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I have my 5 yo DS (Nov. 2012) and my 7 yo DS (Dec. 2012) combined in LHFHG this year. We are on week 7 and its going great at full speed. However, I have been really looking at Bigger and Beyond, and I know that my 5 can really grow in days and months to come, but I just don't see anyway that he will be ready for either guide. So, my question is, if I think I am going to need to un-combined (is that a word?) them, is now the time to do it or when I know for sure that he won't be able to handle it or not? TIA

My oldest two are combined as well and they are both doing great. However, if my youngest starts to struggle, here is what I've come up with: 1. Drop to half speed for awhile for both and add extensions as needed for the oldest (oldest would also continue 3 R's at full speed). 2. Continue on at full speed with oldest. Take a short break with younger (we school year round) and then proceed at half speed to begin spacing out the guides.

Honestly, I tried to separate mine when dd was 3 and ds was 4 1/2, but dd refused to be left behind. So, I think option one will be my most likely route if/when we run into difficulties. I have repeatedly read that each guide prepares your child well for the next. So, I've decided to enjoy what is now and worry about later when it gets here. So, my suggestion is to wait until you know for sure .

Are you hoping to combine them? Or, are you thinking it is just going to be better not to combine them? Is your 7 yo well placed in LHFHG? Beyond does prepare dc well for Bigger Hearts, so if you think ds can handle Beyond when he's finished with LHFHG, then he will be able to handle Bigger Hearts when he's done with Beyond.

If you would like to keep them combined, you could go to doing LHFHG 4 days a week. Then, you could do Beyond and Bigger Hearts 4 days a week too. Tis will spread these guides out and give ds time to grow and mature. You can also go half-speed at the start of Beyond, then move to full-speed when ds is ready. Likewise, you can go half-speed at the start of Bigger Hearts, and then move to full-speed when ds is ready. Adding extensions for your dd would be a possibility in Bigger Hearts if need be.

Or, if you see things just going more smoothly overall by uncombining, I'd do one of two things. Either slow ds to half-speed LHFHG now and keep dd full-speed. Or, finish out LHFHG now, and have ds start Beyond half-speed next year, and dd start Beyond full-speed next year.

What are your thoughts now, though?
In Christ,
Julie

my3sons wrote:Are you hoping to combine them? Or, are you thinking it is just going to be better not to combine them? Is your 7 yo well placed in LHFHG? Beyond does prepare dc well for Bigger Hearts, so if you think ds can handle Beyond when he's finished with LHFHG, then he will be able to handle Bigger Hearts when he's done with Beyond.

If you would like to keep them combined, you could go to doing LHFHG 4 days a week. Then, you could do Beyond and Bigger Hearts 4 days a week too. Tis will spread these guides out and give ds time to grow and mature. You can also go half-speed at the start of Beyond, then move to full-speed when ds is ready. Likewise, you can go half-speed at the start of Bigger Hearts, and then move to full-speed when ds is ready. Adding extensions for your dd would be a possibility in Bigger Hearts if need be.

Or, if you see things just going more smoothly overall by uncombining, I'd do one of two things. Either slow ds to half-speed LHFHG now and keep dd full-speed. Or, finish out LHFHG now, and have ds start Beyond half-speed next year, and dd start Beyond full-speed next year.

What are your thoughts now, though?
In Christ,
Julie

Julie, they are already combined in LHFHG, and I would love to leave them combined for as long as I can see. They are glued at the hip anyway. On the placement chart my youngest falls right between LHTH and LHFHG and my oldest falls right between LHFHG and Bigger. So I am happy with where they are placed combined in LHFHG. I am concerned that my youngest wont't be ready for Beyond or Bigger when the time comes because he is pushing it in LHFHG even though he is doing well. Does that help and make sense? Oh, and I really don't want to go or see the need in going 1/2 speed in LHFHG.

This is very timely for me because I see myself in potentially the same boat next year with my 2 oldest boys. My question for Julie is this:

If LHFHG, Beyond, and Bigger were all done 4 days/week, how many years approx. would those 3 guides end up being? How about just Beyond and Bigger? I too, will probably have a younger one not quite ready to jump into Beyond when the time comes.

Also, to the OP- any ideas how you would continue to challenge your oldest if you did half speed or 4 days a week? That is another concern of mine.

I don't mean to hijack your post, but our situations are quite similar, right down to the ages!

Thanks!
Amy

You are only on week 7. Your chlldren will grow, grow, grow!!! It sounds like everything is going great. I would just keep going. My 6 and 8 year old are in Beyond, and it is going well.

8arrows wrote:You are only on week 7. Your chlldren will grow, grow, grow!!! It sounds like everything is going great. I would just keep going. My 6 and 8 year old are in Beyond, and it is going well.

Melissa,

How old was your 6 yo when you started Beyond? And do you do Beyond full speed? If so, did you when they started it?

Thanks!

amysue277 wrote:This is very timely for me because I see myself in potentially the same boat next year with my 2 oldest boys. My question for Julie is this:

If LHFHG, Beyond, and Bigger were all done 4 days/week, how many years approx. would those 3 guides end up being? How about just Beyond and Bigger? I too, will probably have a younger one not quite ready to jump into Beyond when the time comes.

