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I am curious how others go about using different guides with siblings and keep each from listening in on the others. My younger two are 5 and 7 using LHFHG and Beyond. Basically, they are both doing most of each guide because they enjoy it! This is great however if the younger one moves to Beyond next year he will have just done the activities and listened to the stories. We do school in our basement which is one big open room with no separation so it's difficult not to hear what I'm reading. I love all of us being there together though and it's set up with desks, supplies, chalkboard, maps, art table, etc. This leads to another question I have pondered...

One thought was to just put the younger two together but I am so torn on that. On the one hand, since we have been home this last year they have really "bonded" and get along so well, they enjoy doing things together whether it's playing or school, and the middle loves to help the younger when it comes to school things. On the other hand, my middle places so well into Bigger or Preparing according to the charts. Having had Preparing to look at last year I am totally comfortable with putting her into Bigger so she can really practice and learn those skills. She already does some things independently in Beyond just because she is such an eager learner but I have learned to appreciate practice, repitition of skills, and gradually increasing them. (It took awhile but I'm thankful to have learned it. )While I see that Bigger is a teacher intensive year I am thinking this will be somewhat easier with this one that is so motivated and just takes things and runs with them. I am committed to keeping my younger in LHFHG until completed because he loves it and it's a perfect fit, we'll start unit 7 in Jan. We'll be ready for unit 10 in Beyond in Jan. I'd love to hear any thoughts and appreciate being able to talk things out here! I could continue to let them listen in and go ahead and bump my middle to Bigger or use Beyond to the end of this school year and start Bigger in the fall while continuing on in LHFHG? If I timed it where they were doing Beyond and Bigger at the same time and let my middle participate in Beyond as desired and time allowed would that be a good fit? I figure by the next year more time will be spent working on my youngest in Bigger and independence will be growing even more if the middle was in Preparing that joining in together will be more difficult so this won't be an issue at that point.

I must say I am thrilled to be back! We began last spring with Preparing and Beyond and I felt like I had ordered levels too low and my over-zealous, first-time homeschooling, over-achieving wannabe self decided we needed to do something else. I went with another program that allowed us to combine more easily but while it is also a super program it became extremely time consuming for me to make it work. We've had to be extremely flexible with our schedules the last few months having to manage one car which means lots of interuptions to the day to take and/or pick up hubby at inconsistent times and I felt like things were so crazy and school was not happening like it should. I pulled out LHFHG for my youngest a month ago and he loved it, I loved it, my middle loved it, even my oldest enjoys listening in some. It was so easy to get through some of it, leave it for a drop off run, and come back and jump into the next box. So two weeks ago I got out our Beyond and decided I would pick up where we left off at the end of last school year for my middle. I told her I had a surprise for school and as soon as she saw the guide she gave a great big smile and has loved it. I'm planning to get CTC and start it in Jan for my oldest and couldn't be more excited. I know it will help with increasing his independence. I wish we had stuck with it but I have learned a lot in my research over the last year and am confident HOD is where we need to be now!

I can't answer all of your questions, but in relation to siblings listening in with each other, I can tell you what we do at my house. Siblings are allowed to listen in, but the only one allowed to answer questions or talk about the book is the one whose "school" it is. In the past, we used a curriculum that was more geared to combine everyone. It was good, but I have seen this year how it has been nice for each one of them to know when they will have my undivided attention, if that makes sense. They each enjoy that they have their own time with mom and their books. Yet it is funny. One of my dd who used to not like to listen to me read seems to like to come around and listen to everyone else books at time. Maybe she likes to listen, but doesn't want to answer questions. BTW, my dc are the same ages of yours, 5, 7, and 10. I really appreaciate them all separated at this time, all for different reasons, but like I said before, I know they each like to have their own time with mom and their books .
Nicole

blessedmom wrote:I can't answer all of your questions, but in relation to siblings listening in with each other, I can tell you what we do at my house. Siblings are allowed to listen in, but the only one allowed to answer questions or talk about the book is the one whose "school" it is. In the past, we used a curriculum that was more geared to combine everyone. It was good, but I have seen this year how it has been nice for each one of them to know when they will have my undivided attention, if that makes sense. They each enjoy that they have their own time with mom and their books. Yet it is funny. One of my dd who used to not like to listen to me read seems to like to come around and listen to everyone else books at time. Maybe she likes to listen, but doesn't want to answer questions. BTW, my dc are the same ages of yours, 5, 7, and 10. I really appreaciate them all separated at this time, all for different reasons, but like I said before, I know they each like to have their own time with mom and their books .
Nicole

This doesn't exactly answer your question, but in my house everyone tends to listen in by design. My 4 year old is with us during the Beyond readings, and in some senses is doing the program. She even does the projects, but just for fun because she wants to.

Now my oldest two are actually in the same program, so it does make things easier teaching-wise. But hearing about the benefits of doing a separate program for each of them makes me want to separate them. I think it would be good for them to each have individual time with me. I'm not quite sure how I would go about separating them though...

I'm so glad you are back and loving HOD! I have a 3 1/2 yo in LHTH, 7 1/2 yo in BHFHG, and just turned 11 yo in RTR. For us, it works best to have just the one child whose HOD book I am reading sit by me on the couch as I read, while the others are working on (or playing ) something else. My oldest ds can handle working independently at a table within earshot of me reading to my middle ds, and he enjoys catching stories as he works. If he were sitting very near us or could follow along in the book, he would not be getting his own work done, and worse, my middle ds would not be answering questions and being involved in the discussions he needs to be. My middle ds is much more confident answering questions without my oldest sitting right there. They are each other's best friends, but Riley can quickly see Wyatt will almost always give a better more detailed answer than he can - I'm glad there is not that comparison because he is off working.

