help with placement please!

[Dustybug]

Hello all! It's been quite awhile since I have been able to check in here. Due to a job loss, we cut costs a ton, which means no home internet for now. Anywho, We are just about finished with LHTH with my 3yr old DD. We should finish up around April-May. Originally, I had planned to cycle back through LHTH for another year, using some of the older options and by purchasing the other set of bible/devotional for the program to give it a little different taste, also while adding some supplemental things from Rod & Staff and Before Five in a Row. But, as I look back over the year and gauge where DD is with her schooling, I think for the most part she could be ready to bump up to LHFHG. I'm hesitant only in a few small areas. I also don't want to push her too hard OR leave her in LHTH again and have her begin to get bored with her schoolwork. I will also be starting my DS in LHTH in the fall as well. I have to decide soon, because we plan to purchase all homeschool supplies, etc. for the next school year with our tax refund. DD will turn 4 in Feb, so come the fall, she will be almost 5. Any input from people that started a 4yr in LHFHG? Should I stick with my original plan and school both children together using the older options and supplements for my DD and the younger stuff for my DS or go ahead and bump her up and teach them from different books(which I dont' mind doing). Help!

[sharonb]

If you think your dd will be ready for LHFHG in the fall, then you could take a couple of years to go through it.

FWIW, I tried LHFHG with my ds when he was 4.5, and he did not enjoy it at all. BUT, he loves doing whatever his older siblings are doing, so that probably had a lot to do with it. So, if you think your children will enjoy being combined since they are so close in age to each other, then I'd say to wait and combine them, making sure each has their own levels for phonics, math, etc.

Although there are quite a few people who have started LHFHG with a 4 year old and then take a couple of years to get through it, I would lean towards waiting to start until they are a bit older and can get the most out of it. (Just my opinion!)

[countrymom]

I think it depends so much on the temperament of the child. I started our 4 1/2 yr old (turns 5 in March so about your dd's age) in LHFHG late fall, with the thought I would go 1/2 speed for awhile until I could evaluate if he were truly ready. He definately was ready and we are going full speed with no problems at all. One thing to consider is how well your dd does with listening to chapter books with fewer pictures. If she is going to get the full benefit from the program, you don't want to be losing her with the storytime or history. Our son does great with that, in fact we are reading books from the boy and girl interest list for Beyond to give him extra reading because he loves, loves it. Now, our other son would not be able to do this at the same age, so it is so dependant on the child. Going 1/2 speed is a great option if overall she seems ready but may need a slower pace. Don't know if that helps or not, sometimes it can be hard to find the balance because, as you said, you do not want them to be bored, but at the same time you want them to get all of the benefit from the program.

[my3sons]

We started LHFHG when my ds was 4.5 yo and took just shy of 2 years to go through it. This was a perfect fit for him and for me. We did the left side of the plans one day, and the right side the next day. We did do phonics daily. If you were to look at the placement chart for your dd now, where would she place?
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

If it's primarily in LHFHG, I'd place her there and go half-speed to let her mature into it. We LOVED LHFHG, and found it to be just right for our little guy at that age. It is just a great fit for that age. I think if she did well with LHTH and learned what she needed to from that, she'll be ready for half-speed LHFHG no problem.

In Christ,
Julie

[Dustybug]

Thank you for responding! As far as the placement chart goes, DD places mostly in LHFHG. She still would need some work on the handwriting though I think. She can write all the letters of the alphabet IF I show her on a separate piece of paper first. A few she can do independently. I think she may need some more time with math too, but other than that I think she is ready. We already read chapter books for fun as it is, so that isn't a worry. Hmm....you ladies have given me more to chew on. I really appreciate your input!

[Samuel'sMommy]

My son is 4 (will be 5 in March) and we just started LHFHG. We do handwriting, phonics, and math daily and do the rest of the guide 3 days a week. We get library books related to whatever we're learning in history and science for the other 2 days. He is absolutely loving it! I think if you start it out slow and see how she does, you should be fine.

[Carrie]

Dusty,

The ladies are doing a great job of helping you talk through your options. It is so great to have this board, as you get many different views on a topic and can usually find someone in a similar situation as the one that you have.

One other thought I had as I pondered this thread is whether or not you will want to combine your next little guy in line with your oldest as you go through the years. While you may have no idea whether this will work or not, you could ponder doing LHTH with both kiddos next year and then add phonics, handwriting, math, and Do It Carefully / Finding the Answers from LHFHG to up the level of LHTH to kindergarten level work for your daughter. This would enable your kiddos to be a pair as they head into future programs, as they would then go into LHFHG together the following year (at which point your daughter could do the first grade options).

On the other hand, since your next little guy in line is a boy, it may be possible that he won't be as interested in school as your daughter (which could make combining tougher in the early years). If that is true, then I'd lean toward your daughter beginning LHFHG at half-speed instead.

We pray you'll find the fit you're seeking and that the Lord will bless your homeschool journey.

Blessings,
Carrie