Is it okay to take a year and a half to finish?

[NoodleMom]

I recently received Preparing. I am using it for all of my kids. They are really loving it. Due to some unforeseeable situations (oral surgery and post-op infection for me, flu for several kiddoes, Spring break for HubbyMan and beautiful warm sunny days that we just have to get out and play in) we havent even barely got into the 2nd unit. Oh and we have been going half speed also. I am beginning to realize that my goal of finishing Preparing by January/February is not realistic. I feel stressed just thinking about it.

Can we just continue to go half speed working our way up to full speed and then take some time off this summer and start up again in the fall finishing in May 2011? Whew! That was a long sentence. Does this look okay?

K

[inHistiming]

I don't know how old your children are, so that could have some bearing on the answer, but I would say if it works for your family to do it that way, then go for it. We are going through Preparing...a little more slowly than most probably would. We just started in January and have completed Unit 11. I have doubled up some and am hoping to continue that a bit in order to get through more quickly, but I'll be satisfied if we finish within a year. However, my younger ds starts 1st grade in the fall and we have a new baby due in October, so I just ordered Little Hearts for him (was planning to begin in the fall) so we can finish by the end of our 2011 school year. I know it is going to take us a bit longer due to time off after the baby, plus we have a move sometime after the baby is born, so we'll end up taking about a year and a quarter to do Little Hearts. I think it will work fine for him, and it will be easier to fit his work in since I'm starting earlier b/c we won't have to feel such a push to 'get through it' like we would have if I'd waited to start him in August or September. I believe the main thing will be to keep them all at the appropriate levels in Language Arts and Math, and the rest is a bit more flexible. Hope that helps some, and I'm sure others will weigh in with their 2 cents soon.

[mamayi]

We are not yet to the Preparing guide but we have taken a year and a half to do Little Hearts and are currently taking a year and a half to do Beyond. There are a variety of reasons that we're going at that pace but I have found it to be much less stressful and much more fulfilling to do so. When I tried to finish a guide in a traditional 9-month school year I found myself "just getting through" the lessons. The children were learning but I felt rushed (and I am sure they did too). Since deciding to take our time we are all enjoying it so much more. That's what I love about homeschooling! The issues of life that pop up (illness, pregnancy, good weather ) are embraced rather than fought.
I do anticipate going and a fuller speed as my children get older. But again, we'll just see what happens when we get there.
I am learning that each school year is different and you do what God says is best for your family.
HTH!
Andrea

[my3sons]

We've taken a year and a half to finish guides before and enjoyed that very much. However, I think it depends on the ages of your dc, and this obviously won't work every single year as dc eventually do get behind. So, as long as it happens either when your dc are in the younger age ranges of the guides, or if it happens once and awhile and not every year, I think it's just fine! The only reason I'm throwing out a caution here is if you do a year and a half repeatedly, then you might feel the need to skip an HOD guide to make up for it, and that is tough to do as dc probably won't have learned the skills needed to be successful. We all have "off years", and as long as off years don't become the regular way of doing things, it all works out fine in the end because HOD is flexible. For example, inHistiming wisely anticipated a need to begin earlier with LHFHG and will be so glad she did when life gets busier in the future. It's just dangerous to count on life being easier and school being simpler to get done always down the road rather than now, as more often then not, I've found life just keeps getting busier anyway (or maybe I just keep getting older and tire more easily). Just my 2 cents - HTH!

In Christ,
Julie