Update: Julie or Carrie...Repeating LHFHG...

[edsnyder]

<<<OK, my ds5 be 6 in July - is doing good/okay with math and phonics - but he is just not listening to the history, or storytime so I think it would be good to keep him in LHFHG another year but use the 1st grade options for math and science text, and if he is ready the Emerging readers -

if I read a book with pictures he is constantly asking me questions about the picture and not listening but if there are no pictures his mind is somewhere else completely

he is a very antsy boy doesn't like to sit still he was in public school pre-k last year so this is his first year doing homeschool;

I know there are other options like slowing down to half speed to finish this year and doing beyond at half speed but I am not really sure that will work well for him..

Any advice or suggestions??? Would you recommend moving on to beyond and going half pace at first? I really would appreciate your expertise.

Thanks,
Elisa>>>

[ForHisGlory]

Hi there! I am not sure that I can give you a whole lot of advice, but perhaps I can encourage you? DS may be just a tad on the young side to proceed onto the next guide. In my opinion, if he isn't really interested in the stories and such, why not just take a break from LHFHG for a few months (you'd be shocked what just a couple of months can do for a kiddo) and still do math and read-alouds and some phonics and focus on his interests? Find what he really enjoys and focus on that subject and maybe make a unit sort of study out of it.

Then perhaps when you feel he is maturing a bit more and is ready to learn the history and such, then you could pick back up with LHFHG.

We just finished up our year with LHFHG, and my DS is 6.5, and we started when he was 5.5 years. I can see a HUGE difference in maturity in my son between then and now! It's amazing what a year does. My son is a natural wiggler, and I just let him wiggle when we read if he needs to. He comprehends everything that I read and can narrate it back to me, so I know even with his wiggling he can retain what is being read to him. Have you tried letting little man have a special toy or some Thinking Putty (awesome stuff!) to have only for reading time? This works wonders!

HTH and that I haven't rambled too much!

[Molly]

I love the advice you got given, but just thought I would add in here, that I found for my 6 yr old doing LHFHG, that when I tuck him close beside me on the couch and read to him, his focus is so much better, he still wiggles and jiggles a little, but definately is listening a lot better.

[Larissa]

I also have a very wiggly antsy 5 year old. He was able to all the written work without difficulty, but was completely unable to focus on anything that I read out loud to him. So, I decided that he just wasn't ready to be engaged in that type of read aloud. He will sit and listen me read picture books to him all day, though. So, we stopped LHFHG completely, but continued with some phonics, writing, and math. We will pick back up with LHFHG in August. Hopefully, by then, he'll be able to listen with more focus. He is a very active little boy, and it's incredibly difficult for him to sit still. He is smart, though! I just finished teaching him 1 John 1:1-10. He can say the whole passage with very little help from me! I taught him 2 verses per week ... and the entire time I would teach him a verse... he would be moving. He was completely unable to sit still.
I agree that stopping LHFHG might be a good plan. Finish out your K math and K handwriting, and then move on to LHFHG with the 1st grade options in the fall.
If he is having difficulty with listening to the content in LHFHG, I would be hesitant to move him on to Beyond. The readings do get longer in Beyond.

[my3sons]

Little boys and their wiggles... sigh - I soooo understand. Would you mind sharing the unit number you are working on? I think that would affect my advice. Thanks!

In Christ,
Julie

[edsnyder]

Little boys and their wiggles... sigh - I soooo understand. Would you mind sharing the unit number you are working on? I think that would affect my advice. Thanks!

In Christ,
Julie

I don't mind at all!
We are on Unit 22 this week.

Keep in mind this is the child that never wanted me to sit and read with him. His older brother and his younger sister both will go book after book until I say enough but not this child. He might make it two pages in a picture book...

[edsnyder]

Little boys and their wiggles... sigh - I soooo understand. Would you mind sharing the unit number you are working on? I think that would affect my advice. Thanks!

In Christ,
Julie

I don't mind at all!
We are on Unit 22 this week.

