Placement Help

[Tbird1978]

Hello! I am mother to 5 ages 8, 6, 4, 2, 7months and have been homeschooling from the beginning. I have read, re-read, and re-read the HOD curriculum guide and just can't get a sense of where to put my little people next year. My oldest falls mainly in the Bigger guide, the 6 yo falls between the Beyond and Bigger, mostly Beyond. We currently use Rays arithmetic and the McGuffey primers and would like to continue with those utilizing the workbooks that are put out by Mott Media. The oldest will have completed First Language Lessons by next year, the 6 yo has not done any formal grammar lessons other than being within earshot of big sis. It seems that the history portion of the 2 guides covers the same time period and we have been studying early American history with Beautiful Feet. I am tired and weary of planning, don't have the time to plan any more and am drawn to the open and go approach of HOD. The biggest fear I have is running more than one guide at a time for our first year and it becoming too overwhelming. Could the 6 yo tag along in Bigger as I continue to work through the math, handwriting, phonics, and grammar that I've done with older sis? It's so hard to visualize the real differences in work load, although I've read multiple times on message board and FB that it's a big jump from Beyond to Bigger. I am open to any and all suggestions! Thank you for your valued advice.
Tracy

[StephanieU]

I would not put a 6yo in Bigger. Although it is fine for them to listen in on things and do the "fun" stuff, there is a lot in it that even an advanced 6yo would struggle with. And the workload isn't appropriate for a 6yo.
I personally would consider Bigger for the 8yo and LHFHG for the 6yo. LHFHG can easily be customized in terms of math, reading, and handwriting. My oldest was reading, about ready for the Emerging Reader books, and doing 1st grade math before we found HOD. I was tempted to put her in Beyond, but decided to keep her in the middle age, and it has been great! She has enjoyed each guide, and I see she is getting more out of them than she would have if she had been the youngest age.

Now, if you want to focus on the 3Rs for the 6yo this year, then that is another fine option. The 6yo definitely can listen in on the hymn study, storytime, etc in Bigger. But I wouldn't expect a 6yo to get much out of the history or even the science in Bigger.

[creekmama]

I only have two kiddos, and they are both in separate guides. I don't have experience with managing a larger family, but I have been using HOD for a while now. Do not fear running two guides if your children need to be placed in two guides. I think most HOD moms will encourage you to trust the placement chart. If your children are properly placed, your day will go more smoothly, and you will save yourself the headache that comes with trying to make things work for one or the other of them. You mentioned being worn out by planning in your original post. I've heard many HOD moms say that they ultimately save time and effort by running separate guides if that's where their kids need to be.

Remember, too, that you're in the most time intensive years with your kids right now. My older child was very dependent on me for a long time, while my younger one is more independent. We have finally reached a good balance for all of us, but it has taken time. Hang in there! You'll figure it out!

[Jennymommy]

Welcome I think you will love HOD. I agree with Stephanie that LHFHG and Bigger would probably be best. LHFHG is only a few minutes per box, with fun activities even for younger siblings to join in. Bigger should take no more than a couple hours, and again, younger dc may enjoy listening in. You may be interested in audio books to take some of the burden off you as well. The many choices in LHFHG allow you to tailor it to your needs, and you may find that you can combine younger children later

[Nealewill]

HOD is VERY easy to run multiple levels. At one point I was running 3 guides but I found that my youngest and middle child were so similar in level that I decided to combine them. I really like my set up and really like having my oldest separate and my younger two combine. Are your 6 and 8 year old similar in abilities? Are they more like one grade apart? If they are, I would consider placing them both in Beyond. I know your 8 year old is on the oldest end of the age range but that child would still really enjoy the guide. It was a very fun guide and my kids who used it, loved that year. The only thing I would consider doing is buying the Bigger guide (and the following year when you bump your kids you can still qualify for the discount on the package even though you bought the guide the year before) and use the spelling from Bigger for the 8 year old. I might also consider how important it is to you that the 8 year old start formal grammar. If it is important, you can do the daily grammar lesson as well from Bigger. You would also adjust math to each child's level. If your oldest places solidly in the math in Bigger, then you would just follow the Bigger schedule for that. Everything else would be the done in Beyond and your day would run nice and smooth.

