Please help! Very frustrated!

[keyjoh]

I really love the idea of HOD and really want this to work. I have a just turned 7yrold ds in 2nd and a just turned 9yo dd in 4th as well as a 3 1/2 year old ds. I purchased LHFHG last year to use with both of my then 1st & 3rd grader and sad to say we only got through unit 9 and I stopped and focused on Language Arts & Math for the rest of the year . Life happened and I just couldn't make it all work.

What I am struggling with is how to place my two dc. I want to so badly to keep them combined because I have this fear of having to run 3 guides in the next 6 months or so when my 3yr old turns 4 (and I work full time from home). Long story short, I ended up purchasing BLHFHG as well as BHFHG and tried separating them with my 6yo in LHFHG and 8yo in BLHFG and then tried BHFHG with her as well. I just frustrated myself with all the switching between guides. My question is if you have children in separate guides, say LHFHG and BLHFHG how do you get everything done in the rotating boxes and do you combine them during those times as well as storytime? When I was working on the rotating box in LHFHG my child in BLHFHG wanted to join in and vice versa--the same with the 2 different story times. How do you all do it?

I really need this to work so that I can move forward and eliminate some of the stress that life has been throwing my way lately. I really just need a sweet, easy, enjoyable and effective school year this year. We are just starting our 3rd year where the 1st bombed completely, 2nd was all about discovery, trying a little bit of this and that and discovered my approach, my childrens learning styles and my teaching style, looking for the 3rd year to be a winner.

So my actual questions are, if you have children in separate guides how do you work in both rotating boxes each day and both story times? And is it okay to place my 7 & 9 yr old in BLHFHG without me feeling the guilt of slowing my daughter (4th grade) down and rushing my 7 yr old (snd grader) who is still working through phonics and just taking off on reading.

Thank you all for any input.

[mom23]

It's doable! We run 3 guides. I start my 5th grader in Preparing with her independent work (because her work lasts the longest) and then when she's rolling I work with my LHFHG guy. I've read several people advise to start with the least independent child and climb your way up to the most independent. I guess that's sort of what we do, too. I go through the left side of LHFHG plus his phonics, and then give that kid a break to play with the baby and work with my BLHFHG child. He and I do History, Bible, Rotating Box, poetry, and sometimes his reading or storytime, depending on how much time we have before I have to start lunch prep. After lunch break I work with the oldest on History and Bible, and set her out on her own again with Research/Vocab/Timeline and Hist Project. Meanwhile I finish up with my BLHFHG guy's math, spelling, copywork, and reading if we didn't get to it earlier. Storytime sometimes waits until bedtime-that's where we like it best! Then he's done and I can work on finishing up the written work with my LHFHG kid. After that I finish up the things that my dd needs me for-dictation, grammar, DITHOR, storytime.

I think it's a really good idea to begin half speed with everyone, working one child at a time up to full speed. That will help you begin to learn how to juggle everyone's stuff. With those really teacher-intensive guides I actually preferred working with the "quickest" child first and then moving on to the next child, and not trying to have everyone working at once. It was too stressful and frustrating to get interruptions because no one could do anything without asking me 50 zillion questions... I think most people, though are able to come up with some sort of schedule earlier than I did!

As far as combining goes, I think you'll just have to try it and see how it's going to work for your family. It didn't work for ours (we did it about 2 months), but for many, many other families it works beautifully! Just give it a go and see if you're slowing 4th grader too much, and pushing too hard with 2nd. Don't feel like you have to have the perfect plan all ironed out before you begin-give yourself permission to change something if you find it's not working without guilt! You can start them together, and then seperate them if it doesn't work, or fiddle with your schedule. One other thing-I think you asked about getting everyone's storytime done-it's generally recommended to pick one storytime box and do that with all your kids. I have to admit that we don't do it that way....but it sounds like a good idea

[lissiejo]

I like the idea of combining but for me, looking ahead to the bigger picture, I just don't think it would work, so I'm using three guides for the first time as well, Bigger, Little Hearts, and Little Hands. The best advice I was given concerning multiple ages was to teach the neediest first and set the less needy attention wise to work on something independent they can handle. To make this work I made a list of everything each of my daughters could do independently, semi-independently (minimal instruction but able to complete the task alone), and completely dependent (I HAVE to be involved completely). Then I made my schedule so that the least independent (Little Hands) starts first with my full attention with the other two girls working by themselves in the same room. Then I built my schedule around that base.

I hope that wasn't too confusing! Here is a link to my blog where I also have it laid out (http://lighthousehomeschool.blogspot.co ... ation.html). We finish school rather quickly even with the three guides. I try to keep them focused but have built in breaks. I also work from home and have a 1-day-a-week job outside home so I get the scary feeling of trying to homeschool around all of that, but I think it is doable. The best thing for me was training my older daughters to be independent workers on the things they could do independently.

I've also found the earlier we start the better. It seems like everyone is more on task, including me, if we get an early start.

Hope you find your way soon!
Melissa

[mom2gr8kidz]

Just one other thought...I will be combining my girls who are 7 and 9. My 9 year old will be doing the right hand side of Bigger and the left hand side of Beyond with her sister....who will be doing all Beyond. I am going to add in some general science reading for my 9 year old....and she will be doing DITHR as well.

I am looking forward to it!

Blessings!

[farmfamily]

How does your seven-year-old place according to the placement chart? How does your nine-year-old place?

If your seven-year-old places into Beyond, and your nine-year-old places in Bigger, then I think you could combine them in Beyond, as pp has suggested. We are doing that now and it is working really well for us. We tried running three guides at once (Bigger, LHFHG, and LHTH) and our days were so long, especially because my oldest was completely distracted by everyone else's work and wanted to do it all - even LHTH! It didn't matter if she was in another room - she would always be listening in!

Now my older daughter (8) is in Beyond with her sister, though on the placement chart she is between Bigger and Preparing. She is just about to start Rod and Staff 3, and level 3 dictation. She is doing DITHOR 2/3, and in a few months will finish the level 3 books and start using the level 4 books. She does DITHOR every day, and math at her own level. Also once a week she makes a vocab card as is done in Bigger. I am so happy with our current arrangement. We are now on week 10 in Beyond and I feel that both daughters are challenged, yet they are able to be together for most of the "fun stuff."

I think you could do something similar with your nine-year-old. You could also add cursive and do some additional science with her as the pp has done. Next year when you do Bigger, you will have extensions.

[keyjoh]

So I checked the placement chart and my son (7) places in Beyond and my daughter (9) places in Bigger. I have both guides so I will be combining them in Beyond for the left side and doing the right side with my son (7) and will use the right side of Bigger with my daughter (9). By the looks of things this should work. I think my only fear was that my son would not be ready for Bigger next year at 8 years old, but with him completing Beyond this year should help to prepare him for Bigger next year, right?

[mom23]

Sounds like a good plan! Enjoy!