Keep in mind this is the child that never wanted me to sit and read with him. His older brother and his younger sister both will go book after book until I say enough but not this child. He might make it two pages in a picture book...

Hoping Julie will see this and tell me her opinion/recommendation

[MomtoJGJE]

I think I would take a break for a while starting now with the history stuff... continue doing the fine motor skills and math and phonics. Then when you finish doing those things, start over at the beginning with the first grade options. My kids also don't really care to sit and listen to me read.

[Carrie]

Elisa,

We're just back from convention and are working to get caught up on everything. So, I'm just seeing your post now. Little boys are just pretty busy, aren't they! One thing I think that is important to keep in mind is that LHFHG is meant to be an exposure to many new skills, but exposure is different than mastery. What I mean is that exposing a child to something in the first round means just giving them a dose of a skill and alllowing them to take from it what they will. The history topics and science topics and read-alouds are all meant to be exposure in LHFHG. There are skills that are wound within the exposure, but the kiddos are just being introduced to those skills for the first time so we cannot expect them to master them. Rather, they begin getting a bit better as they go, retaining a bit more with each exposure.

With this in mind, I think it also helps to know that the skills wound within the phonics, math, and writing are more important than the skills wound within the history, science, etc. So, with your son doing wellin the "important areas", you should feel good about your progress in LHFHG. I am inclined not to be a repeater with the same read-aloud material in a curriculum, so I would lean away from repeating LHFHG simply for the purpose of having him gain more from the history readings, science, or read-alouds. I also think that stopping and starting a program off and on takes away the continuity of learning (and often you'll find that suddenly just when you thought your child was taking very little from what you are doing, the child shares something that shows he/she is gaining much more than you thought). This is because a steady progression of skills each day eventually leads to the lightbulb moments.

So, if you have been in essence doing everything that is written in the LHFHG guide with your son, and he is able to get through it and is successful with the math and the phonics, I would be more likely to advise going to half-speed to finish out LHFHG. This can be done in a myriad of ways, but it will keep your son steadily progressing forward with skills you've spent all year working to build. I would hate to see you stop and miss the fruit that often comes near the end of a guide. By going half-speed, you would allow your son to grow and mature, yet you would not be changing gears and hampering his progress or simply treading water as you wait for him to mature. You have 12 weeks remaining in LHFHG now, which would be 24 weeks if you did it half speed. That is plenty of time for him to mature before Beyond.

If we wait for our little boys to calm down before we think they're truly listening, you may find yourself waiting a long time! I know my little boys were a long time in calming down!

Reading on a couch with your arm around your son, keeping him anchored to your side, having him help you hold the book while you read can really make a difference in how focused little ones are. So, if you haven't tried it you may wish to do it! It works for me. Also, make sure to alternate reading times with active times, so right after reading about the history, hop up and do the rhymes.

Another helpful thing to do is to make sure not to exceed 30 min. of instruction in a row. So, for example you may wish to do 2 boxes from the right side of LHFHG and then take a 30 min. break. Then, do the left side of LHFHG (with all 5 boxes taking about 30 min. all together), and then take another 30 min. break. Then, do the remaining 2 boxes on the right side of LHFHG and at that point, you're done!

One last thing to consider is what your child's optimum leaning time may be. So ponder whether or not your son is morning person and take this into account when you schedule the time to begin his day. Also, take into account the time of day when he is calmer and more focused and the time when he is more wild and use those times to your advantage.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you get a chance!

Blessings,
Carrie

[alliclaymoore]

One other thing to consider is that some kids retain information better when they are moving around and seemingly "not listening". I have a friend whose son is moving almost constantly. If she tries to make him sit still, all he can think about it sitting still, but if she lets him move about the room as he listens to something, he can tell it all back to her just fine.
I don't know if your son is like that as well, but it is worth a try. One great thing about homeschooling is that we can do what works for our child, rather than "do school" the way the school system has done it for years.

Blessings!
Allison
Wife to Clay
Mommy to Rachel (Preparing), Luke (Beyond), and Sarah (LHTH)

[my3sons]

Little boys and their wiggles... sigh - I soooo understand. Would you mind sharing the unit number you are working on? I think that would affect my advice. Thanks!

In Christ,
Julie

I don't mind at all!
We are on Unit 22 this week.

Keep in mind this is the child that never wanted me to sit and read with him. His older brother and his younger sister both will go book after book until I say enough but not this child. He might make it two pages in a picture book...

Hoping Julie will see this and tell me her opinion/recommendation

So sorry to just be getting back to you! We just hopped off the plane from the convention, and I'm doing the night shift with my dad at the hospital. Unit 22 is pretty far - has he been able to do the work in each part of the plans, but is just seeming to have a tough time listening to the readings? I think I'd enjoy LHFHG half-speed with the little guy if he's been hanging with the rest of the guide quite well.

My little Emmett is 5 yo and doing LHFHG, and we are going half speed. I have been trying to help him along in the listening department too. It has helped him for me to recap what we read the last time in just a handful of sentences before I begin reading again (i.e. Remember how Peter Rabbit was trying to get ready for winter last time? He sure was doing a lot of sitting around and eating a bunch. I guess he wanted to be like his other friends who were getting ready for winter. I wonder how this will go for Peter? Let's read on and see.) Emmett even starts are Storytime session with a tiny recap of his own every now and then, so I think it is helping. Using a lot of expression in my voice (which I often have to remind myself to do these days) to convey the mood has helped too (i.e. frightened voice when characters are scared, laughing at funny parts, etc.). I'm sleep deprived as of late, so reminding myself to do this and do it up big has really helped him get the gist of the storyline. After finishing LHFHG, you can always do Beyond half=speed for however long it is a good pacing. HTH and God bless!

In Christ,
Julie

[edsnyder]

Okay, so after much consideration - and waiting on answers and deciding...we have been keeping on keeping on in LHFHG at full speed - and he is getting more then I realized so that is awesome! and I have taking in the note about him sitting next to me which we have done however I took it a step further for he is a touchy feely kid and I make sure to have my arm around him or something and he seems to pay attention a little better -
So for now I am keeping on at full speed with LHFHG and when we finish it up we will take a break - hopefully we won't get to far behind during harvest - not sure how we are going to stay on pace during this season - and it is approaching quickly...however when we start up Beyond I am going to start him at half speed and see how he does - if we need to move a little quicker then we can if not we can stay at that pace until he is ready.
Thank YOU Carrie and Julie for telling me your thoughts!!!!

I am really trying to implement more of what you said - I have been to relaxed in lots of things - that I think we need a slightly tighter schedule - not to tight mind you but just something a little more for all of us...especially if we are going to go into three guides next year...

Again thank you soooo much it helps to know that he does not have to have the skill mastered at this point but to be developing it - I am sooo very thankful for this curriculum and I wish I could find things easier on this board - and I am sure with time I will just because there is so much info - if I would have know that people generally take three teaching reading programs I would have just started with my third choice - or better yet when I knew that God had set HOD in my lap that I should have just done the recommend instead of going at it on my own with no know-how. I truly thank you all for you work and pray that God will bless you all continually!!!
Elisa

[Carrie]

Elisa,

Thanks so much for the update! I am encouraged by your son's progress. Often the fruit begins to show itself the closer you get to the end of a guide. It is a journey that bears fruit the further you travel down the path. I think your plan sounds like a good one!

Blessings,
Carrie

[my3sons]

Hooray! Way to go! I know progress seems slow at first, but then all of a sudden, dc begin to bloom. I have thought this with each of our dc in LHFHG especially, and then again in Bigger Hearts, and then again in CTC. Blooming years - great new skills to blossom into - I am so glad you're seeing the growth! It will continue to come and make you smile at the progress.

In Christ,
Julie