Beyond was one of my favorite guides. When I first started HOD 2 years ago, I used Beyond with my two youngest kids and my oldest was in Preparing. I didn't fully understand how the ages ranges on the guides were so important in placement and why you should not put a younger child in a high guide but basically, as the children move up in level, the work load volume increases and the maturity does as well. That put me in a predicament for the following year. Last year I taught CtC, Bigger and Little Hearts (I bumped my youngest down a level since I didn't want to move her up to Bigger). It went great and I had no trouble running all 3 levels. This year I started the year with RtR, Preparing and Bigger. However, Bigger and Preparing are the most teacher intensive guides. The ones before them and the ones after are less intensive for mom but these two do tend to be the heaviest on my time. And it is VERY doable, but just heavier. I was doing okay with it for the first few months but ultimately I decided that my youngest and middle child were similar enough that it didn't make sense to separate them. My son is repeating Bigger with his sister for everything except for science, grammar and math at this point. I decided to let him continue on with science in Preparing since he was enjoying it so much and thriving. But he is also reading the extension books because I do consider him 4th grade and because he can. As he moves up in level, I may not continue with the extensions because technically he is in the age range of the guide. But truth be told, I did want him reading a bit more than what was required in Bigger and he is enjoying the books. At first, it was a bit of a jump. But he is zooming through the extra reading now so I am glad I tried it.

I would encourage you to consider how important it is that each of your kids finish each guide. At first I felt like it was ubber important. But this year I came to realization that I didn't want to teach as much and I wanted to have more free time. To do that, this meant I needed to combine my younger 2 kiddos. I also work from home and work quite a bit. That was my primary reason for feeling stressed out feeling at times. By cutting back on my teaching, I have way more time. I am much happier now that my younger two are combine and truth be told, they love being combine! I also think that my son likes doing the extensions because it is something his little sister isn't doing. It set him apart from her yet they are still together on the same level. Beyond doesn't have extensions but as you move up in level, starting with Bigger, those guide do have extensions until you reach the high school guide. I love that many of the resources that HOD uses are multi age and so combining kiddos can easily be done and done well if that is desired. HOD is definitely a company that gears their curriculum toward teaching multiple children who are more similar in level. I had come from a curriculum where it was geared at combining a large age group. That wasn't a good fit for us because my oldest was so far ahead of my middle/youngers. I think that aided in my fear of combing at all. I am glad I did combine two of the kids now though and love having my oldest separate.

No matter which path you choose, HOD is very flexible and a wonderful company.

[Tbird1978]

Thank you ladies for your helpful and complete responses! I will continue to pray about where to place the older 2 and feel that y'all have given me a lot to ponder. It's hard shopping for curriculum when you can't get your hands on it to really look at it and thumb through the guides. I've watched some youtube videos to try to get a better sense of what is in the guides. It's the investment factor too, of potentially not making the best choice for your family. It's been 2 years since I've shopped/researched curriculums and it reminds me of how overwhelming AND exciting it is all at the same time. I'm considering just purchasing the older child's guide working it a little through the summer and if all goes well, then purchase the 6yo's guide. Try and get my feet wet so to speak.
Thank you, again, for your wisdom and advice.
Tracy

Oh, Nealewill, what did you mean about the discount on the package if we bought Bigger guide and Beyond package?

[my3sons]

Hi! If you get the chance, can you share details about each individually in light of the placement chart in regard to reading, writing, grammar, and math? You mentioned the 8 yo falls mainly in the Bigger Hearts guide. What area(s) does he not fit in the Bigger Hearts' guide? Also, could you please share when they turn 7 yo and 9 yo, and when you'd be starting? Also, when does the 4 yo turn 5 yo, and if that child is soon to be 5 yo, could you please share about that child in regard to the placement chart as well? Thanks!

In Christ,
Julie

[Tbird1978]

Yes, Julie, I will clarify the ages of my little people. DD turns 8 this week, DS turning 7 in Sept(reading probably 1st grade level, handwriting is slow but steady, math skills around late kinder/early 1st), DS just turned 4 last week(no formal lessons with him just reading lots of books,), DS #3 will turn 3 in Dec), and DS #4 turns 1 in July.

Oldest son would get gobbled up by a lot of copy work as we have been gently introducing handwriting, with focus on perfect execution and not pages of untidy work. Plans are to continue slow and steady progress through the summer with a goal of being able to do small amounts of copy work. That alone is why I feel the Bigger guide may be too much for him? He falls in the Beyond for reading, Little for writing, and probably between the 2 for Grammar and math. I guess I was just trying to consolidate.

As far as DD goes, she is reading at 4th/5th grade level(according to an online placement test I did), doing well with our grammar lessons in First Language Lessons, learning cursive, and is mostly accurate in her copywork. We haven't done dictation yet and have plans to start formal spelling next year. I feel that she may be ready for DITHR, but not sure?

The 3 little boys would most definitely be in the Little Hands guide, but honestly, getting the older 2 up and running in something more "formal" than what we're doing is kind of priority. I like the idea and the look of the LHH guide, but I really think it may be more than I can chew?
I wish there was someone in my area that had a guide for me to look at, as I'm such a visual person.

