Heart of Wisdom Survey Results

Most popular answers in red. Second most popular answer in bold.

Are you using the Heart of Wisdom Unit Studies?

44.8% Yes, we recently began using HOW.
30.3% Yes, we have used HOW this school year.
12 .7% Yes, this is our second+ year with HOW.
09.0% Not yet, but we plan on using HOW.
02.2% No, but we are interested in HOW.

Why did you choose Heart of Wisdom? (multiple answers allowed)

130 Bible Focus
103 Teaches History Chronologically
95 Multi Age Teaching
90 Hebrew roots focus
84 Living Books (build a home library)
79 Unit Study
67 Internet Links
63 Teaches Science in Creation Order
63 Four Steps teach to all learning styles
53 Minimal Preparation
37 Able to Save $ with Ebook option
05 I'm not using Heart of Wisdom.

How many children do you have? (multiple answers allowed)

28.3% two
26.2% three
20.0% four
08.3% one
05.5% six
04.8% five
04.1% eight or more
02.8% seven

What are the ages of your children? (multiple answers allowed)

103 -Ages 9 to 14
91- Ages 5 to 9
58 -Infant to preschool
43- High School
18 -Grown
0 -No children

How long have you been homeschooling?

50.3% 5 years or more
14.5% 2 years
13.8% 3 years
11.0% 4 years
6.2% Just started
3.4% 1 year
0.7% I have not started homeschooling

Has Heart of Wisdom affected your Bible study time?

77.9% Yes.
22.1% No.

How much time does your family spend together in Bible study per day? (outside the unit studies)

39.6% Thirty minutes to one hour.
39.5% Less than 30 minutes.
16.7% One to one and a half hours.
2.1% Two hours.
2.1% Two to three hours.
0.0% Three hours or more.

How much time do you spend preparing to teach with HOW?

25.5% Less than 30 minutes a week.
22.6% Less than one hour a week.
16.1% I don't prepare --I open the lesson and read.
11.7% Less than 1.5 hour a week.
13.1% Less than 2 hours a week.
10.9% More than 2 hours a week.

How much time do you spend teaching Heart of Wisdom unit studies in a day?

28.0% Less than an hour per unit
22.0% One to 1.5 hours per unit
21.2% About one hour per unit
14.4% 1.5 to two hours per unit
10.6% Two to 2.5 hours
3.8% Three hours or more per unit

What are your student's favorite activities from the HOW lessons?

72.4% Varies according to lesson.
10.3% Scrap booking
9.0% Further research
4.8% Experiments
2.1% Writing
1.4% Narration
0.0% Copy work

Do you use the recommended resources?

31.4% We purchase all the resource we can.
25.0% We purchase the key resources for each unit.
19.3% We have most the resources in our home library.
10.0% We use the Internet sites only.
12.1% We get all the resource we can from the library.
02.1% We use the library for Key resources.

Do you think having the Key book for each unit on hand makes teaching easier?

60.9% Yes, it makes it much easier.
32.8% Yes, it makes it somewhat easier.
6.3% No, Its not necessary.

Do you prefer the bound books or Ebooks?

40.7% Like having both.
28.3% Prefer bound books.
20.0% Prefer both but finances dictate Ebooks only.
11.0% Prefer Ebooks.

Why did you choose the Ebook option?

36.2% Internet link access
22.8% Better bargain.
19.7% Bound book not available.
16.5% I can print the sections I want.
04.7% Ability to search

How do you use Heart of Wisdom Ebooks?

65.3% Download and open in Acrobat. (Comment- this option MUCH easier and quicker!)
20.1% Open online only- never downloaded.
12.5% Not yet using Ebooks.
02.1% Only use bound book.

Do you print Heart of Wisdom Ebooks from your printer?

40.0% Print entire Ebook and put in a notebook.
23.0% Have bound book, rarely print.
08.9% Read online, rarely print.
08.1% Print lessons weekly.
06.7% Print lessons daily.
05.9% Do not have access to Ebooks.
03.7% Print lessons and Internet sources daily.
03.7% Both entire book & individual lessons.

