Little hearts Science & other ?s

[Mgs]

Hi! I am wondering if anyone can share some tips for the little hearts science? Do you focus mostly on the activity? It’s obviously very brief in the text and not very exciting.

Also- My DD6 is maturing a lot lately, and I’m feeling like the only things that are age/developmentally appropriate for her is the history & the read aloud. We did add some LA that has some memory work/narration, because she wants more! I’m concerned about waiting for beyond until the fall, I’m concerned she’ll be too old for that guide too (except for the read alouds/history). I want her to enjoy the art projects, and all that. I sense that My little one will do so well with all the guides because he’s starting “on time”.

At the same time, I hate to skip the rest of the history in little hearts!

[Rice]

Never fear. HOD guides ramp up in difficulty to meet the needs of these fast-growing little ones. It's fine if some things are too easy as you approach the end of each guide. As long as the History and Storytime meet your child's needs, you can be confident that the increasing expectations will challenge without overwhelming your student. Beyond not only has longer readings and increased copywork, but also fewer "childish" activities (like Rhymes in Motion will be gone). The next guide after that (Bigger) expects a lot more writing (both in print and learning cursive) and has much more challenging history books, and by the following one they are expected to start working independently.

The problem with skipping content to get to the next guide is that they DO ramp up in expectations (for different skills across different guides) so jumping ahead can cause them to find challenges where completing the course of study (including the factor of the time it takes to do that) ensures enough practice and physical and cognitive development to meet those challenges with ease, instead of with frustration.

6 is the perfect age for LHFHG and moving forward the vast majority of children do best in the middle of the suggested age range for each guide. It takes a child who is advanced not only in academics, but also in physical skills (gross & fine motor) and maturity (for more advanced themes as well as handling a heavier course load) to succeed at the youngest end of the age range.

That said, if you consider your child advanced across the board and you are finding it far too easy (finishing a school day significantly faster than you expect, based on the times suggested by HOD), you could consider working faster through the remainder of the guide; doing a unit in 4 school days instead off 5, for example. By adding one or two extra boxes to each day. That way you get not only the content and practice, but also reach the guide sooner, though not right away.

As for science, I depend far more on them exploring the world around them and spending time outside in creation for them to learn about God's world at this age, than I do on the text and content of the science box. There are people who add to the science in these early years, but I would far rather my kids learn from life than extending their school day to learn about the world from a book.

I hope that makes sense and gives you some options to consider!

Blessings,

[StephanieU]

We started HOD with LHFHG with my oldest. Like you, I added things to it because it is light. And then I realized as she got older, that light is okay! HOD really picks up in Bigger, Preparing, and CtC. CtC definitely feels like school for a 9-11yo (roughly 5th grade). When my oldest got to Preparing, I regretted having started Rod and Staff English with her for 2nd grade, as Level 4 is middle school level in most schools today.

And all of the important science concepts are covered again in middle and high school. So the point in early elementary is getting them to explore the world around them and ask questions. It isn't about leaving specific things. HOD does a good job of this by loosely tying the science to history.

[LovingJesus]

Hi! I am wondering if anyone can share some tips for the little hearts science? Do you focus mostly on the activity? It’s obviously very brief in the text and not very exciting.

Also- My DD6 is maturing a lot lately, and I’m feeling like the only things that are age/developmentally appropriate for her is the history & the read aloud. We did add some LA that has some memory work/narration, because she wants more! I’m concerned about waiting for beyond until the fall, I’m concerned she’ll be too old for that guide too (except for the read alouds/history). I want her to enjoy the art projects, and all that. I sense that My little one will do so well with all the guides because he’s starting “on time”.

At the same time, I hate to skip the rest of the history in little hearts!

I’m wondering what you consider “on time” since the guides fit the middle age very well which your daughter is for LHFHG. What grade do you think of dd6 as being?

I hope writing out the typical grade levels for the guides will encourage you keeping in mind there can definitely be children who will be different grades / ages for every guide!

