Running 3 Programs with a Newborn and 3yo...

[stawnasalas]

I am thinking I may to change programs for next year . I dont want to! I loooove HOD! Started hs'ing this year and this is what we chose. I have currently 1in Preparing and 1 in Beyond. I will have my soon to be 5 yo in K next yr so I will also be starting him. I dont want to change esp. since we are getting into a groove, with ds doing some things on his own while I work with dd, and vice versa. There is still alot I have to help both with though, and then with a Kindergardner next yr, plus a newborn and a 3 yo, I just dont see how I am going to do it! I dont really feel confident enough to start picking and choosing subjects for all 3 kids, but I feel like I need to combine some stuff, and that's not really possible with HOD. Does anyone have any advice on this, as it is already starting to freak me out, as you can see by my ramblings . BTW, this year has been alot easier than I thought it would be, although I do have to go back and forth alot with my 2 in school, but dd is done most days within 1 1/2-2 hours and ds between 4-4/12 hours. I dont really have a schedule with the 2 little ones, although they do all have snack/recess break at 10 and by then dd is usually done and does flashcards/games/playtime with them. Overall, some days are chaotic and some not so much.

[MelInKansas]

You are a busy mom, that's for sure!!!

If I were you, with 5 kiddos, I would look to see if there's any way you could combine them, especially the youngers who haven't started yet (maybe that would mean holding back on your K-er and doing LHFHG when the next one can join in for example). Also another observation I have made - even the programs that have this great claim of combining all the kids, you would still have a lot of work that you would have to do with each one, or potentially could. Each child still needs their own level of reading, writing, and math, maybe even science or even if they were on the same level as a sibling they have to do their own work which has to be checked by you. I actually find it more difficult (and takes longer) when my 6YO and 4YO are listening to me read and supposed to narrate or answer questions because I want to give each of them an opportunity to answer, if I want the 4YO to talk I have to basically draw the answers out of her, if I don't get her involved then she just slips through the cracks and I am sure actually doesn't really get what she's supposed to be getting. The olders need a lot of add-on and their own independent work which they still would need scheduled and to be trained to do on their own. It sounds nice in theory, I'm not really sure that it's any less work for the mom than HOD which is so easy to use. I love how for each child everything they are doing ties in together and reinforces learning.

I am looking at 3 guides next year with a newborn/very young baby in the house... should be fun! I'm glad to hear your year has been pretty smooth, after using HOD for these past 3 years I am seeing how its really possible to school them on their own level and do the separate guides, even though I would also love to combine them.

[sharonb]

I haven't used CTC yet, but isn't it supposed to be even more independent than Preparing? If you consider that your oldest will likely be mostly independent, maybe it's not such a big deal to add a program for your kindergartener.

I recently went from combining my oldest three to splitting them up (keeping my 1st grader in Beyond and bumping the oldest two up to Preparing). I only have a week of experience with running 3 guides, but so far I think it is EASIER to have each child placed in the correct guide than it is to combine.

Here's an idea- you could keep kindergarten really simple- phonics, math, handwriting. Let the kindergartener listen in as desired with the older children. Use the baby's feedings as a good time to read aloud books to the kindergartener/preschooler. Then you could save Little Hearts for 1st grade. After the newborn isn't so new anymore and you feel like you have some more time, you could add in Little Hands to Heaven for the preschooler and kindergartener so they'll have some Bible stories and activities.

[MomtoJGJE]

I was going to suggest that instead of doing LHFHG for K with your #3, maybe do LHTH with some added fine motor skills type workbooks and some easy phonics if he (she? I don't remember if you said, sorry...) is ready. That's what we did this past year with my #3 and it worked out great. Took all of 30 minutes to do on days we didn't work on reading, and reading was done whenever someone (me, dh or dd1) had a chance to listen.

I know this is the pat answer, but just pray about it. Pray for peace in your decision. Also, sometimes this isn't the greatest of opinions, but for me, when I'm struggling (new baby, mobile baby, whatever) I step back, make sure whoever legally must be schooled gets done first (at least enough to count) and then get to anyone else when I can. That might just be sitting there while nursing the baby and watching the K'er draw a picture, color, cut and paste or reading a book to them. That's really what makes LHTH so perfect for K with a new baby You could have all of that ones school stuff right there with you and just go through as much as you can while nursing.

