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Hi ...We started HOD and homeschooling full time in January...so just this month! My daughter was in public school for the first few months this year...so we lost alot of time....I do not want to homeschool all summer....yet when I look at where we are and where we need to be ...to finish it looks like Sept before we are done.....My daughter is working thru math quicker than the manual and she has done all this before yet I am really enjoying seeing her re do some things and getting a stronger grasp of what it is she is learning....So far HOD is a perfect fit for us...I am just concerned on how to get it done to start the next program in the fall....and not spending every day doing it....as in summer time....we do double days some times and that does not seem to be too much for her...It takes about 2 hrs a day to complete this....is that about the normal? I can see so many benefits of homeschooling and now with this program it seems doable! I do have to sit with my daughter the entire time and there does not seem to be much independent work....or is it just my daughter? I am still trying to learn all the abbreviations for the different programs everyone uses so some times am not sure what I should be doing next! Hopefully I am doing this correctly and my daughter will be on track and where she is suppose to be and my biggest fear about homeschooling will not come true! As in ....me being a terrible teacher! lol...Beth

Beth,

Hi! So happy to hear that you are loving home schooling!

I didn't see your DD's age/grade/HOD program. It is possible I missed it . Would you please share that?

Do you live in a state with particular requirements for when to begin school, how many days a year you have to be in school, etc.? Where I live (Oregon) the regulations are more flexible. I could begin a program in January and just keep moving forward until we complete it, allowing for a break in summer if desired.

I guess I'm wondering why you need to finish by the fall. Is it something you HAVE to do legally? Or, could you let the schedule flow until you are ready for a summer break. Then, when you pick it back up after summer you can finish out your current program and flow right into the next one shortly thereafter.

Did that make any sense at all??!!

BrooklynsMom03 wrote:I am just concerned on how to get it done to start the next program in the fall....and not spending every day doing it....as in summer time....we do double days some times and that does not seem to be too much for her...It takes about 2 hrs a day to complete this....is that about the normal? I can see so many benefits of homeschooling and now with this program it seems doable! I do have to sit with my daughter the entire time and there does not seem to be much independent work....or is it just my daughter?

Welcome! Our kids were also public schooled prior to this-we brought them home at the beginning of this year. So far we're loving it! You know, there are definitely days of struggle, but overall, I'm very confident that we've made the right decision. I hope that you'll feel this same peace and confidence very soon .

Is there a particular reason that you're needing to be done with the guide by this fall? One of the beautiful things about homeschooling is that we don't have to follow the public school calendar, we can just give our kids the education they need when they need it. All of these guides are designed to target a range of ages and grades, so I don't think you'll have to worry about holding her back if she's still in the current guide in the fall. My middle child started a different guide in November, so we'll still be finishing that up next fall.

As far as how long it should take each day, I think that depends on the guide. The earlier ones do take about 2 hours or so for our family (we're doing Little Hearts and Beyond.) These earlier guides also take more parental involvement-sitting with them for most or all of the subjects. I understand that later guides have more independent work for the students, and may take longer to complete lessons each day. As time goes on and your daughter's more used to how things work she may be able to take on more of her work independently (depending on what guide you're using!!) My daughter in Beyond is beginning to do more of her stuff alone as she's approaching the halfway mark of the manual.

Well, those are my thoughts right now . Hope something is hlepful!!

We actually begin our school year in January and end in Octoberish. We enjoy breaks throughout the year versus the normal 2-3 months summer vacation. So I think having to go into the summer isnt a bad thing to finish. My daughter can't stand when we take a break for a week much less months .

Christina

We school year round. Partly to catch up and partly to just keep some sense of order. This also allows us to take time off as needed/wanted and still complete our school work.