Running 3 Teacher Intensive Guides!!!

[abrightmom]

Ladies,

I'm down to the nitty gritty planning and trying to put a schedule on paper. It isn't pretty!!! I have two options on the table for my children and I'm very torn about which way to go. I'm either going to use a separate guide for each child which would mean Bigger, Beyond and Little Hearts simultaneously (this is an IDEAL fit) OR I'm going to run Bigger and Little Hearts simultaneously while putting my middle boy into the left side of LHFHG and the right side of Beyond for appropriate skill work. This would save me a little bit of time (I think ) as I would be combining my middle two for Bible, story time, history, rotating box, music. I'm not sure of the pros and cons here . . . I can think of a few but there may be more.

I really WANT each kiddo in their own guide because I see my middle boy needing to be in Beyond. I really think he'll be ready for Bigger when he's 8 (that's still a long way off ). I am struggling with the idea that I might be holding him back. I actually thought that I'd put that middle boy in Beyond beginning next month and he could go half speed until he's done. That would certainly lighten my teaching load day to day and make it possible to keep each child in an appropriate guide. However, the following year I'm back in the same boat. I won't want to keep him at half speed when he's in Bigger and of course the oldest would be moving right along in Preparing. I'd be running 3 guides at that time (Beyond, Bigger, Preparing). My little guy will also be 3 by then and that means Little Hands to Heaven. . . Oy!!!

Can you give me any counsel here? I don't have a specific question. I just don't know what to expect. I think running 3 guides IS possible but it seems MORE doable when the guides are spread out and there's some independent work happening in those upper guides. I also have a toddler running around. He doesn't have his own guide but he certainly takes a fair amount of Mommy time as you all know!!!!

I'll keep toying with the suggested times for the boxes and looking at others' schedules. The reality here is that everything takes LONGER than I usually plan for or hope for. It's a reality I must face at this stage. I tend to be an idealist in my thinking and that can get me into trouble when reality steps in.

I'm looking for some fresh perspective, some hopeful counsel, some reality checks, some practical ideas, relevant threads to glean from, etc. I AM looking at the schedules thread and that is helpful. I just really don't know . . . I am praying too . . .

[lmercon]

I can understand why you would be concerned. I know there are ladies here who run 3 programs, but I think it would be quite challenging, especially with the 3 you are considering. They are all more teacher-intensive then the older guides, simply because the child is not ready for independent work. That being said, you can do it if you plan and are prepared to go at a slower speed. I know if I wasn't tied to a school calendar due to the fact that dh is a teacher, I would definitely school year-round with week-long breaks and a longer break in the summer. If you do that, you could take, say 1 1/2 weeks to get a week's worth of work finished. Don't worry about hurting the flow of the unit. I have always had to be very flexible with the schedule. I was worried that a weekend in the middle of a school "week" would disrupt the unit, but it never did. We just picked right back up with where we left off. I am almost never "on schedule" and it has always worked great. Like you, I realize that the reality of a perfect schedule is just never going to happen.

Have you considered combining your 2 oldest dss in Beyond rather than Bigger? You could use the skills lessons from Bigger for your oldest and combine them for history, science, Bible, poetry, and art. Beyond is wonderful! Your oldest fits within the age-range as far as content. I think that might be better than trying to bring your middle ds up to Bigger. I have found that I have been glad that my ds was on the older end of the age range for the programs. There is so much depth in HOD, which can be deceptively light-looking at first glance. It would be a shame for your middler to miss Beyond. We loved it! And, it is lighter than Bigger, so it would be a nice way to begin. Beyond and Little Hearts is VERY doable. Then you have more time for other things. My kids love doing artist and composers studies and especially nature walks and notebooking.

Just some thoughts,
Laura

[8arrows]

I would not run three simultaneous guides. That is too much work for mom! Your kids will soar with 2 guides and mom will be more rested. (I received similar advice from a wise woman.)

[Heart_Mom]

Have you considered combining your 2 oldest dss in Beyond rather than Bigger? You could use the skills lessons from Bigger for your oldest and combine them for history, science, Bible, poetry, and art. Beyond is wonderful! Your oldest fits within the age-range as far as content. I think that might be better than trying to bring your middle ds up to Bigger. I have found that I have been glad that my ds was on the older end of the age range for the programs. There is so much depth in HOD, which can be deceptively light-looking at first glance. It would be a shame for your middler to miss Beyond. We loved it! And, it is lighter than Bigger, so it would be a nice way to begin. Beyond and Little Hearts is VERY doable. Then you have more time for other things. My kids love doing artist and composers studies and especially nature walks and notebooking.

