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From what you are saying of your ds, it sounds like Beyond would be a better fit for him. It sounds like he might need some more time in phonics and manuscript writing before moving onto Bigger. I'm wondering if your dd might be better placed in Preparing? You said she was proficient in the Bigger skills. Does that mean that is where she places on the placement chart or just that she could easily handle that program? I know that isn't what you wanted to hear, but those are the thoughts I had when reading your post. We only do one program here just because I have twins that are close in level, but just to let you know that we did Beyond for their 2nd grade year and we'll be doing Preparing for 4th grade. This has worked out well for us.

Pjdobro gave good solid advice, and even though we could just say, "Sure, sure, do them together, combine them in BHFHG" that wouldn't be giving it to you straight. So, I am thinking that according to the placement chart, your 7 yo would fit best in either LHFHG or BLHFHG, and your mother's intuition that Bigger Hearts may be too difficult for him is right on track. Here are a few threads that describe the amount of writing in Bigger Hearts, which is an integral part of the skills and learning at that point...

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3005
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1516&p=11829

It sounds like your ds may be between LHFHG and BLHFHG, in which case by the time you began, BLHFHG may work well, provided he finishes out "A Reason for Handwriting K" or "Italic A", or something comparable to help him fill in any gaps he has with letter formation, and to further cement those skills. Boys do just often seem to come to those fine motor skills later.

If you look at the placement chart with just your oldest in mind, where does she seem to place best? The reason I am asking is if she is able, PHFHG will be more independent than Bigger Hearts with extensions. Since you'd mentioned doing BHFHG with extensions, she must be a fairly good reader and if her writing/grammar/independent skills fit PHFHG, I think doing BLHFHG with your ds and PHFHG with your dd would be very manageable. I do understand you are wanting to combine, but I believe in this case it would be easier not to. Little ones really do need to focus on those beginning reading, writing, following directions, listening attentively, etc. skills in bite-sized amounts that are at their skill level early on, in order to have success with more in-depth learning later on (such as Bigger Hearts on up).

In Christ,
Julie

NittyGritty,

I agree with pjdobro's wise thoughts that she shared based on your initial post. I would also be leaning toward placing your son in Beyond and your daughter in Preparing Hearts based on what you've shared so far. You mentioned that you are returning to HOD. Can you share what you've used of HOD in the past and also if you've been on our board before too? That will help us so much as we advise you and will help us refresh our memories of where you're coming from too.

Blessings,
Carrie

I completely agree with the others! It sounds like Beyond would be a great fit for you son. My oldest 2 are about 2 1/2 years apart, and I have them in separate guides. My 2nd and 3rd sons are the closest together at only 22 month apart, and I will have them in different guides this year as well. Combining is a fantastic way to keep everyone on the same page ... but sometimes combining can end up being more work than just using separate guides.
If cursive is the only thing that needs work, I would imagine that Preparing would be a great place for your daughter. I will have my 9yo son in Preparing this fall. He's not all the way there with cursive yet ... but he's getting close, and we still have several months to get him there.

You'd mentioned you are returning to HOD - which HOD guide did dd do before? She may have had some exposure to the LA things you mentioned earlier then, which could make a difference in what she could do in PHFHG. I am thinking that you could begin PHFHG half-speed for awhile, to let her grow in those areas? Then, whenever she was ready, you could switch to full-speed. Otherwise, if there would be much tweaking needing to be done to do PHFHG, then at that point Bigger Hearts would be better. What do you think about your youngest doing Beyond? What did your youngest do before with HOD? That could make a difference in placement too.

In Christ,
Julie

we will begin HOD in the fall as well. my son will be in second grade & 7 1/2 then, and my daughter will be in 4th grade and 10 in early october. i also purchased the extension pack for her. although my little boy may do better in beyond, the entire point (for me) in switching to HOD is to keep them together. honestly, i would stay with our current curriculum if i had to keep them separate... that's what makes HOD so appealing for me, is that i can do the bulk of their subjects together. i am confident that i can tweak it to meet both of their needs though, and that may mean a little less for him and a little more for her. i plan to use R&S english with my son (mostly oral), CLE math, and we'll continue with R&S phonics instead of DITHOR. aside from reading independently though, my son meets all of the bigger requirements. i guess it just depend on whether or not you mind two separate programs, ykwim??

I personally really like combining my 2 sons as well. My sons are both using Beyond this year, and it has worked out great for us. I guess it just depends on the maturity level of your children. My boys are 2 and a half years apart, but are more alike emotionally. I made it work with both of them in Beyond (7 and just turned 10). I just used higher LA and Math for the older one, with a little extra science. Plus, I used DITHOR with the older one too. It has been perfect for us. Next year I plan to add extensions to my oldest in Bigger.

So, yes, Elizawill, that is one of the major draws for me with HOD as well. Combining them on the left page subjects and storytime has been right up my alley! (Although, I did LHTH with my daughter who is 4 this year, and next year will be in Little Hearts) Doing two guides instead of 3, which works for me!

First years of homeschooling can be tough! I remember having this fairy tale type notion when I began homeschooling that our days would be pure joy-filled from sunup to sundown - you know, birds singing, sun shining, skipping through the tulips loving every single minute of homeschooling, my dc being so incredibly thankful I was their teacher and often thanking me, me imparting vast knowledge in incredibly winsome and entertaining ways... yikes! Don't get me wrong, we do love homeschooling, but I believe we have not ever had a completely entirely 100% perfect day. It is work - for us and the dc. And we've all butchered things, believe me, so no worries there. The good news is HOD can be an answer to prayer - a way to spend our days happily with one another - not perfect days, but good days because we have learned to work together and enjoy it.

Well, as far as your dc, it sounds like they place best individually in PHFHG (provided dd makes the gains you are thinking she will by fall), and Beyond Little Hearts. Placement-wise, because they differ greatly in their abilities, the separate guides would individually meet their needs the best.

However, if it is your heart's desire to combine, you could certainly do so. You'd just know that if you chose Bigger Hearts, it would be quite difficult for your ds, and if you chose Beyond it would be quite easy for your dd. I'd probably go with the latter as you can beef up more successfully (IMO) than tweak down.

If you chose Beyond for the 2 of them, you could beef it up by doing the right side of Bigger Hearts with your dd, using appropriate levels of LA and math for her and having her independently do the Bigger Heart's science box. If you chose Bigger Hearts, you'd have to tweak the writing especially for your ds, as well as many of the assignments, and use the younger LA/math options.

Either way, doing "Drawn into the Heart of Reading" with dd would definitely up the reading instruction level nicely for her. DITHOR is one of those guides that once you move through a whole unit or 2, it just falls into place and clicks right along. Doing the first 1-2 units is the adjustment period. I think doing Level 2/3 Instruction/Student Book along with Level 2 book pack sounds like a good fit for dd. Just to clarify, you don't read aloud the DITHOR titles, the dc are doing the reading.

For grammar, she could do R & S English 2 or 3, whichever fit her better. Doing around 2/3 of it orally or on the markerboard, and leaving just 3-5 things for my dc to write each day on paper for R & S, has been a good way to downsize the writing without lessening the learning. If dd likes to write and ends up doing either Beyond or Bigger, you could easily add "Igniting Your Writing" and do that with her. This would not be hard to do, and it is a good writing program.

As far as the read-alouds, whether you do separate guides with your dc or combine them, you can easily just choose 1 Storytime to do with them. I know this is a lot to think about, and I have prayed for some clarity in the decision for you. May the Lord lead you to the answer that is right for you and your family! I hope something here has helped!

In Christ,
Julie