threegreatkids wrote:...I think we will stick with our current plan for this coming year. My kids place perfectly into LHFHG/BHFHG/PHFHG right now, but for oldest I've already planned to use Bigger's extensions, teach written narration, and use R&S 3. As far as I can tell this will challenge her nicely and allow her to grow in much the same way as if she were doing PHFHG. And it will have us doing only 2 main programs for our first HOD year.
I think this plan makes total sense, and fits all of your dc's needs very well. Starting with 2 HOD programs will help you see if you want to do 3 the next year, or if you'd rather continue with 2, which would be fine otherwise.
threegreatkids wrote:Also, my ds is a perfect fit for LHFHG as far as reading/writing/math skill level goes, but his listening, comprehension and observation skills are far ahead of his age. (He's been listening in on chapter read-alouds since he was 2. We though he was playing blocks and lo and behold he could talk about all sorts of things from what I was reading to his sisters.) So...I will invite him to listen in on the history, science and storytime parts of Bigger this year! That will keep him included and challenged. Plus, since we only school 4 days a week I can relax about LHFHG and Beyond (which might take almost 3 years) and potentially skip Bigger down the road if that seems like a good idea.
LHFHG sounds like a great fit for your ds, and I think it's a good idea to have him listen in on the BHFHG Storytime titles and discussion for sure. The rest of Bigger Hearts, you can see what you think about him listening in on that. I would say if his listening in on the rest of it will lean you in the direction of skipping BHFHG down the road, I would not have him listen in. The reason I say this, is BHFHG is a turning point in dc's learning. It is (IMO) a foundational guide for teaching LA skills that dc will need to be proficient at in the rest of the HOD guides. Many new skills are taught in BHFHG - it was a big "growing up" year for my ds, and he needed it to be ready for PHFHG. For example, oral narrations are taught very thoroughly in BHFHG, in PHFHG, it's assuming dc have had some experience with that and are quite proficient at it already. BHFHG teaches how to do vocabulary cards for the first time too - which involves many important LA skills - i.e. finding the word in the history book, looking at the word in its context, guessing at its meaning, looking it up in the dictionary to see which definition best fits, and then creating a card with all of this information and filing in alphabetically. These are just some of the fundamental skills that come to mind - there are more I won't get into. We just completed our standardized testing a couple months ago, and reference materials and reading comprehension were 2 pretty difficult sections on the test. That's just one more reason I think it is super important to do Bigger Hearts with dc - plus, it's such an awesome program and teaches about American history biographically, which is different than anything else out there!
threegreatkids wrote: Then next spring I will take a good hard look at where everyone is and strongly consider 3 programs. At that point kiddos will be going into 2nd, 4th and 5th grades and I'm thinking that Beyond, Preparing and CtC would fit their needs perfectly with absolutely no tweaking! CtC looks like quite an independent program, so it would be easier to juggle 3 at that point and I'm pretty sure oldest would thrive with the level of independence. We will have a year of HOD under our belts and 3 programs might be more doable. I might use the Preparing Storytime titles for all 3 kiddos that year, since the CtC History Read-Alouds might be a bit much for oldest, who is quite sensitive to violence.
What do you think?????
This makes total sense to me, and you will be in a better position to make this decision then. I do think it would be just fine to do the PHFHG Storytime titles for all your dc at that point, or for your ds, you could choose a different Storytime from whatever guide he's in at that point if you wanted too.
I do soooooo love a great plan coming together, and that is what you have done here!

I can't wait for you to start HOD. It is such a great way to spend our days homeschooling our dc. I am getting ready to start CTC, finish BLHFHG, and do LHTH this coming year - and I am getting pretty excited myself. It will be fun to hear about your year! HTH!
In Christ,
Julie