What type of teaching method(s) have you used? (multiple answers allowed)

96 Heart of Wisdom
92 Unit Studies
85 Textbook
85 Charlotte Mason (living Books)
50 Eclectic
32 Classical
16 Unschool
12 I don't know I'm learning.
11 Other

What type of teaching method(s) do you prefer?

98 Heart of Wisdom
75 Unit Studies
73 Charlotte Mason (living Books)
33 Eclectic
23 I don't know yet.
12 Textbook
10 Classical
05 Other
04 Unschool

How often do you use your computer for homeschooling?

60.7% Use it several times a day.
23.4% Use it a few times a week.
15.9% Use it once a day.
0.0% We do not have one in our home.

In what way do your students use the computer? (multiple answers allowed)

100 Educational games.
94 Word processor for writing assignments.
90 Only with supervision.
9 To create web pages.
81 HOW Ebook and Links
66 Typing lessons.
50 Email and or Chat
44 To find art for scrapbooking and projects
34 Free access to search the Internet.
17 We use parental control search engine.
12 Online Courses.

What are your computer plans?

55.2% Happy with computer and connection.
14.5% Need to upgrade to faster Internet service.
10.3% Need a second computer.
08.3% Need to upgrade to faster computer.
08.3% Need a third computer.
01.4% Need to add a faster or color printer.
01.4% Need new computer, printer and connection.

How important do you think a computer is in education.

51.7% Extremely important.
36.6% Somewhat important .
10.3% Nice but not important.
1.4% Not necessary.

Do you plan on following Heart of Wisdom's Four Year Plan?

78.4% Yes.
21.6% No.

Do you plan on using Heart of Wisdom next year?

43.4% Yes, all the units.
24.1% Yes, the history units.
13.8% Yes, the history & science units.
09 .0% No. See my reasons below. (number 1 reason: units I need not yet available )
05.5% Yes, the history & life skills units.
03.4% Yes, the science units.
0.7% Yes, the science & life skills units.

How did you find Heart of Wisdom?

40.0% Web Search
24.8% Web Site Link
15.9% Friend
07.6% Support Group
06.2% Email Link
05.5% Magazine Ad

How would you rate the quality of Heart of Wisdom Unit Studies?

90.1% Excellent
09.2% Good
0.7% Average
0.0% Needs improvement

How would you rate the resources recommended by Heart of Wisdom?

80.3% Excellent
19.6% Good
2.1% Fair
0.0% Needs improvement

How would you rate the activity choices in the lessons?

68.5% Excellent
29.3% Good
2.1% Fair
0.7% Needs improvement

How would you rate Heart of Wisdom for ease of use?

68.0% Very easy to use
29.2% Somewhat easy
2.1% Not easy
0.7% Confusing
0.0% Difficult

Please share any comments about your experience using Heart of Wisdom unit studies. (positive or negative)

Using HOW has been a life-changing experience for our entire family. We spend more time together in God's Word and are growing in our understanding together! Learning Israel's history has been a tremendous benefit to understanding all of history, past, present, and future. Also, learning about our Hebrew roots has brought new life to our relationship with God thru Jesus Christ. The Science Units are wonderful as well, tying it all together in the creation order. We are just beginning the Wisdom Unit and are gleaning so much already. I know that God orchestrated HOW becoming part of our homeschooling.

We are very excited about this "renewed" style of learning and the Hebrew based education that has become the center of our lives. We are so very grateful for everything that Robin has created within Heart of Wisdom. The books she has written and the resources that are shared within HOW are phenomenal. HOW has paved the way to many an enlightened discussion in our bible studies and around our lunch and diner tables. Thank you for such enrichment.

I was drawn to these studies because of the focus on the Bible. But quite honestly, what is keeping me is the quality of content and the ease in lesson preparation!! I plan on staying with these studies as they come out. We are currently doing the Wisdom study and I absolutely think it is outstanding. I would highly recommend HOW to anyone who has been intimidated by the preparation involved in doing Unit Studies. Robin has done a wonderful job in selecting resources and activities.

