How To Merge 2 Of Mine

[mrsrandolph]

I have a 5 year old boy with a late Nov birthday. He is doing LHTH now. He has completed All About Reading's Pre Reading level and is ready to start level 1. He is very smart and knows his numbers to 100. He knows all letters and letter sounds. My main hesitations with moving him into LHFHG are his fine motor skills (he is doing HWOT Get Ready For School). He also does a cutting book. My other concern would be his attention span for the history and devotions in LHFHG.

I have a daughter who will turn 8 August 30. She is half way through LHFHG. My hope is to eventually merge these 2 children. She is very eager to do school, but I have to really watch that she pays attention to and retains history and devotional readings.

My 5 year old will soon catch up to or even surpass my daughter in reading.

Would this work for merging?

Start going half speed with the older through LHFHG. Start going full speed through LHFHG with my younger. Once the younger catches up with the older, merge them and go full speed?

Thoughts? Problems forseen? Other suggestions?

Thanks!

[Gwenny]

Is your son about to finish LHTH? What about just starting over with your daughter in LHFHG when you start your youngest. You seem to have some concern with her retention of the readings, etc., so it wouldn't hurt to read them again. I would think it would be a little easier on you to do it that way. They would both be doing the right side on their own level anyway.

[mrsrandolph]

I have considered this, but I don't know about repeating the Burgess Books with her. I could however just pick up with the both of them where the older is in the Burgess books and when they are finished, supplement with some other readings. Or I could have separate read aloud times. Thoughts? I don't know. She may like repeating them.

[mom23]

As far as working to combine them, I like your first idea to go half speed with your daughter and full with your son until he catches up. My concern would be with his attention span to the readings, he may be better suited to half speed in LHFHG for a short while to grow him into these skills. I'm also wondering if you combine them and then younger brother passes big sis up in reading would that be discouraging to her? I guess depending on where she is in reading, but I think it would be hard in our house if a younger sibling finished up the phonics book and moved on to the ER's before an older one...I wonder if this would be less of an issue if they weren't working together? Could you just continue on as you would for each alone and work to combine them in Beyond when they were both in the ER's, or your son's attention span had grown?

[mrsrandolph]

This is a good point Becky. I do wonder about his attention span and maturity for LHFHG. I don't usually like to start it before age 6.

[mom23]

My kids have done best with it at 6, too; but I certainly understand your wanting to combine! I've been thinking that would be awfully nice around here, too...unfortunately, I've about concluded that it's not going to work on our house. Ever. Fortunately, for you, your kids sound close enough in skill that you can be very successful with combining eventually. If attnetion span is your biggest concern I think you should just try it-full speed with your son, and half with your daughter. See how he handles it; try to give him breaks-so that he's not sitting to listen to the History and the Storytime all in the same setting. Maybe you could read Burgess at bedtime, or at a meal so it doesn't feel like school time. If it's just too much, slow him back down to half speed in it for a few months and try again later.

[my3sons]

...Start going half speed with the older through LHFHG. Start going full speed through LHFHG with my younger. Once the younger catches up with the older, merge them and go full speed?

Thoughts? Problems forseen? Other suggestions?

Thanks!

Hi Shannon! I think you could do this, but I'd do full-speed LA and math with older dd. This will help keep her moving 'above' little brother, which is probably important in her mind. As far as the read alouds, why not keep those separate for a little while? I think I'd go through the Burgess books with ds on his own and really focus on his individual comprehension. With dd, I'd finish out the Burgess books and Storytime plans she hasn't done full-speed, and then start the Beyond read-alouds with the Girl Interest, as far as you get before ds and she meet up in the LHFHG plans. If it becomes too much for ds though, or if it becomes apparent dd needs more, you could always still keep them separate and have dd do full-speed LHFHG again, and have ds do half-speed LHFHG. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[mrsrandolph]

Thanks for that Julie. I was hoping to get your input.