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I have gone through Cathy Duffy's book and realized that both myself and my children would benefit from an all in one curric. I have done a year of sonlight and the reading was way too much for me, not enough to "do". This year we did a modge podge of things, changing many things half way through, but take from it that we love apologia science with all those great experiments!

Next year our children will be 9.5, 6.5, 3.5 and 1. My 9 yr old son (Ke) is advanced but really does NOT like writing. My 6 yr old daughter (C) is just starting to read. My 3 yr old is a very bright and active boy. Thankfully my littlest one is on a great schedule so that helps with schooling. My questions are as follows....

Will "preparing" be too much writing for him to enjoy the learning process? He does work really well independently and reads way above his grade. He read the narnia series in second grade. What would you suggest for him? I was also considering learning language arts through literature for him. LLATL is a full language art curric. Would that be too much to also do DITHOR? Or I could substitute the book studies from LLATL with the DITHOR? We are currently learning about early american history and will probably finish after the revolution. This makes me wonder if we should do bigger to give a full view of american history, maybe with the extension?

I have realized that it wouldn't really be beneficial to combine my 6 yr old with my 9 yr old. So I am not sure whether to place her in LLHFHG or Beyond. She is learning to read with All About Reading level 1 right now. She can only read small amts at this point. What would be the benefit of one vs the other? I have a friend willing to lend me Beyond.

I would also still like to do apologia science. Is that possible? That way we have that one subject that we come together for.

I am sure my preschooler would love LHTH. However, I am not sure whether to put him in the younger track or older. Since he will be halfway through his 3rd yr when we start. He is very bright and fantastic with his memory. He learned most of the books of the new testament just by hearing his sister recite them. I was so surprised!

My other question is how could a day look with 3 different programs? We love finishing our day before lunch and having the afternoons free to play. I am concerned that I will be overwhelmed by doing 3 at one time, thought it does seem that many are doing just that successfully!

Is there a point in the higher levels when reading comprehension is more on the same level that I could combine? Is there a point when the guides are mostly independent?

I think that covers it! Thank you so much for any help/suggestions.

Sincerely, excited about HOD,
Teresa

I can't help with everything, but I can give a few . . .

1. 3 guides is totally possible when they are properly placed.
2. Preparing on up starts teaching them "S" semi-independent, "T" teacher led, and "I" independent.
3. There is a LOT of writing beginning in Preparing.
4. I am sure your 3 yo would love LHTH. I would actually recommend getting a lower "pack" to start and going slow- eventually adding in the older options.
a) he is young and b) it would help acclimate you all to the program and doing different guides.
5. Did you check the placement chart? It really helps to see which guide their skill levels fall into . LHFHG has a lot of good in it for beginning readers. Beyond has an emerging reader schedule, but it starts after phonics, on about a 2nd grade level.
6. You are correct, most times a 6yo & 9yo would not be in the same guide.

We have been successfully running 3 guides for about a year. Hope someone can help you with the LA.

On the Beyond of LHFHG question, how does she do with listening to stories without pictures? Can she sit still for 20 minutes worth of reading like that? That is a main consideration for choosing between Beyond and LHFHG. Reading and math can be customized, so they aren't really a factor in the early guides.

As for writing, HOD tends not to waste time on meaningless writing. Most of the grammar is done orally, allowing you to decide how much writing you require for that. The writing is really only in Draw and Write Through History, dictation (spelling), and the independent writing box. Of course there is a small amount of writing in math, but normally kids don't complain as much about that. And DITHOR does have writing if you use that, but again you can decide how much writing you require.

I don't know how well LLATL would work with what HOD has in the guide. HOD tries to incorporate the writing into the history, making it more meaningful. So, it might be easier to just do it how HOD has it planned...