[Kathleen]

I'm running 3 programs with a 14mo old and a newborn. You can do it!

We tried just a few other things before coming to HOD here, and I guess I'm thinking that I don't see what would make it less work for you. We love HOD here, too! Even if it was more work, it would be worth it to me to have those heart-to-heart times with my kids that HOD provides me with. We do spend our entire morning schooling (8-1), and I have to be disciplined not to interrupt that time with other things I could do (like get on the computer, take phone calls, do laundry, etc.) I do those things in the afternoons and evenings when our school time is over. The kids are used to our school routine, which helps, too. Then I'm free from having to decide moment by moment what everyone needs to be doing. Now, it changes just a little every year (or when we need it to) based on our new additions to the family. So, I guess I'd just encourage you that no matter what curriculum you choose to use in the near future, you are going to be a very busy mom. Your days are going to be full. I personally love having them filled with something I enjoy (in HOD), and make the most of my time with my kids. It has also helped me enormously to work with my kids on chore-training so that more of that falls on them than me at this point in our lives. (That was a big priority this summer for me - so maybe that would help you, too. )

Kathleen

[Motherjoy]

I have 6 kiddos (soon to be 7) and I only run 2 programs right now. My oldest, 13, is doing Rev to Rev and is mainly independent. He's been with HOD since Preparing.

I have my 3 middle boys (4,5,7) in Beyond. I do the history side with all the children. Then I tailor the basics side (right side) according to their need. I usually dismiss the 4yo after he's done his pages in The Reading Lesson and a few pages of Explode the Code. Sometimes he sits in on the math demo. The math in Little Hearts is a bit slow for my 7yo, but I tend to come from a delayed math mindet, so this doesn't bother me.

Basically, I would try to combine as much as possible. We love HOD, and its really given me the tools to learn how to teach. The more we use it, the more we feel lots of freedom to use it in whatever manner suits us.

[MomtoJGJE]

Ooh... I didn't think to mention that. I've also trained my three olders on more time intensive chores. That totally helps throughout the day.

[beverett]

Hello!! I am so glad you are enjoying HOD and to me it really sounds like things are going well for you! You sound like you are enjoying it! I did not read the other posts, so please forgive me if I am totally repeating something. I just want to suggest that you slow down on the planning for next year (this coming from a total planner! breathe!!! ). Assuming your school year is not quite half over if you started in August?... give it a little more time maybe to see how things go. Is your 9yr old doing all the Independent boxes alone? If so then by the end of the year she will be ready for ctc next year, which is really more independent. You of course will still be doing things with her just not as much. So that is one thing to consider. Next, how far apart are you 5 and 2 yr olds? If they are not to far apart, you could consider doing LHTH with them? If this is not feasible, then keep in mind that LHFHG is said to take 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. You could consider starting the 5yr old early in the summer to get some done before the other kids? or to be honest you could even do it 1/2 speed? There are many options to choose from .. and these ladies are awesome at helping to walk you through things!

[stawnasalas]

Thank you ladies for your suggestions. Yes, I am a planner, and am already planning out what we are going to be doing after this year and after baby. I will definately be talking to dh, but my soon to be 5 yo is definately a smart little guy, so I think I would end up starting him in LHFHG if we decide to stay with HOD. My 9yo ds already does his math, science, history, Bible (other than the oral narrations of course and questions here and there, and his science projects) mostly independently. Dd (6) does her reading and math independently, so I am assuming the older they get, the more they will be able to do independently. It will just be a matter of getting that all figured out like I did this year. I know it will happen with God's guidance, it just seems so overwhelming thinking of adding my 5yo into the mix when we are still trying to get the older 2 down pat . Ds (9) seems to have a bit of a problem with following directions correctly (in the S and I boxes of Preparing) so I am trying to work on that with him. That takes a lot of my time, helping him with little things that he should be able to easily follow. Thank you again, and yes, I will be praying about this for the rest of the year .