I don't think I can do two guides at once!

[ChristusG]

I'm looking into HOD for my girls. I need something solid, Biblical, and easy to implement. I have three girls....9 (rising 4th grader), 6 (rising 1st grader), and a one year old. The one year old is what stops us from getting much school done ....hence the reason why I don't think we can do two different guides for the older girls! Do I really need to use different ones? We never seem to fit in science and history as it is right now...not sure how I'd be able to fit in two different guides all while stopping a one year old from wrecking the house or crying while holding onto my leg.

A little background....

The 9 year old is great in math (working on Abeka 4 which I feel is advanced for her age), so we'll be sticking with that since it is working for her. As for writing...not so great. She's nearly finished learning cursive...just a week or two more to go. But she's not creative with her writing, always forgets to use punctuation/capital letters no matter how many times we seem to go over it, etc. We've gone over basic grammar but not sure that it sticks really well in her mind. No formal science except interest led type things. No formal history because we've never really found a program that works for us. She does love to read, and though she has a VERY rough start at it (had to go to therapy for dyslexia), she is doing great now and enjoys it for the most part. Remembers Bible knowledge and verses easily.

The 6 year old is just finishing up kindergarten....which is nothing really formal around here. She can sound out CVC words, knows all letter sounds, and we're going to begin working on consonant blends/etc shortly. She can recognize numbers up to 20 and we're about to begin basic addition. She's tagged along with big sister in grammar so she does know a bit about nouns/verbs/adjectives and stuff like that. She can form all letters and numbers but not exactly the right way. As for science and history....again, tagged along with anything we did with her older sister. She's pretty good about Bible knowledge and memorizing verses.

Soooooo.......I would LOVE to put them together. Does anyone think they are too far apart in skill to be able to do that? I was thinking maybe Bigger for them? Please say I don't have to try to work in two different guides. Please LOL

[Mercy]

Hello!

Welcome to the HOD board! Life does have some tough seasons. It may seem difficult getting everything done, but HOD makes it easy! The first thing to do is to check out the placement chart from the heart of dakota home page (click on the link on the right hand side). Figure out exactly where your kiddos place. From the sound of it, I dont think its possible to combine. You may find (like I did) that you love having that one on one time with each of your children! It is our special bonding where I can meet each of my kids at their own level and pace. No competing! From what you said, it looks like bigger and little hearts for His glory might be your best bets. LHFHG takes no time at all! Its a breeze and its so fun too. Bigger hearts is a pivotal guide because it is working to teach study skills needed for the next guide where they begin to work more independently. I am not sure if your 9 year old would be ready for independent work or not. How are her language arts skills? These are the big questions before pondering Preparing Hearts versus Bigger. I just thought I would pop on here to welcome you and to give u some things to ponder. I am sure others (much more qualified than I) will give you some better direction for your situation. HOD is organized and such a breeze! You will have a great time. Just hang in there! 1 year olds are tough to homeschool with sometimes! But they dont stay the same age forever!!

Mercy

[MomtoJGJE]

From what you said it sounds like your kids would do great in Bigger and LHFHG

Doing two guides is not really hard, especially when they are placed correctly. I think you'd find it more difficult to combine them at their ages/levels than doing two guides.

A tip that works here for younger ones is to divide the time with the older ones. So like when you are going to be doing school with the 6 year old, the oldest would be watching the baby in a child-proofed room. Or doing "school" with them (ie. keeping them from eating playdoh or paper and crayons ) LHFHG is a fairly short and sweet program, and if you did it half speed (stretching one unit out over two weeks) then that could easily be done. Then pick which things you need to do with no interruption in Bigger and do those while the 6yo is watching the baby.

The other advice I have is to spend a couple of weeks not doing school but 'training' your baby on things not to touch and places not to go during the time you'd be doing school. Maybe get one of those kid alarm clocks that have the green and red light. It would be tiring those few weeks, but the payout is well worth it! Of course this works better when the 1yo is closer to two rather than closer to one If they are closer to one I'd suggest getting an Ergo and strapping them onto your back That way they can see what's going on, feel involved, and not grab anything you don't want them to (except your hair!)

[RestInHim]

Welcome! I am sort of a newbie here myself, but I really wanted to encourage you that it can be done! You can do this! I have a first grader, a preschooler, and a 1-year-old, and even though it's hectic...it works. My preschooler is in LHTH, which is simple and fun, but I didn't know about HOD for my first grader until recently, so she is doing a much more intensive and time-consuming curriculum...which we will be changing to HOD as soon as my schooling fund is replenished

This is what we do. I don't know how many months your toddler is compared to my 12- monther, but he still takes 2 naps a day, and a lot of our school happens while he's asleep. Little Hands to Heaven can be done while he's awake, since we do most of it sitting on the floor, and he can just sit right on my lap if he's feeling clingy.

