heartofdakota.com

Hello all!
I need help figuring out how to go forward and what/where to place my girls. I have five girls, ages 2,6,8,9,and 10.
I'm feeling that terrible mommy guilt, confusion and overwhelming feelings right now. Whatever the case may be, we are behind in school. Our case has been a combination of two huge cross country moves, a pregnancy/baby, and a house renovation project due to mold that just all combined was a couple of years.

I had my 6 and 8 yo in Little Hearts for His Glory and my 9 and 10 in Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory.... for about 2 years. ..I know. But we are finished with both guides. I know I wasn't consistent but we are finished now which is good! And we all love them, love the stories and especially the projects!

Quick side note, I was always searching and using secular curriculum before, but ever since HOD, I have been learning right along side my kids, it has been awesome and we all know the Lord now! The journey has been amazing for all of us!

But I am struggling on getting it all done in a day, and I'm trying to figure out how to make it work better for us. Do you think I could combine all my girls in Bigger Hearts for His Glory for the History, Science, Bible, Geography and Storytime and keep them separate for math, reading, writing and English.

I want to do some subjects All together and my older kids need to be more self sufficient and I need to work more one on one with my youngest.

Is the extension packet for older kids just the reading program?

And I feel like I love HOD but we are really behind in Math and writing and my 6 yo is struggling big time with reading so I know I have to have our time for that.

Any advice is appreciated!
Thank you,
Amanda

Unless your 6yo is gifted, Bigger will be a challenge! My almost 8yo is having to slow down some because it is a big increase in writing and simply school. There is no way my 6yo could do it, or even my oldest when she was 6 without hating learning and school (and she probably is gifted).

If you looked at the placement chart for each child, where do they place?

Even though my kids are in separate guides, they stop join in on fun things. The three big kids all helped with my oldest's history project this week for example. So separate guides doesn't necessarily mean not learning together. It just means meeting the kids where they are at instead of trying to modify something to make it fit for all.

Thanks for the reply!
No my 6 year old is not gifted and yes that does make sense to just keep them separated. I just feel with where we are now, I might have to run 3 guides, which is daunting. But maybe it will all iron out.
I should probably stop researching and just start!

Whew, you have had one busy year! I'm so glad things are settling into a new less hectic life for you now, and you should feel so good about having completed Beyond... and Little Hearts... - way to go!
I'm also so happy to hear about your drawing closer to the Lord through your years of teaching HOD too. That is a 'forever' blessing!!! So, good things have come out of your past 2 years, and they should be celebrated.

Looking ahead, I think StephanieU gave some good advice! Honestly, I find it easier to run 3 guides than to combine my kiddos in guides that don't fit them well. That brings me to my next point though - a lot can happen in 2 years, especially in the areas of reading, writing, math. Likewise, some kiddos mature more and are ready for more independent work, and some are just happy leaning on us mamas still. So, I'd love for you to pretend you were new to HOD and take a good, fresh look at the placement chart. I'll link it here...
https://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

I'd print one chart for each daughter, and fill one out at a time, thinking of only one daughter at a time, circling where she individually falls in each column. The first page is really the most important one (which is in regard to age, reading, writing, grammar, and math). Then, can you share your findings here? Or give HOD a call and share your findings? That way we can figure out the best placement/plan going forward. Also, it is helpful to know each child's birthday month, as a 6 year old that just turned 6 can be quite different from a 6 year old turning 7 tomorrow. We can totally figure this out! While I don't think choosing 1 guide will make your life easier, I do think we can make your life easier by making sure placement is proper for the 'now' in your life - not just for the 'where you happen to be' in the guides due to the last 2 years. Can't wait to hear back from you, either here or via HOD phone!

In Christ,
Julie