How do you do 2 or more programs?

[3whizlets]

I am ready to do PHFHG w/my oldest dd in January. I don't think that my dd 7 is ready for PHFHG. I was thinking that LHFHG would be good for her and ds 5. However, I am nervous about doing 2 programs at once as I have never done it before. I feel at this point like my youngers need more than just to be tagging along but question my ability to juggle both.

Any ideas to make this doable?

[water2wine]

Hi Shelley. There are a lot of us here doing two programs. I am doing LHFHG and BHFHG. It works very well. At the Preparing level is is going to be even easier because there is more independent work. You could do them back to back and still have plenty of time to finish both. But it is very easy to alternate the time you are reading with independent time for your children in the other program. Here is a thread with some schedules. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1859 I know you are going to get a lot of replies to this because there are many here doing two and some doing three programs. It is very doable and I have found it much easier than trying to fit a younger child into a program they just do not fit into.

[netpea]

We are doing both LHFHG and BHFHG this year. I don't find it hard to do the two at the same time. My problem is that the older one is competitive with the younger one. He gets very upset if she finishes first. So I have to structure our day so that they finish at the same time. Even if she runs off to play for a while in the middle, we're ok as long as she's not done before he is.

But the mechanics of doing two programs isn't hard at all. My kids do their math at the same time, handwriting at the same time, and read all our stories at one time. Then we separate a bit for the parts they need more individual attention on.

[my3sons]

We did BHFHG and LHFHG last year, and I second what's been said already - it's not hard to do, and every week keeps getting better and better. This year, we are doing PHFHG and BLHFHG together, and that is going well too. I have another little toddler in the mix too, and he's a feisty one! We are about 3 months into school, and we've been finishing in around 4 hours now. We eat lunch, and off they go to enjoy the rest of the day! However, that is because we are 3 months into it. The first month or so took us longer because they were getting down the routine. Here are my best tips for doing 2 programs:
1. Make your schedule beforehand. Rotate your teaching time between the 2. Rotate teacher-directed and independent activities for each child. If you have a baby/toddler, schedule your most teacher-intensive time when they can be either napping or doing something they don't need you for (like playpen time, watching a video, playing with the other sibling, etc.) You can see my schedules for examples of what I'm trying to explain here .
2. Make a schedule and stick to it. (Tweak a bit as necessary the first week, but then stick to it so they can learn the routine and get better at transitioning.) This is sooooooo important! If they don't know what's expected of them, they won't be able to do it, and if they think they can run the schedule and play whenever they want to - they'll choose playing more often than school just because they can.
3. Rotate places around your house to keep them moving. We've found it's best for the 2 to be different places rather than right next to one another because they get each other off-task. We rotate between living room couches, kitchen table, dining room table. We are together for some things, but for the most part, I'm working with one of them while the other is doing something independently.
4. Don't answer the phone or do big tasks yourself during homeschooling time. You'll have the afternoon for those tasks if you finish your homechooling anyway.
5. Have 2 sets of basic school supplies in 2 different containers that are mobile, 1 for each child. We use the Tool Turnarounds from Pampered Chef for our supplies, but 2 art boxes would work too.
6. One last tip, start half-speed if you are worried about managing 2 programs. Do the left side one day, and the right side the next day for a few weeks. This will ease you and your dc into it, if you've got the time to spread it out a bit.

Everyone does this differently, but these are the things that have worked well for our dc. Be sure to give yourself a month to get into the routine before you make a judgment about how the whole year will go. It takes us a month, and then school is wonderful the rest of the year. You can do this - I am sure of it! HOD makes this so much easier than anything else out there. You're going to have a great year doing 2 HOD programs!

In Christ ,
Julie

P.S. Lee Ann - I am laughing because I have to have "photo finishers" too! They like to be done the same time as well. Isn't that too funny?

[3whizlets]

Thank you for the encouragement and scheduling tips. Anytime I have tried 2 programs it has been hard and I usually end up giving one up. I think part of the problem was that they required too much of me and not enough of my kids. Just from looking over the PHFHG guide (it came in the mail today ) I can see that my dd is going to have a lot to keep her busy that doesn't require so much of me. I do think she is going to love it though. She is a very energetic child and this will keep her on her toes and she will have enough variety to not get bored. I think my youngers are going to enjoy LHFHG as well.

Blessings!

[Carrie]

Shelley,

We're doing LHFHG and Preparing this year, with our 2 year old tagging along and my 7th grader piloting much of our new ancient's program, so I just wanted to encourage you that you can do this. The ladies have given you such tried and true advice. I'm a scheduler, so I'll give you a glimpse inside our day by linking you to the scheduling thread where I share our current schedule. Here's the link: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2093&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15

Remember that you'll find your own fit though, so your day may not look anything like mine! There is also a "training" curve with Preparing, so be prepared to spend more time up front training your older one to follow the guide. This is a much-needed and very worthwhile step, as it will gain you much time later in the year, when she'll take hold and can move on to many parts without you. During the training phase, you may want to start LHFHG at half-speed, and then work up to full speed.

Blessings,
Carrie