Hi! Intro and talk me into doing LHFHG with Bigger!

[VAmomto4]

Hi everyone! I will be doing Bigger with my dd 2nd grade dd this upcoming school year. We tried LHFHG in K but it was a difficult time of life for me and we didn't make it very far. I am excited to be back to HOD this year, though! I think HOD will help me be a better teacher and relight dd's fire. She has definately been uninspired these last two years! I ordered Friday and I can't wait to look through everything when it arrives in the next few weeks!

I am also looking forward to starting formal learning with my little guy this year. He will be five very soon and start kindergarten in the fall. I thought I was all set with phonics and math for him...but now I am wondering if I should do LHFHG with him! I have almost everything (I need to purchase another guide and a book or two) and he's already reading so I think he can handle some additional fun stuff! He's self-motivated and likes to work independently so I didn't think HOD would be a good fit for him, which is why I didn't order another guide for him. However, it looks like HOD gradually prepares children to work more independently on some things in later guides? I love that HOD seems to actually teach these skills.

I also didn't order DITHOR because I was afraid of overwhelming myself. But now I am rethinking that decision because it seems like such a great program! My kids love books.

So, does anyone want to talk me into LHFHG and/or DITHOR? Would I be setting myself up for failure? I don't think this is a baby year, so maybe I could handle it
I also have a 1 and almost 4 yr old. I'm not super organized and homekeeping does not come easily for me, so that is a consideration as well .

[twoxcell]

You can absolutely do LHFHG along with BHFHG. Little Hearts is a short and sweet program, and does not really take that much time to do daily. If you decide to do DITHR also you may want to do the two guides for a few weeks before adding DITHR in. I just started DITHR a few weeks ago with my ds and it only takes us about 15-20 min. a day. We are both enjoying it.

[Bramble]

Welcome! I am using Bigger and Little Hearts this year (along with Little Hands.) It works well!

[MomtoJGJE]

I'm also doing Bigger and LHFHG (and LHTH) this year School is fun nearly every day, even with a recently turned 2yo alongside!

One thing you might want to do for a while at first with your 5yo is to do LHFHG half speed. That's basically splitting up one day's worth of work into 2 days. When I do half speed I do the left side of the pages one day and the right side the next. However in the fall, when I start LHFHG with my #3 (5 in OCtober) I will be splitting it up in a different way.... I don't know how yet, but she loves workbooks, so I'll have to have the workbooks every day and they are all scheduled on the right side! I'll probably do 3 or 4 units half speed with her before starting in full speed. I also went half speed for two units with my oldest in Bigger this year, just to get the hang of everything. I start out doing all programs half speed simply to let us all get the feel for the new guide and to let me see where there might be troubles arise.

I actually started DITHOR about a month or so before I started Bigger.... DITHOR is an amazing program.

[Larissa]

I am finishing up a year of doing LHFHG with my 1st grader and Bigger with my 3rd grader. We've had an outstanding year and it was not too much at all! I did DITHOR on a very small scale with my 3rd grader. I don't use the DITHOR program for 2nd grade. I start it on a very small scale in the 3rd grade, and will expand on it each year.

[Kathleen]

I know it isn't really what you asked...but what about doing LHTH with Bigger?? You will have a 4 and 5 yo this fall right? Maybe you could work through it with them together and give them both something constructive to do. LHTH only takes 20 min to do. Then you could also do phonics and math with your 5 yo. I'm thinking that maybe this would be a good combination for you down the road, too.

I know you said that your 5 yo is reading, but in my house my LHTH'ers have still LOVED it even though they didn't need the letter sound learning. The rhymes and activities and Bible stories are just perfect (and FUN) at this young age! Their little hearts are truly pointed to the Lord in this program. I'm finishing it now the 2nd time with my almost-5-yo and we're thoroughly enjoying it!

While I'm guessing that your 5 yo would be ready for LHFHG (and maybe that's the best plan), if you're wanting to try to combine your 4 and 5 yo later, maybe this would be a good thing to try?

Our 1st HOD year we did Bigger and LHTH and it was a great year for us and easily do-able for me as I learned to homeschool and keep the house afloat. Now I can easily handle more guides with the organization that has come from learning what works best for our family and the wisdom I've gained from some great organizers here!
Kathleen

[VAmomto4]

Thank you! It looks like quite a few of you are running several guides. I think I've decided to do LHFHG with ds. I think it is best to start at the beginning . I might start LHFHG this summer with ds and wait until the fall and start Bigger with dd. Maybe that would allow me to ease into things? This will be our third year homeschooling but I still feel like I'm just beginning. I can't believe I am already adding another "student" .

Kathleen: Don't tempt me Just kidding!

[HappyMama]

I'll be doing Bigger along with LHFHG with my 1st and 3rd grader next year and I'm finding this post *very* encouraging.

[blessedmomof4]

Hi,
I like Kathleen's suggestion and wanted to add-what if you used Little Hands to Heaven with the 4 and 5 year olds, adding some of the Kindergarten options (K handwriting, 2 Rod & Staff workbooks, Earlybird Math, The Reading Lesson), for the 5 year old. Then next year, you can combine them in Little Hearts for his Glory, with the older one using all of the 1st grade options plus the Emerging Readers set, and the younger one using all of the K options. This would keep you from having back-to-back guides in the future, and would be a great way to be on track with everyone! Bigger Hearts is a very foundational year, and you would be freed up to give your Bigger Hearts child the focused attention she will need while you work with her to develop the skills she will need to be more independent. The following year, she would be working more independently in Preparing Hearts, freeing you to give more time and attention to the younger two kids' schooling. I like this idea because it makes sense for the long-term, especially since you have another younger child besides these three
Little Hands to Heaven will take only 20 to 30 minutes a day, plus a bit more for the 5 year old who would be using the K options. I hope that all makes sense Just my opinion though, and of course you will do what you feel is best, but just wanted to share my thoughts
PS-DITHOR is a great program, do consider starting it with your oldest!

[my3sons]

We did LHFHG and BHFHG together years back and enjoyed that very much! However, I would give some real thought to Kathleen's and Lourdes' advice about considering LHTH. With having a 4 yo and a 5 yo, this would be a wonderful way to combine them, and when dc are only 1 year apart and you have multiple dc, this is a wise decision when looking down the road. You could do all of the "K" options of LHFHG's LA and math with your 5 yo, and do Little Hands to Heaven with the 2 of them. I really loved beginning with the Bible history in LHTH. It put Christ at the center from the start, and solidified He has been in control of history from the very start! Also, I think it would be neat to be able to really focus on phonics, fine motor skills such as R & S's "Do It Carefully" and "Finding the Answers", beginning handwriting, and Kindergarten Singapore math activities/workbooks with your 5 yo. Doing LHTH with your 5 yo would allow you to truly be able to focus on those K skills while still combining your 4 and 5 yo together for now, and for years ahead. I think you may wish you had done this later on. Just a thought though - HOD is such a delight to teach! I'm so excited for you to begin! Oh, and you can always begin BHFHG and the other guide, and then add DITHOR a month in or so to ease into it. We do 3 guides and love it. Appropriate placement pays back big dividends - happy mama, happy dc.

In Christ,
Julie

[VAmomto4]

Wow, thanks everyone! I certainly have some thinking to do.

My 3rd child is actually 3.5 and will not be four until late fall. She and her brother will technically be 2 school years apart. He picks things up at lightning speed and I think little sister would slow him down. All she cares about is workbooks, anyways. I think placing them together at the beginning would not be the appropriate placement for either of them going forward. They are just so different...

We do a lot of devotional type stuff as a family--Bible reading, hymns, Pictures from Proverbs, Scripture memory with our church, I have drawers full of hymn cds for kids, etc... Would adding LHTH be redundant? It looks so sweet and fun

I think I will add DITHOR second semester