To combine or not? Suggestions?

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oneblessedmama
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 8:38 pm

To combine or not? Suggestions?

Post by oneblessedmama » Fri Oct 19, 2012 11:55 pm

We are new to HOD. My daughters are 2 years apart, so technically I could combine them. However I worry because at 4 and 6 this is a huge difference. I also worry that my youngest will feel stupid competing with my oldest. How can you not compare when they are side by side? Youngest knows numbers and letters, colors and counting etc. Am I just being paranoid /OCD? I was the youngest of my class growing up, and always struggled to keep up.I guess I am more worried about the youngest

Kathleen
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Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:23 pm
Location: NE Kansas

Re: To combine or not? Suggestions?

Post by Kathleen » Sat Oct 20, 2012 11:10 pm

I was in your shoes with Allison and Garret 2 years ago. :D I split them, and it was perfect for us!

Here's a little background on where we were leading up to that point...
Allison (age 4) & Garret (age 2) did Little Hands to Heaven together. We had a fabulous year!!!
Allison (age 5) & Garret (age 3)...I pondered what to do for quite a while. Finally decided to do a "half-speed" version of Little Hearts for His Glory with them together. Allison did Fine Motor Skills box and math and phonics daily though. It worked beautifully!! :D Garret was a tag along on the math, but not the writing part of it - he is my MATH lover still today. :wink: We ended up here because I needed something "school-like" to do with Garret. We were done with LHTH, and while I was pondering other curriculums for him, anything else was going to be more work for me. I considered stalling Allison for a year to let him be more ready for LHFHG, but didn't think that was the best choice either. So we did the s-l-o-w version of LHFHG with normal basics for her. This let me see if they would be a good match for the long haul. It became obvious over the year that she was ready to fly, and he was a typical almost-4 year old boy (who loved school as long as I wasn't going to drown him in it). Sooooo, in March of that year I let Allison take off full-speed on LHFHG and restarted LHTH with Garret. They still talk fondly of when they did "2-person school". :lol: It was PERFECT for our family that year in our life.
Allison (age 6) & Garret (age 4)...Allison finished LHFHG and zoomed on into Beyond. Garret did LHTH. The split was made and both got exactly what they needed. Now, at that point Garret already knew his numbers, letters, shapes, colors, etc. But we still did LHTH as written. There is really so much more there than just those things. It is written right to that developmental level regardless of the "academic" knowledge that they have. I'd lean towards that guide for your younger gal if you split them. You could always add in phonics when she's ready. We did that mid-year with Garret when he was 4.5. :D

Allison and Garret still love to be involved in each other's learning, too, which is easy to do with the projects that are written throughout the guides. For example, on Friday in our house, Grant was experimenting with his car that he made in science - so all the kids (except Quinn, who was napping) went outside with him to time it and watch it race. Allison read about William Penn in history, so right after lunch we had Indian jumping games that we all participated in. (And my husband found out that 8 weeks after major abdominal surgery you still really don't have the muscles needed to JUMP, so he took over marking our jumps with masking tape :wink: ) Garret was also reading about the 1st Americans in history, and while Grant and I went to feed calves in the afternoon on the dairy, he and Allison worked on his Indian village together, complete with a tin foil river. I let the kids choose if they want siblings to jump in for the "fun" things that pop up, and it works wonderfully! Now, if it's a time consuming project, Grant usually can't jump in with the younger ones as he has plenty of work to complete for his own day, but he does the little things when they're ready to be done. 8)

Have you read these posts by Carrie about HOD's philosophy and how combining can work well or not work well in different homes and situations? viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9344 There's not one right answer...

:D Kathleen
Homeschooling mom to 6:
Grant - 19 Kansas State University
Allison - 15 World Geography
Garret - 13 Res2Ref
Asa - 8 Bigger
Quinn - 7 Bigger

Halle - 4 LHTH

oneblessedmama
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 8:38 pm

Re: To combine or not? Suggestions?

Post by oneblessedmama » Sun Oct 21, 2012 12:30 am

Thank you for sharing your experience. I have been praying for guidance and I am sure this is where the Lord wants me to be. Blessings to you and your family on this journey. :D

netpea
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Location: Michigan
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Re: To combine or not? Suggestions?

Post by netpea » Sun Oct 21, 2012 4:45 pm

If you look at the placement chart for them both, where do they fall?
Lee Ann
DD3 - LHTH
DD10 - no longer schooled at home
DS12 - no longer schooled at home

Have used LHTH, LHFHG, BLHFHG, and BHFHG
http://netpea.blogspot.com

oneblessedmama
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 8:38 pm

Re: To combine or not? Suggestions?

Post by oneblessedmama » Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:39 am

DD6 is in LHTHG where she should be. DD4 knows what is covered inLHTH, but LHFHG seems over her head in some areas. Both love my full attention and both have short attention spans and both are jealous of each other. Neither like to be left out. DD4 is the one I'm most worried about. I don't want her to feel ignored but I don't want to pressure her either .

netpea
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Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:39 pm
Location: Michigan
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Re: To combine or not? Suggestions?

Post by netpea » Mon Oct 22, 2012 5:50 am

Has your 4yo done LHTH? and if so which options did you use with it?
Lee Ann
DD3 - LHTH
DD10 - no longer schooled at home
DS12 - no longer schooled at home

Have used LHTH, LHFHG, BLHFHG, and BHFHG
http://netpea.blogspot.com

oneblessedmama
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 8:38 pm

Re: To combine or not? Suggestions?

Post by oneblessedmama » Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:30 am

No. First time homeschooling. I need patience . Patience and sleep . Or maybe a Valium. :lol: Trusting God means admitting I'm not in control. Still working on that .

countrymom
Posts: 770
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 3:16 pm

Re: To combine or not? Suggestions?

Post by countrymom » Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:16 am

Don't worry, things can be overwhelming at first but it will all come. Give your children's ages I would recommend splitting them up. The placement chart will help you, but based on what you have said I think this will be the best choice for you. My sons are 19 months apart and I could never combine them. It would literally be a disaster. It sounds like LHTH would be a good fit for your 4 yr old and you could even start 1/2 speed with LHTH to help you get in the swing of things. If you do LIttle Hearts with your 4 year old this year you will run into problems down the road with her being too young for the guides and it sounds like that is already the case to some extent. If you 6 yr old is doing great in Little Hearts then she is accurately placed and will do fine.
Countrymom
Wife to J
Big J - LHFHG, Beyond, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, R2R, Rev to Rev, Modern Missions, beginning parts of World Geography
Little J - LHTH, LHFHG, Beyond, Bigger, Preparing, working in CTC

netpea
Posts: 714
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:39 pm
Location: Michigan
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Re: To combine or not? Suggestions?

Post by netpea » Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:04 pm

I might do LHTH four daysa week with the 4yo and then do the same with LHFHG. Thar would. Space the two of them out nicely and give the 4yo time to fly.
Lee Ann
DD3 - LHTH
DD10 - no longer schooled at home
DS12 - no longer schooled at home

Have used LHTH, LHFHG, BLHFHG, and BHFHG
http://netpea.blogspot.com

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