Need help, Again...LOL(edited to add more info)

j_croche · Post by **j_croche** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:16 am

Hi,
It's been a long time since I've been on the boards. After Christmas I had enrolled 2 of my children (ds12&dd7) in a local charter school. There was a waiting list for ds10, so he remained at home. My reason for putting them in school, was due to my lack of consistency. We had flip flopped curriculum for the first part of our school year and then I had purchased PHFHG. I loved the program and it was a great fit for DS 11, but ds10 has some struggles, so it was rough for him. At the same time, I also began LHFHG with dd7. She LOVED it!
Even though I loved our new curriculum, I still couldn't seem to pull it together. With 3 school aged, a 3 year old, and a baby, also I was suffering from PPD....I nearly crumbled. My husband and I decided that it would be better for everyone to put them in school for a while.
Fast forward to now....I realize that it was never the home schooling, the preschooler, or the baby that was the problem. It was me not having a routine in place.Also, the COMPUTER was a big time stealer along with the phone. So now that we know what the problem was, we've decided to bring them home. We also let them have a say as to what they wanted, thankfully they wanted to come home as well.
That brings me to the curriculum issue...DS12 is going to be using an online academy. I want to use HOD for ds10, dd7,and ds4.I still have Preparing, but ds10 is really behind due to my inconsistency and would probably fit better into BHFHG. DD7 just turned 7(completed 1st grade) and Bigger may be a bit of a stretch for her.I have gone through the placement chart and she's on the fence. Do you think that it would be possible for both of them to use BLHFHG? I feel that I could fill in ds10's gaps in learning(on the CAT test he tested 3rd grade in math and reading and 2nd-3rd in Lang and writing skills) and maybe beef it up for him by using his level Math and extra writing assignments. We would use the Emerging readers for dd7 and DITHOR 2/3 for ds 10. Also I've thought about having him go through the R&S 2 or 3 book....which one would you suggest?
I have LHTH for my 3 year old.
(*edited to add) Another thought that I have is using what I already have, PHFHG with ds10 on a 5 day schedule so that we can take it slowly. If we did this I would probably place dd7 in BLHFHG and ds4 in LHTH. If all of PHFHG is too much for ds, I could have him do the right side and then sit in on his sisters history lessons. I think I'm confusing myself...lol.
Please give me any suggestions or different scenarios that come to mind.
Thanks so much. I've missed you guys.
Jenni

spidermansmum · Post by **spidermansmum** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:45 am

Hi Jenni
Firstly your not alone - I almost my child in school last January when we struggled so much.Praise God the school wouldnt take him.Its not the things we often think are the problem thats the problem .For me its a lifestyle change and as such it worked best when I made gradual changes .
I know you were asking about curriculums really - sadly Im not that experienced. I think Beyond would be great for your 7 year old[ we are starting that in a few weeks...and LHTH too].Im sure someone will be able to help you with your older one

Jessi · Post by **Jessi** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:25 am

Jenni

Welcome back. Consistency is such a hard thing because life is so inconsistent. Hoping next year goes much more smoothly for you! I am glad you did what you had to do at the time and are now able to bring them all home again! YAY!

I don't really have advice on where to place your kids because I am not in those guides yet and since they are both on the fence. I have heard it is always easier to start easier and beef it up than to start too hard and have to weed things out. I don't know though. I would think you'd need more science for your 10 year old though as there isn't a daily science in Beyond. Something to think about.

zookeeperof3monkeys · Post by **zookeeperof3monkeys** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 8:28 am

I'm using Beyond for my 10 yr old, for pretty much the same reasons you have. He really enjoys it. I was adding to it but it became too much. We now use Beyond as is and my son borrows books that interest him from the library. I do have my son write the Bible verse in his notebook, then illustrate it and at the end of the unit he writes 2 or 3 sentences about what he learned from it, and he does the same for his read aloud books. That's the only "extra" i added in....that I keep doing anyway! We are going to start DITHOR this fall. I do ask my son to read a bit every afternoon after our formal learning time is over. Right now we have 19 books checked out of the library! My son loves science but is satisfied with what's in the guide. We are using R&S 2 right now, complete book of phonics from costco and Teaching Textbooks 4. A routine is critical! I am a anti schedule, fly by the seat of my pants person, my kids are not, so I had to make a schedule. It really helps a lot. We bought the laminated class schedule from Target's $1 section last week. It's been great.

If I can help you in any way, please let me know.
Blessings,
Kim

j_croche · Post by **j_croche** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:54 am

You ladies are awesome! Keep the ideas coming!
Thanks,
Jenni

my3sons · Post by **my3sons** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:28 pm

We've missed you, Jenni! I'm so glad you are back. First, let me say that it takes a mighty brave gal to humble herself and get to the root of the problem. I totally know where you are coming from - I have gotten to the root and found "me" there many, many times. However, that's a good place to be because we have total control over ourselves - right? That's what I tell myself at least.

I'm sure there are other things that factored into it as well, so don't be so hard on yourself. I think it is very telling that all of your dc CHOSE to come back home - you are definitely doing something right!!!

Public school can be a pretty big draw for those older ones especially.

In light of what you shared about your dc, your dd being on the fence and your ds - I think Bigger Hearts would be a good place to begin with them, and you can go into it slowly, doing it half-speed first. This would fit their needs well, you wouldn't have to do any tweaking, and you wouldn't feel pressured to finish in exactly 35 weeks. I think you'd enjoy starting half-speed, doing the left side of the plans one day, and the right side the next day, for a few weeks to ease into it. You could help your ds really grow in his reading by doing DITHOR daily, and your dd would do just fine with it. If you are reading this and still feeling Beyond would be the better choice and you would like to beef that up, I think it would need quite a bit of adding for a 10 yo, but it could definitely be done if that route is more appealing to you. Either way, it's good to "see you" here again, and my prayers are with you as you decide what would fit your goals the best!

In Christ,
Julie

j_croche · Post by **j_croche** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:42 pm

my3sons wrote: In light of what you shared about your dc, your dd being on the fence and your ds - I think Bigger Hearts would be a good place to begin with them, and you can go into it slowly, doing it half-speed first. This would fit their needs well, you wouldn't have to do any tweaking, and you wouldn't feel pressured to finish in exactly 35 weeks. I think you'd enjoy starting half-speed, doing the left side of the plans one day, and the right side the next day, for a few weeks to ease into it. You could help your ds really grow in his reading by doing DITHOR daily, and your dd would do just fine with it. If you are reading this and still feeling Beyond would be the better choice and you would like to beef that up, I think it would need quite a bit of adding for a 10 yo, but it could definitely be done if that route is more appealing to you. Either way, it's good to "see you" here again, and my prayers are with you as you decide what would fit your goals the best!

In Christ,
Julie

Julie,
I really feel that bigger would be a better fit for ds10. I am concerned however that dd7 would miss out on the gentle lang. and writing pieces in beyond. My initial quest was to try to keep them together, but I realize that may not be the best fit for them. So, how hard do you think it would be to juggle LHTH, BLHFHG,& BHFHG?
Also, my husband is concerned about testing because he wants to *see* that they are on task with things. I don't fault him for it b/c I was very inconsistent in the past. I actually think it's great that he want to be involved. Could I use dictation as spelling test at the end of the week? I figure I could type up math and Language test based on what were learning. Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Jenni

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:05 pm

Hi Jenni!

Here's an idea. Could you combine the 7 and 10 yo, and then just do the LA and poetry box from Beyond with the 7 yo in place of the LA in Bigger? I'm not sure what you're using for math, but maybe the math plans in Beyond would help you out, too. This would keep almost everything together to help you out with time and consistency, but still meet your kids where they are for math and LA.

Last year was my 1st year with HOD while homeschooling and we had WAY more to show dad when he came home than when we were doing textbook/workbook style curriculum.

So, never fear, your kids will definitely have lots to share about what they're learning from a day in Bigger...or LHTH.

There will be notebooking pages, experiments, my ds always HAD to tell about our storytime book we had going, math and English will be written, memorized verses, art projects. Dictation is done 3 times a week in Bigger. The directions are laid out nicely in the appendix, and when your child writes a passage you dictate perfectly, they move on to the next passage the next time. So, you'll be doing 1-3 passages each week. Sometimes we even left the history activities set up so that dad could join in at lunch. I know for sure we did this for the jumping contest. And, before Dad jumped Grant had to tell him WHY we were jumping and how that went along with what we had read that morning about William Penn.

I'm pretty sure he also mined for gold, "programed" a robot, etc. After doing Bigger this past year, Grant has spent this entire summer locating and monitoring every bird nest around our house and at the farm. He's a budding John Audubon, I do believe.

(I'm just glad that he has his dad's balance when he's on top of the barns and sheds at the farm...and that I'm not watching when he does!

) My husband had an egg collection when he was younger of TONS of different species' eggs - also inspired by John Audubon, so he loves seeing Grant be interested in learning about wildlife.

Kathleen

sjones4 · Post by **sjones4** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:32 pm

This will be our first year with HOD as well. I was just popping in to say that you might want to consider waiting on starting your 3yo on LHTH until you feel comfortable with the pace of rest of the kids. I know mine pops up to the table if he is interested then runs off when he loses interest. I will be starting him sometime after his 4th birthday in March. Of course you may feel that LHTH would help you KEEP him entertained as well, so its just an idea. You could also start him in more slowly 2 or 3 days a week and gradually add more days as you feel comfortable.

j_croche · Post by **j_croche** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:18 pm

Thanks Ladies. Kathleen, my husband specifically wants them tested as in Math, Language, and Spelling. I'm trying to figure out how we can implement that with HOD. I'm sure we will think of something.
Sjones, I need to change my signature, my 3 year old turned 4 in February 09, so he's really chomping at the bit to "do school"....

