I hate to even ask this

[threegreatkids]

but has anyone ever used just right side HOD?

I've been wrestling all year with the issue of combining. I think it's a harder decision when dc are quite close in age. Dh and I have decided, based on our own family goals and some unique family dynamics, that for the next 3-4 years we need to combine dc for History/Bible/Read-Alouds. I won't bore you with all the details of why this is right for us, but there you have it. We really like having them separate for Science, Poetry and Bible Study in addition to math and LA, though.

I think HOD is the most amazing curriculum I've ever used or seen. I love the books, the sequential progression of skills, the spiritual training, the CM influence, the activities, EVERYTHING!!! But I can't figure out how to combine my kiddos for more than a year. I could do left-side Preparing with all 3 next year (grades 2,4,5) and just have my youngest skip the writing-focused activities but the following year seems impossible for combining.

So I'm considering using a multi-age curriculum for History/Bible etc. Mixed Feelings about this but it seems to be where God is leading us.

So, do you think it would be possible to keep doing right side HOD?

[sharonb]

You are going to have to do what is best for your family, but one thing that God has taught me is that I should not be worried about future school years. Use what is best for right now. I can work on longterm plans based on where I think we will be, but only God knows how it will all work out.

For our family, combining the oldest 3 children for history/science/Bible/art/etc is still the best thing for us. I don't think that will be the case forever, but I don't need to worry about what we will do in 2 or 3 years. I have rough plans but I am open to changing them if need be!

Anyway, if you think that Preparing is the best thing for your children for next year, and you feel like God is leading you to use it, then use it. The following year you can re-evaluate and figure out what will be best for that year. (And whether you end up switching to a multi-age history program or sticking with HOD, having that overview from Preparing will really benefit your children).

A year ago I knew that Beyond was the best thing for my children. We stuck with it for a while, but I dropped it for a number of silly reasons, one of which was thinking of several years down the road and not being sure if we'd be able to afford the more expensive programs (and also not being sure if I wanted to be doing more than one program at a time). I should have stuck with it and not worried about the future. I tried to do my own thing and it just didn't work out as well as HOD! I felt God leading me back to HOD for the 2010-11 school year, so here we are!

ETA: By the way, my first 3 children are spaced the same as yours--- in 2012 I'll have 2nd, 4th, and 5th graders. (Plus a Kindergartener!). And don't feel bad if you need to use a multi-age curriculum. There are quite a few of those out there that are great. What matters is that you do what is best for your family. I just wanted to encourage you to just take it one year at a time.

[juliekay]

When we first started HOD we did so with Bigger. We started 1/2 way through the guide and only did the Bible & Corresponding Music/Storytime/History. We didn't even do the rotating boxes of artistic expression/timeline/geography/vocab. BUT we in the process I was able to combine my 3 kiddos and fall in love with HOD. So, yes, you know what is best for your family. I hope this is an encouragement to you.

[Tree House Academy]

I agree with the poster above...leave future years in God's hands and use what is right for this year. If God leads you to HOD, then maybe you could do Preparing this year as you planned. Next year, God will open the door and show you the path...I promise He will!

[Mom2Monkeys]

Perhaps combine in Preparing this coming year and then the next year, with CTC being rather independent, you would be able to put the then 3rd grader into Bigger. Just a thought! I agree with the other poster's though...let God lead!

[my3sons]

but has anyone ever used just right side HOD?

I've been wrestling all year with the issue of combining. I think it's a harder decision when dc are quite close in age. Dh and I have decided, based on our own family goals and some unique family dynamics, that for the next 3-4 years we need to combine dc for History/Bible/Read-Alouds. I won't bore you with all the details of why this is right for us, but there you have it. We really like having them separate for Science, Poetry and Bible Study in addition to math and LA, though.

I think HOD is the most amazing curriculum I've ever used or seen. I love the books, the sequential progression of skills, the spiritual training, the CM influence, the activities, EVERYTHING!!! But I can't figure out how to combine my kiddos for more than a year. I could do left-side Preparing with all 3 next year (grades 2,4,5) and just have my youngest skip the writing-focused activities but the following year seems impossible for combining.

So I'm considering using a multi-age curriculum for History/Bible etc. Mixed Feelings about this but it seems to be where God is leading us.

So, do you think it would be possible to keep doing right side HOD?

One thing to consider - it's not that you can't combine your dc with HOD. HOD was written to allow multiple aged children to use one guide together. We just try to take each child into account when helping with placement. The age spread you have is going to make combining and meeting individual dc's needs a challenge with any curriculum - not impossible, just a challenge. Many curriculums say that they are for a very wide age range, and they are written very broadly to be so or really aren't so, which of course results in the same things you'd find with combining large age ranges with HOD - that not everyone is doing something right on their level. The nice thing about HOD is it has extensions planned already for history, so that is already done for you beginning with Bigger Hearts on up. The things on the left side of the HOD guides are the things families most often enjoy combining, so that is another thing that makes combining easier with HOD.

Another curriculum I used for a year, which was said to be for a very large age range, had activities planned a good percentage of the time that were way over my ds's head, as he was in the bottom 1/3 of the age range. He couldn't do most of it, even though he was definitely within the recommended age range. I ended up summarizing a lot, tweaking even more, dropping/adding a ton over the year, and eventually dropping it for all but some good read-alouds. The hands-on was non-existent, as most of it was me doing it for him. The activities were inconsistent, some taking a very long time to do, and some over in a very short amount of time. That was just my experience, but I would caution you to really look over curriculums that claims to be a good fit for very large age ranges, and see if they really do a good job of that. I am of course partial to HOD , but I know that if you want to combine - even for age ranges partly outside of the suggested age ranges - HOD does it in the best way possible. I've so enjoyed your presence here on the board, and would love for you to give it a go with HOD and see what you find. However, just continue praying about it, and you will know God desires you to do, which is better than any advice I can give.

