child ready for LHFHG or not?

[sherry80]

Hi everyone, I ordered all my materials and got them last week! I am so excited and everything looks great! We will be doing Bigger with Extensions for my 9 and 10yo. I ordered LHTH for my 3yo and 4yo and we did a lesson today and it went great! I also got LHFHG for my 6yo. He is ready for it and I think he will do well. I kind of wanted to push my 4yo (turns 5 Sept 13 from Ethiopia) to do this with him. BUT, she can only count to 7 and only knows a few of her letters. Although, she does have a great attention span and great vocabulary and excellent handwriting by copying letters (probably better than my 6yo) But after doing the LHTH and the 3yo and 4yo doing so well with it, I am thinking that is what she needs for this year.
So, I can do LHFHG with my 6yo by himself this year and maybe combine my 3yo and 4yo in LHFHG when they are 5yo and 6yo? Or I could wait 1 year on starting LHFHG and combining my now 6yo and 4yo when they are almost 6 and 7yo. But I don't really have a program for my 6yo then, although he would still be doing phonics, math and handwriting. I have 7 kids so it just makes sense to combine at least 2 students together if possible. (all their ages are 10, 9, 6, almost 5, 3, 1, 1 ) the age between the 3rd and 4th and the 4th and 5th child are the same so I could go either way
What would you do?
Thanks,
Sherry

[jhperry]

I think your original plan is the best . The way I understand the placement chart, reading has the highest priority (then writing, grammar, and math) so since your 4yo is still learning letters and sounds, I would keep that child with the 3yo in LHTH.

I do have a dd who just turns the young age of the program we use each year and it has worked well for her. But she was an early reader so that has helped tremendously plus has a brother who fits in the target range so it works to combine them. Just remember the programs get more challenging and you don't want your 4yo to get frustrated or feel that she can't keep up with the workload in the future programs...especially since the question isn't whether or not to combine but which children to combine. Just my opinion...hope that helps!

[Robbi]

I too, think your original plan is best too.
Your oldest two in Bigger
6 yr old in LHFHG
4 & 3 in LHTH
And then when your 1 yr olds get there, they will be together too.
So that's a max of 4 guides, lots of families on here doing 4 guides!

Your other option would be to put your 6 yr old in LHTH with the others but add in the math, phonics, handwriting. Then the next year they would all do LHFHG together but the older would do the "basics" from Beyond. I think I would only do this if the 3 would get along good, and enjoy it together and if the 6 yr old would NOT like doing a guide "alone". But, I don't have any kiddos combined (just 2 right now) so I guess it depends on family dynamics.
Hope this helped some!! Gave you more to think about anyway!!

[my3sons]

I too, think your original plan is best too.
Your oldest two in Bigger
6 yr old in LHFHG
4 & 3 in LHTH
And then when your 1 yr olds get there, they will be together too...

Love this plan, and think it sounds great! Looking down the road, I can encourage you that your olders will be able to take over a portion of their guides and work well on some things independently starting with PHFHG on up. I still get my teaching time and love it with my oldest ds, keeping in touch by doing our special times planned together in the upper guides - BUT he also gets to grow in maturity and independence with a portion of his work, which allows me to help the little ones more - and they are the ones that really do need me for the basics. It works beautifully! So, looking down the road, this plan is totally doable! I'm excited for you to start!

In Christ,
Julie