Newbie here with a few questions

[pjstephenson]

First, some background: I have 4 children, 6 yo boy, 4 yo boy, 2 yo girl, 8 mo girl. We did a "trial run" last year with my oldest with a popular kindergarten curriculum, but I didn't like it. He did really well, but I felt like most of it was beneath him so I ended up just having him do the handwriting and math pages. It seems like he learned to read pretty much on his own. He has a great desire to learn and is very inquisitive, but gets easily frustrated if something is "too hard" and will quickly lose interest.

My 4 yo hasn't had much formal education other than a few trial days these past few weeks. He knows his letters and numbers, he's starting to sound words out and has an interest in reading for himself. We've attempted writing letters/numbers but he still lacks coordination.

My 2 yo girl LOVES to sit at the table to "do school" with us. I'm really lost at how to include her and not squash that desire. She knows some letters and can do a little counting, likes to color/paint/cut/glue.

I have done the placement charts and read many threads here, along with the commonly asked questions thread Carrie has posted. I originally planned on combining my boys in Little Hearts (mostly due to finances), but after reading the threads about how combining is not always easier, now I'm not sure. According to placement, my 6 yo should be in Beyond and my 4 yo still in Little Hands, I think.

So, my questions now! First off, I'm a little unclear how the program progresses, since each one covers various ages. Once you complete a guide, do you just move on to the next one or do you do it over if they're still within the age range? If I start the 4 yo in the kindergarten level of Little Hearts, do I do Little Hearts with him again next year with the 1st grade level materials? Does this even make sense? I'm a little confused lol!

Next, even after the placement chart, I'm not sure where to place them. I really can't afford more than one guide/package at this time. Maybe in a couple months I could get another, but then which one is priority now?

Lastly, we've toyed around with so many different styles of homeschooling that I'm driving myself crazy. I am craving structure, to have a plan all laid out for me. I also WANT to be involved in what they're doing/learning, even though I'm not sure how to add more to my busy days. That is why I've been drawn to HOD. I've looked and researched HOD 3 times now and for some reason I keep coming back to it. I've prayed about it and feel like this might be what my family needs. I'm already weary of looking for the "perfect" thing for us and my oldest is only 6!

I'm sure these questions have been addressed many many times and I've tried to do my homework and read through the forum threads but there's a lot of material here! I would so appreciate any help, answers, advice, encouragement, etc! Thank you!

[StephanieU]

Each guide contains roughly 1 year of school The age ranges are because HOD allows you to customize much of the language arts and all of the math. So, you will see families using a guide for different ages based on maturity, ability to work independently (starting in Preparing), and school stamina.
As for your children and your finances, I would buy what you think is best for your 6yo and let the 4yo "tag along" for a year or two. The 4yo can do whatever parts of the guide his older brother is doing that he would enjoy or be able to help with. My 4 and 5yos often do some things with my 7yo. Then I would starting working on the basics with the 4yo at his pace. Some kids are ready for more formal school at 4, but some aren't really ready until 5, 6, or 7. And research has shown that kids that start later catch up in less than 3 years to their peers that younger. If you can financially afford LHTH before too long, you would do that with the 2 and 4yos. My kids have enjoyed parts of LHTH as young as 2 (my youngest when we bought it) to 7 (my oldest now). I have yet to be successful at completing LHTH because it just hasn't been a priority (and my younger two could never coordinate when they would want to do school).

[Jennymommy]

Hi "Newbie" I think you could do LHFHG as Stephanie said, letting the younger ds tag along. You may also want to let older ds speed up a bit and finish earlier, starting Beyond when he is finished. And yes, you can repeat a guide...I did just that with the LHFHG guide for my youngest. He loved it, and we just did higher level math and science the second time through. If it seems too much for your younger ds, alternate left side/right side and let the guide go longer

[my3sons]

Welcome to the board! As you ponder placement for your dc, you will find that the more you share specifically about each of your dc, the more specific and well-matched advice to your dc you will receive. So, thank you for sharing what you have about your dc! The target age ranges are important to try to stay within if possible. Your 4 yo is technically below the target age range for Little Hearts for His Glory, and unless she is extremely close to turning 5 yo, I'd not place her in LHFHG as it will be a short road to having to uncombine further down the road more than likely anyway. Based on ages, the best placement for her would be to combine the 2 and 4 yo in Little Hands to Heaven, and add phonics for the 4 yo if you think she is ready. For your ds, it is important to consider the first page of the placement chart. He could do either Little Hearts for His Glory or Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory. If he was 'bored' last year, we certainly don't want a repeat of that this year (though I would never describe any of HOD's guides as boring). You'd said he places in Beyond Little Hearts, and if he does, that is the guide he should do. If you are still unsure, however, can you share about him with the first page of the placement chart in mind, please? That would help us out so much! The younger guides are very economically priced, so more than likely, you'd be able to do LHTH ($80 for everything), and Beyond Little Hearts (cost depends on placement needs; library can be used for RA's and for DITHOR if need be, making these 2 guides together far less than the total price of 1 set of curriculum with many other homeschooling choices other than HOD). One thing you could do that would help financially is to start your ds first, and then months later, start your younger duo. This would spread out the cost very nicely! So, when you get the chance, could you please share your thoughts after you've revisited the placement chart for him? Then, we can all chime in with more specific advice. God bless!

In Christ,
Julie