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Hello All,

I have 3 children and I have just purchased Preparing to use with my oldest two (9yob and 8yob). They are only 14 months apart so I school them together on the same level. I have also purchased LHTH to use with my 3yog. I have two main questions:

1. We used sonlight last year (we actually took about two years to go through it due to a move) and after choosing Preparing for this year I realized that we really haven't covered Early American history which seems to be the history focus in the book prior to Preparing. How do I make sure to cover that time period when we seem to have passed it by? With HOD, does the history rotate like in other curriculum? Would we ever make it back to cover that time period? If not, what would you all suggest? I don't want to leave anything out.

2. I know that Preparing includes History, Geography, L.A., Poetry, Dictation, Math, Bible, Reading, Science. Is there any nature study, music study (composers and their works), art study (artists and their works) or handicrafts included in the curriculum? If not, I am tring to figure out how to incorporate that into our year.

I would appreciate suggestions and advice.

thanks............Mary B. (in Texas)

Hello,
We used Sonlight last year and are doing Preparing now. I really, really like it much better than Sonlight. As for American history, I am having my children narrate from the Christian Liberty Press history book, A Child's History of America which was an extention book from Bigger. I also LOVE the CLP book Pioneers and Patriots that is used in Beyond. My 9 year old is narrating from this as well.

I'm not sure how HOD cycles history prior to the last volume, but I believe that after Preparing the following books will cover a four year history cycle. Btw, I just love the American history books chosen for the younger guides and they make excellent material for narration in spite of being "texts". Most are living books that were published years ago and re-published as text books.

I add music, picture study, nature study, etc on Fridays because the plan is a four day week. There is quite a bit of nature study in the HOD science, but we just get outdoors on the off day. Music is covered in the lessons, but they are not the famous composers. We play classical music around the house until my kids know the composer by heart, then we move to a new one. I also like http://www.classicsforkids.com/ for Fridays also. It is a free resource that we do twice a month.

Hi Mary,

After Preparing, HOD starts the 4yo cycle, so they will come back to American History in a couple of years.
If you really want them to do American now, you might considering getting Bigger with it's extensions and use the left side of the page and use Preparing for the basics.

Welcome to the HOD board, Mary! PHFHG is going to give you and your dc such a satisfying year. We just completed PHFHG, and it was simply great! American history will come back around in the 4 year cycle to come, however, if you are wanting to add it now, you could do momontheprairie's suggestion on the fifth day of each week.

The PHFHG science provides nature study type material, there is corresponding music each day to the Scripture,, and there are ample hands-on activities that are similar to handicrafts, i.e the weekly history project. Dc read "Mozart" in the deluxe package, so we listened to Mozart off and on throughout the year.

Nature study, music study (composers and their works), art study (artists and their works) or handicrafts can easily be added on the fifth day or on a rotating basis if you'd enjoy that! PHFHG takes 4 hours a day to do, so that would be done easily enough. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie