This is my plan... can I have your opinion, please?

[NicoleJ]

Hi Sweeties!

This is my school plan for the next couple of years. I have 3 dd's - one is 6.5, one is 3.5 and one is 1.5 at present. Our school year starts in Feb and goes to the end of Dec.

This Year:
DD6 - Mix of things (Singapore 1B, Abeka LA, Galloping the Globe, Noeo Science Biology 1, etc) I WISH I had done Beyond with her!! Didn't know so much about HOD when I ordered everything for Grade 1!
DD3 - LHTH (just started)
DD1 - making school hard! lol

2010:
DD7 - Bigger for LA and Maths, WinterPromise Animal Worlds (Australians, so had to do something other than American history)
DD4 - LHTH
DD2 - join in in with LHTH

2011:
DD8: Preparing for all subject areas
DD5: WinterPromise I'm Ready to Learn (needed something for between LHTH and LHFGH)
DD3: join in with WP IRTL

2012:
DD9 - possibly CTC
DD6 - Little Hearts
DD4 - Little Hearts

And then I was thinking of repeating Little Hearts, or doing Little Hearts half speed for those two years for my little two, so that DD6 and DD4 will be able to be on the same manual together for their school years.

I guess I am just after people's opinions, and to ask:

a) Do you think my littlest dd will be able to do LHFHG when she is only 4 (taking in mind that she is a bright spark and my middle dd has been a little tiny bit slower in development - normal, by all means, but not as advanced as my other two) and will it work, do you think, to do LHFHG two years in a row (adding in some Australian history, probably) so that I can have these two together - this gives my youngest dd time to learn how to read, and catch up to my middle dd.

b) Is my oldest dd going to be too young for Bigger and Preparing, etc? I have noticed that people have tended towards going for the older age alloted for that manual rather than the younger age. Looking at the placement charts, Hannah seems to be right for Bigger, but I am wondering if Preparing will then be too advanced for her because she will be only 8. Take in mind that she is a real bright spark too.

Thanks so much for your help! Blessings, Nicole

[mariaw]

I am doing Preparing with an 8yo. She fits perfectly into the placement chart. Here are my thoughts....

It's challenging for her. The work itself isn't hard, but endurance to finish the day. We are not quite going at full-speed. We're probably finishing about 3 days a week right now (1 day a week we are in a co-op, so we don't do any other school on that day). Also, the subject matter is mature. Not mature as in inappropriate, but I mean higher level thinking and deeper subjects. Like really being able to put together the events happening in the ancient world with Biblical history and relating those areas of the world to modern-day countries. Like reading prophecy concerning Babylon and understanding how it can relate to what happens in that area modern day. Grandpa's Box is a WONDERFUL book that makes the stories of the Bible not just individual stories anymore, but explains the underlying spiritual battle going on from the beginning of time (I consider myself a good student of the Bible and *I* am learning so much from this book!). But Satan is a major player in this "war" that Grandpa is teaching about, and we've had many discussions about evil as a result. Discussions that I don't think her younger brothers are ready for.

Are these drawbacks? Not necessarily. I like that she is being challenged. I can't say that somedays I wish we had gone with Bigger, but most days I'm really proud of all she accomplishes. And the mature subject matter--I've seen her really grow up so far this year. She has an understanding of war and compassion that I never would've thought for an 8yo. (This is not directly from HOD, but from questions that lead to other discussion that led to more questions about evil and the world). She is gobbling up novels about missionaries on her own time because of her increased Bible study and desire to minister to those people that "don't know any better"!! I am so thankful to HOD for this spiritual fruit I am seeing in her.

However, I am not in any rush to finish Preparing this year. If we do, fine. If we don't, I'm not going to sweat over it. I'm confident that she'll be ready for CTC academically when we finish Preparing, but I want to make sure that she's really mature enough to get the best out of it. My worst case scenario would be that we plowed through the academics, and she missed the deeper things of the heart and mind because she wasn't ready to receive them yet. Does that make sense?

