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I have a copy each of Earlybird 1a/1b. I bought it because I knew they were going out of print for my ds 2.5. He is doing LHTH first time through right now and will finish at 36 months old. Then we are breaking between guides for everyone for 6 weeks. What age and when do I do Earlybird 1a/1b with him? I have looked through it several times and I like it. Do I just start it with him after our 6 week break? Is 3 too early to do the Earlybird 1a/1b books?
I've looked through older posts that recommended using Earlybird 1a/1b on a 2nd trip through LHTH, but I couldn't really tell what age it was beginning to be used. The first book seems pretty easy, but the 2nd does some number writing and might need more fine motor skills. Is it better to wait until he is 4? He will be doing the Earlybird 2a/2b when we get to LHFHG eventually.
I have Hooked on Phonics pre-reading and plan to work through it and HOP beginning reading before we do The Reading Lesson with LHFHG some time down the road. I know that the pre-reading is for ages 3-5 so I am going to start it after the break.
I am more or less trying to figure out whether to start Earlybird 1a/1b at the same time at 3 or wait until he is 4.
I hope it is ok to post this as I found it recommended in earlier posts before it went out of print.
Val

Hmmm, looking ahead, the writing becomes more of a factor in Earlybird 2A/2B, and then even more so in Primary 1A/1B, so I guess I would try not to get to those (especially 1A/1B) before dc can write fairly well. So, backtracking from there, if you started Earlybird 1A/1B now and did it full-speed (with breaks for around a total of a 9 month school year), he'd be doing that from ages 3-4, then doing Earlybird 2A/2B from ages 4-5, and then doing Primary 1A/1B from ages 5-6. If the little guy's fine motor skills and math reasoning skills come along well, this could be a workable possibility. Looking further down the road though, I don't think I'd want to get to 2A/2B for ages 6-7, 3A/3B for ages 7-8 - oh, that sounds a bit scary to me since Singapore is already pretty advanced! So, with all that considered, I'd say you could either start Earlybird 1A/1B with him now, and take longer - like around 3 years maybe doing it around 2-3 days a week - to go through Earlybird 1A/1B and Earlybird 2A/2B. Or, you could just hold off and start Earlybird 1A/1B when he's 4 years old. Good question - and as always, you will know best what fits your goals for your dc!

In Christ,
Julie

I like the idea of doing 1a/1b over 2 years and then he would be 5-6 starting 2a/2b. I think that will be my plan to just do 2-3 pages a week. I don't want to get to the harder math too fast. Yet I have a bad habit of buying things that I know will be great and then not planning and by the time I remember I have them the kids are too old to use them .
I think he will be ready for the Earlybird 1A by the time we finish LHTH and take our break over the holidays. I will just try to make 1a take a year to finish and then take a year to finish 1b. If I start it and he isn't ready, then I will just shelve it until he is closer to 4.
Thanks,
Val

Nathan finished sinagpore 1b part one before we finished LHFHG.So Im looking at starting with 1B part two in the new curriculum- Beyond and then 2a and possibly 2b part one [and he is 6 ].Should I slow down or keep going.?Im nervous now.
Having done it this way so far -my only complaint would be - it doesnt always fit in with the curriculum nicely -but then that works sometimes because we pick out carries activity and recap something if I think he needs it.

spidermansmum wrote:Nathan finished sinagpore 1b part one before we finished LHFHG.So Im looking at starting with 1B part two in the new curriculum- Beyond and then 2a and possibly 2b part one [and he is 6 ].Should I slow down or keep going.?Im nervous now.
Having done it this way so far -my only complaint would be - it doesnt always fit in with the curriculum nicely -but then that works sometimes because we pick out carries activity and recap something if I think he needs it.

Are you talking about Earlybird 1A/1B and Earlybird 2A/2B? Or are you talking about Primary 1A/1B and Primary 2A/2B? If you are talking about the Earlybird books, that's just fine and you could even speed up some. If you are talking about the Primary books, you'll have to weigh if he's seeming to get it well enough, and if so - then just continue, watching for the need to slow down. The HOD activities are wonderful, so you may want to consider getting Bigger Hearts for the Primary 2A/2B activities. It sounds like Nathan is doing well though, so whatever you're doing seems to be working - which is always the best litmus test for math!

In Christ,
Julie

We tried the singapore earlybird 2a/b but it was just too easy for him- so we went for singapore 1a/b primary.I looked at Carries activities in LHFHG and if I thought it was something he would like or that he needed to practice some more - we used them.I didnt follow the first grade schedule in LHFHG-we just worked at our own pace- hence we didnt finish the primary 1B.I will look at purchasing Bigger when the funds allow - and make sure I dont push him too hard

spidermansmum wrote:We tried the singapore earlybird 2a/b but it was just too easy for him- so we went for singapore 1a/b primary.I looked at Carries activities in LHFHG and if I thought it was something he would like or that he needed to practice some more - we used them.I didnt follow the first grade schedule in LHFHG-we just worked at our own pace- hence we didnt finish the primary 1B.I will look at purchasing Bigger when the funds allow - and make sure I dont push him too hard

Oh, that sounds like it's going just great! I think that is the beauty of the way HOD does math and DITHOR reading (as well as spelling/dictation, grammar, and a handful of other 3 R type skills). We can go at a pace that best fits our children and not "mess up" the rest of the guide, which I personally love.

My middle ds is 6 yo and is in the middle of Beyond, and we're using the HOD plans - he is just starting 1B. He is exactly on track for the math plans in the daily 2 page spread of Beyond. On the other hand, my oldest ds is 9 yo and doing CTC next year - he'll start up where he left off last year, near the end of 3B. So, we are off the schedule with him. I'm alright with that because that's where they both need to be in Singapore right now. The nice thing, is it works great for both of them.

I have used the HOD hands-on plans and loved those, so that would be neat if you are able to get those. It sounds like your little guy is clipping along and doing wonderful! Keep up the good work, Nathan!

In Christ,
Julie

Val Im sorry I hijacked your thread.
Julie thanks for reassuring me .