Just some thoughts,
Laura

I'm doing Beyond with my older two right now, and it's working well. So maybe it would be a good fit for you too? We'll move on to Bigger in the Fall with them. And then I'll be starting LHFHG along with that. I think it will be doable . . . and FUN!

[abrightmom]

Okay, well, it only took about an hour but I know what I MUST do now. I actually put all the times on paper and came up with over 6 HOURS for the 3 guides. Hmmmmm. That is definitely NOT possible. I'm sure my times are a little bit puffed up because not every minute is direct teaching time from me. But, there is also the reality of interruptions, slack work, discipline issues, sickness, late starts, etc. So, puffed up times are probably more realistic for awhile.

I MUST keep the oldest in Bigger. We just finished Adv. in My Father's World which bears similarities to the content of Beyond. I did consider Beyond for them but DH & I are in hearty agreement that this boy needs to be in Bigger. He was ready months ago. He is a boy who NEEDS the challenge and he's one of the biggest reasons we began to look at HOD. He really is moving way ahead of his younger siblings. I really haven't challenged him and I think 9 years old is going to be a good time for him to step up to a more challenging school year. He overshadows his brother as well. That dear middle son will do better separated from his brother for academic studies. They can enjoy their play times together but separating them for the schooling is ideal (other than music and story time).

That middle son can certainly join his sister in LHFHG/Beyond right side (that is my original original plan ). Over time that puts him on the older end of each guide and puts her on the younger. I think it will work just fine as long as I have him working on skills at his level (a guide ahead for awhile).


WHAT IF I do keep the 3 kids separated out and my Beyond & Little Hearts kiddos went half speed from March 2011 (our estimated start time for HOD) until Mayish 2012? Then the oldest is running full speed during that time (possibly a 4 day schedule - I'm toying with this. Makes his Bigger "year" run a little longer but we have the time in the schedule). This seems VERY doable. I can even see keeping my daughter running half speed for a couple of years through Beyond as she'd be on the young side for that as well. Then, in the 2012 school year I'd have full speed Preparing, full speed Bigger (maybe half for awhile as I gauge his readiness) and half speed Beyond. Is THAT do-able or still really far out there schedule wise? Are there drawbacks to running schedules half speed for a long time? I can see the child not being prepared for a bigger work load so at some point needing to move to full speed (maybe 4 days a week if needed to stretch the program out for the school year).

Alright, I'm off to mesh half speed schedules and research that a little.

[Bramble]

I really wanted my three oldest in their own guides, too, but I would have been running Bigger, Beyond, Little Hearts, and Little Hands this year. I tried it for about a day. LOL Carrie encouraged me to place my 7 yr. old w/ my 5 yr. old in Little Hearts and that has worked well. I am running Bigger, Little Hearts, and Little Hands. It is totally do-able.

[MomtoJGJE]

Doing 3 guides is doable! I would suggest to start getting your older one more independent! We are about 5 weeks in with Bigger and my DD is starting to learn how to read the instructions in the TM for the subjects I list out for her. I will make a list of what she can do without me each day and at the beginning of our school day I go over that list and any instructions/hands on stuff that is needed (like with math) and then I let her go to town. I've also handed the Bible box over to her as it was obvious she could do it herself. While she's doing those things I do the left side of LHFHG along with story time and hands on math from LHFHG. If I still have time I do LHTH with Julianna. When Jayden gets through with her independent work they all get together to do the rhymes in motion and finger play. Then I explain the instructions in math (1A), thinking skills, and handwriting to Grace and do history ,poetry, and English (orally) with Jayden. Then I let Grace have a break while I finish up all that I need to help Jayden with (story time, science, dictation and rotating box generally), get Jayden started on DITHOR (I do not listen to her read the whole part she's supposed to be reading every day, I just will randomly pick a day that I will listen to her... not the best, but we all do better with it this way for now... she hates reading), and call Grace back in to finish up anything left over with her. If I don't get to do LHTH I do it after we are all done...

This seems a bit disjointed and odd, but it works for us... We get all of their school done in about 2 - 2.5 hours. We don't have times or a written schedule.... it's just the flow of the day.

Also, we are full speed with Bigger with dictation and DITHOR every day instead of following the guide. Grace does at least full speed, if not a little more than full speed (left side, right side, left side) in LHFHG. And we've added in workbooks with LHTH with Julianna, so it's a little longer than just LHTH. Starting sometime in the fall I'll be doing Bigger/Preparing (depending on when we finish up), Beyond, and LHFHG half speed... I expect our time to be about the same because DD1 will be even more independent, DD2 will be about the same, and LHFHG half speed is nothing at all

[blessedmomof4]

Please bear in mind that one child can be working on something more independent after you get them started, while you work with another child in an area that you are needed for. It may take a while to get the rhythm flowing, but I can say for certain your school day with the guides you are planning on would not take 6 hours a day! Try looking at the "sticky" thread on this board called "Let's Share Our Schedules" Julie especially has some great schedules posted for more than one guide...somewhere on this board! I hope she gets a chance to pop in and link you to that.

