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Hello all!

We are newbie homeschoolers. Started Kindergarten with my 6yo last August using an array of Charlotte Mason-esque materials. Long story short, schooling my oldest while parenting my other THREE littles (4, 2 and 1) has become more than I can chew. I need something pre-planned!! I have had "veteran" HS mom after HS mom recommend HOD to me. So I'm jumping in without looking back.
My DD has 6 units left of both her reading and math curriculum. She's doing excellent. She's an emerging reader & is at a 1st grade math level right now. So I'm planning on ordering Beyond Little Hearts and starting right after our Easter "break". She will be 6 1/2 at that point and, looking at the placement chart, I have no doubts she will be able to handle it.

My question comes in with my 4 1/2yo. I'm thinking I will order LHTH to begin with my younger two DDs late summer/ early fall, after I get in a rythm with my oldest. They will be 3 and almost 5 at that point. L
My concern really is will I have time for it all? Seeing as how my oldest isn't quite an independent learner yet. I considered just letting my 2nd DD join in with my oldest, but I feel it will be too much for her.

Does this sound like a good, not overly-ambitious plan? Anyone else using these two separate curriculums for multiple kiddos? Any tips?

My suggestion would be to get both Beyond and LHTH and first start on Beyond and get into a good rhythm with that, then add in LHTH (which it looks like this is what you were planning). It is definitely possible to do both together, and you will probably find that your little ones will be more satisfied and content to entertain themselves once you have "school" time with them too. LHTH takes about 20-30 minutes to complete and is such a sweet program, I have enjoyed it through 2 times now. It is perfect preparation for LHFHG. My guess is also that your oldest's school day will be shorter with Beyond, the HOD guides are planned so that each day is balanced and you cover many different subjects without needing a lot of time each day to do it.

With several kids to plan for, it is really a good idea to have a schedule planned so you know when you will do different activities. This makes it go smoothly with the kids too, they know what to expect and what is expected of them. You are right in that none of the kids will be independently working, so you will most likely do part of one guide, then part of the other. I do find it works sometimes to have all at the table and each is doing a "seatwork" activity or craft and I can bounce back and forth making sure they know what to do and have what they need. This does condense the amount of time we spend just a little.

I hope this helps!

I think your plan sounds terrific! Your 6 1/2 yo sounds ready for Beyond, and your other 2 dc will be nicely combined in LHTH. These two guides are not hard at all to do at the same time. The one thing I wanted to mention is you may want to take 1 1/2 years to go through Little Hands to Heaven. Then, you could take 1 1/2 years to go through Little Hearts for His Glory, and that would have your youngest be 6 yo when starting Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory, and your oldest be 8 yo. This sure would be a nice setup! It also would give you time to really take your time through Little Hands and Little Hearts, and being the busy mama that you are, wouldn't that be oh so nice?!? You could easily (at any point during Little Hands to Heaven) add in the Kindergarten LA and Math for your current 5 yo. Then, when she does Little Hearts with little sis for her main curriculum, she can do the LHFHG 1st grade LA/math options, and little sis can do the LHFHG K LA/math options. Just an idea! Nice to meet you, and I think you'll enjoy HOD so much!!!

In Christ,
Julie