Need help placing for K & 2nd

[twolittlebears]

God keeps bringing me back to HOD! So I've chosen to obey, and I need help placing my 2 boys, please.

First is my almost 5yo DS. He has slowly been working through MFWK. He is not reading yet, as we haven't really delved into phonics. I am holding off for a bit until the fall probably. He can write his letters and numbers well for 4! He really enjoys seat work and doing school. He is quite a squirmy worm during read aloud time, like standing on his head! But he's 4, and a boy. As long as he can tell me what I've read, I'm find with him climbing the walls. I'm not sure if I should put him in LHTH or LHFHG for his K year? We actually have been reading through the Thornton Burgess books and the devotional without me even realizing it's part of LHFHG. Now that I know that, we have tapered back b/c I don't want to repeat again for his whole K year and burn him out. I could always use another devotional, and I have a lot more Burgess books aside from the ones used in LHFHG. That's the guide I am leaning towards for him.

Onto DS7....he is an excellent reader! He has placed in a 3rd grade level for most curriculums out there. Not a great hand writer...it's a battle to get him to write more than his name, so I have him narrate answers to me for the phonics program that we are going through right now. So would I put him in BLHFHG or BHFHG? Would I use Drawn into Reading 2/3? Or should I do another year of phonics? Do I add in handwriting? Also, for math we have been using a mixture of things and he is good at calculating numbers in his head. He does not have math facts memorized though. I have looked at Singapore math and think it's great! I'm not sure where to place him 1 or 2? I'm wondering if BLHFHG will end up being too easy for him? He always has a big leap around Christmas, and then I end up having to really beef up and change what we are doing. We did MFW1 for the first half of the year and I scrapped it, but we've continued with the Bible and added in Burgess books and History for Little Pilgrims. He LOVES science too! We are doing nature studies with the Handbook of nature studies and Burgess bird book, which is really gentle and sweet. But this boy is wanting to mix things together and see if they explode! Watch out Mamas! I just want a guide that I can stick with from start to finish!

I appreciate any guidance, I want to make the right decision!

[my3sons]

God keeps bringing me back to HOD! So I've chosen to obey, and I need help placing my 2 boys, please.
How exciting! I'd be glad to help!

First is my almost 5yo DS. He has slowly been working through MFWK. He is not reading yet, as we haven't really delved into phonics. I am holding off for a bit until the fall probably. He can write his letters and numbers well for 4! He really enjoys seat work and doing school. He is quite a squirmy worm during read aloud time, like standing on his head! But he's 4, and a boy. As long as he can tell me what I've read, I'm find with him climbing the walls. I'm not sure if I should put him in LHTH or LHFHG for his K year? We actually have been reading through the Thornton Burgess books and the devotional without me even realizing it's part of LHFHG. Now that I know that, we have tapered back b/c I don't want to repeat again for his whole K year and burn him out. I could always use another devotional, and I have a lot more Burgess books aside from the ones used in LHFHG. That's the guide I am leaning towards for him.
It sounds like your ds places well in LHFHG. If your ds will not yet be 5 years old when you start LHFHG, I would take a little slower pace to go through it, so he can grow into the age range of the guides to come. Schooling 4 days a week and taking a fifth day off, for example, would be an easy, enjoyable way to slow it down a tad. You can do this with Beyond Little Hearts and Bigger Hearts as well, and just take about 4 years to do these 3 guides, should that pacing fit your life and ds's needs well. HOD is super flexible. We have done LHFHG with each of our three sons, and I have loved it each time.

Onto DS7....he is an excellent reader! He has placed in a 3rd grade level for most curriculums out there. Not a great hand writer...it's a battle to get him to write more than his name, so I have him narrate answers to me for the phonics program that we are going through right now. So would I put him in BLHFHG or BHFHG? Would I use Drawn into Reading 2/3? Or should I do another year of phonics? Do I add in handwriting? Also, for math we have been using a mixture of things and he is good at calculating numbers in his head. He does not have math facts memorized though. I have looked at Singapore math and think it's great! I'm not sure where to place him 1 or 2? I'm wondering if BLHFHG will end up being too easy for him? He always has a big leap around Christmas, and then I end up having to really beef up and change what we are doing. We did MFW1 for the first half of the year and I scrapped it, but we've continued with the Bible and added in Burgess books and History for Little Pilgrims. He LOVES science too! We are doing nature studies with the Handbook of nature studies and Burgess bird book, which is really gentle and sweet. But this boy is wanting to mix things together and see if they explode! Watch out Mamas! I just want a guide that I can stick with from start to finish!
From what you've shared, I think there are 2 good options here. First option: Ds does Beyond Little Hearts. His writing skills really need to be built upon before doing Bigger Hearts, and with HOD's many LA choices offered in Beyond, you can easily accommodate that strength of his within Beyond. You can choose between the Emerging Reader's Set and "Drawn into the Heart of Reading 2/3" for reading for ds. I would probably lean toward doing the middle through the end of the Emerging Reader's Set with ds, using the comprehension questions and oral narration starters in the Appendix. "Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express" is a Level 3 book, and "Prairie School" is a Level 4 book. So around that point of the set may be a good place for ds to start. He would finish the set about halfway through the year, and he could then start "Drawn into the Heart of Reading 2/3." This would give him time to grow in his writing, so he could better be able to do the DITHOR Student Book. The ERS is a wonderful set of living books served up in bite-sized pieces with excellent comprehension questions that pave the way for the formal literature program DITHOR, which is why I suggest doing the last half of it with ds. But, you will know best here!