Other things we do include: putting the baby in his pack 'n play for a while to play with toys while we school. He doesn't like it, but he gets used to it. I save some toys just for use in there, so it's a bit more special.
Sometimes he sits on my lap while we're sitting at the table doing math or other workbook-based things.
Sometimes my preschooler plays with him while I'm working with the first grader, or vice versa. That works well most of the time.
And sometimes...well, we just wait until the timing is a little better. For instance, we don't do much schooling in the half hour or so just before naps because the baby needs me more, and then we pick it up again after he goes to bed. The bigger kids like having a break and the baby likes having all my attention.

It does sound like you'll need to separate them But even if you do Bigger and Little Hearts (or even Beyond, if she fits there), it should be doable. Just don't have an expectations of keeping a clean house, lol. I had to learn that. I do most of my housework at night after bedtime, and larger stuff on the weekends when Daddy is home.

You can do it! I'm sure that some of the ladies here who are much more experienced than me will have even better ideas Keep praying for the Lord's guidance and He will lead to to exactly the right decision!

[crlacey]

I know 2 guides seems overwhelming, but it's really doable. I'm working with Bigger and Little Hearts this year with a baby in the house. It was so much more work when I tried to combine them because I was always adjusting to fit one or the other. Unless they are close in skills, I think you'll find 2 guides will be easier in the end.

[mrsrandolph]

You can ABSOLUTELY do 2 guides!! It really is not as hard as you think. It is very doable, especially at the ages your children are.

I would aim my efforts at corralling that little one
Set up play-pen/pack-n-play time twice a day for an hour each. Teach her to go into the pack-n-play with toys you select and a snack. Place her where she can't see you guys. Then leave her be for one hour. Yes, she will scream her head off at first. Just ignore it. But, be consistent, and she will learn the very important skill of playing independently as well as learning some good ole discipline.

We did play pen time twice a day when ours were young. When they outgrew the playpen, it became "room time". But the children are now 10,9, 7, and 5, and they play well by themselves and are no worse for the wear. : )

Additionally, when running 2 guides, when you are working with child A, make it child B's responsibility to play with baby..(ie...keep baby out of your hair )
Then, when it is child B's turn for school, Child A gets to play babysitter. This is a great way to forge the bond of friendship between siblings.

[my3sons]

Listen to these wise ladies - you can do it! I am 100% confident you can! We are doing 3 guides, my sister is doing 4 guides, and we are not superwomen! What are you specifically stressing about hon'? We can all help you get set to start off on the right foot and get to enjoying your HOD journey!!! HOD makes it easy to teach multiple guides... really... it does! Ask your burning questions, and we'll all chime in and help you out!

In Christ,
Julie

[stawnasalas]

Not much time here, but you can do it! I am running 3 now, along with caring for a 4 yo and a 10 mo old. Its doable. My10 yr old can do alot on his own, as can my 8 yo. I spend the first hour with my 6 yo and then move on to help the other 2 with whatever they need help with. Dont stress. Its much easier to place them where they need to be (as they get older, they become more independent) so they are not working to keep up, or bored from being done to quickly with easy work.

[Kathleen]

I didn't read all the responses here. And I wouldn't want to say that you couldn't combine your kids. BUT, I did want to say that if necessary I really think you could run more than one HOD guide. I've currently got 3 going and have 2 little guys along for the ride. And, while our days are definitely full, they're very enjoyable! I actually think it's easier to meet each kid where they are with their own guide, than to try to tweak a guide and "make" it fit when it really doesn't. We open and go, and keep in flowin' here. I also am in no way superwoman, and it gets done. And, I LOVE the quality time that I'm getting with each of my kids! We move school right along, but I KNOW that I am making time to talk to each of them individually, and cuddle up and read, and sing, and be a little silly now and then. Now, this year, more than some others, I have a lot of extra responsibilities that need to happen daily (besides keeping my kids fed, happy, schooled, and alive). We have a dairy farm (milking 140 cows), and Grant and I feed calves daily and milk 3 times per week. So, we NEED to be done with school in time to get chores done in the afternoons. My husband was diagnosed with cancer this fall and had major surgery and follow-up treatments that are still ongoing (but almost done!), so he's not able to put in his "normal" work at the farm.

