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Hello, I just discovered HOD this week and have been quite intrigued by the curriculum, concepts, etc. I have a little girl who turned four in December 2007. She knows her letters, numbers, can write some letters and numbers, (but doesn't know sounds yet ) knows colors, shapes, etc and can write her name. She absolutely LOVES books and has shown a STRONG desire to learn how to read.

I've been researching various phonics programs and some homeschool kits. I studied the Placement Chart and Little Hands seemed to pull at me but I also don't want her to become bored after a period of time.

Would you say that Little Hearts or Little Hands would be right on target for us?

I look forward to your responses.

Lisa in OH

Lisa,

Welcome, so nice to have you here!

I also have a 4 year old daughter, she has a January birthday. We are using LHTH right now and enjoying it so much. It is a very rich program.

I think LHTH might be a good choice for your daughter. It offers number and letter activities which include learning the sounds and some introductory handwriting practice. Best of all, these activities are covered in a fun, hands on way. And the bonus is that the activities are tied in to the bible lesson.

LHTH has a wonderful Godly/bible focus that seems to really speak to the child. There are opportunities for dramatic play (acting out bible stories such as Noah's Ark, I think my daughter did this 10 times in one day!), art activities that reinforce the bible lesson in a really creative "think outside the box" manner, and very purposeful character lessons that are read from the wonderful devotionals. My daughter commonly requests these readings.

LHTH also offers some really fun, memorable, hands-on science activities that really draw the child in. We have done an experiment where we have collected various items from the house and yard, filled a tub with water, and proceeded to see which items floated and which items sunk (sank?). My daughter thought this was so much fun! We had items ranging from Polly Pockets to coins, to feathers and macaroni. Very enjoyable for both of us! And that reminds me, a truly wonderful aspect of LHTH is the time spent with your little one. A program not to be missed.

I have purchased the LHFHG guide as I intend to use it with my daughter when she turns 5. It looks amazing! However, as I look it over, I realize that the history portion is just a bit above her at this time. I could reasonably begin LHFHG now, but I fear that we will simply be covering the material and not truly absorbing it at this point. I really want her to connect with the material, not just go through the motions.

If your daughter is quite eager to begin a phonics program, perhaps you could begin one now and use it along with LHTH. Oh yeah, I can guarantee that your daughter will not become bored with LHTH. We have more than enough homeschooling materials in my home (that's another topic!!!) and my daughter repeatedly requests to do Little Hands To Heaven! Again, not a program to be missed, in my opinion!

Candice

Hi Lisa,

Welcome. I think you have seen this but just in case http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php To me it sounds like Little Hands To Heaven would be the fit for your dd. Just because it sounds like she does not have her letter sounds down just yet and she is still on the young side. My six year old would not have been ready for LHFHG at 4 but yet my now 4 year old had her letter sounds down by three and was starting to read small words. In the end it all evens out. I wish actually that we would have had the time doing LHTH because it just looks so fun and I think they would have enjoyed it. I think it's really important to be on their schedule with phonics.

If you are a long term thinker If they move fast and are not ready for phonics you will kind of hit a wall on the next program Beyond. So no use hurrying to get ahead when it kind of leaves you behind in the long run. If that makes sense.

Hi! My ds turned 4 in December 2007 also and we're doing LHTH and he loves it. He's actually already reading quite a bit and he can count to 100 and do very simple addition - and he's not bored with LHTH at all. Even though he's "ahead" with his reading/math skills, he still enjoys doing those parts of curriculum and I feel like the Bible is perfect for where he is at right now. I think that if I tried LHFHG right now, the history would probably be over his head, so I think Little Hands is just right for this age. I think your dd would fit perfectly into this program!

Lisa,

Welcome to HOD! I have to put in another vote for LHTH. Candice did such a great job explaining the program, that there's really not much to add. I have started LHTH with my dd who will be 4 in May. We're going slowly and will continue it through next year. When I first looked at LHTH, I thought it looked so simple with the nice little boxes, and I loved that everything was built around the Bible stories. I really didn't believe that it would cover everything it does. That was what shocked me! We love it, and I'm sure you would, too!

Kathleen

I agree with the other ladies, LHTH would be a great place to start!

Welcome to the Boards!

Little Hands to Heaven sounds just perfect! You're so lucky to have found HOD right off the bat...I missed the Little Hands program and it looks like so much fun!

Just wanted to ditto the other ladies about LHTH. She will love it! You can always throw in a phonics program on top of that if you think its too light.

We tried LHFHG after LHTH and it was a big jump for my son. I still keep bringing it out and its too much for him. We love HOD though! I'm just patiently waiting