I hope this helps, Julie, get a better snapshot of my people and where they fit in the guides. I would like to get a months worth of work done this summer, then start full throttle after labor day. This message board has really been insightful and I cannot tell each of you who've responded how much I appreciate your time. All of our minutes are so very precious and I am grateful for yours spent helping me.

[twolittlebears]

What state are you in? I agree. looking through the guides is the biggest blessing. Have you printed out the week samples online? That's usually very helpful for me.

I'm still a HOD newbie, but I always feel the more input you can get is helpful. My 7 yo is just about to finish Little Hearts for his 2nd grade year and it's been great! He is ahead in math, doing a handwriting book I've added and working through the older Rod and Staff books than are listed for little Hearts. We keep the story time, Bible and History as written and it's been just perfect! He is just now ready to begin spelling words that will be in Beyond. My oldest did Beyond as an 8yo, he's a very reluctant writer. So we took a year off after Beyond and did another program. Now as a 10 yo he is doing beautifully in Bigger and we're about to finish the guide early and move him onto Preparing.

I would put the 6yo in Little Hearts and the 8yo in Beyond. HOD is so awesome in how it builds in skill level, that you can always bump up if you need to.

Beyond doesn't have much copywork from what I remember, but it's been a while for me. Bigger has some copywork, writing out science sheets, writing out vocabulary and definitions for 2-3 words a week. Writing out a Bible verse and usually drawing a picture with it. Writing spelling words....it was a lot for my 10 yo, but now he is used to it and ready to move on. Last year as a 9 yo he would've cried and cried if we'd done Bigger.

Blessings!

[Tbird1978]

Twolittlebears,
Yes, I have the sample lesson plans and we live in SC on the GA border. Thank you for your insight!
Tracy

[my3sons]

Thanks so much for answering my questions! The ladies are coming up with lots of different scenarios for using HOD, and they are all feasible. That is why placement takes a bit of time! Really many options are possible, but there is probably only one that will appeal the most to you and your family, and I think you will know which one because you know your dc, your family, and your 'life' needs best. Homeschooling is a balance act in some ways. I do feel that many things must be considered when choosing placement, including the size of the family. You have many little ones, such a blessing, but also a factor to keep in mind. Mama only has so much time and energy, and mama manages the day when homeschooling! So, you've done a great job of first placing your dc individually according to the placement chart. Thank you! That helps! You've placed your ds in Beyond Little Hearts, and you've placed your dd in Bigger Hearts. These 2 guides are somewhat time consuming to teach at the same time, though many moms do. This is why there are suggestions of having ds do Little Hearts for His Glory, as this guide is easier to teach alongside Bigger Hearts. It is helpful to know your dd just turned 8 yo, and your ds is turning 7 yo in September. Based on what you've shared about your 7 yo, I'd not place him in Bigger Hearts.

I think it is worth trying to combine them, considering they are very close in age, and you are a busy mama. The best combination would be to have them do Beyond Little Hearts together. They are both in the target age range for this guide, your dd just turned 8 yo, and your ds fits squarely there anyway. For your dd, I'd add Drawn into the Heart of Reading 2/3, as well as R & S English 2 daily, appropriate math, cursive, and dictation. I'd get the Bigger Hearts... guide to do this. (The following year when you need the rest of the Bigger Hearts Economy Package, you can let HOD know you already got the Bigger Hearts guide from them, and they will credit back your package savings.) If you find you want to separate them, you can do so later. But, keep in mind extensions are coming down the road in BHFHG, so if Beyond is a tad easy for dd for one year, 'more' beefing up is available in one year (though bet the beefing up I already suggested will be more than enough - DITHOR alone adds much depth).

As far as getting your hands on the guides, you can print the first week of plans, look at the HOD weekly check-ins, look at the HOD photobooks, look through the catalog, consider the advice of the message board, and then after that, you can order what you've decided fits best knowing you have 30 days to return anything for a full refund. Shipping is so much less than the fee to attend a book fair - you can always take advantage of the return policy if needed.

I hope this helps!
In Christ,
Julie

[Tbird1978]

Thank you, Julie, and all! I didn't realize the 30 day return and will consider all you've shared when ordering. I am getting excited about narrowing down the choices and look forward to what lies ahead for next year. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Tracy

[my3sons]

Oh, good, Tracy! I'm glad we were able to help, and if you have more questions, ask away! Or, you can always call HOD and leave a message with your name and phone number. Calls are typically returned with 24-48 hours, unless it is a high volume time.

In Christ,
Julie