Schedule help for PH, BH, LHFHG, LH

[atrivino]

I need help scheduling my 6 children. We are new to HOD. My ds10 has been doing PHFHG this week mostly by himself with me reading history and checking other subjects. Next week I need to add in Bigger dd8, Little Hearts dd6 and Little hands dd3.5+dd2.5...plus baby. I'm feeling overwhelmed. I need a written schedule to follow.

[rumkimom]

I would just wait on doing LHTH until next year with those little ones when they reach preschool and K. You are going to be very busy running both Preparing and Bigger at the same time. I have never done those 2 guides together but have been told that they are the hardest to run together as they are both very teacher intensive. This year I am using RtR, Preparing and Beyond. I made myself a schedule, but it would not help you much because my kids are in different guides. But what I would do is to get the oldest started on his independent work, then work with LHFHG (maybe half of it), switch and let that one play with the littles and work with the Bigger child for a bit. Next work with the oldest again (while all the others take a break) and then switch back and work with LHFHG and then with Bigger and finish with the oldest. Play with how you do things and see what works for you.

[bethelmommy]

I agree with the previous poster. Don't even worry about LHTH right now. I am finishing up Preparing and Bigger with my oldest two this fall and my third kiddo is starting LHFHG. I am not even attempting LHTH with the fourth. I will just let her join in as she wishes with my 5 year old and then give her coloring and sticker books when she wants her own "seat work". Even with several HOD years under our belt, I still prefer to stagger start our guides. So, I would just focus on adding in Bigger next week and get a rhythm going with your oldest two. Then start LHFHG maybe half speed for a week or two until you are comfortable working up to three full guides. Your oldest two will become more and more independent as the year goes on and they become familiar with the expectations of each unit. I try to give attention to my two youngest first while the oldest two are doing their independent work. Then usually my little ones are content to go play for awhile while I alternate between my oldest two for dictation, grammar, math, narrations, etc... I save history/read alouds for when my little ones are watching a video or napping in the afternoon to avoid as many interruptions as possible. HTH

[MelInKansas]

I can't tell you what schedule to follow - that is so different for each family! I can tell you what I do. I don't like to have a strict schedule by time, but we do have a very strong routine. It probably starts at a different time each day. Basically after breakfast we start, my 2 older, who are in Res to Ref and Preparing, start on some work on their own and I help my 7YO with her math and try to get my 4YO to do workbooks, cutting, something else at the table. 1YO usually also sits in her high chair and "colors" (takes caps off markers and tries to eat them). It's kind of "table time" where they work on seat work and I help them out as needed (Res to Ref daughter goes somewhere else, Preparing daughter sits at the dining room table with us). After my Beyond daughter has her seat work done (math, spelling), I move into the living room with her to do her reading portion - she reads to me, I do read-alouds with her, we do any discussion, Geography or whatever. Then Beyond daughter does her copywork and I move on to one of my other older children. I try to get about an hour with either my Preparing daughter or Res to Ref. My Res to Ref daughter has enough independent work to keep going through this whole time, my Preparing daughter will usually finish hers and then practice piano or do some chores or play with the littles while I work with the other one. Sometime in the middle of this is snack time (yay, the 1 year old is engaged in something non destructive!) Usually whenever we get to 10:30 I stop and get out their snack - it's the same thing every day so it's quick. Back to work with the same child for a little while. Then lunch, chores, and 1YO down for a nap. Then I have an hour or so to work with the other child I didn't get to before. I pretty much go through most of the afternoon - because there are always interruptions in the morning and I like a more relaxed schedule. If I tried to get most of it done in the morning we would really have to push hard and I don't enjoy myself or my relationship with my children when we do that. I'm just not type A enough and I guess haven't taught my children to be disciplined enough either.

With a 3.5 and 2.5 year old I would say yes, don't worry about LHTH yet. Get the other ones going and then maybe add that in later if you can see 20 minutes you want to do something with those two. I often did LHTH right before I put my preschooler down for a nap. Read books to them, have a rotation of educational videos or games they like to play on their own, puzzles, have them sit and color or cut up paper or something during seat work time. Buy workbooks that don't require you to help out much - mazes, dot to dot, etc.