Which guide for 6 year old currently in first grade at ps?

[TyraTooters]

Title says it all! I'm having a very hard time figuring out HOD! When I look at the sample pages it just feels like there not much 'school' in there, if that makes sense. I know I don't need (nor do I want) to bog him down with tons of work or worthless fluff but I'm worried there's not enough meat. But I've read otherwise from reviews. I think it's just back can't actually SEE that from the samples.

If I were to piece things together for our year ideally I think I'd want: reading/phonics, math, language arts, spelling, and science...along with the obvious Bible. I've heard that its all covered in HOD with the Beyond guide. We will do special focus units in health, safety, and whatever else we find interesting to study about.

I feel like I'm just rambling now!

Maybe you all can help me out here!

Also, could someone tell me EXACTLY what all I'd need (besides basic applies and a children's Bible) to complete the curriculum. The website is kind of confusing.

I'll be schooling a six year old coming from first grade in public school. He's a decent reader but still needs help from time to time. Is great at public school spelling (I say that because they just memorize the words really), seems to easily catch on to things at school but struggles a little more at home with me.

I'm sure I forgot some info but just ask me!!

[StephanieU]

So, you have the choice of Beyond or LHFHG first. One of the big differences is the length of the readings in these. Have you done any chapter books with your 6yo? If you haven't (or only done ones with lots of pictures), LHFHG might be a better fit. But, if you have done a lot of chapter books already, then Beyond should be fine (assuming he has finished a handwriting program and is ready to copy a sentence or two a few times a week). Science is somewhat light in the early guides, but you can always supplement with another science program if you really want to. We are just using free things to add to my daughter's interests right now in LHFHG.

As for reading/phonics - has he done any of this? HOD recommends two reading programs. If your son is passed this, then he is ready for the Emerging Readers. You can buy the books from HOD, and the schedule is in the appendix of Beyond and Bigger.
Math would be Singapore. Singapore is a very solid program - often above grade level for standards, etc.
For language arts, this is in the storytime and language arts boxes. In Beyond, there is a grammar lesson once a week, a poem each week, and spelling. Spelling includes writing sentences, etc, so it is more than just a spelling list. It is more a full language arts activity. Storytime has them work on comprehension and narrating (oral mostly). In LHFHG, there is only storytime, phonics, and handwriting/fine motor skills.

Really, HOD is everything you need if you buy the economy package (history and guide), basic package (science, math, and Bible), deluxe package (storytime), and phonics/reading. Basically you buy one set from each box unless you are using some things that aren't HOD (math for example) or you already have the items (like storytime books which some people already own or have access to at a library). Once you order the first time it gets a lot easier too!

[TyraTooters]

So, you have the choice of Beyond or LHFHG first. One of the big differences is the length of the readings in these. Have you done any chapter books with your 6yo? If you haven't (or only done ones with lots of pictures), LHFHG might be a better fit. But, if you have done a lot of chapter books already, then Beyond should be fine (assuming he has finished a handwriting program and is ready to copy a sentence or two a few times a week). Science is somewhat light in the early guides, but you can always supplement with another science program if you really want to. We are just using free things to add to my daughter's interests right now in LHFHG.

As for reading/phonics - has he done any of this? HOD recommends two reading programs. If your son is passed this, then he is ready for the Emerging Readers. You can buy the books from HOD, and the schedule is in the appendix of Beyond and Bigger.
Math would be Singapore. Singapore is a very solid program - often above grade level for standards, etc.
For language arts, this is in the storytime and language arts boxes. In Beyond, there is a grammar lesson once a week, a poem each week, and spelling. Spelling includes writing sentences, etc, so it is more than just a spelling list. It is more a full language arts activity. Storytime has them work on comprehension and narrating (oral mostly). In LHFHG, there is only storytime, phonics, and handwriting/fine motor skills.

Really, HOD is everything you need if you buy the economy package (history and guide), basic package (science, math, and Bible), deluxe package (storytime), and phonics/reading. Basically you buy one set from each box unless you are using some things that aren't HOD (math for example) or you already have the items (like storytime books which some people already own or have access to at a library). Once you order the first time it gets a lot easier too!

*we have not done chapter books yet
*hes been writing/doing copy work since kindy, but he lacks good penmanship
*i thought for science we would use what HOD has and supplement if he wants with things like The Magic School Bus stuff, googling answeres to his questions and what not.
*he can read good but sometimes needs help. Last year he had lots of trouke with his blending words. I was thinking a phonics curriculum on the older age end? Did I read that All About Spelling helped with that?
*i was/am hoping to start working on sentence structure, nouns, fragments...but maybe that's too deep for first grade? Even in small doses?!
*i think he's ready for more than just story time. Right now he's bringing home AR books and taking tests on them at school. Usually gets 100% but has trouble with other basic comprehension skills.

