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I was thinking of using LHTH with my 3 year old this fall. He will just have turned 3 when we start. But, if we take a year with it, or even stretch it to two, which I might do; What are you using as a filler until LHFHG? I think I would prefer to start him when he is 6. So, with 2 years at LHFHG, I would have at least 1 year to play with. Any suggestions of what I could do with him? And, if I just started him with maybe just the Reading Lesson when he turns 5 and just use that for a year, would he be too young to start with the emerging readers when he just turns 6? Hope that makes sense.
Just trying to think on when I should start LHTH with him. I know when we start LHFHG in the fall, he is going to want to do something too. Just like his sisters.

Right now for my just turned 3 year old I print out alphabet pictures. I am planning on starting LHTH in the fall with him. He seems to be happy as long as he has a school picture to color while big brother is doing his work. He also usually listens during history and the read alouds and participates in the Art or science activity. He just really wants to be with us. I am also thinking about starting him in Singapore Earlybird 1A/1B part way through next year.

HTH
Karen

I have been pondering the same thing. Here are some things that I have been considering and some I have started using only loosly:

R&S preschool workbooks (set of 4)
R&S K workbooks (set of 5, less the 2 scheduled in LHFHG, plus the coloring book and Bible Story book)
ETC Primers
LLFLO by Queen Homeschool

Before I discovered HOD I was doing Before 5 in a Row. It was fun and easy to use. I even figured out how to use some of my favorite books the same way. Its pretty easy you read the same book every day and then do a activity related to the book each day. Very low key as well.

Be sure he ready "to learn to read" before you start him in on it. The seminar I was at this weekend very much advocated better late than early. And pointed out that many boys are actually not ready to learn to read till they are 7 years old. She really wanted us to relax as mom's "their is no reason your child should be in tears over his lessons" she admonished us. oo have I been there and done that!

Tansy wrote:Be sure he ready "to learn to read" before you start him in on it. The seminar I was at this weekend very much advocated better late than early. And pointed out that many boys are actually not ready to learn to read till they are 7 years old. She really wanted us to relax as mom's "their is no reason your child should be in tears over his lessons" she admonished us. oo have I been there and done that!

Oh Tansy....you're singing my song!! Raymond and Dorothy Moore have a wonderful book called "Better Late Than Early" that is a really good read. That must have been a great workshop you went to.
Mel

There are a few options we're looking at and have used before.
Sonlight Pre-K (now core B) We used Amy's Theme schedule in the yahoo group which was a lot of fun. We actually ran through this twice.
Letteroftheweek.com has free lessons.
Homeschoolshare.com has free lessons that are like Five In A Row. They also have a yahoo group for more ideas.
Bright Beginnings by Tammy A. Shaw I bought this and Katie was too young for it at the time. It got packed in a box and moved twice before I found it. It looks to be a good level between LHTH and LHFHG so I'll probably try using this in between the 2 for my little guy when the time comes.

LeAnna,

I just wanted to pop in and say that HOD's programs build well one upon another, so you'd find after 2 years of LHTH that your little one would be ready to start LHFHG (even at half-speed if needed).

This, we have found to be true with all of our kiddos so far. It's actually easier to just go on to the next HOD program than to come up with something extra to fill a gap year. Then, you could just take your time with LHFHG too and enjoy the ride. Thats what we're doing with my third little guy who started LHTH at age 3. We're doing LHFHG half-speed and have found he's grown so much that he's ready for it all now.

Blessings,
Carrie

Carrie,

Thank you! I was wondering if others were starting their boys at 3 with LHTH. So, after 1 year or 2 years of LHTH, did you go on to LHFHG? And, then did you just do half a page a day? How about with using Phonics along with?

Thanks so much for all my many questions!!!

LeAnna wrote:Carrie,

Thank you! I was wondering if others were starting their boys at 3 with LHTH. So, after 1 year or 2 years of LHTH, did you go on to LHFHG? And, then did you just do half a page a day? How about with using Phonics along with?

Thanks so much for all my many questions!!!

This is what we did with both of our sons. With my first son, I started LHTH with him when he was 3, and we did it 3 times a week. I did the letter activities and the fingerplays daily though, just for "memory's" sake, and plus they were fun! When he finished at age 4 1/2, he was ready for LHFHG and did very well with it all right away.

With my second ds, we started LHFHG when he was 3 years old, and we took around 1 1/2 years to do it. Then, we started LHFHG doing just the left side of the plans one day, and then the right side of the plans the next day (we did do Phonics daily though). We did this for quite awhile, and started out this school year that way too. About at week 12 of the plans, we started doing it all because he was begging for it and was totally ready then.

I think you won't have to worry about subbing in anything in between. The HOD programs really build upon one another and do a great job of getting the child ready for the next curriculum. I've had good luck of slowing it down rather than skipping to something else. I've tried do a different program one time too (because Carrie hadn't written the next one), and it was not successful for us. HTH! Keep firing away with the questions, and glad you are here!

In Christ,
Julie

You know I completely forgot about being told that it would work doing one side of the lesson one day and the other side the next day!! Too much on my mind I guess (and I ain't talken curriculum either). This makes me very happy as I would love to get started with LHFHG year after next school year when Hannah turns 4.

LeAnna,

My story is VERY similar to my3son's. With my second son, we started "Little Hands..." at age 4 and flew through it in a year, doing it daily and did the same the following year with "Little Hearts...".

With my third son, we started "Little Hands.." at age 3 and did it several times a week over 2 years. We, then went right into "Little Hearts..." as my son was turning 5 (doing the left side of the plans one day and the right the next).

We will keep that pace until the end of this school year, although we are headed into week 12 and it does seem like my little guy would be ready to do it all right now (if I could change everyone's schedule to give me the extra minutes I'd need!) Instead, I'll just wait to make a new schedule at the beginning of next year and block out more time, because our old schedule for 6th grader, 3rd grader, K-er, and toddler is working like clockwork right now!

Hope that helps!

Blessings,
Carrie

Our son was different. We loved LHTH when he was 4. I started LHFHG in Aug. for his K year and I had to put it down. I just got it out again to try last week and it is still over his head