So, all that to say, don't *just* think about academics when you look at the different levels. It's easy to look at the samples of the books and see a list of "assignments." But there is SO MUCH MORE that you can't really see until you start teaching it. There is SO MUCH thought and wisdom in the way that the assignments are presented, and the way they all fit together for those "lightbulb moments" that you don't want your children to miss!! In the younger years, it's easier to be on the "young side" of a level, but I suspect that it gets harder as you move into the higher levels. With my younger children, I plan on keeping them in the middle of the range for this reason. But for dd8, this has been a wonderful year so far!

[Mommamo]

I have tried to do the same thing you're doing with your plan. It is so much fun to plan ahead! I think my kiddos are almost exactly the same ages as yours-6, 3, and 1.5. And I'm wanting to combine my younger two. I have the exact same plan as you, to stretch LHFHG over 2 years and to keep my youngest on the same track (they are only 26 months apart). I do think it will work. We're going to start LHTH over again this spring and use it with my then 4 and 2 year old, probably stretch it to 1 1/2 years. Then I plan to combine the younger two in LHFHG stretching it for 2 years by doing it at half speed, adding in the books from the library (which we did for my oldest only we did it full speed), and doing appropriate math and phonics for whatever level they need at that time. Then I may consider taking Beyond at a slower pace too (I realize you guys aren't American and may be doing things a little differently for Beyond and Bigger) for a little while, anyway.

All this being said......

I am honestly not too worried about what happens with the little ones down the line. It is so much fun to plan. Believe me, it is a hobby of mine. I've made these cool little charts and all sorts of stuff. However, I am learning that life happens. DD is super smart, Beyond is super fun, but she's needing some time to focus on reading right now, so we put Beyond on hold so we could do a week's worth of Learning Language Arts Through Literature each day because that's just what she needs right now. I had not anticipated that AT ALL! I think this same kind of thing will probably come up with my other two as well. I keep trying to remind myself that it's fun to plan, but it very likely won't come out the way I'd planned and so not to sweat it. I let myself make the plans but not get too caught up in the details, if that makes sense at all.

I too have concerns about getting to the older guides too early. If that happens, I may adjust in several different ways. I may decide to let my middle child go on to the level he needs since the guides do seem to become more and more independent as they go and then meet my youngest on her level. I may decide once we get to LHFHG that combining won't work and do each level then. Who knows? I think the important thing is to just keep my kiddos needs in mind, which it definitely sounds like you're doing.

I don't know if any of that helped at all, but it was fun for me to think through my own plans!

[NicoleJ]

Thankyou, thankyou!!

mariaw : Firstly, it is nice to hear that you are doing Preparing with a DD8! Your little girls sounds much like mine! She is very mature in lots of ways, and I know she would love Preparing even now, at 6! I really think it will fit her well at 8, and I agree with you about how it is not just the academics that we need to be looking at, but the overall fit. I guess I am worrying too much - I think it is because there is a HOD Mum near where I live and our kids are the same age, but she will have her son on Beyond next year, while I have skipped that and will have my DD on Bigger, so I am worrying that I am going to plough my DD in too deep instead of going lighter with her - and yet, I think she would rise to the challenge! Will keep thinking on this!

Mommamo: I had to laugh!! I am sure that planning is a hobby of mine! I even like helping my other hsing friends plan out their kids' school years! You are right too - it is good to have an overall 'plan' but you have to realise that 'life' is going to happen and kids will change and plateau and burst ahead, so we have to be willing to change plans as needed.
SO glad to hear you were going to do the same plan (basically) as I was!

[Mommamo]

My oldest will be doing Preparing at 8 too. I have plans to slow it down a bit, just since Beyond has been a bit of a stretch. It is by no means too difficult for her, at all. But it is just, umm.... challenging. And she is super, super bright. Sharp, always asking awesome questions, thinks really deeply. She is probably going to hit Preparing at a very young 8, maybe an older 7. I feel okay about it since she will have had these guides to get her ready. I still will be going half speed for a while, I'm sure. You might just expect that half speed might be necessary until you both adjust to it. I also don't want her doing CTC at 9, I don't think. I might change my mind when I get there, but it's just something to think about.

[NicoleJ]

Thankyou, that is something I will definately think about. I'm not a stickler to my plans, I am happy to go slower or faster or change as necessary, so I don't think it will be too much of a problem. I guess if I find Bigger too much of a challenge for Hannah, I will change to Beyond and then save Bigger until the next year. And the same goes for Preparing. Thanks! Nicole