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HI Ladies I copied this from a pm I sent Carrie last week and as she is so busy (what an amazing woman) I thought I would ask you all for your opinion. You have been so amazing with all of my questions.

I am reading through a lot of peoples choosing posts and wonder if I really made the right choices by deciding to combine. After doing the charts individually here is what I ended up realizing. (I kind of looked at it from a combining perspective to begin with) I did have a long thread about combining for a large family. But now I wonder if I should have looked at it differently from the start.

I ended up with Preparing for my 11 yr old 6th grader. He is quite bright in all subjects. He is really looking forward to homeschooling. If I wasn't going to combine I would have put him in CTC. I got the extension package of Preparing for him. Is CTC much more independent than Preparing? or similar? With doing different basics, and different reading packages (Deluxe and extension) how much is really combined anyway? The history and poetry? Will that save me tons of time?...

My dd 8 will be in 3rd and I put her in preparing with the deluxe package. She is also bright in all subjects. But mostly enjoys books that arent chapter books. She will read anything but picks up the easier ones when she can choose. Loves the easy chapter books cause she likes to finish in a day, doesn't love to write but can and does a nice job. I would have chosen Bigger for her if I was just using the charts. (I also got DITHOR for both of them)

Cassie (7 in aug.) is right where I would have put her. I got Little Hearts for her for a nice first grade experience. She is a straggler/struggler with some learning and OT problems. She can read basic BOB type books and simple early readers. She can do very basic math, and her handwriting is a struggle. she can write all letters but can not write very much without severe fatigue.

And Zoe (5 in Oct.), we decided to combine with her in LHFHG for a slow K program. But I really think it will be too much for her as she really doesn't even know her alphabet and numbers yet in terms of easy recognition, not reading anything. She really belongs in LHTH for Pre K. If I did the LHTH I could throw my 3 year old in there who loves to be a part of things. (and a 1.5 year old climbing over us during our reading time )

so, did I blow it? I bought everything for plan A and plan b is another two programs (although I did just purchase the beyond and Bigger TM's to use the Math activities Carrie created to go with Singapore? ( I have bought all TM's except CTC in the last three months )

Maybe other people second guess themselves too. I just want to start out with the right choices. What would you have truly picked if these were your levels to work with.

Thank you. Yes I would be an expense to change anything If I had too, but I want to do the right thing and I suppose everything would be used in the next few years with six kids left to cycle through the programs.
Thank you so much.

Rebecca

I struggled with my decision after I made it, but now that we have started I am pleased. Yes, I think my oldest could have done PHFHG. Yes my middle dd could have done BHFHG. Yet, we are starting in BHFHG and LHFHG and it is working for me (us). I would start and see how it feels to you after a week or two. If you still feel you shouldn't combine and that your dc would be better off in individual programs, then I would pursue purchasing what else was needed.
I may would change the younger one that was 5 and combine her with the 3 year old though in LHTH. It is a great, sweet program and it is really easy and quick to do. I could have done PHFHG with my dd9, but I am glad that I chose BHFHG b/c she really needs to get used to how different HOD is from public school and I thought that PHFHG might overwhelm her at first.
I would give it a whirl with the dd8 who is in third grade with PHFHG for a week or 2 and see how she is keeping up and enjoying things. If it seems that she isn't keeping up or that she isn't wanting to do as much reading and such, then I would drop her down to BHFHG. Looking at all your dc and the choices you made, the 8 year old 3rd grader in PHFHG stands out the most besides changing to LHTH with the 5 year old.
Is your dd 7 with OT issues going to OT? I have 2 dc with handwriting and fatigue issues. The best thing I have ever bought for them is a slant board. It will work wonders on their writing and the amount and time they can write. You can get them at therapro.com for a decent price. They have some in their clearance or sale items that have slight discrepency for really cheap. The ones I got I couldn't find a discrepency at all. http://www.theraproducts.com/index.php? ... e771966ad8
I think we all second guess ourselves and wonder if we made the right choice, but the only way to find out is to try. I would definitely try it with the PHFHG with the 2 older (you have BHFHG as a backup plan for the younger one), then keep the dd7 in LHFHG, and maybe switch the 5 yr and younger to LHTH (it takes 30 min. sometimes less to do).
Val

Thank you for your response and for understanding my struggle. I went ahead and ordered the board you suggested. I have an IEP meeting for her on Thursday and I am going to take in all they say and try to use the information to help in guiding some of her instruction next year. the school doesn't know I will hs next year. I am nout sure I will let them know at this meeting or not.