As far as writing, I'd have him do "A Reason for Handwriting A" or something comparable. This will help him review his letters by writing words and eventually sentences. For copywork, he is to copy part/all of the poetry in Beyond. He could just begin by copying a word or two, and then grow into copying a line, two lines, a stanza, so by the end of the year he can copy the whole poem. For math he can take the free placement test at the Singapore math site, and wherever he places, I'd start him there. Here is that website... http://www.singaporemath.com

A second option would be to combine him with his little brother in "Little Hearts for HIs Glory," but have him do the ERS/DITHOR, A Reason for HW A, Singapore Math 1A/1B or 2A/2B, and maybe halfway through the year Spelling List 1 and its plans from Beyond Little Hearts. This plan works because the target age range for LHFHG is ages 5-7 yo, and it would give ds time to grow in his writing skills while still meeting his needs in reading level.

I appreciate any guidance, I want to make the right decision!
I am glad to help in any way - but what are your thoughts now?

In Christ,
Julie

[MelInKansas]

I would definitely consider the amount of work and things you want him to be doing before placing in Beyond or Bigger Hearts. Bigger Hearts adds in Dictionary work, notebooking (sounds like your son is not at all ready for this, as I don't think my daughter's writing skills are up to the task even now - there is a lot of writing for them to do in Bigger Hearts), of course you choose between spelling words and dictation - we are about to start the dictation, the narration requires more understanding and ability to verbalize.

With your son being advanced in things like History or narration, the extension books might be something you could read to him? Maybe, if you are sure you are moving on to Bigger after Beyond anyway, you could do the science in Bigger, it is really pretty awesome and we've been enjoying it a lot for my DD's 2nd grade year.

If you aren't sure if he's ready for Drawn Into the Heart of Reading, Julie's idea is a good one, start with the middle/last 1/3 of the Emerging Reader set, which is in both the Beyond and Bigger Hearts guides (the reading list and all the questions, and the daily reading plan are listed in there). DITHOR requires more writing also, though I end up doing it orally with my DD quite often. You can always go ahead and get/start DITHOR if ER seems way too easy or he loses interest. Most of the later books in ER were available from the library.

[twolittlebears]

WOW! Thank you SO much for all this wonderful help! After reading both your replies, I think for sure my 4yo will be perfectly placed in LHFHG. I will start out normal pace and then slow it down if I need to....he will be 5 in a few weeks. I think he will enjoy having his own K program instead of tagging along with his brother. For my 7yo ...almost 8, I think that BLHFHG will be perfect with A Reason for Handwriting and the last half of the ER set, and then move on to DITHOR. I was wanting to put my boys together for a long time, but their skills are just too far apart right now, and I don't want my little one to get lost or left behind. I will do the math placement test, thank you for that link! Our weaknesses have been math and handwriting, and from what you've explained, the handwriting needs to be on target before I move my boys up in the guides. That is very helpful to know!!

This whole curriculum is just genius to me! The more and more I'm learning about it, the more beautifully planned I realize it is! And this board has blown me away with the time and love that has gone into each of the responses from all the mamas on here. So thank you so much! I am very happy to be here.

[my3sons]

I'm so glad we were able to help, and now I'm just excited for you to begin! Once placement is figured out, the rest is all such a joy. You have many endearing memories to be made with HOD ahead of you.

In Christ,
Julie

[MelInKansas]

I agree, it's such a wonderful journey! I kept thinking I would combine my kiddos because that seemed "easier." There is a little more to do if you're not combined, but when your children are well placed, meaning they are doing a guide that is right on their level, it is easy to do the guide and a joy to see them challenged and advancing in what they are doing.

Blessings to you!