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Hi, I recommended HOD on fb and a new fb friend was really sold-she is starting Beyond and Bigger with her two lovely daughters. I told her to pop in here some time for great advice I don't know if she will, but I thought I'd collect some ideas for her to pass them on.

bumpity bumpity bump

I found this in lets share our schedules

Rebecca wrote:Carrie- you are so very helpful! Thank you!
The biggest thing that helped me was scheduling Bigger's history readings for the morning! Seeing your schedule really helped me understand what was designed to be "more independent" and what wasn't... really helped! Also- keeping the children "moving" thru their routines and keeping that "energy" flowing has really, really helped.

My schedule worked so here goes!

Micah-age eight- Bigger Hearts...
a.m. routine/fold laundry if need
8:30 Breakfast: Devotion
8:50 Clear Table; Counter
9:00 One page cheerful cursive; one chapter of Bible
9:25 Play with Jonah in his room (40 minutes)
10:10 WWE2; Math or Grammar; Dictation
10:40 Bible Study, Hymn, Poetry box, Reading about History plus extension, lower left box
11:30 Drawn into the Heart of Reading
12:00 Recess
12:45 Lunch
1:10 clear Table; Counter
1:30 Audio Book
2:00 Copywork; study Spelling Wisdom and other independent work
3:00 listen to Nate’s storytime/snack
3:20 Science, Storytime, projects
4:00 Quick Clean; Play outside

Nate - age 7 Beyond Little Hearts(History, Bible, Poetry, Storytime, math, emerging readers,spelling), Bigger Science/Storytime and Left Side of LHFHG!
a.m. routine/ fold laundry if need
8:30 Breakfast: Devotion
8:50 Two lines Copywork
9:10 Clean Table, Sweep Floor
9:25 Join into Little Hearts
10:10 Math; WWE1;
10:35 Join Micah
11: 10 Rod and Staff 2 or Spelling
11:30 play with Jonah in home school room: cars/duplos/dinos
12:00 Recess
12:45 lunch
1:15 Wash Table, Sweep Floor
1:30 Audio Book
2:00 Quiet Time
2:30 Emerging Readers, Beyond Bible Study, Poetry, History Box,
3:00 Beyond Storytime/snack
3:20 Join Science and Storytime with Micah
4:00 Quick Clean; Play outside

Asher- age 5 (almost 6) Little Hearts...
Dress, make bed, laundry in corridor, fold laundry if need
8:30 Breakfast: Devotion
9:oo Wipe Down bathroom sink, change trash, pick up bathroom floor
9:10 Play alone in Great Room
9:25 Reading Lesson; LHFHG Left Side of Page plus Storytime
10:10 Play upstairs with Abi/at 10:30 play downstairs
11:00 Watch approved video with Abi
11:30 Math; Copywork; Rod and Staff Workbooks
12:10 Recess
12:45 Lunch
1:10 Set up Audio Book
1: 20 Audio Book Time
2:10 Quiet Time
2:30 Rotating Activity Boxes
3:00 Snack
3:30 Computer Time
4:00 Quick Clean; Play Outside

Abi- age four Little Hearts...
Dress, fold laundry if need

8:30 Breakfast: Devotion
9:oo Preschool with Mommy and Jonah
9:25 LHFHG Left Side of Page plus Storytime
10:10 Play upstairs with Asher/at 10:30 play downstairs
11:00 Watch approved move with Asher
11:30 Math; Copywork; Rod and Staff Workbooks
12:10 Recess
12:45 Lunch
1:20 take Jonah down to nap with Mommy; read two books
2:10 Quiet Time
2:30 Rotating Activity Boxes
3:00 Snack
3:30 Play downstairs with Jonah
4:00 Quick Clean; Play Outside