Again, thank all of you for the suggestions

j_croche · Post by **j_croche** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:49 pm

Just noting that I added more info to the original post. Hopefully I'll be ready to order something in the next two weeks

Post by **Carrie** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:51 pm

Welcome back! It sounds like you have had an eventful year. I'm so glad that you'll get another chance at homeschooling, now that you are feeling better and are looking at some new ways to prioritize. We all struggle with priorities, and I find myself continually needing to refocus on mine as well.

With what you've shared about your 10 year old, I fear that dropping back from doing Preparing Hearts last year all the way to Beyond would be too far of a drop back. So, I do think placing your 10 year old in Bigger Hearts is the best scenario. Along with balancing your newly turned 4 year old, I do think it makes sense to try having your 7 year old join you in Bigger Hearts to keep things simpler for you.

I would start the school year at either half-speed or full-speed 4 days a week. For the testing your husband is desiring, I'm wondering if a Student Book weekly check would be sufficient with work to show him? DITHR will have completed pages that can be shown. Rod and Staff Grammar will have graded papers that could be shown (and you could use the oral review or have your hubby give the oral review from Rod and Staff as a daily or weekly assessment). As far as math goes, you could grade the workbook pages as a weekly show of what is being accomplished. Or, possibly once weekly your child could show a work sample in each area to show your husband progress?

I agree that adding part of the right side of Beyond for your 7 year old would work too for customizing language arts and math, or you could use spelling list 2, Rod and Staff 2, and Math 2A/2B in Bigger if those fit your 7 year old well.

Just some thoughts to ponder.

Blessings,
Carrie

my3sons · Post by **my3sons** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 12:51 pm

Hi Jenni! We were out of town for the weekend, so I'm just reading up on this. I think Bigger Hearts either half-speed for a bit or 4 days a week full-speed would help your 7 yo grow into it nicely. We did Bigger Hearts with my ds when he was 7, and after about a month of doing it full-speed, he understood what he was to do and did well with it. Doing Bigger Hearts and LHTH would be such a nice start with HOD. The 2 programs are very manageable to teach at the same time, and they would fit what you've shared you'd desire.

I think Kathleen and Carrie gave some great ideas for assessment. You could easily grade the math - you may want to just grade the Practice and the Review sections - since it is hard to give a grade on the daily work since they may have just learned the concept for the first time. For the R & S, you could grade the reviews, and you could also grade the written portion each day, after having done the oral part. For each sub-section of daily plans we do the first half or more either orally or on markerboard, then we have ds write the lat part of each sub-section in his notebook. You could grade that part if you wanted, since your dc will have been able to practice the new skill with you. For spelling, after Day 5, you could give the old-fashioned spelling test.

For dictation, you could require a certain number to be passed each week - just requiring dc to get 2 or 3 (if you do school 4 days) perfectly right. Dictation is something dc study for, and then the "test" is if they write it perfectly (you can follow the dictation directions in the Appendix for this). For writing, you could have cursive (or if 7 yo needs to wait on this, A Reason for Handwriting A) be the assessment.

In Christ,
Julie

j_croche · Post by **j_croche** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 11:56 pm

Carrie, Julie, and everyone,
Thanks so much for chiming in. I'm so greatful for this board. I'm still pondering everyone's suggestions. I'm leaning toward Bigger for my ds10, but still have reservations about dd7 missing out on Beyond. So I'll keep praying

Blessings,
Jenni

Post by **Carrie** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:55 pm

Jenni,

I agree that is something to ponder. I do hate for your 7 year old to miss out on Beyond, but I do want to make sure that your 10 year old has "enough". So, if you did choose to go the Beyond route with both kiddos, you would definitely need to add a higher level of grammar, math, writing, and DITHR for your 10 year old.

In that scenario, for your 10 year old I would most likely add the following: Rod and Staff 3, Cheerful Cursive (if needed), a higher level of math, higher level of dictation passages (from either Bigger or Preparing Hearts, since you already own Preparing), and the science as written from Bigger Hearts. I do think this may be a viable option, as you said your 10 year old really needs to focus on the 3 R's and this option would give you time to do that. It would also make sure that your 7 year old doesn't jump ahead too far, skipping over Beyond.

I would also make sure the 10 year old did the daily copywork of poetry scheduled in Beyond and most likely add a once a week notebooking entry for your 10 year old to the history in Beyond.

You would also need to make sure to choose a grammar program that covers dictionary skills and writing to make sure your 10 year old has enough in those areas as well. Rod and Staff does cover both.

Blessings,
Carrie

Blessings,
Carrie

heartofdakota.com

Need help, Again...LOL(edited to add more info)

Need help, Again...LOL(edited to add more info)

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