Would it be too much to.....

[psreit]

Double up on areas like History, Bible, storytime, and science? I only ask this because I want to begin BLHFHG in the fall. I would continue Math and Phonics(reading) over the summer, but I have some other things I want to do along with that. The only way I could keep Little Hearts from running into summer would be to do full weeks from now on. That would get us finished in late May. I will try hard to make that happen, but if we end up having to take days off because of sickness or appts., etc., we could run into June. Am I pushing too much? DD needs work in Math and Reading, but the other subjects she is doing great. I know she could handle listening to more storytime and Bible. She will be 8 in May and 2nd grade in the fall, so I really would like to begin Beyond at that time. Any recommendations? I will do my best to get full weeks in, maybe by working Saturdays, if necessary, but is doubling not a wise thing?

Updated: I've been thinking that we may be able to finish in May if I do a four day week. My schedule actually looks relaxed from now until then, compared to how it was in Nov/Dec. Four days would allow for a day for appts., field trips, etc. I think I have read about 4 day weeks. Was that to finish 5 days of HOD or just 4 days. Would this be a better plan? I could still try to get reading and math done on the 5th day. That would keep me from feeling pressured to do 5 full days. I have prison visits with the baby's mother, occasional appts. out of town, possible sick days, field trips, etc. I think I could keep up with this plan.

[my3sons]

I've never had good luck with doubling up. I tried it when I had tons of doctor's appointments when we had Emmett, and it honestly just stressed me out. It actually was easier just to homeschool as many days as I could, doing a 2 page spread of plans each day. I took the books to doctor's appointments and did school in another room while we waited as the appointments were 2 hours long and included therapy for my littlest. I have just decided to homeschool every day I can and move forward one day of plans at a time. We take the summer off wherever we are in the plans and then pick up where we left off. This has worked well thus far, but that is just us. Other moms may be doubling up with success! I just have found doubling up means skipping things quite often, which I don't want to do. Or, it has meant I am super tense trying to fit 2 days into 1. Now, if a child is very ready for the next guide, we have missed school due to unusual extenuating circumstances that will not be a constant in our lives, and I have 2-3 weeks left in the guide or so, I have doubled up readings and not finished follow-ups. I've done that twice in 7 years, but for those circumstances, I had to. HTH as you ponder this!

In Christ,
Julie

[beverett]

I just wanted to add that in the past when i have tried to double up, I have noticed that they are not always able to retain what they are learning. So it just seemed pointless?? I hope some others come in with ideas

[countrymom]

I also agree that doubling up hinders retention. If you don't quite get done you could just finish in the fall and then start a new guide. It took me awhile to let go of a "school schedule", but once I did it was like a load off my shoulders.

[psreit]

Thanks for your thoughts, Julie, beverett, and countrymom. Personally, I really don't want to double up. I just hadn't figured that it would take us through May to finish. We started the beginning of August. But we ended up taking off more days in Nov/Dec than I had planned. Angie really needs some time off in the summer, although I want to continue some Math and Reading to keep that fresh, and I planned a special unit to go along with our camping trip this summer. That won't take all summer, but I don't want to burn her out with 'school'. I think we can get done by a decent time if I just do one day at a time. If we can't work in the morning, I try to do some work later in the day, but Angie does not perform as well late in the day. I will just do what I can and do some on Saturdays if I have to. I guess it won't hurt if we run a little into June. I really want to start Beyond in the fall, because I think we will need to go slower through that. I agree that doubling won't be as affective in Angie's retaining things, and I want her to get the most out of the lessons in Little Hearts. It has been a wonderful time of learning for her. I'm not going to rush through it. If the Lord tarries, I continue to look forward to enjoying many more years of homeschooling with HOD. This certainly has been a Godsend!