[billswife]

I agree that doing three guides is doable. Your oldest will get more independent with each guide. Little Hearts and Little Hands really do not take long at all! It will not take you six hours to do it! I've found that the little ones are always interested in doing some of their stuff together--like the rhymes in motion, story time, and any singing. Whenever your oldest can do something on his own-like a math page--you can go do something with a younger child. I'm using Little Hearts right now and it takes about 45 minutes on a long day(she likes to do a lot of worksheets sometimes).

[abrightmom]

I really wanted my three oldest in their own guides, too, but I would have been running Bigger, Beyond, Little Hearts, and Little Hands this year. I tried it for about a day. LOL Carrie encouraged me to place my 7 yr. old w/ my 5 yr. old in Little Hearts and that has worked well. I am running Bigger, Little Hearts, and Little Hands. It is totally do-able.

OKAY!! THIS is super helpful. A Mama doing the dynamics that I would be. Bless you for sharing this.

What is your 7 year old doing for the "3 R's"? Are you using Beyond for that?

[abrightmom]

Doing 3 guides is doable! I would suggest to start getting your older one more independent! We are about 5 weeks in with Bigger and my DD is starting to learn how to read the instructions in the TM for the subjects I list out for her. I will make a list of what she can do without me each day and at the beginning of our school day I go over that list and any instructions/hands on stuff that is needed (like with math) and then I let her go to town. I've also handed the Bible box over to her as it was obvious she could do it herself. While she's doing those things I do the left side of LHFHG along with story time and hands on math from LHFHG. If I still have time I do LHTH with Julianna. When Jayden gets through with her independent work they all get together to do the rhymes in motion and finger play. Then I explain the instructions in math (1A), thinking skills, and handwriting to Grace and do history ,poetry, and English (orally) with Jayden. Then I let Grace have a break while I finish up all that I need to help Jayden with (story time, science, dictation and rotating box generally), get Jayden started on DITHOR (I do not listen to her read the whole part she's supposed to be reading every day, I just will randomly pick a day that I will listen to her... not the best, but we all do better with it this way for now... she hates reading), and call Grace back in to finish up anything left over with her. If I don't get to do LHTH I do it after we are all done...

This seems a bit disjointed and odd, but it works for us... We get all of their school done in about 2 - 2.5 hours. We don't have times or a written schedule.... it's just the flow of the day.

Also, we are full speed with Bigger with dictation and DITHOR every day instead of following the guide. Grace does at least full speed, if not a little more than full speed (left side, right side, left side) in LHFHG. And we've added in workbooks with LHTH with Julianna, so it's a little longer than just LHTH. Starting sometime in the fall I'll be doing Bigger/Preparing (depending on when we finish up), Beyond, and LHFHG half speed... I expect our time to be about the same because DD1 will be even more independent, DD2 will be about the same, and LHFHG half speed is nothing at all

THIS is also so so helpful. Thank-you for writing this out. There is food for thought here and I see that you are moving toward the schedule I'm considering. I do have much to ponder and so many thoughts & ideas! Thanks ladies. Keep 'em coming if you have anything to share. I am inspired!!!!

It sounds like my times are really puffed up. There is more independence and overlap once we are rolling along with the guides.

[abrightmom]

One more thing . . . in case I wasn't clear . . . and I'm often using too many words to say something . . .

I'm wanting to run Bigger, Beyond & Little Hearts simultaneously. I am considering running Beyond half speed and not starting Little Hearts until the fall. So we'd be well on our way with Bigger & Beyond before adding in Little Hearts. Bigger student would finish mid school year and move to Preparing while the other two would finish out Little Hearts & Beyond at the end of the school year (May/June). Then we'd move to their next guides which would be Beyond & Bigger. Then I'd have Preparing, Bigger & Beyond simultaneously. That is crazy, right??? My littlest would be 3 so technically could do LHTH. (that's 4 guides then even though LHTH is so so gentle and I wouldn't really count that as a guide. We spend that sweet time with the littles anyway in little snatches of time throughout the day.)

If you ARE running multiple guides do you combine anything? Storytime would be combined for Bigger & Beyond kiddos. That is all that I can see for combining. MAYBE a Bible study time? It's hard to give one of those up but perhaps it would be important to combine Bigger & Beyond boys in the same Bible (Beyond's) just for this year.

