Questions about the programs for my children

[lisaha]

I'm looking into using Heart of Dakota for my children next year. I'm unsure of which program to use and how the days would go. I love how the Lord is in everything I can see in the studies! I was led to homeschool by the Lord and I want our work to be pleasing to Him and to help our children have a strong faith, leading them "in the way they should go". This year we used My Father's World and it was nice, I added and changed somethings throughout the year, other times I was not creative and followed the teacher's manual to the T. Next year it is suppose to take more time and be more intensive and with 5, soon to be 6 little ones I'm hoping for a good education for my children in a relaxed way with wiggle room as baby number 6 is due in Nov. I was going to do alot of my own things, but now I'm thinking it might be nice to have all of the books I need on hand with planning done for me with a new little one so I'm not running to the library, (we live way out in the country) and so I'm not spending a few hours every week planning the next week's lessons. I thought about doing Sonlight over 2 years instead of one, but I heard it takes alot of time. I just liked the idea of curling up on the couch with a book and all of the children and new baby. It's so expensive too! So I'm looking now!
Here are my children, my oldest is Abigail, she just turned 9, and will be in 4th grade next year. Abigail is a good worker and great reader. She learns quickly and loves to read, she can do lots of independant work, her weakness is spelling but she does write very good stories and reports.
Joshua will be 7 in June, he will be in second grade in June. He is a decent reader, but needs to build up confidence in reading. He can do some light independant work but enjoys having someone near by to help or let him know he is doing well. He is good at math and is a very wiggley boy! His weakness is counting money, and writing sentences. HE does good copy work.
James is 4 1/2 and will be 5 in August. He will be starting K lightly. He knows his phonics and has read a few three letter words. He enjoys letters, numbers and stories (he listens to the MFW science and social lessons and even asks questions! Funny when a 4 year old is asking something about Thomas Edison!) James is a cheerful little boy who is behind in gross motor skills and needs to work on pencil control, but I think is average for 4 in that area.
Toby will be 3 on Sunday, I won't do any Pre-K this year, he will color, play and listen to stories with everyone else. He is testing everything he can and a busy boy!
Levi is 19 months, he will be 2 in Sept. He is a fun, laughy, cheerful little one. He loves to cuddle and play during school time.
We have spent the last two years studing American History, so I would like to do something the focuses on world history, or even creation on. I would like to combine as much as possible for Abby and Joshua, although they are at differant levels in what they can do. I did push Joshua too hard this year by combining him with Abby in a 2nd and 3rd grade program. I learned very quickly to let Abby write her own reports and for Joshua to dictate to me and then he copied the work! I'm thinking about just using a workbook for math and LA's so they can do those independantly with me there to anwser questions. What program would work best? Does any program for K help with writing, learning to read and K math, or should we do workbooks for that like I did with the other two? How much time is involved with a day in this program? Is it easy to break up with baby interuptions? Can I do this program in around 3 hours of one on one time? Does it work well with a new little one, or is it too much running around and time?
Thank you so much for reading this and your time! God Bless!
-Lisa

[4froggies]

Lisa, welcome to HOD! I'm sure you'll get some great advice from the ladies here. We used My Father's World previously, and while we enjoyed it in many ways, HOD has just been perfect for us. I like having all the planning done for me- Carrie plans it all out in such a way that all the pieces coordinate so well together (reading, activities, bible, etc.) and make it so meaningful. I had a baby halfway through our MFW year and could not keep up with the library visits or the hands-on activities. I appreciate that with HOD I have all the books I need already on my shelf, and the hands-on activities are so easy to complete. Plus, the curriculum is so Christ-centered and encourages my children in developing their character.

As for placement, have you checked out the placement chart to see where each child fits? If you really do not want to repeat American history, you could do Preparing with the 9 yo (if she places there) and then do Little Hearts for His Glory with the 7 and 5. If combining your older two is more important, you might be able to place them together in Bigger (although that is American history) and do LHFHG with your 5yo. The other ladies on the board can probably give some more insight into this placement.