I totally hear you on the 1-year-old though! They really do make school more of a challenge. In fact, I think my 3 most challenging homeschooling years were when Garret was 1, when Asa was 1, and now that Quinn is 1. But, they won't be 1 forever, and it will get easier. Now, it helps me that I absolutely love the 1-year-old phase where they're learning to walk and talk and (in our house) be quite the little clown that makes everyone laugh several times a day. I actually just posted a picture on facebook this week of Quinn walking in the middle of the table. I seriously lost count of how many times I pulled him off the table that morning... After somewhere around 25 or 30, I scooped him up and he came upstairs with me while I read to Allison. https://www.facebook.com/mikekathleen.f ... =1&theater

I know that there are several posts on here about ideas of things that will keep little ones happy and occupied while you're schooling - I've used several of the ideas! My big kids love to play with the little ones, and a few minutes here and there where the little one isn't right with you can help you move along with some school. I figure out when the little guys are going to be happiest with a sibling and plan our time around that. (So, in our house, Garret and Asa aren't always a good mix...but right after breakfast they work great together and will unload the dishwasher and play for about 30 minutes. However, Asa and Allison are ALWAYS a good mix, so she plays with him right before lunch when he is more likely to be a little cranky or hungry or whiny. He adores her! )
Anyway, know that you are not alone! Homeschooling is a big committment, and can be a lot of work! And, is absolutely one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things that I have ever done! It might not always feel easy, but it is doable and so worth it!!
Kathleen

(And...I'm hoping you can see that picture. I think I changed my settings so it will show up. But, I am in no way a computer whiz! I clicked on it to try it after typing a post here a few minutes ago....and...lost my post. You would think I would have remembered that happens since I've done it MANY times in the past. So, here's my post, take 2.)

[mom23]

I think the people who have the most success combing with HOD place their younger child where they need to be and then beef that guide up as needed for the older child(ren). There is the reason that everyone's advising you to look at separating . It would be difficult for you to make the correct guide for your 1st grader (probably LHFHG, possibly Beyond?) be enough to challenge your 4th grader. Even adding things in, LHFHG is going to seem "babyish" for a 4th grader because of the reading levels, etc. Plus, by 4th grade you need to think about more writing, and moving toward independence. And, there's the reason HOD can work separately! You begin to train your older children to take on more and more of their work independently (starting with Preparing Hearts for His Glory). Even if your dc places better in Bigger, there are likely things that they can work on after you get them rolling-like spelling words, copywork, maybe a math page after you explain and start it together.

I'd really advise stagger-starting them. Tackle the older child's guide for a week or two. Work only with getting a good routine down and finding out the requirements together, then you'll be able to gague things that that child can maybe work on while you're doing some school work with your younger child. Or, maybe you'll find that you just need that older child to keep an eye on the 1yo while you do school with the 1st grader . After you become comfortable with that guide, start in with the 1st grader. You may consider going "half speed" for a while to get through a tough spot with your toddler, or to become comfortable with running 2 guides. That means you'd do half the boxes from a "Day" one day and then finish up the other boxes from that same "Day" the next. So, each Unit in your guide would take you 2 weeks to complete-you just learn to not put pressure on yourself that "Day 1" has to be completed on Mondays! If you can tell us what guides your children might place in, we can help you with knowing how much time to allow for each guide (for example, LHFHG takes us only a couple of hours at the most, normally shorter than that) so you can see how things might be doable with more than one guide. We could possibly also help with a schedule to run both at the same time.

I'd second the advice someone else left about taking a week or 2 to just work with your toddler, and establishing some boundaries for school time. I found that things became impossible around here when my youngest was around the age of turning 2. I found a website called "Raising Godly Tomatoes" and spent a week off school with my older 3 kids, to just work on training the youngest child to stay in the same room with me. That helps me so much, just being able to keep an eye on what he's doing. I know that while I'm reading a story with someone else, he's not off dipping things in the toilet or emptying out dresser drawers or salt shakers or...

One other caution-from my own mistakes!-when I came to HOD, I thought combining was the only possible way I could teach both of my older children, so I picked the guide that was between their skills, thinking that it would be easy enough to just do the parts my younger son could handle with him and all of it, adding in higher math, grammar, spelling for my older daughter. It was failure . My son spent every day in tears because things were too hard. He's got the type of personality that quits wanting to try if something is too challenging; so I started to see lots of bad attitudes and refusal to do even the simplest of things. Then my older dd was bored out of her skull. She learned some very lazy habits that I'm still working to break...unfortunately, while I saw the problems of over-placement and pulled my ds back a guide within the first couple of months, I decided I didn't want to waste money and kept my dd in the original placment, but had her do most of it on her own. . There is the development of those lazy habits-she really got into the routine of not having to try, that things should be so easy she could about do them in her sleep, and give just enough effort to get by and not really challenge herself. It took almost a year, but I started seeing equally bad attitudes from her because of boredom. She just refused to try because she found she could get by with little to no effort at all. And she hated school. At that point I bumped her ahead a guide where she would have correctly placed according to the placement chart, and she began to grow. We still have some of those old lazy habits to work through, but overall, she's much happier and giving much more appropriate effort. She's actually learning . With proper placment in 2 guides our school day actually shortened from when we were trying to make 1 guide fit everybody!

Hopefully you're not getting scared off, here! We really are trying to encourage you-it's very, very doable to run separate guides if that's the best placment for your children. Like someone else said above, we're not superwomen!!!