It sounds like you are enjoying the parts of LHTH you are doing. The character lessons in ABC Bible verses are wonderful, aren't they? The BIble and hands-on activities are priceless. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to be able to open our dc's hearts to the Lord through LHTH!
As I was reading through this thread, I realized you had mentioned LHTH being too babyish, but LHFHG was too difficult, and then also you had mentioned skipping LHFHG next year. My head is spinning too! It is so tough as mamas to try to figure out what each of our little ones need, isn't it? I applaud you for taking real time to think and ponder this. It is far too easy to just slot our dc into a program based on age, and you are really taking the time to think this through, which is great!
As I was thinking through this thread, and thinking through our dc's progression through the guides, I felt moved to share that the leaps and gains a child would need to make to go from LHTH to Beyond would be absolutely MASSIVE! This is fresh in my mind as I've had my oldest move through the guides through RevtoRev, my middle through PHFHG, and my little guy in LHFHG. I seem to always have a little one while also having the olders, though sadly this will change as Emmett is my last sweetie. So, that step-by-step progression of skills and maturity that runs through the guides from year to year is fresh in my mind and running through my head as I read this post.
For this purpose, I will try to explain this thinking. The history reading alouds in Beyond are of the third grade level. This is intentional, as read alouds should be above a dc's reading ability to stretch them. The history readings follow a continuum of increase in difficulty through the guides. LHFHG's readings are the stepping stone between LHTH's younger Bible history readings, and Beyond's older history readings. The content of the history readings increase in maturity level as well throughout the years. So in LHTH, the readings begin with Bible history, which the dc are hopefully somewhat familiar with. LHFHG is a one year sweep of history, from Creation to the 1970's. It begins with Bible history and moves on throughout the rest of history to present day. LHFHG acts as a landscape for Beyond's American history to be placed within. As Charlotte Mason would say, LHFHG gives dc the place "hooks" can be hung upon from Beyond, and of course BHFHG adds more hooks, etc., but all within that first foundational backdrop of a fairly good understanding of Biblical history and a beginning understanding of history as a whole thanks to LHFHG.
Likewise, skills build upon one another incrementally from guide to guide. LHFHG is the bridge between LHTH and Beyond in writing skills, reading skills, math skills, etc. It also is the bridge in other skills such as length of school day, length of subjects within that school day, depth of discussion questions and activities, comprehension of rhymes to classical poetry, etc. Beyond increases in difficulty in all of these important areas. Even if by some amazing feat your dd was able to move from LHTH to Beyond, there is absolutely no way that she would be able to move to Bigger Hearts the year after. The writing alone would be massive. In a past thread, Carrie had this to say in regard to this topic...
As far as choosing between "Beyond.." and "Bigger..." goes, the amount of writing varies quite a bit between Beyond and Bigger. Bigger requires more writing in the areas of a once a week history notebooking assignment, a once a week science experiment sheet and a once a week science notebooking entry, along with once a week copywork of a Bible verse, 1-3 vocabulary cards each week, cursive handwriting practice daily, and daily grammar instruction with written practice. It also provides a choice of spelling or dictation passages. If your little one sounds like that would be fine for her, she belongs in Bigger. If not, then Beyond would be best. Beyond has much less writing doing copywork daily from the poetry, using a gentle once a week introduction to grammar, and writing daily for very short spelling lessons.
Your dd at 6.5 could easily do LHFHG, adding in any LA/math from Beyond if it was needed. The target age range for LHFHG is ages 5-7 yo, so this would be a very appropriate placement for her.
I wanted to mention this as if you wanted to be able to do Beyond next year, doing LHFHG now, even half-speed would be the best option for this plan. If you are adding things from LHFHG and only doing a portion of LHTH anyway, perhaps half-speed LHFHG would work given some time and work on skills. Otherwise, doing LHTH (and all of LHTH would help the most
) with a few things from LHFHG will best prepare a child for doing LHFHG the next year. I hope something here can help as you look at placement now and for the future! Prayer is always the best help in placement, so keep that up, and you will know!
In Christ,
Julie