Just *thought* I had made my mind up...LOL LHFHG 2nd gr.?

[Mom2Monkeys]

Here I go again. Placement pondering! My DD is set for 5th grade using PHFHG w/ext and R&S 4. My little guy will be 2 in November and just hanging out eating our pages. Was originally going to combine DD with DS7 (2nd gr and 8 in Dec) in BHFHG. DD is ready to shine and move forward with more independence, so I decided to move her up and do BHFHG half speed with DS7. I read Julie's fantastic reply to the post about half speed vs. Back a guide full speed and decided BLHFHG full speed instead. I feel he may be ready for parts of BHFHG but the writing will be too much, and I think the notebooking would frustrate him as well at this point. He is ready for cursive and emerging readers for sure. Maybe R&S 2?? He will get much more from the readings in Beyond.

Well, noooowwwww I'm thinking DS4 who will be 5 in September will likely be ready for LHFHG. He's already practicing handwriting and started TRL slowly. So, would it be crazy to combine DS 5 and 7 in LHFHG even though DS7 will be in 2nd gr and 8 in December?? If I did this, what should I add for him? The extra books from the appendix aren't an option as our library is Soooooo small. And I'm not concerned about it being 'babyish' bc he and DS would have fun with it.


ETA: DS5 barely misses the K cutoff so won't even be in K this fall yet if that matters at all.

[Sue G in PA]

Well, I am certainly not an expert on this, but I combined my dd5 and ds7 (8 now) in LHFHG this year. I did find many of hte activities a bit "babyish" for my ds and even for dd, but that's just us. Bible, History, Science, the art projects, etc. were perfect. Math activities were fun but not quite advanced enough for my kids who are very good in math. Good reinforcement though. As my ds8 was a slower reader, we didn't add anything. It's been a good year.

[Mom2Monkeys]

Well, I am certainly not an expert on this, but I combined my dd5 and ds7 (8 now) in LHFHG this year. I did find many of hte activities a bit "babyish" for my ds and even for dd, but that's just us. Bible, History, Science, the art projects, etc. were perfect. Math activities were fun but not quite advanced enough for my kids who are very good in math. Good reinforcement though. As my ds8 was a slower reader, we didn't add anything. It's been a good year.

My son is definitely good at math but we use something else anyway. So, is your DS8 2nd grade also?

[Mom2Monkeys]

I wanted to note that I'm not bent on combining, but ad I see how much DS4/5 is starting to adore DS7, I think they would make a good pair IF this placement is beneficial for both. Older DS is more shy, a little lazy, but a diligent worker with most of his school work but tires of it quickly. (I'm basing this is our phonics lessons and his homework time from public school this semester). He's a bit of a pesterer to little brother but most of his issues are attitude issues needing corrected. Little brother is wilder, outgoing, eager to learn but frustrates easily if he doesn't get the concept quickly, and is very sensitive, has a powerful presence. I think older may be drawn out of his shell a bit by little brother...maybe. He doesn't want to be shown up.
But I want both to blossom! If I didn't combine them, I'd put little in LHTH or half speed LHFHG bc although he's old enough, he isn't in K yet. And I'd put older in Beyond.
I also worry about down the road...older wouldn't get to last guide and younger would finish in grade 10 at age 16 with a guide per year! I also worry about needing to slow down for younger later but feeling I can't bc I have older with him.
It would certainly simplify life in THIS season and maybe I'm borrowing worries from tomorrow. Is it possible to combine now and uncombine later?

If I combine, what will my next couple or three years look like with these two including additions for the older? What about an uncombining plan most likely about the time we would hit Bigger for Little brother who would just be turning 7 and only legally in 1st grade (but only a month younger than some 2nd graders)? How could we split at that point? If older was doing the right side of Bigger while we did Beyond, could he jump to Preparing while Little did BHFHG half speed?

[my3sons]

Well, Tamara, I am so happy you feel settled about what oldest dd will be doing next year - hooray! Now you've got me thinking and pondering your next little guys here right along with you. Would you say that - thinking along the lines of the placement chart - your almost 5 yo places in LHFHG, and your 7 yo places in Beyond Little Hearts? If so, I'd think they could be combined in LHFHG with your 7 yo doing the right side of Beyond for whatever he's ready for. Looking down the road, I'd be less concerned about him finishing all of the high school guides (as even the current highest levels of HOD are quite meaty, and as extensions are available from BHFHG on up), and more concerned about younger ds being able to do the work well each year. If your younger ds hangs with it alright at the younger target age range of the guides, he technically would be very close to 17 yo when he graduates (one month away from it, if I am understanding his age correctly?). 17 yo is not that uncommon of a graduation age (Carrie graduated at 17 yo, I have a niece who will graduate from ps at 17 yo, etc.), and you could very easily add on another year to have wiggle room with SAT/ACT prep, life skills, etc. However, it is really hard to tell how he'd do long term as he moves through the guides. I think it does depend on where they each would place when considering the placement chart for each of them individually, so I have now made it back around to my first question. I will check back later to get your thoughts on that!