When I am reading to my older ds, my middle ds is not within earshot because he is far too distracted. He is also distracting, being a loud child with many wiggles to get out. So, my middle ds is either playing with our toddler on a totally different floor of our house when I am reading with my oldest ds, or else he is in the kitchen working at the table, while my oldest is in the living room on the couch with me, and the toddler is watching his educational video in another room. My oldest ds has started to orally narrate to my middle ds sometimes, just when it happens to work out, and that's been a fun way to have them swap history stories without my middle ds hearing it all.

My dc all love having me alone with them for school, and I love that they are all accurately placed and learning what they need to be for their ages and abilities. Especially with Biblical discussions. I have appreciated having one on one time with each of them. They share so much more, and are willing to talk through temptations, sins, and character goals more freely without others listening in. These times especially, I try to make very private. I feel so blessed that school goes so smoothly and happily most days. We love what we are learning.

As far as combining your younger 2 goes, it really depends on whether the 7 yo can handle Bigger Hearts. I'd check out the placement chart with just that child in mind, and if he's not ready for Bigger Hearts, I'd keep him right where he is and move up your next child to where that child places best, whether that would be BHFHG or PHFHG. If your oldest is ready for the independence in CTC, it is quite an independent program. After the first 2-4 weeks of school when you are really working on teaching how to do the boxes in the CTC guide, it should be very independent and not require much teaching time. As you said, the bulk of your teaching time will be Bigger Hearts. You could possibly go half-speed BHFHG with the 2 youngers, but leaping from LHFHG to BHFHG is a big leap. I hope something here helps. Please ask more questions if they arise, or if you check out the placement chart and have more to share about your 2 younger dc especially, we can chat through specifics too.

In Christ,
Julie

My 3 yr. old likes to join in on LHFHG, but I figure she will still be excited about it again in a couple years. My 5 and 7 yr. olds listen in on the read-alouds for Bigger, but we can switch those out with other titles when they get to Bigger. Otherwise, I find they are not real interested in listening in on the rest of Bigger. They are finished with LHFHG quickly and then are content to play. Sometimes the 7 yr. old will hear something that grabs his attn. and he'll come over to the couch to look at the science book or whatever it is. It is different for us than it is for you because I'm not repeating guides back-to-back. My children will have time to forget.

I wish sometimes we could put more space between us like Julie described, but while our house is two stories it is only 30x30 on each floor (some eaten up by stairs and large bathrooms.) So we can't separate easily. If a baby is sleeping upstairs, no children are allowed up there. That keeps us all together and it gets hairy at times!

Thanks so much for the great responses! Hmmm...I'm thinking maybe some individual read aloud time could be done with one while another is doing chores. I'm also thinking as long as a child who is listening in to a guide that is below that child it's ok as long as they are getting their own work done. But maybe I will not let a younger child listen in to a guide that is above them so as not to "spoil" it. I guess I could easily allow my 7 yo follow along with 5yo in LHFHG as long as she wants knowing that when she gets into BHFHG she may not have the time or desire which is fine as well. I'll just let them enjoy it as long as it works out.

Placement wise my 10yo will be perfect for CTC. My 7yo ability wise could do either BHFHG or PHFHG but I think skill wise would be perfect in Bigger so she can continue working on all those skills that are buidling up to more and more independence...not sure if that makes any sense to anyone but me. For instance, her narrating still needs work as she learns how to retell things in order, etc. My 5yo is absolutely great in LHFHG and I won't be changing him. I am committed to finishing out all of LHFHG with him. I think I am leaning towards these three guides, while I would love to combine the younger two I'm guessing the better they fit in a guide the more smoothly everything will go so...thanks again for letting me bounce these options off of you all and for the suggestions!!

I let my kiddos all listen in together. We pretty much do all of our school together. The oldest joins in with us on LHTH and she does all the activities too. She really enjoys this "easy" school and has a lot of fun doing it along with the little ones. She's not allowed to answer, but she is allowed to do the drawings, act out the Bible story, etc.

My 2 little ones do Bigger with us too, although they are allowed to leave to go play if they need to. We do most of the left side of the plans while at breakfast (the non-written part anyway), and then *usually* (depending on the History activity) we'll do it right after breakfast, and if it's something she needs to write like the vocab cards or the art activity, she'll do it while I clean up the kitchen and get the little ones ready for the day. Then after all the chores are done (we all do chore time together), we do circle time and LHTH. Then I do a couple little file folder games, R&S fine motor skills workbooks, play with manipulatives, etc, while my oldest does her handwriting, math, and phonics page. Then we finish up Bigger together. We all listen to the storytime, science reading, they even listen to the grammar and the little ones have picked up quite a bit. They also help us practice skip counting. They participate in the hands-on science activities, just obviously don't do any of the written work.

Now, they do sometimes want to get rowdy during school time, but we have a rule that if they don't sit quietly then they need to go play in a different room. It took some training, but even the 2 yo has the hang of it now. My kiddos just get so jealous if they don't get to do the fun things that their siblings do, and I feel like it has created such a great bond with my kiddos. We are only doing 2 guides though, and LHTH really doesn't take much time at all.

I'm fine with having them listen in. I think I would still allow them to listen in, even if we were doing guides so close together. I think they still would get a lot out of it doing it "for real" that second time around, even if they had heard everything the previous year. It becomes their own the 2nd time around and that's fun. However, that being said, I think "saving it" so that it's special is absolutely fine too. I can completely see both sides. I also see how, if you are doing several guides, it would be really helpful to have the children doing independent work while you are working with the younger ones. This just works well for us for now, and I have the time to do it, so we're savoring it. My kiddos get up at the crack of dawn (seriously, like 5:45-6:00) so since we get going at breakfast, we're usually done with everything by 11:00. That's about 4 1/2 hours with breaks and time to do chores in there too.