So thank you for your idea. I like the idea of starting out with Preparing and seeing how it goes. I do have the concern also that each year she will be on the lower end of the guides. I will play it by ear.

Has anyone done this... Preparing with a 3rd and 6th? Carrie recommends starting out at half pace and I think That will help also.

Your response was encouraging
Thank you.
REbecca

You know something, you are pretty much always going to second guess yourself somewhere, it's our human nature. Personally when I make a decision and then I second guess if I write down all my thoughts (and fears) and prayerfully analyse them over two days my personal insecurities shine through. This is where I have opened up the door to 'double mindedness' (is that a word?) You probably know just don't let anything make you feel insignificant or like you are going to blow it. I haven't used used Preparing or CTC but from what I read Preparing is much more independent than Bigger, and CTC is more so. I'm sure some other ladies will chime in soon. This is an old saying from my Nana (a wise woman of God)

"People don't realize that when they look at and desire the greener grass on the other side of the fence, that someone had to spread out the manure to make it grow that way"

Confident in Him that you will make the right choice!
Joyanna

We all second guess ourselves.For what its worth I think we all make a few mistakes when we start out[not saying you have ] .I bought A reason for handwriting A when K would have been better.He could write all his letters and here in the UK - he would have been in year 1,so I was thinking he needed Grade 1 work,rather than looking at his age- he was a five year old boy who disliked writing.
We started out with Jolly phonics- because we found it secondhand cheaply ,thentried explode the code before we bought The reading Lesson.......

It all a learning curve and we find out so much about our children when we homeschool.

On a completely different note,but as Im writing to you -----Dh said I could homeschool Grace- our 13 yo today.Im not sure if he was being serious or not though ......
If we do thats going to be an even bigger learning curve

On a completely different note,but as Im writing to you -----Dh said I could homeschool Grace- our 13 yo today.Im not sure if he was being serious or not though ......
If we do thats going to be an even bigger learning curve

Wow! that's exciting. Will she be excited? My 12 yr dd, 13 in Oct. doesn't want to come home. She is in a class of 6 and loves her friends. I am not sure what I will do for highschool. She will be in 8th next year. We have free tuition for the CS she is in, so I am letting her stay. LMK what you decide and I will add that to my prayer list!

Rebecca

Hi Rebecca! It is tough to explain the different advice we as a board give to ladies. I try to approach advice in this manner...
1. consider the placement chart and what ladies have shared about their dc
2. consider whether it is a good idea to combine or not, usually somewhat based on whether the mom wants to or not
3. consider any special circumstances
4. consider a mom's place in life right now (overly stressed, near burnout, excited and feeling capable of homeschooling, dh's support, homeschooled a lot of years and quite experienced, etc.)
5. consider long-term rotation of guides
6. consider budgetary needs

These are the things I try to weigh when giving a placement, so I hope this kind of shows how varied advice can be. I love this about HOD - this special consideration of each family's needs and also each lady's personal preferences.

Weighing all of these things, I think that it is a good idea to try to do 3 HOD programs for your situation. Each of the placements you have chosen for your dc fits them well overall, and will make for a very nice year for all of you. I know your oldest could do CTC, and your 8 yo probably might fit better in Bigger Hearts to begin with, but that leaves you with 4 programs. I think that your older 2 in PHFHG with extensions for older is a very good fit. They will be doing a lot together - 7 of the 10 boxes can be done together, and the independent history box can be done independently by your 8 yo and the extension can be done independently by your 11 yo. This all makes for a very nice balanced day for them and for you. I think if I were you, I'd give it a solid month before making any changes. I think you will find a great rhythm by then and will be well on your way to a great year! However, if not, you can always have your oldest do CTC and your 8 yo do Bigger Hearts at that point. I still think the placement you've already chosen is a winner though!

In Christ,
Julie

I still think the placement you've already chosen is a winner though!

In Christ,
Julie

Thank you Julie!! Thank you all. I am going to do my year as is. I am set and ready to go. Thank you again! I will be using 5 guides anyway With using the Math in Beyond and Bigger for my girls.

Wow, you have a lot of posts!! Your wisdom and experience are quite appreciated. I also truly appreciate your list of circumstances. It is so true that everyone is at a different place in their homes and current life stage.

Rebecca