New: Do you use one guide or two for children close in age

[lovinghomeschool]

I am wondering if it is easier to use two guides or one guide for children close in age? My oldest 3 children are 20 months apart. What are the advantages & disadvantages to combining or keeping them separate? It looks like Carrie builds a lot of skills into the Bible and history and science that look like it would be good to do in a time that they are ready for them. None of my children are in the same place for reading, writing, or math.

I started another thread on placement. Now I am wondering how people do the different guides with children 1 1/2 years apart.

How do moms do with multiple guides?

[lissiejo]

My oldest daughters are 23 months apart and the middle and youngest are 27 months apart. All three of my girls are in separate guides and it works well for us. In order that i don't miss anything I have a weekly grid checklist where I just check of when a box is done so I don't forget it. I also followed the advice of other wise HOD mothers and started with the oldest daughter first, then added the next daughter the following week, then the third daughter the following week. Even though they are close in age they are apart in ability and I feel this has been a nice way to meet each of their needs without trying to make a lot of changes to any particular guide.

[farmfamily]

I already responded on your other thread! But I thought this post by Carrie about running guides that are close together might be of interest...

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12297&p=88574&hilit=combine#p88574

I also wondered whether maybe you could put your middle son in Beyond with his sister, doing the 3 Rs at his level. Then you could put your oldest in Preparing.

My first two kids are 22 months apart, and the next is 20 months younger. I chose to combine the older two. At this point, I think I could have just as easily combined the younger two instead...

[lovinghomeschool]

I already responded on your other thread! But I thought this post by Carrie about running guides that are close together might be of interest...

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12297&p=88574&hilit=combine#p88574

I also wondered whether maybe you could put your middle son in Beyond with his sister, doing the 3 Rs at his level. Then you could put your oldest in Preparing.

My first two kids are 22 months apart, and the next is 20 months younger. I chose to combine the older two. At this point, I think I could have just as easily combined the younger two instead...

Thank you! Carrie certainly was not an advocate for Beyond, Bigger, & Preparing together! This is exactly where my 3 oldest seems to place. So some one will need to be under or over challenged. I think my middle is closer to Preparing than my oldest is to Bigger. My oldest had done a fair amount of American history, and read a number of the books Carrie picked for the extension on his own last year. Thank you for the help. I have much to ponder.

[farmfamily]

Well, you could always just get Preparing and Beyond and try combining the older two. You will know in a few weeks whether it will work for your middle one. If it doesn't you can continue his 3 Rs and have him do history etc with his Beyond sister.

[lovinghomeschool]

Well, you could always just get Preparing and Beyond and try combining the older two. You will know in a few weeks whether it will work for your middle one. If it doesn't you can continue his 3 Rs and have him do history etc with his Beyond sister.

I think this is a good idea. I was looking more at the placement chart on the second page. In some areas on that page they both fit best in the Preparing box. They have learned the Bible is history, but neither of them have had a history over view. I was glad to read the first dictation level is in Preparing for my 8 year old. I really appreciate the help. I have read that placement is important for HOD success! I also never realized how much family learning has pulled my third up & held my oldest back some. I guess it makes sense. It isn't necessarily what I am looking for at this point, but I can see how sharing a guide could not make our day too long. Thank you!

[MelInKansas]

Advantage of having them together: Your read-alouds and activities can be combined. This will save you a lot of time each day.
Disadvantage: It is more difficult to have each one answering the questions and doing their own work. If one tends to be weaker in narrating or comprehension it will be harder to have that one work on it and grow if they are working with a sib who is more capable and eager to discuss questions. (this is from my perspective on the guides I have already done, where much of the work is done orally)

You may feel that having one of the older ones in a "lower" guide than where they place is "holding them back." This definitely does not have to be the case. There is a lot in each of the books and levels that an older child could understand at a much higher level. Each child needs the 3Rs at their own level. This is work you will be doing no matter where you place them. Also, depending on what kind of program(s) they were doing before, your children may need some room to grow in narration and critical thinking/discussion.

I would also consider the personality mix and whether or not each of those kids would do well working with which sibling.

[MomtoJGJE]

my 1 and 2 are 20 months apart, and 2 and 3 are 22 months apart. I have them all in separate guides.

A lot of people don't recommend Preparing, Bigger, and Beyond together, but if that's where they place then it's really not that bad. But I would suggest starting them at different times, a week or two apart from each other, and making sure that the Preparing child is as independent as possible before starting the Bigger child... and getting the Bigger child as independent as possible before starting Beyond.

There sometimes is a difference too, not just in academic ability, but in how the children would work together. I know I can't combine my oldest two even though they are closest in age simply because of academic ability... But my next two, even though pretty close academically, do not work well together.

[lovinghomeschool]

my 1 and 2 are 20 months apart, and 2 and 3 are 22 months apart. I have them all in separate guides.

A lot of people don't recommend Preparing, Bigger, and Beyond together, but if that's where they place then it's really not that bad. But I would suggest starting them at different times, a week or two apart from each other, and making sure that the Preparing child is as independent as possible before starting the Bigger child... and getting the Bigger child as independent as possible before starting Beyond.