[MelInKansas]

I know how you feel about it "not being enough." I also have looked through the guides and said "wow, is this really it, this is too easy!" Trust me, it is complete, and in more ways than you can know until you have used it. Part of the genius of what Carrie has done is balanced your load in all the different subjects so that it takes about the same amount of time each day. LHFHG is estimated at 1.5 hours a day and Beyond at 2 hours a day. When you have an art activity that probably takes 20-30 minutes by the time you get everything out and clean it up, your other things will be shorter. There are also so many nuances of things built in that I did not appreciate until now, my 2nd time through LHFHG, when I have seen what my older daughter gained from it and how it has built up to what she is doing now. Your child will be learning godly character and thinking about how they can grow in doing what is right, for example. They get exposure to so many different things (and as is the beauty of homeschooling, if your child takes an interest and asks questions, feel free to take some time and pursue the answers or have a discussion about it, this is what I love about homeschooling).

Also HOD is based on Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education. If you don't know anything about that, it's time to start reading! viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13593&p=97238 this post has some suggestions of places to start reading about the philosophy if you are interested. Charlotte Mason felt that young children shouldn't spend a lot of time sitting down with books in order to learn, instead they should be allowed to explore, ask questions, and learn by doing. Play is a child's work, and how they interact with and learn about the world around them. Nature is a fantastic place for your child to learn about God and him/herself. And it is not good for a child to push them into book learning, reading and writing, before they are ready. All you get then is a child who dislikes school and feels that they can't succeed.

That being said, check out the placement chart: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php to see where your child fits best. If your child is between two guides, LHFHG and Beyond for example, you could do part of both, or do LHFHG and add things to meet your child where they are at. Reading ability doesn't play too strongly into the decision of which guide to use, because reading is done at the child's level no matter what, and fits in as a separate part. Writing is a bigger gauge of where they should be. And narration which is something your child probably did not learn at PS. Narration being the ability to describe back in detail something they have just heard or read. The guides have a great, gentle approach to teaching narration skills, but some children just find it a hard skill to learn. I think it depends largely on how auditory of a learner they are (because in the early grades they are mostly narrating things they hear read to them).

I hope some of this helps. Let us know if you have any more questions or what the placement chart shows you.

[MelInKansas]

*we have not done chapter books yet
*hes been writing/doing copy work since kindy, but he lacks good penmanship

My oldest also "lacks good penmanship." The best thing to do is slow down and work on it until it is good. Offer incentive, not for how much he does, but how well he does it, as well as encouragement. I made the mistake of requiring too much writing of my daughter when she was 6 and we are still working on her penmanship, she hurries through because she thinks she has to in order to get it done.

*i thought for science we would use what HOD has and supplement if he wants with things like The Magic School Bus stuff, googling answeres to his questions and what not.
*he can read good but sometimes needs help. Last year he had lots of trouke with his blending words. I was thinking a phonics curriculum on the older age end? Did I read that All About Spelling helped with that?

AAS I don't think helps with blending. Maybe it does because it teaches a lot of rules and he would learn more phonics rules??? I know several on this board use Explode the Code, with that you can jump in wherever your son needs help and go from there. The Reading Lesson is one of the recommended phonics lessons and you could also buy that and start in the middle or last 1/3 of it, giving him some reading to do (each day has stories) and firming up some of his phonics that way.

It would depend on whether he grumbles about writing, because Explode the Code has a lot of writing. My guess is AAS does too. Spelling=writing, right?

*i was/am hoping to start working on sentence structure, nouns, fragments...but maybe that's too deep for first grade? Even in small doses?!

Beyond has simple grammar lessons one day a week. Perfect for what you are describing here.

*i think he's ready for more than just story time. Right now he's bringing home AR books and taking tests on them at school. Usually gets 100% but has trouble with other basic comprehension skills.

Storytime is in all of the guides I have done, LHFHG, Beyond, Bigger. The readings just get longer and the questions harder as you move up. The stories in LHFHG are really fun, with good morals, and the questions and activities again are appropriate for an introduction to narration. But if he places better in Beyond, as he might, then you would move on to longer chapter books and a little tougher questions.

I hope this helps!

[TyraTooters]

Y'all are so helpful

While I wonder if I should do Little Hands before Beyond I could always do Beyond to start out with and slow it down if necessary and do it twice (two years), right?

And heres what I'm thinking about ordering - share your thoughts/opinions. Also ordering for a 4.5year old

-Economy package (Beyond)
-Basic package w/ math 1a & 1b (Beyond)
-Deluxe package - boy interests set (Beyond)

-LHFHG Reading Lesson guide with cd
-Little Hands to Heaven guide

And possibly the writing K book that goes with LHFHG for the 4.5 year old.

[MelInKansas]

You couldn't do Beyond two years in a row. What you could do is 1/2 speed, 1/2 of a day's plans each day. Or 3 or 4 days a week. Repeating the same history lessons two years in a row would probably get boring (the rest of it would probably be OK, you could do different storytime titles, and the activities would all be okay to do again since it would be a while since you had done them).

Your order looks good. I assume the LHFHG Reading Lesson was for the older one to finish out? Or for the younger one? You will want to have some reading going on, the Emerging Reader set is really good if you think your son could do that. It really takes them from a beginning reader (who can read level 1 or 2 easy reader books) to short chapter books and builds confidence and persistence in reading. That plus some phonics workbooks would be good if he is at that level.

Oh I have The Reading Lesson without the CD. I had to photocopy a page every other lesson (so about 10 pages total). I guess some people use the CD but it certainly isn't necessary to get the most out of the book IMO.

[TyraTooters]

Yes, the reading lesson would be for my oldest to finish up and then for use later with little brother. And I meant to have the emerging reader set on there! Are there any certain phonics books you'd recommend?

[TyraTooters]

I see so many 6-7 year olds using LHFHG and can't help but feel like I should be using that instead of Beyond!!!! Oh why does picking one have to be so hard?!

[TyraTooters]

Oh, if I do LHFHG for the six year old I could possibly combine schooling with the 4.5 year old and 6 year old. I could just get some of the younger things and reading program for the 4.5 year old when he's ready. Then if I see I need to add more for the 6 year old, we cold do that as necessary.

[MelInKansas]

My 6YO is a first grader this year and she is in LHFHG but she is almost done, she only has one week of it left (she is 6.5, February birthday). It is a really solid, and fun, first grade program and there are many that use it for that. If your goal is combining then that would be the way to go. Combining will have you always adding on for the older one. The way they recommend it is you do the guide your younger places in and then add on for the older one. Doing the guide your older places in will leave the little one behind (the guides do ramp up pretty quickly in what they expect of the kids). Also you would probably have to consider slowing it down so the younger can keep up. If you place each in their own guide you just keep going when each one is ready.

The placement chart I linked to above should be your answer. And if it's in between usually they recommend going with the lower one and adding in from the guide above. There are many who have done LHFHG for example but bought Beyond so they could do Emerging Readers, math, spelling, and language arts from Beyond (minus copywork - though from what you said maybe copywork is where your son would be at?). Singapore math also has a placement test on their website you can use to see where your son should be in those. LHFHG has hands-on math activities for the Essential math books and Beyond has hands-on activities added for the 1A/1B books.

If you call HOD, though they are incredibly busy right now finishing the World Geography guide, they are always most helpful in answering questions, or I'm sure Carrie or Julie will also get on and share here.

[MelInKansas]

As far as what phonics book - once basic phonics is finished the Emerging Readers is like your child's phonics practice. If he is reading it to you, you will help him with words he has trouble with, new words, new sounds that he may not remember from what he has already learned. I have found this to be a really great, fun way for my children to learn phonics and it has made my oldest into an avid (and pretty solid) reader. We didn't do anything for phonics after her first phonics lesson except reading. Well, I tried to add in Explode the Code but we found it tedious and I don't think it was really needed.

[TyraTooters]

Seriously you are so very helpful!

After doing a few more minutes of research I think it MIT be best if I did two separate guides. I'd hate to rush one and slow one down. With two guides I can easily know where they are. Maybe when the younger one has a grasp on reading/writing I can combine them on down the road. And with this being our first year I really should make it as easy as possible for all of us! Easy meaning not overly complicated with too much stuff and at just the right level for each boy!

[StephanieU]

If you haven't ordered - here is an idea:
Buy the LHFHG economy package too. Then you can actually look at everything and decide which you want to start with. My daughter is 5.5 but in 1st grade (completed Horizons Phonics and Math K last year with no problems). We are using the left side of LHFHG plus storytime with the right side of Beyond (except Horizons instead of Singapore math). Although she COULD handle Beyond probably, LHFHG seemed less of a fight for us. It is something she can enjoy and won't be too pushed in. Oh, and on the reading, we are reading the Bob Books right now. She knows all of the rules for phonics, etc, but she needed help with fluency. So, these are really helping us.

And your last sentence is worded perfectly: "Easy meaning not overly complicated with too much stuff and at just the right level for each boy!

[mrsrandolph]

Little Hearts. Math on his/her level. Reading on his/her level.