LHFHG thru Preparing: approximately first thru fourth
CTC thru MTMM: approximately 5th thru 8th
WH thru US History II: approximately 9th thru 12th

I would think of age 6 in LHFHG as a typical age range for the grade and right in the middle of the range which is ideal!

I think one thing to keep in mind is the CM education in HOD starts off gentle and builds in rigor. CM focused on outdoor time and short lessons in the early years which with high energy kids is a blessing. The rigor builds in the middle years, and by Junior High / High School CM is as rigorous as a classical education.

Bigger history is fairly in-depth, and the R&S English in it can be a challenge.

As for science, I have a 12th grader who has done both Advanced Chemistry and Advanced Physics as a homeschooler in High School. His primary science education in elementary was lots of hands on experiments in the kitchen and outdoors (and by lots I mean mostly once a week). The hands on experiments at those levels teach science, and I am doing LHFHG this year and have done Beyond and Bigger in the past: the science was plenty for the ages.

I had some eager 6 year olds, and I always found short school blessed them with time to read, explore, play, and learn so much doing all of it.

Blessings,

[Jaimejac]

I have a 6 yo doing Beyond and it is perfect for him. We started Little Hearts at last January when he was 5 1/2, he turned 6 in May and we finished over the summer and started Beyond in September.

Could you provide a little more information? What week are you at in Little Hearts? How old was your DD when she started? Is it only the Science Discovery portion of those boxes that you are concerned about? How do you feel about the Artistic Expression, Thinking Games and Dramatic Play? Are you doing the K or 1st grade options for Fine Motor? When we did Little Hearts with DS who sounds like your DD, he did the Fine Motor 1st grade options independently which leveled it up a bit. If you haven't already, you could start the Emerging Readers in lieu of the phonics choices and do math that is at her level. HOD definitely gives you options to tailor the guide to your child so you can get the benefit of the History readings and Storytime and and do the other boxes at your child's level.

I loved Little Hearts, but like you, I was chomping at the bit to finish it up and get to Beyond. I'm glad I didn't though because I think my DS gained many valuable skills. Particularly, I didn't want him to miss the skills taught in Storytime. That said, we started LHFHG when he was 5 1/2 and started Beyond at age 6 and it is perfect for him. I scoured the message boards and read from so many families that age 6 is ideal for Little Hearts, but I talked extensively to Julie about it and I know she had a son who did Beyond at 6 and did a guide a year from there just fine. You know your child best and proper placement is very important. If you really feel like your daughter is not placed correctly, I would suggest talking it through with Julie. I valued her input immensely in steering me in the right direction for my son.

Rice makes a good point though when she says it's ok for some things to be easy. For example, for my DS6 we are doing Spelling List 1. At week 10 it seemed really easy so I tried Spelling LIst 2 on him. It was a challenge and I decided to drop him back to List 1. He wanted to stick with List 2 but I want him to have a good foundation in spelling before we start dictation so we will do Spelling List 2 next year with Bigger.

I agree with the ladies about not adding/tweaking too much and exploring the world around you for science and nature but on the other hand, the science is light enough in Little Hearts that if you had the time and capacity, you could add to it if you really wanted to. However, I would keep in mind your workload with your other kids. You don't want to burn yourself out trying to add too much. I only have three children, so I could see how for larger families, keeping things simple in the early years is a really a blessing.

Another idea to challenge her, instead of adding to science might be to help her pursue other interests. Again, Little Hearts gives you time for this. For example, we are doing some homemaking lessons with my son - simple baking and cooking, even sewing. We just created a Spiderman sewing kit for him and after watching me a few times, he is learning how to use the sewing machine. He also does online piano lessons when he feels like it. Before anyone thinks I am pushing him too hard , these are things he asks to do and we do them sporadically when we have the time and interest. Are there any practical or handicraft skills you want her to learn or that she is interested in that you could work on her with?

This all said, please keep in mind that I don't have the wisdom of these ladies who have been with HOD for years and have the benefit of seeing the value of the early years in their high-school-age and graduated students. This is simply our experience this last year with HOD, which has been our first year with it. I have a 9 yo doing great in CTC, the 6 yo in Beyond, but my third (who just turned 5) is totally different from them. I plan on starting him on Little Hearts in the fall when he will be closer to 6 and I think that will be better for him. He will be doing the K options for everything. He does not have the attention span that my middle son did at his age so I expect to him to be on a different track from his brother.

