Timing of guides

[MarinaDatthyn]

Hi! We are finishing up our second year with HOD and I LOVE it. My second grader and fourth grader are doing Bigger together (4th grader with the extension). So I was planning on doing Preparing next year. They both have done well with placement together so far. So thinking WAY ahead... at this rate, my fourth grader will have to skip a guide and my second grader will run out of guides a year early! I was thinking for the younger one that I might do either an 8th grade weird year (where she basically does the basics plus...unit study? or life skills? plus helping me "teach" her younger brother and sister?) or possibly do the same sort of thing in her senior year? Or is there a better way, like going half speed with her on one of the guides? And for my fourth grader, I've seen some people possibly skip MTMM...ugh I hate to skip anything because every guide seems to have so much good stuff! But I really don't want to skip any of the high school because I know there's so much life prep/ apologetics/ High School credits, etc...advice? Thank you so much (I'm a bit of an overplanner)

[StephanieU]

For the younger one, I wouldn't hold her back. Let her keep going through the guides until it gets to the point that she has to slow down or, possibly in high school, slowing down allows for some outside of the box things you want to add (internship, service work, actual job, community college classes, etc). Graduating at 17 is always an option as well, if she is ready to go to college and you are ready for her to go.
For the older, again take it one guide at a time. If at some point the guides seem like they aren't challenging, speed it up or consider skipping a guide. You don't have to skip a guide though. You could keep that child home an extra year, adding in community college classes. Or you could skip the last guide, making sure to get economics/personal finance credits your state requires. There are lots of options, as I think you might get a better idea after completing Preparing.

[faroutback]

Somewhere Carrie had a post regarding skipping MTMM. She said there was a lot of spiritual growth involved with this guide and progressing to the next guide. We were considering skipping it and moving on to WG for 9th grade but after reading her post we decided to stay with MTMM. I don't want to skip any guides either, I know how you feel, but this settled that feeling about how it seems to build each year. We will look to beefing up if necessary and taking credit for work done in RevtoRev. If I can find the post again I will try to share it. I am thinking we will look for some way to combine things come the last year. I don't even know if this is possible. I think we all look ahead at times I think it is just part of this journey.

[jellybeanmum]

I'm new, so take this with a grain of salt..

When I decided to give HOD a try for my 7th grader this year I really felt the right place for him was with Res to Ref. However, I knew that would also mean he'd likely be in MTMM for 9th & then likely not finish all the high school guides. The later didn't concern me as much as the former, merely because I want to be sure he's adequately hitting the marks required, kwim? We've been homeschooling for 11 years & it's the rare person who gets to use every level of any given curriculum.

I wrote to HOD & posed my questions & concerns. I received a lovely, & very detailed reply back about using MTMM in 9th. I have to say that over the years of using many different companies I was just really blown away by the response.. not because other companies don't respond, but because I just found HOD's customer service amazing down the details of making it all work.

[faroutback]

Here is the link where Carrie talked about the spiritual growth aspect of skipping MTMM or not: (I hope it works)

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13259&p=95624&hilit ... its#p95624