Jonah age 2
8:30 Breakfast: Devotion
9:oo Preschool with Mommy and Abi
9:25 Play with Micah in Jonah’s room
10:00 Play with Sand trucks at Table
10:30 walk around or play in Great Room/home school room
11:10 Snack at Table
11:30 Play with Nate cars/dinos/duplos in home school room
12:00 Recess
12:45 Lunch
1:20 go down to nap with Mommy; read two books
Nap until 3:30
3:30 Play downstairs with Abi
4:00 Quick Clean; Free

Joshua age 6 months
7:30 Nurse
9:00 first morning nap
11:30 wake and nurse
1:00 second nap
3:00 wake and nurse
5:00 evening nap
7:00 wake and nurse
9:00 Bed for night

That's so great that she's excited and forging ahead! I don't know about starting it, since I've been using HOD since the beginning with my oldest, but I would imagine it might take a week or two just to figure out which things are more difficult and which are easier for them, which require the most time and attention and which can be "afternoon" things. That's how I planned my day for this year and so far it's been going great! After music/prayer/Bible I start with what is hardest for my DD, therefore what she needs the most focus to get done, and what she needs my help and attention with. Then we work through the day to the things that are "easier" or more natural for her. She has shown herself to pick up math very quickly and easily so that is actually the last thing we do (the great activities planned in Beyond really help with this too). Science (rotating box) and math are the last things in our school day. LA is first. I suppose for others it would be the reverse of that .

I hope she can find some great resources and helps to get going!

Here is a great sticky from Tansy. (Thank you Tansy)!
It might help your friend as she makes her schedule!
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10245

Thanks a million!

Lourdes - How exciting your friend will be using HOD! A few things that may help in general...
* it is nice to keep the left side of the plans together, as all the boxes link to the history
* it helps to start with either the history reading or the Bible Study when doing the left side of the plans, as all of the key ideas go with it
* you can do some of the right side, and then all of the left, and then finish out the right easily if you'd like
* it helps to get into the hands-on things along with your dc if possible (i.e. sing the Bible verse right along with them, do the Bible Study hand motions right with them and help them come up with them if they can't on their own, really encourage them to get into the calisthenics of the BIble Study box - I like to be the "drill sergeant" because I have boys and they eat that up , etc.)
* it's important not to skip parts of the plans, as the next year's guide will build upon the skills taught in the current guide being used
* the spelling in the LA box is more than a pretest/post-test, so be sure to do all of the plans for them as they prepare dc for dictation
* though dc may push for you to read more pages than the plans indicate, stay strong and don't - the plans get totally off then, and the beauty of the CM style short lesson format is lost - often retention is lost as well
* the hands-on art is meant to be fun, and a way to respond to what has been read in history - no need to knock this out of the park and have an art gallery type project
* try doing the plans as they are written for a month before adding any extras, this will help you gauge if you really do want extras, most the time - moms and dc find they don't
* it helps to have a routine order to the boxes, so dc know what to expect
* clip along instead of drawing things out - this keeps things moving and keeps kids wanting more as their school day finishes in a timely fashion
* Bigger Hearts R & S English - it helps to do 2/3 of this orally or on a markerboard
* Bigger Hearts vocabulary - it is a good idea to start with 1 vocabulary card and slowly work up to more throughout the year - there are many skills in this activity to be learned
* Bigger Hearts notebooking - you may need to help them understand that every child's notebooking will look slightly different - this is because there is not usually one right way to do these, but rather notebooking encourages individuality and creativity, so have fun with it, and give kiddos help at the start if they need it
* oral narration skills take years and years to develop, so read through the Appendix's narration tips carefully, and expect it to take awhile for dc to do this well
* If doing DITHOR, you may need to help ease them into the writing portion in the Student Book; you can write some of their answers for them, write them on a markerboard as they dictate them to you and then have them copy them in the Student Book, etc. to ease them into it
* Bigger Hearts copywork of the poetry is optional, so consider if this is needed or not

Here is a post where I took pics of getting ready for Bigger Hearts, in case that is helpful...

Pics of Getting ready to start Bigger Hearts:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5531

HTH!
In Christ,
Julie

Thanks Julie, this is a great help