pondering placement (we are current HOD users)

[Bramble]

My 5 and 7 yr. olds are currently using LHFHG. We will not finish before baby arrives at the end of May and realistically will not get back to it until August or September. We started last September but have been slow to progress mostly due to pregnancy. We are in week 19 currently.

Problem is my 7 yr. old (will be 8 in August) is ready to move on already. I can see it, I can feel it, and he has just started to make comments about it. He would do great in Beyond right now. I figured I would combine the two until it didn't work out anymore, but I am feeling hesitant already about moving my 5 yr. old (will be 6 in August) on. I think he'd do okay, maybe even very well, in Beyond, but I know that I don't want any of my 7 yr. olds doing Bigger. I am just more relaxed than that with my young kids. (They also all have summer bdays so are young for their grade.) This is one reason I homeschool. I am very interested in having each of my children do Bigger at age 9 and then proceed through the rest of the programs. I feel this is right for my boys (my girl may change things up!) I am also feeling that if I try to keep them together, I will be pushing one and holding back the other. Right now, I feel the younger is comfortable in LHFHG (he loves it all and is a good student), but I am holding back the older. I realize I probably need to combine somewhere sometime to be able to survive HOD with 6 kids!! so I don't know. I know I shouldn't worry about tomorrow, but what I do this fall will have bearing on the other years, too. Then, there is the fact that I really would like each child to get all the guides in and use the geography as 9th grade, etc. so eventually the combined kids would split up along the line anyway. If I am choosing the guide we use for the younger and beefing up (using extensions) for the older, the older will not get to all the guides.

is it nuts to think a person could do Beyond, Preparing, RtR, Modern, and 2nd yr. of high school at once? plus have at least one younger child? I mean most of those guides I just listed are pretty independent. Yes, I know I am thinking way out but just indulge me.

I really love HOD and really want to stick with it, but because of the reasons written above I don't know how to go on combining and if I don't combine I may drown.

I wasn't going to write a post like this. I keep pushing the thoughts aside, but I had to get it out!

[raceNzanesmom]

What specifically is he not liking? Are they doing the same on the right side too?

[Bramble]

Hi Angie,
I'm not so concerned about the 7 yr. old right now. He will keep doing LHFHG because it is easy and convenient for me and not hurting him any. I do not feel that he is being shorted any by being in LHFHG right now. He also really does love the readings and I see him having fun with the activities (although sometimes he is just going along with it.) I think he is just feeling older than some of the material, and of course, he sees his brother doing Bigger and that entices him. He keeps saying LHFHG is for little kids and then we remind him he is in the age range for it. He has his own handwriting, math, and he's using the Emergent Readers. We are not doing spelling or grammar from Beyond because that is just not how we flow here, although I sometimes think about starting spelling. I am not sure that would change his bit of dissatisfaction with LHFHG. But anyway, like I said, I'm not looking to change anything right now. We're coasting till baby's arrival.

I guess my concerns in my original post were more about the younger one and not making him grow up too fast.

[raceNzanesmom]

I guess my concerns in my original post were more about the younger one and not making him grow up too fast.

Well, I only have Zane, but I think as long as your 5 y/o isn't going too fast on the right side (reading, math, writing and later on grammar) I think he should do ok on the left side. Keep it fun.

Zane started spelling list 1 and enjoys it. It's such a gentle approach. No pressure at all. We'll probably finish 1 in the fall before moving on to 2.

Hoping someone with experience can give you insight.

ETA: And Zane turns 7 today, so you can tell him 7 y/o Zane is doing LHFHG too.

[pjdobro]

I'm thinking perhaps you can continue what you are doing now to finish out your year. Then in the fall when you start up again, let your 5 year old continue in LHFHG where you left off. You could even take it at a slower pace to stretch it out longer. I'm thinking perhaps your older ds who will be 8 by then could go ahead and move into Beyond. It sounds like he is ready to move on and you don't want to move the younger ahead yet. I'm just not for sure how that will work out for you as far as doing that number of programs. Another option might be to finish out LHFHG at full speed with both of them and then move them into Beyond 1/2 pace. That way you wouldn't be getting your younger son to Bigger too soon. That would be slowing down the older ds though so I'm not for sure if that is what you are wanting to do at this point. If you did do that perhaps you could add the additional reading titles that are listed in the Appendix of Beyond for your older ds and allow him to do a bit more. I guess you'll have to decide if this is the time to separate them or not and if you can handle doing that many programs with a newborn. It's a tough decision, but I'm sure God will show you the way.

[Bramble]

Happy Birthday, Zane!!!

Thanks for the input. I looked at my Beyond guide today and I think the younger one will do fine in it. It's more about me not wanting him to get to the other guides younger than I feel is appropriate for my kids, and wanting them to do the high school guides at the right time. This little guy is mature for his age, has always tagged along with his brothers, so he may just be fine all the way through. I have some ideas of what to do for him after LHFHG if I don't want to send him on right away. I'm just wondering if I am setting myself up for failure later on running Beyond, Preparing, RtR, modern, and 2nd yr. of high school together. With the older guides being more independent, it does seem like it could work. Hard to say with some of the guides not even written yet, though.

[8arrows]

I am determined to take this one guide at a time. I have a younger one that will do the guides earlier than his siblings, but I am not worried. God gave me eight children and He made the youngest in each group have the personality and ability to be able to work with the olders above. No, there is no way I could do all the guides you listed, but I am not you. Personally, I need to combine and know that it will not only be OK, but it will be wonderful!

[my3sons]

When your 9 yo finishes Bigger Hearts, he will be on the road to greater independence with PHFHG on up. Your next 2 dc (the 5 and 7 yo) - I would do what I needed to keep them combined together through the years. They are only 2 years apart, and you will need to spread out your time among your dc carefully, as you are blessed with many dc, including a precious baby on the way. I would be mindful of not taking too quick of a pace with these 2 dc, especially with your 5 yo in mind. It is easier to beef up than tweak down, as tweaking down often results in missed skills and a lack of an ability to work independently. I would try to have your younger child be 6 yo or quite close to it when beginning Beyond Little Hearts. You can easily up the level of learning for your 7 yo by adding LA - he can begin the right side of Beyond earlier, which will have him working out of a different guide somewhat than 5 yo sibling, which I am certain will make him feel all grown up. He can do either the ERS or DITHOR 2/3, spelling plans, 1 x a week grammar, copywork of LHFHG's Bible verse each week - all of this will "up" the level of plans for him without adding another entire guide for you to teach. You can also have him sit in on older brother's Storytime in Bigger Hearts now, as that will "up" that area for him too, without upping your teaching time.

Looking down the road, I'd combine the 3 and 1 yo, or 1 yo and baby, or all 3 of them if that is a good thing to do overall. An important thing to remember is you will be teaching many levels of grammar and math each day with different aged dc, which naturally adds teaching time to the day already. I would not have dc working in more than 3-4 guides ever if possible. You want to enjoy this time with your dc to the fullest, and spreading yourself too thin is just not necessary! It is good to look at individual dc, but it is also good to look at entire families too. It is our deepest desire at HOD to help busy loving mamas find balance in their homeschooling days, so they look back on them with joy! I think keeping your 5 and 7 yo together will be one way to keep that balance going. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[Bramble]

okay, so my next question is....
what do you do when a child gets to high school and hasn't been through all the other guides because I've held him back with a sibling? He just skips some?


Thanks for the input! Greatly appreciated.

[raceNzanesmom]

*I* would pick whatever I felt was most important to study in any given year. As you know I didn't use HOD with Race (wasn't even an option). I picked what I felt he needed to know at the time- plus ended his schooling (this year) with the most current history. So it may be that you skip a year later on. Or maybe you'll do the history of one plus another guide. Or whatever. At a hs level I don't think it's that big of deal. For example, we did Ancients, Rome and Middle Ages all in one year. Race excels at reading, so he devoured up what he needed to know. Could he have dug deeper had it not been all in one year? Yes. But he got what he needed- to see God and man's relationship to Him during those times.

hth. Hopefully, someone with additional experience can chime in.

[Bramble]

Well, after talking with DH, I've decided to give my 7 yr. old a two week trial in Bigger. He has done wonderfully so far. My oldest also commented that he likes it better having someone doing school with him. I decided to try this for a few reasons. One being that my 7 yr. old tends towards laziness and needs to be challenged. LHFHG is not giving him that, and his favorite areas (art/projects/science) are just too simple for him. Second reason being that I don't see how my 1 yr. old boy would ever combine with my 3 yr. old girl. She's very advanced already and has enjoyed much of LHFHG with the boys this year. So my plan is to hold off on putting the 5 yr. old in Beyond and do some other things w/ him and my DD. My plan may change but that is where I am for now. We'll see how the two weeks goes. I have to say my 7 yr. old really impressed me today. Best writing I have seen from him in a long time (on his science notebook page.)

[raceNzanesmom]

Glad you're working it out.

[MomtoJGJE]

If you have moved your 7yo to Bigger you might find that you could just hold off on LHFHG, get LHTH and continue the right side from LHFHG with your 5yo, and combine the 5 and 3yo in LHTH Then start back with LHFHG. Either way would work, but that would have another set combined

I personally have 4 completely different levels and abilities, so I'll have 4 guides going.... if we ever have another one I'll at some point have 5 guides

[Bramble]

My 3 yr. old is almost finished with LHTH actually. I was thinking of holding off on finishing LHFHG, but I haven't decided yet. We are about half-way through and are finished with the Family Time Bible, which he really looked fwd to everyday. So anyway, I'm not planning too far ahead with these two right now. I have ideas on what to do next and will watch for readiness for Beyond.

another great day with my 7 yr. old in Bigger! I'm excited about this! I think it was the right decision as it seems to be spilling over in his overall attitude about life.

Thanks to those who gave of their time to respond to my thread!