LHFHG or Beyond?

[HSMom]

Hi everyone, I'm new here - starting my homeschool journey this year and very excited about HOD! I've read through lots of posts on here and have a fairly good idea of my options. But I wanted to get specific feedback for our situation and ask a few questions.

I have a very advanced 5 year old (Oct birthday) who is reading (and comprehending) on a 2nd grade level. We have done a very lightweight Kindergarten program this year (Interlock by Weaver) but spend a lot of time doing informal instruction because she is so eager to learn. She loves workbooks and breezes through her kindergarten workbooks. I’ve bought a 1st grade one for her and it seems right at her level. We’ll be finishing up her K program in a couple months and because I work 2 days a week, we will HS year round. So I am wanting to start in June.

My question is where to start with her. Looking at the placement, I honestly feel that she is ready for Beyond. However, starting Beyond now would put us in Bigger while she is still 6 and I’ve heard that it is highly recommended to not start before 7. So here's what I see for my options:

#1: Use LHFHG and substitute the following:
-Math just go up one level to 1A (where she tested - she got a 60% on the 1A placement test)
-Start ER in place of phonics (using Beyond book for schedule)
-Add in Beyond spelling list #1

#2: Use Beyond & stretch it out over a year and a half. Then use Bigger and stretch it out a year and a half as well.

If I go with option #1 (what I'm leaning towards), should I also add in the grammar from Beyond? If so, what will I use in its place when we actually do Beyond? Or will we just take a year off from grammar (that doesn't seem like a good idea to me)?

One of the things I like about option 1 is that dd will get history that she hasn't learned yet. Also, I have a 2 year old and a 4 month old, so we'll be doing at some point down the road.

Are there advantages of one option over the other? Or are there other options that I am missing?

Excited to join the community! TIA!!

[StephanieU]

I would do 1. Actually, that is what we did do to the most part wth my oldest. We started with the spelling in Beyond, but we stopped before too long as she was not a fan of it and I realized there was no rush. We started the ER books half way through LHFHG, finishing first grade Horizons phone we had already started along with it. And we have continued Horizons math (she is in 5th grade book 1 as she is nearing the end of Preparing).
As for grammar, Horizons phonics contains most of the grammar, so we started Rod and Staff Level 2 with Beyond. And now I don't necessarily regret it, but realize it isn't necessary to push too early. There have been times where it had been intense doing Rod and Staff 4 with an 8-9yo! Honestly just enjoy LHFHG. The only things I would change at reading (moving to the ER books as ready) and math on level. Then let her learn through life outside of it.

[Rice]

I agree with Stephanie (and you) to go with your first option.

As for grammar - CM (upon which HOD is based) doesn't advocate formal grammar until the age of 9 or 10! My oldest had nothing till grade 6 and jumped in to R&S 4 with no difficulties.

Don't worry about grammar instruction (especially at age 6/7) being formal - the reality is that with a literature-based program they are internalizing LOTS of grammar (vocabulary/word choice, word order, pronunciation, verb tenses, etc.) through listening to good literature, and with a CM program like HOD, with copy work, they also get the practice of spelling, word order and choice, punctuation and capitalization. Once your DD gets to Beyond you can start that introduction (or even not, if you're so inclined) without covering grammar formally in the coming year.

[HSMom]

Thank you, ladies for your feedback! I will go ahead and plan to start LHFHG and add in the ER from Beyond. I'll skip the grammar for this year and feel dd out for the spelling. Good point, Rice, about the informal grammar instruction that LA brings. And I do remember now reading that CM started grammar later but had forgotten. And it's good to hear of others that have walked before me with the same situations, so thanks, Stephanie!

[Nealewill]

Is she going to be starting this program next year when she is almost 6? If so, I personally would do option 2. I have a very advanced child and while she did enjoy Little Hearts, I think your dd is more than ready for Beyond if she is already reading and writing. Plus, if you do Beyond and Bigger 4 days a week instead of 5, you will have no trouble having your child in Preparing once they are 9. My youngest loves to read and write and I can't imagine not having her on the youngest end of the age range.

[HSMom]

Daneale - We will be starting in June, so she will be 5 & 1/2 at that point. What "grade" was your dd in when you did Beyond? You don't think going ahead with the ER instead of LHFHG's phonics will keep her engaged enough? I'm concerned that Beyond will overwhelm her (maybe not at firsr, but down the road), especially the 2 - 2 1/2 hour a day part.

I appreciate so much your feedback and wisdom!

[Nealewill]

When I first found HOD I didn't quite understand the whole placement cart and how it all worked. We were classical at first, then eclectic, and then used MFW for one year before finding HOD. I actually had started using MFW for a second year but dropped it in the beginning of October because it was such a bad fit for us. That is when we started HOD. My oldest was 8 (almost 9) when she started Preparing. Then my younger two were combine in Beyond and my youngest was 5.5 and my son was 7. My youngest did everything in the guide as is. When I spoke to Julie on the phone about the program she mentioned doing it 4 days a week, not finishing Beyond that year and then picking it back up the next school year. Then doing Bigger once we finished Beyond and taking that at 4 days a week too. That would have put my dd ready to start Preparing when she was 8 because it would have taken us 2.5 years to finish Beyond and Bigger. Well, even after the conversation with Julie, I guess I didn't really understand what she was saying because at that time, I didn't realize some people didn't finish their guides in one school year. And that they would just pick their guides up the following year and start where they left off. So, we completed Beyond that year. At that point, with one year of HOD under my belt, I realized why the age range was such a big deal. I was now in a tough spot. I got the guide in for Bigger and knew that my dd wasn't going to be ready to complete Bigger at 6.5 nor would she thrive in Preparing at 7.5 and I couldn't even fathom the thought of her doing CtC at 8.5 (and so on and so forth). So I decided that she would do Little hearts with a few modifications (like more copywork and reading things on her own for the guide). My son moved to Bigger because he was ready for it. So my youngest did Little Hearts at 6.5. Then the following year, my son moved up to Preparing and my youngest moved to Bigger (that was last year). Well, in November my son was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder and I was struggling to run three guides, help my son with his challenges, run him to therapy and work a bunch of a hours from home on top of that. I dropped Preparing (except science) and had him repeat Bigger with his sister. It worked out great. My youngest is now doing Preparing and she started when she was 8.5 (and that is why my son is doing EE with big sis this year, it is because he did Preparing science last year even though he repeated the rest of Bigger ). Such a long story to explain my journey of the last 4 years LOL!

So....my advice is to look at the placement chart. Where does your dd fit? If she squarely fits in Beyond, then you can definitely do it, take it slower doing the guide 4 days a week and do the same for Bigger. By the time you get to Preparing, your dd will be 8 and will probably be just fine. Or you can always do Little Hearts and plan to do one guide a year. It really is up to you. I have found that my girls thrive being on the youngest end of the age range. My son needs to be on the oldest end of the age range. As for the grade my kids are in....I don't really think about that. My son technically is in 5th grade but that means he won't finish the final guide if graduates in 12th grade. With his APD (and other language delays we have currently discovered), I might hold him back a year and have him finish all 4 high school guides to make sure he is really ready to start college when he heads out. But if he seems ready to graduate on time, then he might skip the final guide too. I just don't know. As for the girls, they will end up graduating a year early since they are on the youngest end of their guides. If we come to a place where we need to slow down that would be fine. They have plenty of wiggle room for that. I will say, that my youngest dd was able to read quite a bit of the items in her guide to herself once she did Little Hearts and Bigger. This is definitely not normal. Many days she would read storytime, history, and the devotional book to herself for Little Hearts. And in Bigger, she always read science to herself along with history for some of the books. She is a really good reader. She is reading mostly 5th-6th grade reading level books this year for DITHOR and she reads a lot outside of school too. For example, we are readying the book Raiders from the Sea for storytime for Preparing. This is the first book in a 5 book series. The kids will hear book two in RtR and book 3 is listed as a DITHOR option for mystery. However, my youngest dd has already stated that she wants to read the series as soon as we finish the first book. I'm cool with that. She reads well and has had absolutely no trouble with the writing. Her written narrations are clear and fairly good in my opinion this year. She loves "school". So it has all worked out just fine having her on the youngest end of her age range.

[HSMom]

Wow, Daneale! That's quite the journey. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with me! I love hearing (reading) about other's experiences with homeschooling & the HOD curriculum. I'm still so new at this... I have so much yet to learn & do!

I'm now more uncertain of my decision. My dd will be 5.5 when she starts LHFHG'S & we will definitely sub in the ER program from Beyond, which I'm hoping will help keep her interested. And since the range on LHFHG'S is 5-7, she's still on the low end of the age range. But I'm thinking if we go the LHFHG'S route & she does end up bored - I'll already have the guide for Beyond so we can make the switch fairly easily (hopefully!). I'll eventually need the LHFHG'S guide for my younger ones, so it won't be a total waste.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond! It is amazing how different each child is!

[MomtoJGJE]

I would do the first option.

If she does get bored (I really don't see that happening with a 5yo in LHFHG doing first grade math and ERs, honestly) then you could add in more science with experiment packages. We go through math at their own pace, so that adds in a lot sometimes when they are looking for extra stuff to do.

Also, since she only scored 60% on math 1A, and since she's 5.5 starting the guide, I think I'd maybe do the K math, but just go through it quickly. Make sure she has the concepts down before moving on. I'm a believer in math being fun, and part of it being fun is also to some extent it being easy. And the way you make it easy is to make sure that they are exposed to concepts before they move on to perfecting those concepts. I know with two of my kids they were well past K level math when they went through it, so they did both K level books in about 2-3 months.

[StephanieU]

I would do the first option.
Also, since she only scored 60% on math 1A, and since she's 5.5 starting the guide, I think I'd maybe do the K math, but just go through it quickly. Make sure she has the concepts down before moving on. I'm a believer in math being fun, and part of it being fun is also to some extent it being easy. And the way you make it easy is to make sure that they are exposed to concepts before they move on to perfecting those concepts. I know with two of my kids they were well past K level math when they went through it, so they did both K level books in about 2-3 months.

Remember that the Singapore placement tests are post tests. So I think she is most likely ready for first grade. But don't rush through it- some times things pop up in math that take kids a while to digest and grasp due to mental maturity.

[HSMom]

Thank you, everyone for the valuable feedback! I have a good idea what to do for her now! I appreciate the wisdom & advice.