In Christ,
Julie

P.S. Of course, you can certainly just use the right side of HOD - but it's ALL good - which is the point of view this post of mine is coming from.

[threegreatkids]

Oh, you ladies are such a blessing! Thanks for your input! I especially appreciate the reminders not to look too far ahead, and the reality of the challenges of programs with a wide age range. Julie, thanks for confirming that it would work to do just right sides, though it's hard to imagine missing the lefts I know the Lord will lead dh and me as we consider the options .

I'm going to process a bit more and see what you all think. If one of our desires/needs/goals is to combine left side for a few years, and if we stuck with HOD completely, this is what it would look like:

Preparing (grades 2,4,5)
CtC (grades 3,5,6)
RtR (grades 4,6,7)

During this time everyone would be doing their perfect-fit right sides. Older two would do great with this plan, with oldest doing some extensions as we see fit.

My youngest, hmmm, he's the one I am really concerned with. He's just inching along with his reading and writing this year. Yet he is really bright and enthusiastic about listening to things way above his grade level. For example, he can track just fine with the red books in Bigger. He's actually been more engaged with listening in on Bigger this year (especially science) than he has been with his own LHFHG readings. He'd do just fine with the Reading about History, Storytime and History Project boxes in Preparing next year.

I'm quite certain that in grade 3 he would still not be ready to do many of the writing-based activities in CtC. I'd have to read-aloud the history to him, which I don't mind but I think i recall that those books were selected as good books to be read silently, as opposed to read aloud by parents. I have the CtC manual and it looks like some of the History Projects would work just fine for a 3rd grader and some would be a real stretch.

What do you think? Could he tag along for a few years and then do Preparing in 5th or 6th as his sisters are getting ready to jump into high school?

[Tree House Academy]

If I were you, I would keep him in his own level and combine the other two. If he wants to sit in on their read alouds, then let him. Otherwise, I would let him progress at his speed and in his own time. My kids are 4 years apart and I once thought of combining them too. Praise God I didn't go that route. While my 6 year old may be able to listen and enjoy a book, that does not mean he is processing it and engaging with it like my older son. He just isn't. Reading the History is no the only goal with HOD - there is so much more involved and I think it would almost cheat the little one out of having that experience to combine him with your much older two. In the end, you have to decide what is right and what is going to work for you and your family. I can only give you my opinions and advice. Prayerfully consider what God will have you do as He is the one leading your path. I wish you the best as you mull over, pray, and make decisions.

[Carrie]

threegreatkids,

I am thinking that the ladies are so wise in advising you to look at the best fit for the upcoming year, with a general plan for the coming years in the back of your mind. It's also important to keep in mind that kids change much in maturity and abilities from year-to-year, as does each family's home situation and family dynamics too. This will certainly affect the best plan for your kiddo's education from year-to-year. For example, a year spent teaching when I have a newborn is very different from a year spent teaching when I have a precocious two or three year old (as my time available for my other family members is affected by that and so is my teaching time). With that in mind, I've found that my best laid long-range plans often must be adjusted based on my kiddo's changing needs, my family dynamics, and with what we have going at home or our jobs in any given year.

Since it is your heart's desire to combine, I would lean in that direction for the upcoming year. This is a need you are identifying with the ages of the children you have right now and with their current levels. It is taking into account your current family dynamics and any home situations you currently have. With that in mind, I would place your kiddos within Preparing Hearts and have each with their own separate 3R's. Then, the following year, I would reassess.

At that point, I'd likely lean in the direction of separating the younger one into a different program and having the olders move on to CTC. However, when you get to that point in time you'll clearly be able to see what is best. At this point in time, it's too hard to tell for sure two years down the road. In all honesty, the same will be true no matter whether you use HOD or a different program.

The one thing you'll find that is different about HOD is that we truly consider the needs of each of your kiddos individually, rather than giving the same advice to everyone to follow a pre-set path. In the end, deciding how best to use HOD to fit your family's specific needs will actually help you look at your children as individuals and consider each child's best option whether you combine them or not. Knowing what each child can do and which areas fit them best from which guide helps you customize their education. It also helps keep you from inadvertantly pulling along a younger child for years behind his/her siblings but instead allows you to decide from year to year whether you wish to combine or not based on that child's readiness to do so.

So, for this coming year, if you find Preparing Hearts to be your family's best overall fit, then you should go in that direction. However, the following year you would reassess and see what is the best option for that year. This plan allows the best of both worlds, meaning you don't have to make a combine or not combine decision for more than one year right now.

Anyway, just a few thoughts I had as you're pondering.

Blessings,
Carrie

[mommyofgirls]

another thought: my kids are the same age spread as yours...next year they will be 6, 4, and 2. i have decided to combine the oldest two (except doing right sides obviously) because my middle child can listen to history lessons, etc. and retain almost better than her older sister. i figure i'll reevaluate after that, but there is a good chance i will combine my youngest two into LHFHG at some point (probably when they are 3 and 5 if my youngest has the comprehension my middle one does). iow, as your oldest one does more independently, combining your youngest two for a year would be a good option.

i have decided that as long as you are teaching them SOMETHING in history/science, etc. and keeping them at their own level for the 3 R's, then it will be fine.