Also, to the OP- any ideas how you would continue to challenge your oldest if you did half speed or 4 days a week? That is another concern of mine.

I don't mean to hijack your post, but our situations are quite similar, right down to the ages!

Thanks!
Amy

Good questions! Thanks for asking.

amysue277 wrote:If LHFHG, Beyond, and Bigger were all done 4 days/week, how many years approx. would those 3 guides end up being?

Each year that you only did 4 days per week, you would not do 34 days of school. Over three guides you would have 34 x 3 = 102 days left to do, so in year 4 you would have 25 1/2 weeks (assuming you're still only doing 4 days a week) of school to finish up Bigger. If you went half speed for a few weeks somewhere in there it could take 4 years to do the 3 guides.

If you only did Beyond and Bigger with four day weeks, the two guides would take you 2 years and 16 weeks or about 2 1/2 years.

But I agree with 8arrows:

8arrows wrote:You are only on week 7. Your chlldren will grow, grow, grow!!! It sounds like everything is going great. I would just keep going. My 6 and 8 year old are in Beyond, and it is going well.

If I were you I would just keep going as you are - or do as Julie suggests and go to a 4 day week (you can always do a half day on the fifth day with just math and reading).

I also combine my 6 and 8 year olds. We are on unit 22 of Beyond and it has gone really well. I love combining, and I'm so glad we did it. My younger one started Beyond one month before she turned 6. I was a little nervous about the spelling and the copywork before we started Beyond, but she has done great with it. She couldn't copy the whole poem in the beginning of Beyond, but now she can, and she does everything else in the guide just fine. If she struggles with Bigger, I will simply go half speed with both for a little while - my older one will always continue 3Rs at her level & can do extensions if needed.

I hope that helps!

amysue277 wrote:This is very timely for me because I see myself in potentially the same boat next year with my 2 oldest boys. My question for Julie is this:

If LHFHG, Beyond, and Bigger were all done 4 days/week, how many years approx. would those 3 guides end up being? How about just Beyond and Bigger? I too, will probably have a younger one not quite ready to jump into Beyond when the time comes.

Also, to the OP- any ideas how you would continue to challenge your oldest if you did half speed or 4 days a week? That is another concern of mine.

I don't mean to hijack your post, but our situations are quite similar, right down to the ages!

Thanks!
Amy

I'm not Julie but can answer your first question. Doing LHFHG, Beyond and Bigger at 4 days a week adds approximately 9 weeks to each guide which stretches out the guides by 3 quarters of a year. If you only do Beyond and Bigger at 4 day weeks, you get an extra half year.

So, in answer to your other question, we actually only do LHFHG right now at 3-4 days a week because of other scheduled activities. That is the pace my dd is taking. For ds, on non-HOD guide days, he continues on with math, emerging readers and spelling. This has been enough for him for first grade this year. We also do additional reading from some of the Beyond story time suggestions (the ones not being used for next year's story time) and Atelier Art (because we like it) when time allows. Next fall for Beyond, he will move on to DITHOR and I have the option of adding R&S 2 if he needs it. I do not anticipate needing to drop to half speed as we will just continue with the 4 day week pace. Once we reach Bigger, there are extensions provided that I can add for DS if we do need to drop to half speed then, though he will always continue on with the 3R's at regular pace as appropriate.

I too worried about all the what ifs of combining in the future and have since experienced peace by just digging in and doing the guide as I have explained. We are now finishing week 20 of LHFHG and I have found that doing the 3R's at ds's level 5 days a week (SM 1a/b, ERs, 1st grade HW and spelling list 1), in addition to other pursuits outside of school is enough to challenge him at this point, and everyone is happy. HTH

Thanks ladies! I'll leave them where they are, enjoy it and cross bridges when I come to them! Thanks again.

I know you've already resolved things, but I have a new 7 yo with an almost 5 yo in LHFHG right now. They love it! It is so much fun watching them work together. This is our 2nd time through LHFHG. The first time through, my oldest was on the way younger end of the guide, and has been throughout each guide. Every time I have been so worried that she wouldn't be ready for the next guide, but she has done wonderfully! Each guide truly does prepare the kiddos for the next, so I have absolutely no concerns for this next set of kids that I have going through. If your kiddos are happy being combined, then definitely stick with it! I love the relationship building that I see with my 2 middle kids. The discussions have been a lot of fun too. I definitely wouldn't change it for anything!

Mommamo wrote:I know you've already resolved things, but I have a new 7 yo with an almost 5 yo in LHFHG right now. They love it! It is so much fun watching them work together. This is our 2nd time through LHFHG. The first time through, my oldest was on the way younger end of the guide, and has been throughout each guide. Every time I have been so worried that she wouldn't be ready for the next guide, but she has done wonderfully! Each guide truly does prepare the kiddos for the next, so I have absolutely no concerns for this next set of kids that I have going through. If your kiddos are happy being combined, then definitely stick with it! I love the relationship building that I see with my 2 middle kids. The discussions have been a lot of fun too. I definitely wouldn't change it for anything!

Thanks for the reassurance and encouragement! This just helped concrete my decision.