Anyone successfully using 3 HOD programs at a time?

[playschool]

Just curious if this can be done especially if the programs are LHFHG and above.

[MomtoJGJE]

I'm using three, but my three are LHTH, LHFHG, and BLHFHG... it's going well now. I can see it going much much better when we are doing LHFHG, BLHFHG, and Preparing. I'm going to assume (haven't seen the preparing TM) that they are layed out much the same. My biggest issue right now is that my LHTH child wants to do as much school as her sisters, and there just isn't as much with LHTH, nor is she ready for more right now, she just wants to. So she has coloring books to fill the time.

We are pretty much all in the same room all together for all of it. They take breaks when I have to tend to the baby, and they beg for more workbook pages, hence the coloring books for the 2.5yo. They all do the art/science/etc together, but I only display the project of the person who's school it falls under.

I'm already having the Beyond child doing a lot of her work independently because I can see that being very helpful in the future, and I'm guiding my LHFHG child toward that.

In two years I'll have Preparing, Beyond, LHFHG, and LHTH that should be fun.

[water2wine]

We are going to this year use Beyond, Preparing and CTC. I have looked at the guides heavily and I really think it is going to work. Beyond is less than Bigger an we did Bigger with LHFHG last year. Preparing is more independent than Bigger and CTC is more independent than Preparing so I am thinking it really will work. I have a back up plan just because I have health issues and a child with special needs so that adds to the pot but I am really very confident that these three guides look like they will combine well. One thing I am doing is preparing pretty heavily, reading through and understanding the flow so that we can have a smooth start and that is something that I really did not do running two programs. I know other BTDT people will answer but just chiming in that it is our plan for this year to do three and I am pretty confident it will be a great fit for us.

I know Carrie technically does three and hopefully others will chime in as well.

[georgiamomof3]

We are currently using LHTH, LHFHG, and Preparing. So far things are going very well. We are still tweaking our schedule, but it's all fitting in so nicely together! I am LOVING that each of the kids' history/Bible stories correlate...we've all learned so much about Noah's ark and Abraham, etc. just from hearing the stories from each of the guides! My dd 9 and ds 5 made their own torn paper rainbows like our ds 3 did!

I think in the future it will fit together even better since the kiddos will just continute to grow and become more independent. I am using workboxes with my younger two boys to keep them busy while dd and I are working. It has worked out wonderfully!


JoAnna

[8arrows]

I am doing LHTH, Bigger, and CTC. My two oldest are doing another high school program. We are just now reaching full speed, and I know that there are days that that will not happen, but most of the time I think it will. There is no way I could do it without prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit. I am currently praying everyday for wisdom in organizing and patience. A schedule is also important to us.

[Carrie]

I see that 8arrows and I were posting at the same time!

This is a great question, and one that has many answers. First off, I think it's important to realize that with HOD you don't have to run 3 programs to get a good education for your children. Just as you have choices with other curriculums, you have choices with how many programs you are comfortable running with HOD. There are many ways to combine within a program if desired, and it's so important to be aware of your own teaching style and lifestyle when deciding how many HOD programs to do.

So, if combining your children is a priority for your family, or if you have an especially hectic shedule and need a more streamlined school schedule, or if you are facing an unusual amount of medical concerns, or if managing several guides makes you very stressed, then choosing 3 HOD guides is likely not your best fit. The important thing to realize is that you can still choose HOD, but you just choose the options to combine instead. Next, I think it is easier to run three HOD programs (if you choose to do so) once you've already done one or more HOD programs first. In that way, just as in life itself, familiarity makes doing something similar much more manageable.

We would not recommend jumping in to do 3 programs if it is your first experience with HOD. We would instead lean toward having new HOD moms or new homeschool moms do a single program or possibly two at the most, and then decide if they desire to branch out into 3 programs later in the year or another year. We would typically instead suggest combining kiddos (as best as possible) for the left side of the plans, and then adding on a corresponding piece of language arts and math from a higher HOD guide. This works no differently than other programs who combine for history and have separate language arts and math for their kiddos. We may also recommend doing two programs, depending on your situation and your family goals.

So, it still remains a choice as to how you wish to use HOD. It will also make a big difference which HOD programs you are looking at utilizing. For example, we would not usually recommend doing 3 programs at the same time that are in a row together. For example, we wouldn't usually suggest doing LHTH, LHFHG, and Beyond all at once, because if your kiddos are close enough in age to do 3 guides that are in a row, then some of them should be able to be combined into 2 programs. The same is true as you move into upper guides. For example, we wouldn't recommend doing Beyond, Bigger and Preparing at the same time, since kiddos who are close enough in age to do those programs, should be able to be combined within one or two programs.

We have families that combine and those who do not. HOD works well in a myriad of situations. We have run 3 programs at our house for years and this year we'll be running 4 programs. From having used many other curriculums out there, I can tell you that there is no way I could personally do that with just about any other program available (and still keep my sanity).

So, would I typically recommend that other moms jump in then and do 3 or 4 programs to start out? No, but I share this to let you know that it is possible and reasonable to do multiple programs once you get used to the flow of HOD and are no longer new to the guides.

