Help me in figuring out a schedule for my next two....

[MistyP]

We have been doing HOD for 2 years now with my oldest 2, we started with LHFHG for K & 1st, and are now doing Beyond for 1st & 2nd. I plan on using Bigger next year with them.

NOW the next two DD #3 will be 5 in August. She is DYING to do school! We have done some of LHTH, she loves doing workbooks from the Dollar Tree. Although I don't really feel up to it right now (6 week old twins!) I feel that I need to start K with her this Fall; she is ready. She also has 2 cousins that will be starting K (one public school, the other private ACE school) and she would feel really left out if she was not doing K. I would like to combine DD #3 & DD #4 in the guides in the future though. DD #4 will be turning 3 next month; they are 20 months apart. Obviously she isn't ready for K...will probably do some pre-K stuff with her in the Fall.

Even though they are only 20 months different in age; technically they would be 2 years apart in school.

I was thinking about getting Rod & Staff books for DD #3 to use for K along with LHTH. I already have the early bird math books; DD #2 did a few pages out of the 2nd book. I also have the 100 Lessons reading book that we have already started on. She can also do projects with the bigger girls when she wants.

I hope this all makes sense! Any suggestions on how I can make this work? Can I stretch LHFHG to work for 2nd grade?

Thanks!

[pjdobro]

With newborn twins, you really have your hands full. Hugs! Your older girls in Bigger are also going to need more of your time this year. It is a great year of teaching them and prepares them for more independence in the future. I think you definitely need to try to keep it simple if at all possible for your middle two. It sounds like a great plan for you to do LHTH with your dd3 and dd5 this year. You can add in the right hand side of LHFHG using the R&S books, the reading lesson, math, etc. for dd5. At the end of the year you can evaluate where these two are and how best to proceed. Perhaps it will work out that you will be able to do LHFHG with both of them the following year using the 1st grade options for your older dd and the K options for your younger. If not, then perhaps you can do LHFHG at half-speed the following year but do the right side first grade options at full speed with your older dd. I wouldn't worry about that too much now. You really can cross that bridge later. By that time, your oldest two will be in Preparing and much more independent and your twins will be older and requiring a bit less of your physical effort so you may find that you want to put the two middle girls in different programs at that point. I think your plan for the moment to do LHTH and add in the K options of LHFHG for your dd5 now is a good one.

[MistyP]

Thanks Patty! I definitely have my hands full At the moment I am ready to send the middle 2 to preschool some where!

[pjdobro]

Thanks Patty! I definitely have my hands full At the moment I am ready to send the middle 2 to preschool some where!

I can understand that ! When my twins were 3, I was wondering why I didn't have them in preschool. LOL! I don't even remember much of the first two years with my twins. It's all blur. So I can't even begin to imagine how challenging your life now is with newborn twins and 4 more children. God bless you and sustain you!

[my3sons]

I think it makes total sense to combine your 3 and 5 yo, and LHTH will be a great way to do that. It only takes around 20-30 minutes a day, which I have found is perfect, as the littles are vying for our attention as mamas anyway, and we are feeling like we are not truly able to give it to them - for me, LHTH was the perfect answer for that dilemma. It was fun, short, gave my little guy his "mommy time", and made me feel great about about the time I was giving him without it taking too much of me. You can easily add in the right side of LHFHG for your 5 yo as time allows. By the time your 3 yo is nearing 5 yo, you could have a goal of having completed LHTH with the 2 of them, and having completed the right side "K" options for your nearing 7 yo. Then you can move on to LHFHG with either the first grade options or by utilizing the right side of Beyond, depending on where 7 yo dd is with her LA and math at that point. Then, 3 years later or so, you'd be able to begin your twins with LHTH, and your oldest duo would be very independent, your middle duo would be semi-independent, and your littles would be needing you just 30 minutes a day. We have 1 in RTR, 1 in Bigger Hearts, and 1 in LHTH - this mixture of guides has not been difficult to do, and it's actually really fun to be doing different guides with each of the boys - my teaching time is so varied, and each time with the boys feels "fresh" and unique from the other. HTH, but I think you have a good plan for your family here!

In Christ,
Julie