In Christ,
Julie

[Mom2Monkeys]

So you don't think it would matter that younger Ds would finish all the guides when he's technically a 10th grader? He seems like he will be ready by fall to start LHFHG. He is about 6-8 pages into the first lesson of TRL. He is figuring out simple math problems the kids make up when playing school, he loves to he read to but has some fidgetiness about him...of course. It would take training to make him understand he can't just get up and go play when he wants he is coloring beautifully, which is the first and biggest thing I've recently noticed about his blossoming dine motor skills. I did a handwriting page with him a couple days ago and was pleased. He's an active boy, but very bright and very independent and very string-willed. The attentiveness will take training no matter what age we start!

Older DS places solidly into Beyond, and borders on Bigger. I was going to do half pace BHFHG, but decided to start with Beyond. I think he could do Bigger half pace, but I'd be doing half pace to help him build the writing skills and such, so since it was skill-based reason for going half speed, Beyond full speed is where I felt he best placed. I feel in some areas he's ready for more than Beyond has but I'm not sure just being ready is enough reason to put the workload on him just yet.

I am mostly concerned about possibly needing to un-combine later and how that works, and if I really want younger done with all the guides by 10th grade...how do we then award credit for high school level work when he's only in 7th/8th grade? (even though his age is very close to being a young 8/9th grader). I need to really think this through and pray. I still have youngest brother coming up behind these three.

Gotta go so i can conserve phone power. No power. Severe weather with many tornados tonight. Lost a big tree from our front yard due to straight line winds. More coming tomorrow! Arkansas weather is simply crazy!

[Mom2Monkeys]

Julie, I didn't answer the age thing... Ds would be 16 a month or so after starting the last guide, finish in may/June and turn 17 the following sept 27. I also graduated when I was 17 and don't feel I wa ready for college even though I received academic scholarships. BUT the biggest difference is I had the typical multiple choice high school education whereas he will know how to think and study and have a much mire solid education than I did. I like having the extra year or so to pursue interest and prep for college tests and such.

I really need to know what exactly I should add for older if we do combine. I can wait to decide until right before we start dice I own all the levels from LHTH to PHFHG so I'm prepared no matter what.

[Larissa]

If he places solidly in Beyond, then (if it were me) I would take him through Beyond. I also have 4 children, and I spend a great deal of time trying to figure out how I can combine a couple of them in order to consolidate, and make the best use of my time. Every time I think that I have a plan that will work, I end up going back to the original plan to keep them in the guide which they place best. That's just me, though. Every family has different dynamics and different ways of functioning - so combining very well could be your best option. It's such a hard decision - and every year I go back and forth second guessing myself. Every year I end up keeping each child in separate guides. This year, I will be doing K with my 3rd child using my own CM approach with many of the (HOD) suggested K options, 2nd grade with my 2nd child using Beyond, and 4th grade with my 1st child using Preparing.
Next year, I will take my 1st grader through LHFHG as written with 1st grade options. This means that eventually I will be using 4 different guides at one time, which seems just crazy, but I know I will have them placed exactly where they need to be without having to modify the guide. I know that modifying a guide for both children to fit it (for me) would be more mind boggling than just using separate guides.
I am not kidding when I say that I admire those who do combine and do it well!

[Mom2Monkeys]

If he places solidly in Beyond, then (if it were me) I would take him through Beyond. I also have 4 children, and I spend a great deal of time trying to figure out how I can combine a couple of them in order to consolidate, and make the best use of my time. Every time I think that I have a plan that will work, I end up going back to the original plan to keep them in the guide which they place best. That's just me, though. Every family has different dynamics and different ways of functioning - so combining very well could be your best option. It's such a hard decision - and every year I go back and forth second guessing myself. Every year I end up keeping each child in separate guides. This year, I will be doing K with my 3rd child using my own CM approach with many of the (HOD) suggested K options, 2nd grade with my 2nd child using Beyond, and 4th grade with my 1st child using Preparing.
Next year, I will take my 1st grader through LHFHG as written with 1st grade options. This means that eventually I will be using 4 different guides at one time, which seems just crazy, but I know I will have them placed exactly where they need to be without having to modify the guide. I know that modifying a guide for both children to fit it (for me) would be more mind boggling than just using separate guides.
I am not kidding when I say that I admire those who do combine and do it well!

Thanks for your insight, Larissa!


I tried out some of the writing/notebooking with my DS7 today and wondering if maybe he is ready for BHFHG. ??? http://heartofdakota.com/board3/viewtop ... f=6&t=9127