Does any program for K help with writing, learning to read and K math

Yes, Little Hearts for His Glory does exactly that.

How much time is involved with a day in this program? Is it easy to break up with baby interuptions? Can I do this program in around 3 hours of one on one time? Does it work well with a new little one, or is it too much running around and time?

Most ladies on the board will tell you (even those of us with older kids) is that we are usually done (or almost done) by lunch time.

Yes, it is easy to break up with baby interuptions! The "boxes" format of the guides is so helpful for this! It works very well with a new little one. My baby was 7 months old when we started with HOD, and it has actually been our smoothest year yet! There is no running around! All of the activities are done with supplies I already have one hand (or can easily substitute) . All of my books are sitting on my shelf waiting for me. And the guide is so easy to follow- I love the day at a time format - it keeps me from getting overwhelmed!

Hope this helps a little! I'll be interested to hear what others have to say!

[lisaha]

I came up with anouther question LOL! I was wondering if we needed too and we started with the older program for Abby, if we could do one manual in two years with lots of readers added on? Maybe it is not a good idea, I'm just looking at taking a few weeks off after having this little one, and then taking off for holidays, but my sons brain turns off for the summer in early May when MN weather gets nice! LOL! Maybe I should just do school outside in May! He is so funny bc we have had a warm spring and his brain shut down in April, so we have been struggling to finish up our 34 week Adventures book plus math and LA's review.

[lisaha]

Thank you for your reply, BTW, that was what I was worried about, in MFW, the library runs and hands on activities plus added time for ECC looked like too much with a new little one.

[4froggies]

Yes, many ladies do a guide "half-speed", finishing it in 2 years instead of one. You can do the "left side" of the guide one day and the "right side" the next, or whatever works for you.

[Kathleen]

Welcome, Lisa!

My initial thought was what 4froggies suggested...that you put Abigail in Preparing and then Joshua (7) and James (5) in LHFHG. I have done these 2 programs this year, and it has been wonderful! We even added in LHTH this spring with my little guy. You'll know from looking at the placement chart if that would be a good fit for your kiddos though. My thought from your descriptions of them though is that it may work really well. Joshua would have more of a chance to shine and not be in big sister's shadow during school time. And...this plan would have you doing non-American history. We usually started our day at 8:30 and were finished by 1:00 for lunch. (I do think that most of the moms who finish by lunch time eat late. For us I know that it just keeps the momentum flowing and we're done! When we stop for lunch and aren't finished...it's more like hitting a giant speed bump because they're ready for free play time outside. ) I also added in time to practice violin & piano with Allison in our morning. So, I'm sure with some scheduling and time to fit into a routine you'll easily be able to dive into HOD and get it done in the day-to-day enjoyably!

Hey, one more thought I had, is that if Joshua is ready for more math than LHFHG has (since that's a strength of his), and you are using Singapore, is that you use the Beyond guide for him so that he can do 1A&B with the hands-on activities in that guide. He also sounds to me like he's ready to use the Emerging Readers with the schedule in the appendix of Beyond for reading. These are books that Carrie has scheduled to be read in little bite-sized pieces that advance in difficulty. She has also planned 3 comprehension questions daily following Bloom's Taxonomy.

I haven't used a lot of the other curriculums out there...but I can tell you from comparing HOD to what I have used that it's super-user friendly! I can open my guide & go on a daily basis. My kids LOVE what we're doing in school time. We're focused on the Lord and talking about Him and to Him as a part of our day...most of the day. I love the fruit I'm seeing in their lives & mine! I'm a happy homeschooling mom - and I love being able to accomplish what I know God wants me to do without being burned-out or stressed-out.

Kathleen

[lisaha]

Is LHFHG enough for a 2nd grader? I was looking at it bc Joshua's age will be 7 and Jame will be 5, so it looked like a good fit age wise for them both, but I thought it was for K and first.
How do you combine 2 differant levels without adding much to a day? Do you have your older do independant work while schooling the younger and then flip? Do you combine storytime or Bible with all 3? How long does the younger program take? Abby would do great on the older independant work, I could see her shining with that, but I already can see Joshua struggling with it as he just can't do that kind of work yet. I pushed him too hard at times. I have a problem adding too much to programs for my children and it doesn't work.

[Kathleen]

I'm thinking that you would be just fine. I would make sure that Joshua is doing math and reading and LA on his level...and the rest is easily adaptable to a larger range of ages. So, I'd use Beyond for math (if that's the level he needs and you're doing Singapore), the emerging reader's schedule in the appendix, and the LA plans which would have the spelling and light grammar included. With both Joshua and James, I'd do the rhymes in motion, reading about history, corresponding box (which weekly includes art, thinking games, science), Bible study (devotional and Bible memory), corresponding music, storytime, and fine motor skills all from LHFHG. For the fine motor skills, I'd use the Reason for Handwriting A which has the child copying words and Bible verses and the Thinking Skills book for Joshua. I'd use the K book and the R&S workbooks for James. I don't think that the "1st grade" options would be too babyish for 2nd grade. I've used the handwriting books at level A & B with Grant...and there really wasn't much of a difference between the 2. You could finish off James' day with the K math and phonics. SOOO, math and reading (and the extra LA for Joshua) would be the only things that you'd have to do with them seperately and the rest would be all together. This will save you lots of time, I'd think.

I think that I spent about an hour and a half with Grant in Preparing...maybe a bit more, but he's a BIG talker. LHFHG should take you an hour and a half, so that's 3 hrs of you daily. At the beginning of Preparing, you may need more time than that as you help Abby learn to use the guide for the more independent boxes on her own.

We did the programs exactly as is...and I really would give it a try that way. It includes everything necessary, and that would have to relieve stress for you. I also really worked this year to keep everything short and sweet. We fully enjoyed it all, but made an effort to keep the day moving right along. (This made us all happier, too! ) I don't know if you're planning on using all of HOD's suggestions or not. You're free to use other things for math or LA, but I think that HOD's suggestions are really the most time-conscious, and they do a great job of getting the job done. So, I'd give that a try too if you're wanting to shave time.

[Kathleen]

I was going to add how we scheduled it, too...

I started the day by doing history with Grant in Preparing. Then started him on the corresponding box (research, vocab, geography, notebooking/timeline). He was free to work on other independent work then (independent history, science). Sometimes I also went through his math or English lesson now, too.

Then I took my little ones and went upstairs for LHFHG. I think if I were you, maybe I'd head right into phonics with James and then take the 2 to do the bulk of LHFHG. We ended our LHFHG time with the table work like fine motor skills & math (and the art that went with the Bible story if it was scheduled). At this time I bounced back and forth between the younger ones in the kitchen and Grant in the dining room answering his questions and doing dictation, etc.

Then I gave the little ones a snack and turned on a short educational video (or when it's really nice turned them loose outside). I took Grant upstairs again where he got a snack and listened to storytime, poetry, and Bible study w/music, and DITHOR. Then he went back downstairs to finish up what was left of his independent work for the day and the history project.

I helped Allison practice piano & violin and Garret practice violin. This usually took me a half hour or so. I think maybe you could do the emerging readers & extra LA with Joshua at this time (unless right before lunch would not work for him). Then I got lunch & we ate & were done!

Now obviously you should schedule your day however you wanted to and should consider what your kids will need the most concentration for and when that will fit your schedule best. We tweaked a little in the fall, and then just went with our routine. For me this meant MUCH less mental energy spent deciding and telling everyone where to go next & much less whining on their part because it was just what we did every day!

