Reading Made Easy, The Reading Lesson (by Levin and Langton), or another phonics program of your choice. Minimal instruction is given for phonics within Little Hearts. Instead, suggestions are made for the number of pages/lessons per day to complete in either of the two suggested resources. Appendices in the first volume include a list of optional literature supplements for each of the 34 units and a "Rhymes in Motion" section with rhyming songs that incorporate large muscle movements. Math activities are included in lesson plans with specific assignments made from either Early Bird Kindergarten Mathematics 2A & 2B or Primary Math 1A/1B (Singapore). Other resources that you need are Favorite Thornton Burgess Animal Stories set (6 books), Peter Rabbit and Other Favorite Tales, Do It Carefully and Finding the Answers workbooks (Rod and Staff) OR Thinking Skills: Grade 1 (McGraw-Hill), either Italic Handwriting (Book A or Book B) or A Reason for Handwriting (Book K or Book A), The World God Made OR Our Father's World OR God's Wonderful Works (CLP science texts), and the musical CD Hide ‘Em in Your Heart Vol. 1.

Beyond Little Hearts covers history, Bible, devotions, geography, timeline, art, science, poetry from classic poets, narration lessons, copywork, grammar lessons, spelling, daily literature study with the read-alouds, math, and music. The level of difficulty and time required for each subject increases in Beyond Little Hearts. Bible study expands in Beyond Little Hearts with the addition of Bible study questions used in conjunction with a devotional book Required history resources used are three CLP titles: American Pioneers and Patriots, Stories of the Pilgrims, and Boys and Girls of Colonial Days. As you might surmise, the theme is early American history, covered in a selective but chronological fashion. Instead of the "Rhymes in Motion" appendix found in the first volume, there are "Poetry and Rhymes" appendices in both this and the Bigger Hearts volume, one poem for each unit. Other suggested resources linked to the second volume are Morning Bells by Frances Ridley Havergal (devotional activities), God's Wonderful Works (science from CLP), Primary Mathematics (Singapore Math), and Hide 'Em in Your Heart Vol. II. The second volume offers reading plan options depending upon whether a child is a beginning, emerging, or independent reader. For beginners, either Reading Made Easy or The Reading Lesson is recommended. For emerging readers, there is a substantial appendix with a very detailed, annotated list of books that gradually increase in difficulty plus a schedule suggesting exactly which pages to read on which days. For independent readers, you are directed to use Drawn into the Heart of Reading. Spelling lists (two for each unit) are found at the back of the book along with an annotated bibliography of storytime read-aloud books that correlate with each unit. Copywork and beginning grammar are also included within language arts coverage.

Bigger Hearts for His Glory again advances in difficulty/skill level and time required for lessons. While each day's lesson is still presented on two pages, there are now ten boxes per day with a smaller font size used to fit more information. Bigger Hearts covers history, Biblical character trait study, history notebooking, timeline, art, geography, math activities, hymns, English (with a Rod and Staff text), cursive, spelling/dictation, vocabulary, literature study plans for read-alouds, classic poetry, science notebooking and experiments with living books, and narration lessons. Bigger Hearts introduces character trait studies relating to the book of Proverbs along with the use of a devotional book. The study of American history continues up through the 1970s using more of a biographical approach. Required books are A First Book in American History and Stories of Great Americans, both by Edward Eggleston, The Story of the Wright Brothers and Their Sister by Lois Mills (CLP), and Journeys in Time: A New Atlas of American History by Leacock and Buckley (Houghton Mifflin). A number of science resources—living books—are required for this volume: One Small Square: Seashore, Science in Colonial America, John Audobon: Young Naturalist, One Small Square: Woods, A Pioneer Sampler, and Thomas A. Edison: Young Inventor.

An appendix includes an optional schedule for expanding history and science study for student in 5th and 6th grades so you can keep more family member working on similar topics. (Additional required resources are listed in the book.) You will need to choose your own cursive handwriting program--recommended options are listed at the front of the book. As with Beyond Little Hearts, there is a detailed schedule of reading for emerging readers that gradually increases in difficulty. For independent readers you are directed to use Drawn into the Heart of Reading: Level 2/3. Other resources referenced but not absolutely essential for this volume are Little Pillows by Havergal (devotionals), Preparing to Build: English 2 (Rod and Staff), Primary Mathematics, and Hymns for a Kid's Heart: Volume One. Dictation passages, spelling lists, and suggested read-aloud titles are also found in the appendices. The read-alouds are much more than supplemental "bedtime" stories. These are carefully correlated with the rest of the program to cover different genres of literature and to teach story elements, character traits, and narration.

Preparing Hearts for His Glory continues with the same general format as earlier volumes while adding beginning research skills. For Bible, students study and memorize the Psalms with the aid of musical selections from the CD Lead me to the Rock by Kelly Crawford. History and geography stretch from Creation to the end of the twentieth century using A Child’s History of the World along with other resources such as Life in the Great Ice Age and Grandpa’s Box: Retelling the Biblical Story of Redemption and biographies of Columbus, da Vinci, Pasteur, and Einstein. Science studies correspond loosely with history studies. For example, study of the stars correlates with reading about the Magi as well as with study of ancient civilizations where astronomy played an important role. Students are expected to do more independent study at this level than at younger levels. An optional “deluxe package” adds 12 books that can be used for independent study and activities that are provided within Preparing Hearts for His Glory for students in grades 3 through 5. Another optional package, the “extension package,” provides more advanced reading material for history for students in grades 5 through 7.

A reading schedule for these books is included in an appendix rather than in the lessons (as for the deluxe package books). Reflecting increased emphasis on academics, PHFHG has weekly science experiments with notebooking, questions, and narration activities.

Hearts for Him through Time: Creation to Christ follows the same layout, expanding student research skills and building independent reading and self-study into lessons for all students. Self-study assignments include reading, listening to CD’s, written assignments, creation of a game, copywork, map work, drawing, and more. Science continues with weekly experiments and notebooking, while adding written lab sheets that help students comprehend the scientific process. Creation to Christ uses Ruth Beechick’s Genesis: Finding Our Roots that is a study in both history and biblical worldview. Among other history resources for this level are The Story of the Ancient World (Nothing New Press), Ancient Greece: Streams of History, and Ancient Rome: Streams of History, Diana Waring’s What in the World? CD’s, and A Child’s Geography Vol. II. Science addresses living things with Exploring Creation with Zoology 3, Exploring the History of Medicine, Plant Life in Field and Garden, An Illustrated Adventure in Human Anatomy, Birds of the Air, and Galen and the Gateway to Medicine.

Hearts for Him through Time: Resurrection to Reformation continues to move students toward more independent learning with an eye on making sure students are prepared for higher level learning. This level also turns attention toward becoming a Godly young man or woman with a biblical Christian worldview. To that end, it leads students in study of Philippians along with either Boyhood and Beyond or Beautiful Girlhood. History study uses a distinctly Christian approach with resources such as Diana Waring’s What in the World? CD’s, Mystery of History Vol. III, Monks and Mystics, and Peril and Peace: Chronicles of the Ancient Church, combined with non-sectarian resources such as Famous Men of the Middle Ages, The Story of the Middle Ages, and Draw and Write through History: Vikings, Middle Ages, Renaissance. Earth science is the theme for science studies with different options available depending upon which books have been used in previous years.

Science experiments and activities are included in all volumes, and you are referred to other books for additional reading at each level. Science notebooking assignments are added beginning with Bigger Hearts, and recording data and observations with lab work are added at upper levels. Science focuses on fewer topics each year than do typical textbooks, but does a much better job of covering those topics interestingly and in-depth with plenty of observation and experimentation.

For the younger levels, hands-on math activities are given in the manuals, then assignments are made from Singapore Math books at the appropriate level. Older levels drop the hands-on activities for math but continue to provide Singapore Math schedules. Math assignments are very specific with alternative page assignments at the back of the book for the different levels of Singapore math books that you might be using. (You can substitute another math program if you prefer. For the lower levels, you can still use the suggested math activities along with another program.)

In every volume each daily lesson plan is divided into two parts: "Learning the Basics" and "Learning through History." Each "subject" area is presented in a box with nine or ten boxes per daily lesson plan. This makes it very easy to see what needs to be done for each area. Lessons begin with "history" each day. The "Learning through History" parts of the lesson on the left-hand page are designed like a unit study . Daily assignments for history tell you which pages to read in the history book and/or Bible storybook (or your own Bible) and the key idea upon which to focus. That key idea is also incorporated in Bible, art, thinking skills, science, or some of the other lessons for that day. "Learning the Basics" activities on the right-hand page don't necessarily relate to the theme. For all subject areas, specific pages (and tracks in the case of the CD) are assigned in each day's lesson plans for the other required resources. This is a huge time saver, even if you stray from the prescribed schedule.

Author Carrie Austin says that completing all the activities should take about 90 minutes a day for Little Hearts, 120 to 150 minutes per day for Beyond Little Hearts, and about 3 1/2 hours per day for Bigger Hearts. It becomes much more difficult to predict time requirements for upper level volumes since students are doing more independent work and you will be making a number of choices depending upon the needs of each student. Although the assumption is that you will complete all subject areas each day, you will find that skipping a subject now and then won't cause lasting harm, particularly in the first volume.

I like the way Carrie Austin has combined elements of unit study, living books, and textbooks in a format that makes it very easy for the parent/teacher to know exactly what to do each day. Art and math lessons might take a little preparation time, but other than that, lesson prep time is very minimal. The variety of learning methods should appeal to children of various learning styles. And you still have the freedom to use your own phonics program—a big issue for some parents since phonics is one of the most important subjects in the early years.

You can purchase the main lesson plan book by itself as well as all of the recommended resources directly from Heart of Dakota Publishing. Or you might want to purchase one of the packages: Economy, Basic, Extension, and Deluxe packages. The Economy Package includes all of the required items except those for which you need to choose from among selected options. The Basic Package consists of those additional items that are recommended and scheduled into the lesson plans but which are not absolutely essential. The Deluxe Package consists of the storytime books recommended for each volume. The Extension Package adds the history and science books for older students using the volumes for which Extension Packages are available. See the webite for details on all the package options.

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