Tips/Schedule for PHFHG, BLHFHG, and LHTH...??

[momof3kids]

Hi ladies,
In a few weeks hopefully, we will be starting Preparing (ds , Beyond ( ds 6 1/2) and LHTH (dd almost 4)... any tips or suggestions??.....and I have a little one, almost a year old now! I hope this is doable. Just looking for any ideas on scheduling our day. Also, I know there have been previous threads on how to prepare for each guide, what materials are needed...if there is any info on that, that would be very helpful as well! Thanks so much ladies!

[queenireneof3]

Hello!

I have asked a similar question and had some great replies, so I know others will have good ideas. Maybe you can search my posts too, to find the question. I don't know how to post links that work...

I will be running Bigger (9yo), Beyond-minus history and science since she did it last year(7yo), and LHTH (4yo)this year. I was advised to start with the oldest and work my way down as the olders do what they can by themselves. Also, staggering the start date for each guide is highly recommended, or at least going half speed at first to help the you all get acquainted with the guide. I also have a "school box" that is filled with educational toys that the kids (especially the youngest) can play with only during school time. I just put some new things in there for this year. I schedule our day so that the older kids have breaks from school work where they are to play with my youngest. They can help monitor the school toys and keep my youngest engaged until it is time for me to do school with him.

When I planned my schedule, I tried to take into account what times of day my kids work best, getting harder work out of the way while they are still fresh.

This is what we are going to start out with (this is the full speed schedule we will work up to):
1. 9:00 with 7yo and 9yo: Quick calendar activity, grammar, cursive, spelling (basically L.A. box) (hopefully will become more independent with these as the year goes on); 4yo plays in room
2. approximately 9:30 (timer set for 15-20 min because I am not time conscious and math is my 9yo's hardest subject. Whatever we don't finish will wait till the next day): 9yo- Math; 7yo-Explode the Code and her handwriting. she can take a break when she is done.
3. approximately 9:45 (15 min): math with my 7yo; break for 9yo
4. 10:00: Bible, Reading, poetry with 7yo; continued break for 9yo (he works best later in the afternoon when his creativity has had time to play in the morning!)
5. 10:30: Bible, Poetry, History, Rotating Box with 9yo
6. 11:15 we all break for lunch. I plan a little over an hour for lunch time because by the time we cook, eat, clean, and I sit down for a few introverted minutes, it is always longer than I plan!
7. 12:30 LHTH with my 4yo. This will always be after lunch for consistency's sake. My 4yo does best knowing when he can do school every day. he loves it so much he asks for it all day. So I purposefully planned his school time to always be after lunch this upcoming year so that I discipline myself to give him his time every day.
8. 1:00 storytime. I have so far decided to let everyone have their own books. This will be 10 min per child.
9. 1:30 4yo naps/rests; Reading/DITHOR and science with 9yo; 7yo will alternate between science and home ec.

I am hoping to be done with school by 2:30-3 everyday. I work better in time chunks than a rigid schedule, so hopefully this schedule will not be too rigid.

My 4yo does well playing by himself, with the occasional brother or sister in there to keep him company, but for a 1 year old, you might need to plan 30 min rotations that stay consistent everyday. (pack n play, high chair, sibling time, crib time, naps, etc). Setting a timer so that he or she learns that with each "ding" they'll get a change of scenery might help if they are resistant to staying in one place for 30 minutes a time. Toys designated for each place/rotation might keep it fresh. Siblings are a great resource to keep an eye on them for a 30 min rotation.

I write our schedule on our chalkboard so that we are all on the same page with what needs to happen when. I know a lot of grace and flexibility is needed when working out any new schedule. They always look better on paper!

[MelInKansas]

I echo what queenirene said - though I say start with the youngest planning your day. Figure out what that little one will/can do and when or how. Figure out if you have any of your older ones who can be trusted to play nicely with the 1 year old for short periods - no more than 1/2 hour. Figure out if TV time first of all will pacify that one, and second of all if you want it to be a regular part of your day. Figure out if that little one's naptime is something you want to utilize for school. By the time I have a little one who only naps in the afternoon I end up not doing school during their nap, because by then I am just fried. But it might be easiest to plan in some things that really need focussed attention, like the kids' reading or something, when little one naps.

I did do daily TV for the little one for a while. It goes in seasons. 1YOs are difficult to pacify and do not play well on their own. 2 and up seem to do a lot better.

After getting the youngest's day kind of under control I tend to write down for each child what the tasks/boxes are and about how long I think it might take. Things always take longer when you are starting out, it will streamline and get so much faster once you get in the groove of your guide. Also up in the "Let's share our schedules" sticky thread I think you can find if you search the times for each box for each guide you are doing.

I do as the other person suggested. I have kind of "blocks" of time that have a certain focus or location. One block with one kiddo might be most of the things I read to them, finished off with one of the activities. One block may be their "workbook" block, handwriting, math, maybe a notebooking page. LHTH is so short it can be one quick block and I used to do it with my DD right before her nap. It was great focussed time with her because I had basically finished with everyone else. Make sure you plan in a mid morning snack! Well we find it essential because if things run long for some reason in the stuff we try to do before lunch I prefer to plug away and get 'er done, and if we've had a snack I don't have 4 grumpy kids waiting for lunch (and one grumpy Mama).

I hope some of these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes to you on getting started!

[momof3kids]

Thank you both for great info! My oldest actually has 2 weeks left of Bigger, so they will have a little bit of a staggered start. I wasn't able to find the threads on getting prepared/materials for each guide but I will keep looking. Hoping I can get my ducks in a row to begin next week!

[Jennymommy]

Here's a link for Bigger viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5531

[Jennymommy]

Oops Silly me....I guess you need links for Beyond, LHTH, and Preparing?

[Jennymommy]

Ok, that is a difficult search...I still have not found a specific "getting ready for" link of any type for Beyond/BLHFHG or LHTH, but here's one that looks helpful viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16231&p=114249&hili ... 39#p113966. Here is one for PHFHG viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10426#p75765.