heartofdakota.com

Sorry, I'm sure this topic comes up a lot and I have been reading a lot of older posts but none seem to have my situation.

I am looking at possibly switching to HOD next year for my younger crew. At that time I will have an almost 11 ds, 5th - 8 yo dd, 3rd - almost 7 ds, 1st - and 4 dd, no formal school with speech delay.

I originally thought about using Bigger with the extension for the 3 older ones and just continue "play" with the youngest. I don't want it too easy for my oldest though. My other thought, if $$ allows, was do I bump the older 2 up to Preparing and do something different with the younger 2 - though I really like the looks of LHtH for the youngest. If I bump my oldest up I'm wondering if some of the books would be too challenging (like Adam of the Road, Bronze Bow, etc.).

This year we are doing MFW ECC and where my now 2nd grader is doing it I can tell sometimes that ESP in science the reading is over her head and my now Kindergarten er really isn't doing much more than 20-30 min a day using a condensed MFW Kindergarten.

Hope this makes sense to someone. I need help,

Blessings,
Stephanie - momma to 7, 6 still at home

Hi Stephanie,

I have rarely posted on this board because I am only in my first year of using HOD. (there are so many wise and seasoned HODers that I usually don't throw in my opinion ) I am currently combining my 2nd and 4th grade daughters in Beyond...with my 4th grader doing math, dictation, and grammar out of Bigger. Next school year I will continue to combine them using Bigger and my then 5th grader will use the extensions. She will do the dictation from Preparing....and continue with grammar and math at her level. I feel like she is currently challenged and happy with where we are, so I think that next year she will continue to do well especially since we will be adding the extensions. All this to say, it sounds feasible to me for you to combine your going to be 5th and 3rd grader, as long as they place correctly into the same guide. Or, if your 3rd and 1st grader are placing in the same guide...that could also be an option as far as combining 2 of your 3 older kids. I personally think Bigger would be too difficult for a 1st grader.

Be sure and look at the placement charts, as they are a big help. Hopefully some others will chime in and help you figure things out.

As a mom of a 7 year old boy, I can say that Bigger as written would be too much for my ds to handle. He does enjoy listening to some of the stories for history. But as a whole Bigger is too long and too much for him.
It would be helpful for you to look at the placement chart and figure out where each child falls. Then by sharing their placement you will get the best advise on how to combine your children based on their abilities.
http://heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

Hi Stephie, and welcome to the HOD Board! I'd love to hear about your dc with the first page of the placement chart in mind, especially the columns on reading, writing, grammar, and math. Multiple guides can be easier if everyone is placed well at times, and other times combining fits better. For sure your 4 yo would LOVE LHTH, and it is an inexpensive program that takes only 20-30 minutes a day to do - so worth it for your little gal. Your olders could do many different placement options - let's look at what's best for them together! Once you share a bit about your kiddos with the first page of placement in mind, we'll all chime in with specifics! You are going to love HOD. It is an incredible blessing to our family, and I know it will be to yours as well!

In Christ,
Julie