We just started using the Heart of Wisdom unit studies and we all find that they are truly a blessing. I started by ordering the Light e-book and then I realized that I should start with Creation and then do Adam to Abraham. I ordered all the key resources, even though I do not need them. I am still waiting for a couple to come in. We are all looking very forward to it!!! Thank you and God Bless.

I love Heart of Wisdom. I am so grateful to the Lord for bringing this program to my attention. Your web site has also prodded me toward learning about Hebrew roots and Biblical Holidays. I feel like I'm entering a whole new world in my relationship to the Lord. I am using HOW as the history program for my 11 year old and we are learning so much together. My high school son is using HOW for his Bible curriculum. It will take my younger son 2 or 3 years to complete and my older son only has 1 year left of school so he will finish it in one year. I am so excited to be putting this material into both boys hearts so that they can have God's wisdom and make wise decisions for their life. Thank you so much for this program! It is making a big difference in our lives.

I used Sonlight as a beginning homeschooler and appreciated the layout of timing & material usage (& the wonderful books), however; the H.O.W. focus point reaches for a greater depth in the study of and relationship with God that is precious to my soul and to the heart and focus of my family. THIS (H.O.W.)is the way the Creator of my family has beckoned my heart to rear these children I'm blessed to have. Thank you, Robin, for obeying the Creator in your responsibility with H.O.W. so that I, in turn, can obey Him in my responsibility with my children. This curriculum achieves the high hope my heart held for our homeschooling experience and my personal experience as a mother and an ever-learning believer. Importantly, too, lessons are already planned out for easy preparation. What a joy I count it all!

My 16 year old has always been in Christian school until last year. He has always struggled to learn and hated school. Last year I saw him beginning to rebel like so many others his age. I did Abeka last year at home with him and he hated it too. All summer I searched the web for something better and when I finally ran across the Heart of Wisdom web site, I felt my spirit dance inside me. I knew in my spirit that this is what the Lord wanted me to do. So this year I began my son, a junior on your program and he is thriving. His moods are better. He does his school work without being asked and is eager to do it. He does not argue hardly at all. He got grounded for not finishing some work and when I told him he could not go out with his friends until he finished his work, he did not argue or nothing(it was 4 days). It just goes to show that when we do things the Lords way He blesses us. I thank God for all the work you have done on this and will be doing. May God bless you and all your gifts to His work!!

I have to tell you that finding your site was truly a Godsend. I'm brand new to homeschooling and had this idea in my mind of what God wanted me to do with our children and our family, but I had no idea where to start. When I began reading all of the material on the HOW site it was as if God were speaking directly to me. HOW is awesome! My children are in K - 2 - 7/8.

This is my first year with HOW. I have now been teaching with it for about 6 weeks. I am still learning A LOT but am getting a little more comfortable with it. I still allow the children to spend too much time in all the different activities, but we are really enjoying it, and I feel, we are all learning a lot. I love being in the Bible more, textbooks less, and seeing how the Bible relates to our lives today.

HOW is the best curriculum I have ever seen and/or used in the secular or Christian homeschool market- bar none! Nothing compares to it at all !! According to the kids- and me! However, it is tied in popularity- according to our children, not just me-with one other Hebrew based curriculum that had activities more to their liking (not so much writing all the time, every lesson, but more visual things ready made, to aid them), but it does not use internet links, which we LOVE. So we blend both curriculums together when possible. Thus we will continue to use HOW. It is extremely comprehensive in it's coverage of a subject. Nothing is left out. Plus- you don't have to buy any key resource books if you cannot afford it. You can use the internet links and still cover everything in detail! So it is quite economical for families with small budgets. THAT is liberating in itself! We loved all the internet links. There was no way you could NOT learn, or miss something with the abundance of links for each e-book. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone looking for the truth in history/science told in a non-threatening way. Not doctrinal teachings, but the actual truth, no matter where that leads for your children and you. And what could be more Biblical than that? The Bible incorporated into daily FIRST readings, as the primary curriculum, was the best thing we have ever done for our children. The perfect way to start a day, instead of trying to fit it in as a small subject. IT IS the subject, then all else falls in around it. And as Robin said once, if you get nothing else done that day, at least the most important thing has been finished. THAT is what we want for our children. The firmest foundation possible.