Easing into adding programs through the years is very reasonable. Once you've been through a guide, when you pick it up for your next child in line it feels like visiting an old friend. You know exactly what to expect and can just enjoy the time spent together. Then, adding a new program along with it is not a big deal. This is the situation that we are in right now. We've already done LHTH and Beyond in the past, so adding CTC and piloting our new guide along with doing those programs (for us) seems natural. For me it is an added relief to know exactly what my little ones will be doing without all the prep. and planning on my part.

One thing that sets HOD apart from other curriculums is that we do not do a one-size-fits-all placement. So, the goal is to find out what works best for you!

Blessings,
Carrie

[playschool]

Thank you ladies for your insight. Thank you also Carrie for your indepth perspective on this topic. The reason why I asked is because we were planning on using Preparing with both my 6th grade dd (w/extensions) and 3rd grade ds, but I was regretting the fact that my ds would not get to do Bigger. I also did not think that in a year he would be ready to do all that is required in CTC. I was just toying with the idea of purchasing Bigger for my ds, and using Preparing still with my older dd, and we have already planned on using LHFHG for my younger dd. I just did not want to get in over my head. That is what prompted my question. I still do not want my ds to miss out on Bigger so I guess this year in light of Carrie's advice, I will continue with my plans on using Preparing with both children, but maybe next year I will have my ds do the Bigger program and have my dd move up to CTC. Does that sound crazy to have my ds move down a level next Fall just so that he can experience Bigger? What are your thoughts??

[AboveRubiesMama]

I am using 3 manuals--LHTH, LHFHG, and BLHFHG but I combine the younger two--they both do LHTH together but then I do the RIGHT side of LHFHG with my ds. There's definitely a lot of reading, if you want to do it all yourself, but I let me dd (BLHFHG) read her Reading selections independently now. She likes to read them during quiet time, so that's helped a lot. Also, she does phonics with my K4 dd. She loves it, my dd4 loves it, and it frees me up while I work with ds5.

[eazbnsmom]

I also am using 3 manuals (with 4 children). We just started this week so I am still adjusting my schedule for the best flow. We are using Beyond with my 6 & 7yo boys, Bigger with my 9yo (she does Bible & Poetry from Beyond with the boys), and my 11yo in CTC. My 11yo is mostly independent except for grammar/writing, Bible/Geography, Story time and narrations. Since my 9yo is usually and early riser, I have started her a half hour to hour earlier than the rest of them. We cover History, Grammar, Science and Storytime, this leaves her to do her copywork, DITHOR reading & math (after instructions) to do on her own while I work with the boys. So far it is working very well.

I agree with Carrie about starting of with 1-2 manuals (even if just for a few weeks) first before trying 3 manuals. Doing LHFHG and Preparing last year really helped me to prepare for this year.

[my3sons]

I'll be using 3 manuals soon. I'm not worried about it, but I like using different manuals with my different dc. I think it's easier (because everyone's doing what they can easily do and doing it for about the amount of time I want them to be doing it). I like my ds doing Beyond to finish far before my ds doing CTC. It works well for his maturity level and his age. Likewise, I like my CTC ds to finish later, for the same reasons - but that's just my perspective. That is not HOD's perspective. Instead, HOD works hard to help fine tune placements individual to each family's needs. Placement may look very different for different families. Even two families that have exactly the same aged dc, exactly the same number of dc, and exactly the same "placement" according to the chart - may very well have two different plans going on with HOD for their families.

You can combine with HOD as easily as you can combine with other programs. You just need varying levels of LA and math, which would have to be done to properly meet dc's needs no matter what program you were combining them in. So, if doing 3 guides isn't your cup of tea, the extensions, multiple levels of LA and math, and the right side of the guides being LA/Math are written so you can combine easily. I would not advise someone to do 3 guides when they are new to homeschooling or new to HOD (unless they were comfortable with it). I would also not advise them to do 3 sequential guides in their entirety (i.e. BLHFHG, BHFHG, PHFHG). Dc could probably better be combined at that point.

Once a person has taught an HOD guide, it is like coming back "home" the next time around. That then makes adding another one very exciting, and then the following year, adding yet another is exciting as well (at least it has been for me ). I think it keeps things familiar and yet fresh and new at the same time.

So, instead of combining broad, sweeping ranges of ages, HOD fine tunes the age range for those that like to teach dc separately, but also adds extensions and LA/Math options for those who like to combine. This kind of customizing is innovative (IMO), and allows YOU to choose which route you'd enjoy going. One path is not necessarily better than the other. The path that is the best is the one that gets done consistently, and keeps us homeschooling through the years. If you are challenged and stressed by the thought of doing 3 programs at once, please don't! There's no need for it. Just combine then, and enjoy that route. But, I will say - don't try to plan all of the rest of your dc's school years all right now this moment. So much can change! God is in control, and that means we don't get to lay out our life plan forever (a relief, when you really think about it). So while you are now doing 1 or 2 HOD guides, if doing 3 seems disturbing, it may not in a year or 2. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie