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If academically my ds (6) fits the Beyond chart but emotionally he fits better LH , which one is right? He reads/writes/does math above his age , yet he has comprehension issues and a mild speech delay . The books in Beyond look beyond his comprehension.
Also I have a 5yo who is the same academically&emotionally but she does not have comprehension probl. or speech delay .She can read well but does not have a long attention span , like most 5yo !

And my 7 1/2 yo who is reading at 7th grade level , spelling is great but hates to write too much .... is Bigger the best for him or Preparing?

If I were you, I would put both your 6 year old and 5 year old in LHFHG, you can always add the K thinking skills and math for your younger and the 1st grade thinking skills and math for your older. The Thorton Burgess books take a little time to learn to comprehend with, but the kids will soon gain those skills and by the end, you may just find that they love them! It's so much easier to keep as many together in one book as you can. I did LHFHG last year with my then 5 and 6 year old and now this year we are doing Beyond together and really enjoy it!

I'm sure there will be other moms who can give you great help for your older. Hope that helps a little.

LeAnna

I agree that LHFHG would probably be a better fit. My dd, who will be 7 next week, will be doing Little Hearts this fall. I had planned to use Beyond, and had even purchased it. But, after evaluating my dd's performance in kindergarten and hearing how the academics transition from Beyond to Bigger, I decided to start her out with a more gentle approach. She is basically just learning to read and she has some attention and processing difficulties, so I think we will do better with a lighter approach for 1st grade. I'm not worried about dd not getting what she needs, because I know that she will learn much from this guide. Even though dd is finishing K, I am planning on using the Earlybird K Math because I know there are concepts in it that she doesn't have yet. I will just brush over the stuff she knows and if she finishes it before the end of the year, I will go right to 1st grade Math. So, for reading, writing, and math, you can put them on the level they need. I thought, too, that the History in Beyond was a little much for my dd. The history in Little Hearts is definitely better for a child that age with comprehension or attention problems. Also, History for Little Pilgrims has colorful pictures which is a plus for my dd Hope that helps.

Have you checked out the placement chart? It is easy to use and very accurate. If you look at just the first page of it with each of your individual dc in mind, you should start to be able to see where they place best. Here's a link:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

From what you've shared, I'd lean toward putting your 5 and 6 yo dc in LHFHG for all of the left side of the plans and the Storytime on the right. You could get the K materals for fine motor skills for your dd, and the 1st. grade materials for fine motor for your ds. You could get the Emerging Reader's Set and the Beyond manual for your 5 yo's reading, and do that also for your 6 yo, though maybe starting him further into the set. You could do the Earlybird K with your dd from LHFHG, and do the Grade 1 Math in Beyond with your ds. Those are just a few thoughts I had about your 2 younger dc.

For your older child, I am thinking either Beyond or Bigger Hearts, because of this part of the placement chart in regard to writing in Bigger Hearts:
Mastered formation of manuscript letters; able to copy passages; can compose original sentences; ready to begin simple dictation; ready to begin cursive writing

Be sure to let us know what your thoughts are on all this, and we'll chat through it with you until you have fine tuned your placement for your precious family. You are so going to love doing HOD - it is such a wonderful way to homeschool.

In Christ,
Julie
Here are some links describing the writing in Bigger Hearts that may help you decide:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3005
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1516&p=11829

Thanks ! That helps a little but I am still confused . So this means I will need to purchase three guides ? I could afford ( if I need to ) but isn't it too much work for me to use all three ?

What if I use LH for my 5 and 6 yo and ignore the LA & math section ? We have our own programs anyway . I heard some people do that , although I feel I will loose something if I skip the LA and the math games look so ingenious too .

What I need most is a schedule and a discussion / comprehension guide .I like what I see in the samples . And of course , I love the Bible part from all HOD"s guides .When they are older , I hope HOD"s LA will mathc their abilities . Right now it seems LH LA seems too easy in LA and math for my both kids ( but appropiate for the rest ) . I guess I will have to try ... if it doesn't work I will purchase the next level . I still have a 1 yo that will be able to use the leftovers so the purchase won't be useless anyway . Just thinking aloud

Did you get a chance to check out the placement chart for your oldest? I would think you could put your oldest in Beyond and just use DITHOR 2/3 to challenge him in his reading. That would only be 2 guides then, LHFHG and BLHFHG . I'd be concerned about starting a child in Bigger Hearts that may not ready for the writing in it, but you will know best there. Otherwise, if you feel that older ds should be doing Bigger Hearts, than your younger 2 really can just do LHFHG with the K options for your younger, and the 1st options for your older (just 1 science though). You can easily get this down to 2 guides and use HOD's LA and math.

In Christ,
Julie