Hope that helps a little!
Kathleen

[Sue G in PA]

Just wanted to add that I will be doing Preparing with a 9, 10 and 12yo next year and LHFHG with a 5 and 71/2yo (2nd gr). I can't speak from experience and you have gotten lots of great responses already, but I've heard it is so much easier to "beef up" an easier program than to "water down" a harder one, kwim? My 2nd grader loves to be read to and so LHFHG will be great in that aspect. He is not a fluent reader yet, but his math skills are on par with 2nd gr. He is all over the place skill=wise, I guess! He will be using Singapore 1A/B and also using his own LA program (we use Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading). I needed a "gentler" program for him so we could focus on his reading and writing skills. We also use WWE for copywork and soon, dictation on his level. I love the look of LHFHG (I already have the TM). Your 2nd grader will probably be fine with it...just adding in reading and math on his level. And...it's not American History! And, it goes well with Preparing! HTH a bit.

[lisaha]

These are great responces! Thank you!
So in the teachers manuals, is there spelling lists? Both my children struggle in spelling, Abby is getting better and Joshua does well on the end of the week tests, but he has trouble using it in writing a sentence. He is good at even telling us phonics and spelling rules, but forgets to use them when writing! LOL! Is there LA's writing type program in it too? I was tossing around using the spectrum type workbooks for math and LA's, or Rod and Staff for LA's and math. I like the price and lack of more teachers manuals in Spectrum, but I like the reuseability (3rd and up) and Christian base of Rod and Staff!

[my3sons]

These are great responces! Thank you!
So in the teachers manuals, is there spelling lists? Both my children struggle in spelling, Abby is getting better and Joshua does well on the end of the week tests, but he has trouble using it in writing a sentence. He is good at even telling us phonics and spelling rules, but forgets to use them when writing! LOL! Is there LA's writing type program in it too? I was tossing around using the spectrum type workbooks for math and LA's, or Rod and Staff for LA's and math. I like the price and lack of more teachers manuals in Spectrum, but I like the reuseability (3rd and up) and Christian base of Rod and Staff!

You have gotten such awesome responses here already! I agree with the PHFHG and LHFHG placements. They sound just right for your precious dc, and I love the idea of beefing up the LA/Math by using Beyond's right side for your 7 yo. I taught LHFHG and PHFHG a few years ago and enjoyed it very much. Your little ones will be done quite quickly with LHFHG, and that means they can play with your toddler too while you finish with your oldest. The Beyond teacher's manual has 2 spelling list choices. The first list is easier, the second list is harder. It also includes excellent lessons for teaching spelling within the LA box of the Beyond plans.

PHFHG also has spelling included in the form of dictation. It is excellent! Three different levels of dictation are given with Level 2 being the easiest, so you can choose which level seems to fit best. My oldest ds had speech difficulties from being a premie, and his spelling is now awesome due to the CM style of spelling taught in HOD. I highly recommend it. I would really encourage you to try HOD as written, as it includes everything you'd need and does it in a streamlined way that has you only teaching what you really need to be teaching at each level. All activities and lessons have a skill-base, and it teaches those skills incrementally. Of course things can be substituted, but this often adds time. PHFHG has creative writing in it, and R & S English, copywork, dictation, and written narrations round out the writing beautifully. HOD suggests doing a good portion of R & S English orally, which we have personally really enjoyed. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

P.S. Here are some "Let's Share Our Schedules" links that may be helpful as you think about your day:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2093
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=95&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15

[Carrie]

Lisa,

The ladies have done a terrific job of talking through your options with you, so I'll just pop-in to welcome you to the board! If you have other questions, ask away. We're glad to help!

Blessings,
Carrie

[lisaha]

Thank you! I'm praying about the program. I just love how God is woven throughout the day and not just added on in a differant section! I love how so much is involved but simply laid out in the boxes, easy to follow and take breaks. I also like some hands on activities that my DD and DS enjoy doing, but they are easy enough they can do them while I work with a younger child with something and certainly how it helps the older children get more independant as they need to be as they get older and I have youngers to teach! I like that I can order all the books I really need, and not have to run to the library every week with all of the children. I'm excited and praying that the Lord will lead us. I've been discussing this cirriculum with my husband and he is busy with planting so he will wait a bit to tell me what he thinks I should do, but just reading the catalog, my DD wanted to do the shield of faith project anyway, so she did and explained why she used her colors and coat of arms.