I Think I can...

[ann]

Hello. We've started using Beyond Little Hearts this year for our first grader. We love it. My preschooler likes to be part of the fun of course, but having a 1 year old and a baby in Aug., we decided to just stick with the one book, Beyond Little Hearts (foregoing me facilitating from 2 teacher books). I'm running into trouble though, b/c my 4 yo often compares herself to what her big sister is doing and is not feeling good about her truly incredible accomplishments as a 4 yo. You get the picture. How similar/different are the 2 books "Beyond Little Hearts" and the Preschool book ("Little Hearts"?). Our instruction time is precious, but I'm beginning to think my preschooler would actually be less distracting if she had something of her own, at her level (for reading/math) that I did with her daily. We purchased a Kindergarden math and writing book, but she feels terribly cheated when she doesn't get the full, real deal lesson. I just can't imagine completing 2 lesson plans in a day. The thought of having 2 different Units to work throughout the week makes me feel overwhelmed at the moment, but, then again, if I can get a little more sleep tonight, life will no doubt feel more managable tomorrow. Blessings. Thanks for lending an ear.

[pollo_la]

Actually there is one guide prior to Little Hearts. Little hearts is actually geared more for K and 1st, while the first guide, "Little Hands to Heaven" is geared for ages 2-5 and is great for preschool. It has options for younger children and older children.I can definitely see where the thought of doing two guides could be overwhelming to you right now, however, LHTH only takes about 20-25 minutes a day to complete. Does that sound manageable? That would give your 4 year old her OWN guide, and not add too much extra into your day. I think it could work out great for you! I am in somewhat of a similar situation to you. My oldest dd is 5 and doing LHFHG. I also have an almost 3 year old and a 19 month old. I am due in April with my 4th. Luckily, I'm out of the first trimester and feel more human once again! I am also fortunate that while my nearly 3 year old (and 19 month old too) love to tag along while we work, they do not compare. I plan to start LHTH (the first guide I was talking about) when they are both 3 and 4... so not for another year and a half. However, if my 3 year old started comparing, I don't think I would hesitate to start it a bit earlier. It really is a fun guide that does not take much time at all.

[ann]

Thanks for your advice. It's nice to hear others' ideas and what has worked for them. I have a lot of options, which isn't a bad problem to have. It's nice to hear that the 2-5 year old book takes just 20-30 min. I think we will consider getting that for after Christmas break, b/c my 2 year old and 4 year old could benefit from that. Congratulations on making it through the first trimester, and the anticipation of a new little one. It looks like you have 3 girls as well? We have 3 girls and then along came our little boy . As my daughter said just recently, "we rhyme". Isn't it grand that God has the perfect plan for all of us?! Blessings, Ann

[my3sons]

Hi Ann! We started LHTH with my almost 3 yo for this very reason. I'm doing CTC with my almost 10 yo, and Beyond with my 6 yo, and my little guy felt lost. He really wanted me to do something with him alone, and while I thought I'd be good about pulling out this or that (like puzzles, playdough, etc.), I am not. So, adding LHTH has been wonderful. We're doing it half-speed since he's young, and that 15 minutes means the world to him, relieves my guilt, and keeps him happily playing after it for a long time, which give me time with my olders. I'd highly recommend doing LHTH with your 2 little ones. I think you'd find it's well worth the 20-30 minutes a day. You could also go through it more slowly doing it just 3 days a week, or just checking off the boxes as you go and getting as far as you do each day if you wanted. It's very flexible that way, and an excellent beginning to homeschooling for little ones!

In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

Ann,

We started LHTH this year with my 3 year old too. We waited until we had a good routine underway with the other kiddos, and then added in LHTH.

I had planned to do it daily, splitting each lesson into two days but after our schedule got underway, it worked better to add it in regularly two to three times a week, doing a whole session in each day. It only takes 20 to 30 minutes at the most, and I feel so good about reading the Bible stories with my little one! We love the flexibility of it, and my fourth little guy loves having mom all to himself for his "school".

I just wanted to encourage you that however you decide to add it in, it will be easier to get in than you think!

Blessings,
Carrie