Blessings,
Jaime

[Mgs]

Nm

[StephanieU]

One thing I have done with my kids is give them the option of doing the activity or narrating. That gave them some control over things while still doing a follow-up.

And the rhyme we normally just read as a poem. My kids have never been huge fans of hand motions, etc, so they weren't a hit that way. But as a poem, we enjoyed them.

[LovingJesus]

Just wish that math box would line up

Are you using Singapore 1A / 1B that is recommended for first grade with LHFHG? For first grade, you use the Singapore 1A / 1B schedule in the appendix and skip the box in the daily plans for math. Or, if you don’t like Singapore, you can choose your own first grade math. I’m using Bob Jones math for my daughter doing LHFHG this year; I just check off the math box for convenience for tracking even though we are doing a different math. The math for HOD is very flexible.

Are you using the first grade science book for science? It is also scheduled in the appendix, and you wouldn’t be doing the science in the box.

LHFHG is written for K / first with the first options sold in their own bundle (science / math) and scheduled in the appendix. I really like Beyond for 2nd, Bigger for 3rd, and Preparing for 4th.

I hope that helps!

[Rice]

One thing I have done with my kids is give them the option of doing the activity or narrating. That gave them some control over things while still doing a follow-up.

And the rhyme we normally just read as a poem. My kids have never been huge fans of hand motions, etc, so they weren't a hit that way. But as a poem, we enjoyed them.

Yes!
And I skip things I know my children are obviously beyond, or I adapt the instructions to meet them where they are at.

The same is true in all guides. We do not do 100% of what is written in the guides. We do skip some things, orally narrate others (instead of what is suggested), or change them to fit my kids' interests, skills, and priorities knowledge.

But the structure provided in the guides and the skills accrued by following them most of the time are invaluable.

If your child's skills are beyond where you're at in the guides, work through it faster; if they're too challenging, slow down for a while. If your child really doesn't "click with a specific box/subject, then decide what is important: does it teach skills or knowledge the need? If so, change it to facilitate gaining that knowlege/skill. If they're truly beyond that box, choose if you persevere to teach a lesson (perseverance itself, making connections, having fun, increasing confidence with something easy), or choose to skip it.

IMO, one big consideration in choosing to do, modify, or skip a given box is that it be the parent's decision, made (ideally) ahead of time, not based on the whining or pleading of the child - that's a slippery slope that can make it hard to do anything they don't "feel" like doing without complaint in the future. I've had to be clear that I, as the teacher, make educational decisions for various reasons such as educational value, time constraints, etc. (and sometimes I choose to let them make a choice, as StephanieU mentioned), but I don't make decisions based on their whims or pressure. That is easier to do if I've looked at the day and made those decisions ahead of time (even if that's 30 seconds before we "start" ).

Blessings,

[Mgs]

nm

[Jaimejac]

I know this issue about the rhymes has been discussed on the board a lot. I did a quick search of “ rhymes” and “babyish” and came up with several threads that might be helpful for you.

Are you doing the rhymes with her? I know Julie really advocates getting up and doing the movements with your child. See the first link. What if you got the older kids involved and you all did it together? It could be a part of your “together time”? A couple of other good suggestions in these threads to level up the rhymes were to have her memorize or copy them.

Also, I realized I never specifically answered your initial question about the science box. I do focus more on the activity than the text. There’s a lot of posts here about that too.

Anyways, hope some of these past posts help!

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3583&p=26553&hilit= ... ish#p26553

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15829&p=111234&hili ... sh#p111234

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13896&p=98936&hilit ... ish#p98936

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9373&p=68712&hilit= ... ish#p68712

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8484&p=61824&hilit= ... ish#p61824

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7530&p=54925&hilit= ... ish#p54925

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6564&p=47876&hilit= ... ish#p47876

Blessings,
Jaime

[Mgs]

nm