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How do you re-work your HOD schedule to allow for co-op or group time? We will be doing LHFHG and I am trying to decide if I want to do a group. Which of the following do you do?

1. HOD as a 4 day week? If so, are there any schedules out there on how to do LHFHG in 4 days? I couldn't find one but it doesn't mean it isn't out there.
2. Do you extend your week to include Saturday and only have Sunday "off"?
3. Do you cram it all in on one day?
4. or do you skip the groups altogether?
5. or do you slow down LHFHG by one day a week?

If anyone wants to pm me about fun groups (cooking, karate, Spanish) in the Tampa area (not academic groups) that would be great! It would also be great to know someone who is in the area doing HOD. HOD is going to do a great job with the academics, I am just interested in fun electives.
Thanks for your help,
Cyndi

Due to outside activities and working one day a week, I almost never did day 1 on Monday, day 2 on Tuesday, etc. I just picked up where we left off. It always flowed very nicely. I preferred that over having to cram things together every week. Once in a while is fine, but I didn't want that to be the normal fare. The weekends are important to leave free from schoolwork in my opinion. I was really worried about a weekend break in the middle of a weekly unit, but it never was an issue.
hth,
Laura

Thats funny that you asked that question because I was going to ask it too! I will also be doing LHFHG this year with my dd and we are going to attend a co-op that meets twice a month on Wednesdays. I wondered what I would do on those weeks. Do I just skip over some things and try to keep on schedule or just go with the flow and finish the unit whenever we finish. That will be hard for me because I like to stay organized and stay on schedule when possible. I can't wait to hear responses from others about this too!

I will also be doing LHFHG with dd and I plan to be involved in an outside group. I agree with Laura. I don't see why it would be a problem just picking up Monday where you left off. That is how I plan to work. I will not try to do a whole week if we have a co-op or field trip. Also, I have days occasionally where I have to take my older dd for doctor visits 3 hours away, so that takes away a whole day. Also, if dd isn't feeling well, we just won't have school that day, and we will pick up the next day. I will not do more than a day of HOD in a day, and I certainly don't want to skip anything. I figure if I begin in early August, we can still be done at a decent time in the spring. I don't think Carrie wrote HOD in a way that requires the work in one unit to be finished within a week. Take your time and enjoy

We do the same thing as Laura. We have just done our HOD guides, taking the next day in the guide on whatever day it happens to be. I totally agree that it doesn't bother us in the least (and I know it would if it said, "Monday, Tuesday, etc" in the guide ).

If you're just looking for some fun electives, I'm thinking that it wouldn't have to even bother your normal school day, though. We have a group that gets together to play or do field trips. We typically meet at about 1:30 or 2 pm, and so the kids and I have time to finish our normal school day and then head to town. We also have violin lessons and I teach several piano students. I just schedule those things for the afternoons and it works great!

We're only doing LHFHG 4 days per week because we're matching my oldest who used Preparing this past year. From Preparing on up, HOD guides are written as 4 day weeks. So, I'm planning to stretch out all of the younger guides so that my kids get into the middle of the age range on the guides as we move up.

Kathleen

Hi Cyndi! We do #4 or #5 on your list. We have found cramming in more or skipping just makes us stressed or sad. We just pick up where we left off, and always make sure to do a whole day's plans within each day. We have found the same thing Kathleen found though; most of the time, we can still do school and then attend the activity. We try to play with the cousins on Friday afternoons. We've done this for many years and enjoyed it as our weekly activity. Some years we just didn't do school that day and then on Monday picked up where we left off. Other years, we just finish school first, and then go play for the afternoon. Both worked fine!

As far as groups go, we've found it easier to do things we have control over more. I like to decide when it happens, what we do, and how long it goes, for example. I also don't like to have more than 1 thing going, as it makes my homeschooling sometimes take a back seat to other things. My dh and I have a goal of being our dc's primary socializers, along with other family members and cousins. However, if we didn't live near family, I'd probably choose 1 good friend for each of our dc or one other family to spend time with occasionally instead. I do realize that these are not everyone's goals though, and a family's goals really need to drive their personal decisions. I just share them as I would have welcomed hearing this perspective to consider when I began homeschooling, as all I ever heard was that I needed to have my dc in groups to socialize them. When someone said they thought their dc's siblings could be their friends along with any nearby cousins, and that family could be their socializers, that was a new way of thinking to me, and one I have come to embrace and love slowly over the years. So, as far as groups go, I'd maybe start with 1 and then see how it goes, knowing you can always drop it if it's not working out, and try a different plan. HTH as you ponder your family's goals and how best to meet them!

In Christ,
Julie

We are members of a homeschool group, and have been for 2 years now. We're about to start our third year with the group (and with HOD! ). I've found it to work fine just to pick up where we left off the previous week. It's certainly not an issue to start day 5 on a Monday, or whatever. I just keep a bookmark where I am in the guide and don't even pay much attention to the unit or day. Our group was meeting 2 times a month, and this year is going to try meeting weekly. So that will be a bit more "disruptive" to our schedule, but it's working out fine. We do school year round anyway. I don't think it's a problem though for each guide to last a bit longer. We started Beyond in March 2009 and aren't quite done with it, but my dd has still retained everything well and we've learned a lot. It also has given her time to grow into the guides this way. I plan to continue a 4 day week with my younger ones when they get LHFHG, etc, since by then the oldest will be in guides that are 4 days/week anyway. HTH!