How should I start?

[j_croche]

Hello Everyone!
After 4 years of working full time and my kids being in PS, I am happy to be home and homeschooling three out of my five children again I used HOD PHFHG, LHFHG, and LHTH 5 years ago before I went to work full time. I remember that year fondly However, when we started homeschooling again in August, I didn't start with HOD. I started with traditional textbook/workbook and then switched to another lit based curriculum trying to combine all of my kiddos. Due to ability and skill level it did not work I prayed for direction and felt God leading us back to HOD, but didn't know how I could afford 3 programs in order to place my children in the correct levels. Well God worked out all of the details and here we are! Our boxes were delivered on yesterday! Julie at HOD was wonderful in helping me to choose programs! Thank you, Julie!
We are doing LHFHG, BHFHG, and Revival to Revolution. Any tips or suggestions on where to begin? I'm a bit rusty. Are there supply list for each week or do I pretty much glance a week ahead? Thanks everyone!!!!

[StephanieU]

First, I would check each guide's board here and see if there is a set up post there. I know there is for some of the guides, and I expect there to be one for your oldest at least (I don't think there is one for LHFHG because there is basically no prep, but there might be one for Bigger). Then, I would start with your oldest and get Rev2Rev going well. Once you get that guide going full speed, then start Bigger. Once that guide is going well full speed, start LHFHG. Since you are transitioning part way through the year, I would have the younger two continue with some work for the 3Rs while you wait to start their guides.

[j_croche]

Thanks for your advice.

[MelInKansas]

Welcome back to HOD! It sounds like it's been a long road, but I know you will be blessed, and I know I have been abundantly blessed by using this curriculum and by homeschooling my children. As crazy as it seems, combining isn't always the best way, and I enjoy having my children in separate levels, where they are really getting what they need and being challenged without a lot of planning or extra work on my part (other than making sure the guides get done every day).

When I'm starting a new guide I read the introduction and look through the materials list there. I organize my books, getting out the ones that will be immediately used and having an easily-accessible place for the ones that are coming later. I have even put marks on the spines so I know which guide the books go with, or for the storytime/DITHOR selections I write on the inside of the cover what genre and level they are. I make sure we have a notebook with divided sections for the notebooking pages and notebooking projects/art projects, along with English assignments and things like that. (notebooks are only really needed for Bigger and up but my LHFHG girl does have a notebook, with a sticker chart for her reading lessons and I put the artwork in. It is much smaller than the notebooks for the older girls) I make sure we have any other notebooks and supplies (I don't know if Rev to Rev has a special art thing, but I know CTC has watercolor so you have to buy those).

There are supplies from week to week but I usually don't have to worry about those too much. I have built up a pretty good basic stash of craft supplies and some of the projects are cooking which we also usually have the supplies for because I do a lot of baking and cooking from scratch myself. Just to start out you might want to glance through each week before you start to make sure you have the supplies on hand, or before you make a shopping trip or something. I also found that helped me get my head on straight with what would be happening on each day (I actually do like to look through on the day of, at least until I get so in my rhythm that I automatically know - Day 2 Geography, Day 4 science experiment). There is a wonderful rhythm to the weeks of HOD that once you get used to it will become very natural and flow easily.

I do make a daily schedule so I know when to work with each of my children and the independent one knows when she is expected to do certain things. I do this by taking the times for each box, noting (for the older child) whether it's independent or whether I need to be involved, and making sure for independent work there is a "check up" time where I go over the work, or listen to the narration, or whatever. Then I also think through what is hard for my children, what do they need to be really fresh for and what can we do later in the day because we enjoy it and it will go easily. Read alouds we love and will get done even if we are tired. Writing assignments we need to schedule earlier because they are harder and sometimes I can even just feel like "ah it's not worth it, we'll just skip it." I create a block schedule where I schedule out what we are doing throughout the day (or at least until the afternoon when school is done). Now, we hardly ever live strictly by this schedule, but the routine of what to do when, who to work with when, etc is really good for me. It helps the kids too. They know what to expect and what is expected of them.

After I do all this, I do suggest starting off more slowly rather than jumping in full-speed with 3 new guides. Either 1/2 speed, or stagger starting, starting one for 2 weeks and then adding in another. It would depend on whether your youngers are pretty capable of entertaining themselves while you work with the older as to which of those I would choose. It will take longer at the beginning as you try to read the instructions and get used to what is expected (and your children too). The flexibility of a lighter schedule for a while is great while you work up to speed with the full days of school you will be having.

Blessings and enjoy!

[j_croche]

Thanks so much for those wise suggestions:)