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Okay so I have a DS7 who is doing BLHFHG and I don't know how to tell if he is retaining any information that we are going over. He seems to like the program; just not sure what he is getting out of it...

and I also have a DS5 who is doing LHFHG and its the same way.

I don't know if I feel like this because there aren't any worksheets or "evidence" so to speak that we are actually doing anything for school. Please help!!!
Tell me if you think I am crazy or what you think I should do - I do NOT want to change programs I just don' t know if I should be adding something or if I should leave it all alone - I mean I am not an expert this is our first year homeschooling so maybe I am being a little (you feel in the blank)....

Any advice or suggestions will be considered and appreciated!!!
Thank you,
Elisa

Worksheets show short-term memory for the most part. I can guarantee you that my younger ones learning with HOD are learning far more and enjoying school far more than their older siblings who filled out LOTS of worksheets. In LHFHG, I just keep a list for myself of things I would like for the girls to commit to long-term memory. For example, they are memorizing the kings of Israel as we come to them in the curriculum. It doesn't take long to just do a quick review of material we have covered when we sit down each day. Review now and then will do far more for long-term memory than worksheets, expecially since they will be discussing it with someone extremely important to them--YOU!!!!

I think since most of us come from a public school/workbook model it is hard to wrap our brains around something that isn't that. My first year with HOD was like that to some extent. My ds came from the public school and then did Preparing our first year. I wasn't sure he was retaining anything. Carrie and Julie explained to me that he was building hooks to hang later information on. To not expect mastery and full recall yet, but I would see as the years progressed and he gained further knowledge that he would have those hooks in place and could continue to build his knowledge base of the topic. I have certainly seen this to be true. Last year in CTC and this year in Preparing he has been able to recall things from previous years and then add to it. In public school he did 2 years of worksheets on Ohio history. He couldn't tell you a thing about Ohio history now. Nothing connected. He would learn it for a test and then quickly forget it by the next week. At the age of your dc you are building a love of school and of books and setting the foundation for a lifetime of learning. That is huge! I haven't done Beyond or LHFHG though so hopefully some one can reply and give you more specifics about how they knew their dc were retaining in those programs.

I have been schooling my oldest with HOD for the last four years. I can tell you from experience that there is great retention with this program. As the pp explained, the early learning is triggered again in the older programs. Preparing is a world history sweeping survey that covers a lot of material. This year, we are studying the ancient times. Several times already, my ds has excitedly said, "Oh, Mom, I remember that from last year. He was the guy......!" So, while every little detail may not be remembered now, it will come back to mind as you study these topics over again. Just allow your dc to enjoy the learning experience. Be excited yourself so that they see how fun it is to learn! You are laying the groundwork now, especially in the content areas. Focus more on retention of skills areas, such as reading and math. Those are more important for them to master at this point.
hth,
Laura

I say lots of review works better than worksheets. For review work either I or my daughter writes the key ideas on index cards to put in our memory basket. We review what's in the basket every morning during our family work time. This really seems to help.

My dd is easily distracted when I read to her, so there are times that I think she didn't hear anything I read. But, I can honestly say that most of the time she did hear it. One day I was a little frustrated, thinking she was not paying attention. I reread some of what i had already read, and she asked, "Why are you reading that again? Maybe you could ask some questions when you are finished reading. Both guides have some days of retelling after storytime. That is an area that will come slow for my dd. because she doesn't tell things in order. But, telling them out of order at least lets me know that she is listening.