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I'm afraid I spoke too soon yesterday. I still think Beyond is and will be an awesome program, but I think I may have made a mistake going with Beyond instead of Little Hearts for 1st grade. Things went SO great yesterday, but today has been a real struggle getting DS to sit still and listen to the page we read in God's Wonderful Works, and the pages in American Pioneers and Patriots were even worse. He can listen and narrate a paragraph at a time for a few paragraphs, and then he's off in Never Never Land. I read the same paragraph 4 times in APP and he still could not tell me what I just read.

I'm not sure if this is just a normal start and I'm just second-guessing myself, or if I really should have started with Little Hearts instead. I was struggling from the beginning because on the placement chart he really does place with Beyond, BUT just barely. We didn't do this much reading last year with MFW, so he hasn't had the prep. My main goal is for him to learn and be challenged, but also to feel successful. What would you guys recommend? DH wouldn't really be thrilled about spending more money, and I'm not thrilled about the thought either, but I think I figured out a way to get everything we'd need for about $100, and then next year would practically be covered. (Edit: I put everything we don't have have in the cart and it would be around $135.) I just don't know what to do. For now I gave him the rest of the day off so I can think and pray about it.

I figure I have three choices here. Either we keep going as is and hope he catches up. OR I proceed at half-speed somehow. OR I just order the things we'd need from Little Hearts before we get too far into Beyond.

*Edited to add: Well, I just got off the phone with DH and he agrees that doing Little Hearts would make more sense...especially when I told him that next year we wouldn't have to spend much for curriculum since we've already purchased almost everything we'd need for both DS and DD. I feel better knowing that he's supportive of making the switch. Plus I already have some unrelated HS materials I can sell to help off-set the cost. AND since DS and DD will only be one guide apart now, hopefully that will mean more opportunities to combine them later on.

Be encouraged that it may just be an "off day" - which we all have for sure! I know I question what I'm doing on those days. But try to remember the reasoning that brought you to choose Beyond in the first place. If the Lord led you there then He'll help you there!
Maybe going half speed for a while would be a good solution. It will give your ds time to adjust to the new requirements as well as time to mature a bit.
As I am sure you know, a child can make huge changes in just a few months.
Beyond is a great program to do slowly and if it takes a year and a half to go through it then it may put him at a better age in which to do Bigger.
As always, through prayer God will let you know what to do.
Praying right now that God will give you clarity and peace in the direction you are to go.

Andrea

I would also recommend going 1/2 speed for awhile. We did that for a bit with Little Hearts and it worked well. I plan to begin Beyond 1/2 speed next week as well. The gradual growth our dc go through as they begin and work through a program is amazing, so it may just take some time to get used to everything. If you try 1/2 speed for awhile and it still is not working, it is good to know your dh is supportive of switching.

That's one of the reasons I think Little Hearts is better suited for 1st instead of K.

I had planned to use Beyond with my dd(7) this fall. I thought that was where she placed. Like your ds, just barely. She will be in 1st grade. I even bought the Beyond materials. I continued to read threads on this board and ended up concluding that I made a mistake. So, I ended up buying the Little Hearts guide. I'm sure we can go full speed and be ready for Beyond next year at this time and by that time dd will be in the ERs. Since I made this decision, I have had such peace about our school year going more smoothly. I'm not trying to convince you to switch, but wanted you to know that, should you make that decision, it is okay. I know God led me to HOD, but when I chose a level, I probably made the decision hastily. You could always get the Little Hearts guide, since you will be using it with other dc. Then you can look at it and determine if it is a better fit. After looking at both guides, I'm glad I switched. Can't wait to start!

Just wanted to add that I did Little Hearts this past year with my then 1st grader, who also fit academically on the Beyond chart. But, as far as listening comprension and interest in the subjects, Little Hearts was such a perfect fit for her, and she grew so much. I do think Little Hearts is a wonderful 1st grade program! We all have to do some tweaking sometimes, especially at the beginning of a schoolyear, and one of the beauties of hsing is that we CAN make those changes when something doesn't work out like we expected. Have a great year!

I just wanted to sat how wonderful it is that your husband can see the wisdom in switching to a more appropiate program fpr your little guy. Beyond is a stretch and LHFHG will prepare you ds very well for it. It is better that your child be encouraged by school, not discouraged. I'm sure you both love LHFHG.

So happy your husband and you were able to agree on this. We used little hearts for 1st grade - like many of the pp kiddos, he placed into Beyond, but in some areas was in Little - Little Hearts was the best choice for us - what a wonderful year! We are going into Bigger this fall for 3rd grade. For us, Beyond for a 1st grader would've been too much, plus we would've missed all the wonderful things in Little Hearts.