Will you list the subjects that your kiddos are doing somewhat independently (where you are not at their elbow) in these guides? Someone mentioned that Little Hearts is only taking her 45 minutes!!!!!! From the times for boxes that I found in the archives I was getting 120ish minutes for Little Hearts, depending upon the day (devotional days taking a bit longer). Similar times were listed for Beyond. Bigger was closer to 2.5-3 hours depending upon the day. If most of that time is teacher directed then that adds up to about 6 hours from me, 2 hours of teacher time for each guide (I'm giving my Bigger student an hour for independent work). Where am I off track here? Is there a thread that can help me see how Moms schedule these subjects and what is semi independent/independent with training?

Many thanks!!!

[Bramble]

I really wanted my three oldest in their own guides, too, but I would have been running Bigger, Beyond, Little Hearts, and Little Hands this year. I tried it for about a day. LOL Carrie encouraged me to place my 7 yr. old w/ my 5 yr. old in Little Hearts and that has worked well. I am running Bigger, Little Hearts, and Little Hands. It is totally do-able.

OKAY!! THIS is super helpful. A Mama doing the dynamics that I would be. Bless you for sharing this.

What is your 7 year old doing for the "3 R's"? Are you using Beyond for that?

My 7 yr. old is using Singapore Math and the ERS. I do have the Beyond manual because I thought I was going to use it, so I sometimes refer to it for math activities. The ERS schedule and questions are also in the Bigger manual so that is a handy way to keep less TMs in circulation. For more writing, I have him copy the Bible verse each week and use A Reason for Handwriting level B. He sometimes works on cursive. He sometimes does Explode the Code online for more phonics reinforcement. I don't bother w/ the grammar lessons from Beyond or the spelling lessons, but that is just my plan for my family. I have been thinking about starting spelling with him, but I haven't remembered to do it.

I thought about doing half-speed something to keep them in separate guides, but I really wanted the open and go aspect. It was just too much for my pregnant brain to have to split each day into two. That's just me, though.

Also, it sounds like your oldest two are a lot like my oldest two. It has been a blessing to keep them separate, and having the 2nd and 3rd child together in LHFHG has really strengthened their relationship. I am so happy with how things are going with HOD.

[Bramble]

I agree that LHFHG does not take much time. I don't watch the clock, but I'm sure we are on the couch w/ History, Bible, Rhyme, and Storytime for maybe 30 mins? Then I explain their table work and they go to it. LHTH is short and sweet as well.

With Bigger, I go through each box in the manual on the couch with him. Then we make a list of what he needs to complete at his desk. I don't think my part ever takes more than an hour if even that! Maybe I should watch the clock.

While I think I could have done those 3 (Bigger, Beyond, LHFHG plus LHTH!) after we got in the swing of things, I just found it cumbersome to switch gears so many times. Also, it just wasn't necessary. I don't feel that my 7 yr. old is being held back. The Bible and history are rich in LHFHG, and he loves the storytime! I like it much better the way I am doing it now. Also, I did not want to do back-to-back guides. I get bored!! This way I will have a break between each guide before I repeat it with a new child or children.

[abrightmom]

I agree that LHFHG does not take much time. I don't watch the clock, but I'm sure we are on the couch w/ History, Bible, Rhyme, and Storytime for maybe 30 mins? Then I explain their table work and they go to it. LHTH is short and sweet as well.

With Bigger, I go through each box in the manual on the couch with him. Then we make a list of what he needs to complete at his desk. I don't think my part ever takes more than an hour if even that! Maybe I should watch the clock.

While I think I could have done those 3 (Bigger, Beyond, LHFHG plus LHTH!) after we got in the swing of things, I just found it cumbersome to switch gears so many times. Also, it just wasn't necessary. I don't feel that my 7 yr. old is being held back. The Bible and history are rich in LHFHG, and he loves the storytime! I like it much better the way I am doing it now. Also, I did not want to do back-to-back guides. I get bored!! This way I will have a break between each guide before I repeat it with a new child or children.

Bramble,

Thanks for sharing this. What do you complete with DS and what is your DS doing independently in Bigger? I think cursive and science can be done independently. Perhaps some of DITHOR? I haven't spent much time with DITHOR yet to see how to implement it day to day.

Yes, the Bible & history in LHFHG look wonderful as does the story time. We are Thornton Burgess fans already so I anticipate my kiddos loving the series we'll be reading through.

Alright, the more I write and think the more I lean toward Bigger and Little Hearts (combining two kids here). That means I accept that my middle son will be the oldest in his guide while my daughter will be the youngest. I'm working on accepting that . . .