Excellent array of resources, enough so that I don't have to do too much work in watering the material down for my pre-K, K, and 1st graders.

I love the Hebraic focus. HOW Ancient History is very complete, easy to use and we love the Hebrew vocabulary lessons. We already had a few of the resources. (Writer's Express, Beechick, Kingfisher) I have circulated this through our homeschooling support group and you have subsequently gotten a lot of exposure and three orders of "What your child needs to know when", and another HOW unit study order. Thank you for excellent resources!!

We finished the Creation Unit and we will be starting Adam to Messiah this week. It looks very well written,and has many resources to choose from. We enjoyed the Creation Unit.(Evolution is a very confusing topic, I think Creation is actually easier to believe and understand.)We are anxious to start our next unit Adam to Abraham.

This is the approach I've been looking for. It's truly BIBLE BASED.

The Lord has put a great love in my heart to return to the Jewish roots from which Christianity arose. I am overjoyed to find Hebrew definitions and meanings included in the lesson studies. I know that God intends for my family to apply His Word in every part of our lives. Never was there an intention that we separate education and spirituality. God has a plan in HOW studies. Finding my niche and enjoying it all the way!

We went to HOW for its Hebraic centered teaching and approach. We had been focusing on the Classical method but I didn't like the Hellenistic approach and the almost total lack of Jewish presence.

We have loved it so far, though we are moving slowly through the material for greater retention of the truths. We have only been using the materials for 1 month. I believe HOW is an answer to prayer & it has been a great blessing to my family. We are using Creation & Wisdom currently. We are only a few lessons into it & already my 14 yr. old is planning to put a Creation Science Club together [there isn't one in our area] in order to encourage/ teach others the truth of a literal, 6 day Creation & its foundational importance. The units are teaching ME so much. The Wisdom unit has been very convicting & has led to many precious & invaluable discussions with my children. I so appreciate the ease of use & the fact that HOW can be used in the way God leads a particular family using it. Because of this ability to flex to the family & be individualized, How keeps learning engaging & interesting rather than dry. Thank you Robin for all of the hard work you've put into HOW!

I first heard about HOW from a book called "The Things We Wish We'd Known" I was depressed with what I thought were my curriculum options, and was looking for some encouragement. I found your article and immediately used the address listed in the back of the book to find your books. Read as much as I could, prayed about making this huge change in our schooling. It's frightening to toss out the textbooks. We have loved the change to HOW curriculum, I wish I had made this change years ago. I have always wanted to teach this way, but I was afraid of my own short-comings. I was afraid I didn't have the knowledge that it would take to successfully teach my children without textbooks. We had started a timeline, but it sat undone because we didn't know where to find the resources to complete it. We started studying and celebrating the Biblical feasts; you gave us the nudge we needed to have a full experience of the feasts, without feeling like we were neglecting our school studies. We are thrilled with the change to HOW, school is finally the way of life we had wanted it to be. Thank You from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for all of the time and energy that you have put into this work, so that other mom's can be a success.

I am using the Ancient History:Adam to Messiah bound book and I thoroughly enjoy it! My children like being able to choose their own activities and they can be as simple or complex as I need them to be according to the ages of my children. Thanks for such great materials to teach my children!

I have just begun to use HOW for first year history - Adam to Messiah. I LIKE it A LOT! I searched for a year to a year and a half for a Hebraic homeschooling method. The Lord definitely led us to you and we are thankful and excited! I struggled on my own before, but now I have in my hands what I need and a suggested course of direction that we alter as the Lord leads. This year has definitely started off much better than in the past and we look forward to the remainder of the year! We are looking to purchase the Creation unit study shortly. Thank You!!!

We have done unit studies for the last 4 years and started this one this year. I knew we'd made the best de JRun Server Name: nutch1 pageload time: 16ms