There sometimes is a difference too, not just in academic ability, but in how the children would work together. I know I can't combine my oldest two even though they are closest in age simply because of academic ability... But my next two, even though pretty close academically, do not work well together.

Thank you so much! It really helps to hear from a mom who is in the exact same situation with the number of months apart and a toddler in tow!

I think the challenge with coming to HOD with children who are further into grade school is placement. The sorting through it though has been good because it is forcing me to really look at each child and where they are at academically.

I can see how my 8.5 is not ready for the independent boxes of Preparing or reading science & doing science write-ups on his own, etc.

I can see too how my oldest places mostly in CTC (reading, grammar, and math) but his weakest area of writing could be a real concern. It seems like a lot of past placement threads focus some on the writing. I have seen Writing in Best in person once and he is no where close! Well, maybe a year away but not now. So I suppose his placement confuses me some. He has the most circles on CTC, but I keep seeing writing being a 'high' emphasis for placement?

Thank you for the help. Carrie's past posts are giving me insight too. She seems to emphasize placement a lot and how important it is for success; even though she does discourage my exact place on the placement chart as being too much. I guess good to know going in.

I liked a mom's idea on my other thread of doing Beyond 2 or 3 days a week for now since she is at the youngest age of the guide. Even though she places there I do try to keep her days over all 'light' at her age.

Thank you ladies. All of you are so helpful through the sorting process!

[MelInKansas]

From what you just posted about your oldest, I think I would highly recommend Preparing instead of CtC. My two thoughts are 1) workload and 2) writing. My oldest has struggled in writing with Bigger this year so I can tell you that having a child placed in a guide that is too challenging for them in writing is not an easy road. I have to help her a lot. I slowed her down so that she could grow into it and would not be moving up to Preparing too quickly. Whereas the areas you say he is ready for CtC in are mainly areas that you would be easily able to add in to Preparing. For example, it doesn't matter which level of R&S you are on, you just do that level for him. Reading is the same (yes they have to be able to read the independent readings for either, but if you are doing DITHR you do that at the child's own level and you can add extensions to Preparing if your child wants to read more about the history or science topics). Math is whatever level your child places at, it is scheduled in the guide but independent of the other work. The first page of the placement chart is more critical for placement than the second (if that makes sense).

So that leaves you with Preparing, Bigger, and Beyond. Again, combining options would be your oldest with your middle in Bigger, with extensions and other add-in, or your middle in with the 3rd one in Beyond (though I do also like the suggestion of doing Beyond just 2-3 days a week). Or put your 3rd in LHFHG for a light, easy year because full speed with LHFHG once you get going will take you 1-1.5 hours each day.

[twoxcell]

All four of my kids are in separate guides. The closest age span I have is 22 months but even they are separate. So far that has been easier for me. I tried to combine my older two at first but it didn't work for them.

[lovinghomeschool]

Thank you for all of your input and help in thinking this through ladies!

Reading Carrie's and Julie's comments on all of the post-it threads at the top of this board helped too. Thank you ladies!

I have decided to go with Preparing for my 10 year old w/ DITHOR, Bigger for my 8.5 year old, and Beyond at half speed for my 6.5 year old while I continue her phonics and math daily.

Thank you so much. I am looking forward to our journey with HOD! I am also looking forward to the structure for our content subjects with skill building!

[my3sons]

Thank you for all of your input and help in thinking this through ladies!

Reading Carrie's and Julie's comments on all of the post-it threads at the top of this board helped too. Thank you ladies!

I have decided to go with Preparing for my 10 year old w/ DITHOR, Bigger for my 8.5 year old, and Beyond at half speed for my 6.5 year old while I continue her phonics and math daily.

Thank you so much. I am looking forward to our journey with HOD! I am also looking forward to the structure for our content subjects with skill building!

I have not been able to read this entire thread, but a few thoughts I had reading your final placement... if you get going, and this is too much to do or someone doesn't seem placed quite right... you have these other options available from the guides you already own...
Move your PHFHG student down to join Bigger Hearts student, and use whatever you need from PHFHG for LA/math for older
Move your Bigger Hearts student up to join PHFHG student, and slow PHFHG down if needed
Move your Bigger Hearts student down to join Beyond student, and use whatever you need from Bigger Hearts for LA math for older

Placement is important, but so is success in the day to day. Be sure to give yourself and the dc a trial period, some grace to get used to the flow of the day - and then, if need be, you can always move the 3 dc into 2 guides instead. A happy homeschool home and teacher is just as crucial to success as proper placement! Give 3 guides a fair chance, but if it's too much - 2 guides in any of these scenarios you think best would be just fine too. Sometimes life gets busy unexpectedly - I'm thinking of my parents' needs right now. We actually are doing 3 guides - very successfully and happily right now. But, our 3 guides are WG, CTC, and Beyond. Two of our guides are quite independent. All 3 of your guides are more teacher-directed. Being new to homeschooling or to HOD can make a difference in the success of teaching multiple guides. So, if it becomes too much to do or doesn't seem quite 'right,' then in that scenario, just choose what 2 guides are best overall for your family. It will all work out. HOD is good at every level. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie