HOD with non-english speakers

[marybeth33]

I need some advice please. Our hope is that by late summer/early fall we will be bringing home a Latvian daughter! We hosted her in our home over Christmas for 4 weeks. She speaks NO English. Trying to picture what school will look like... The original plan was to have one in MFWK(she will be 5 in Oct and will have completed LHTH), one in Preparing, one in Revival to Revolution. So where does an 11yo dd, who speaks no English, and has a mild mental retardation diagnosis(from her orphanage) fit in?? Iam not completely sure about Preparing either! dd9 has been with us 3 years(this is first year homeschooling) and is hit or miss with Bigger. She might need more growing time. her vocabulary and comprehension skills are low. Coming along, but preparing seems like a big jump??

[hs.mama07]

I don't have first hand experience with adopting, but my sis adopted two children from Russia a couple years ago and I've walked with her daily through the whole process...so I'll share what we've learned and maybe it will help a bit.

Currently, her son sounds a lot like your DD9. He is in bigger but has a language delay (similar problems with vocab and comprehension as your DD9) so will not be ready for Preparing any time soon. So my sis plans on making bigger last a year and a half, which will mean he will be a bit over 11 when he starts. This means he is a bit behind the age range since he won't be using the extensions for older kids...but it's okay to be a bit behind. It's more important to just be where he needs to be academically...and to be out of that orphanage!! Anyway, she is stretching out the left side, making it last for the whole year and a half, and spending the extra time doing language stuff. I know she has some additional language related resources and is trying to make it really fun so he doesn't realize he's spending a lot of time on that topic. A similar plan might work for your DD9...making bigger last longer and focusing on her language needs for a while...then she'll be ready for preparing and can really learn from it. I've read that there is a big jump from bigger to preparing, so you'd definitely want her language skills to be decent before starting. But others with more experience in preparing could probably say better what sort of language skills she needs to be ready.

As for the 11 yr old I'm just brainstorming here (with two small children interrupting so I hope it makes sense, lol).
You might consider giving dd11 a chance to learn English a bit before trying to figure out what guide to do. Take 4-6 months and just work the basics into everyday life. Learn the alphabet (consider using letter sounds instead of names...sure made phonics easier for my sis's kids)...read her stories, play, cook, work on some basic math, or whatever she is able to do, with the main focus being her learning to talk with you.

Once she is able to communicate more, you'd be able to look at the placement chart and figure out where she fits best. I'd say, in this case, her age wouldn't really matter. You'd want to focus on her skills. And you'd probably end up kind of piecing things together a bit. HOD is so flexible and easy to modify though, with a bunch of sticky notes you'd be able to make it work!
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

And when the time comes...when she is communicating more, come back here and tell us about her skills. The ladies on this board will certainly be able to help you figure out how to make it work!

Hope that helps a bit...and I hope everything works out for dd11! How exciting!

[countrymom]

I fully agree with the pp. I would not even start school right away. Get her fully immersed in English in fun ways and transitioned into your family. Then take it from there where she is at. She will have her hands full transitioning into a new family and culture. Slowing down Bigger for your other child sounds like a good idea. Preparing is a leap. Good luck and congratulations on your adoption!

[my3sons]

Congratulations a bit early! Thanks for sharing about your dear family here, and there are quite a few families who have adopted here on this board too. You will fit right in here! I agree that slowing Bigger Hearts down to half-speed would be a good idea now for your 9 yo. Better to slow it down and be sure she can do all that is in the guide she is doing now than to plunge full-speed ahead and on to a harder guide (PHFHG) that will have her doing the next harder step up of each of the skills taught in BHFHG. I just did this for my ds doing CTC, and it has been a super fit. Plus, you just want to enjoy it, right? RevtoRev is a wonderful guide that has a great balance of independence and teacher-directed plans. I taught RevtoRev last year (along with PHFHG and LHTH) and thoroughly enjoyed it! We had an awesome year, though we had many health concerns for my dear father along the way. For your new dd coming home soon, I would say to begin by working on language arts skills. Focusing on this, as well as taking time for dd to feel comfortable and adjust to her new way of life, IMHO, will be a good way to begin. I know others will have more advice, but I think you will know where to place her once you have settled her into your family and home more. I also would say I'd personally be apt to choose a younger guide that really helps her gain confidence and build early LA skills happily rather than a more difficult guide. I think dc can truly blossom given time, but rushed they can wither. Perhaps giving each child a playtime with her were help? Each of my sons takes a separate time playing with each other one throughout the day, and then they also have playtime all together. It really has helped build strong sibling relationships, as well as help me teach multiple guides quite easily. HTH, and congrats! May the Lord bless your dd's becoming a part of your family richly!

In Christ,
Julie

[marybeth33]

Thank you ladies for some excellent advice. We are already on week 24 of bigger and it is going fairly well. Especially the right side, so I think we will keep moving ahead. But, you have confirmed my feelings about Preparing. I am thinking perhaps a year away from HOD for 9yo dd might be good. If I can keep her and soon do be dd11 working on appropriate math and language arts and then fill our time with good, SIMPLER books with LOTS of hands on stuff, that could give them each much needed time to grow (and one to learn English) and create bonding experiences for all.
I'm thinking a study of countries might be the thing. Crafts and cooking and singing. OOOh, I'm getting excited. These thoughts have been brewing for awhile, but I think I needed permission to stray off the course. I so LOVE HOD, but I think we do need more time before moving ahead. And I will still have 2 of my 5 in HOD

[my3sons]

Oh dear - I am so sorry if my post was confusing! I didn't mean it would be a good idea to take a break from doing HOD for a year. Honestly, this often results in students backtracking in skills. As skills are taught incrementally from year to year from guide to guide in HOD, a year away from them takes away the momentum of building the skills and often puts students further behind. It would be better to go ahead and move on to half-speed with PHFHG than to go away from it for a year. This would keep the flow of the skills moving ahead slowly while giving more time for growth. PHFHG is a 4 day a week program, so you could easily enjoy your study of different countries on the fifth day. There would also be ample time for crafts, singing, cooking, hands-on things, etc. on the half-day PHFHG days (though all of those things are already included in PHFHG, I guess). You will know best here, but I could not leave you with that impression, as I have seen many times dc returning to HOD after a year of doing something else find themselves further behind than when they took the break. Hope something here helps as you ponder your decision!

In Christ,
Julie

[marybeth33]

Thanks Julie for you input! I hear what you are saying. Good thoughts to ponder. Just not sure how to give all these kids what they need...I will go back and look at you original post