Please help with placing my 5-year old...

[savedbyloveandmercy]

Hi, Ladies! We will be starting our second year of HOD with our oldest ds this year, and we loved our first year! However, I purchased LHTH last year for my 4-year old son, and life threw some curveballs (got very busy with my 93-year old grandmother - need I say more?? )

We started LHTH, but didn't get very far, with all that was going on. I always made sure our oldest ds finished his schooling first, and unfortunately, there were many days that we only had time for LHFHG. (younger ds did sit in on some of the reading, music and activities).

So, my quandry now is where to start with my 5-year old this year. I've looked at the possibility of doing LHTH w/ the supplemental K. materials from LHFHG, or another possibility would be to use LHFHG for two years, one year w/ the K. materials, and the next year, w' the first-grade materials, or perhaps one of you wonderful mommies has an idea I've not even considered!
My only concern with using LHFHG two times is that my ds may get fidgety, repeating reading and activites, but I could be totally wrong!

BTW, my ds knows most of his letters and sounds, and can write most of them, as well.

Have any of you done either of the options I'm considering, and if so, would you mind sharing your experiences with me?

I'd sure appreciate any help/opinions you can offer!

Thanks so much!

In Him,
Briana

[jenntracy]

You could try going for 2 yrs. Maybe just do one side of LHFHG and then add in the other if he seems ready before the year is up. Or just do the basics side for 1 year and then the next year do the History side and then add in next level of Basics (which would be in BLHFHG).

This is kinda what happened to my son. we did basics side for a year and are done now and will be doing the History side soon.we did add in some science of our own towards the end and own Bible study all the way through . i will continue with my own Story-time and add in Handwriting this year as we didn't do it at all last year (scheduled anyway). he will be at next level of Math and Reading when we start "official Kindergarten" in September.

i am trying to keep him all in one curriculum and that is why we are doing our own story-time this year while we finish History side of LHFHG. the only two that would be in BLHFHG level would be Math and Reading.

If your son knows his letters and writes them i think he would do fine in LHFHG.

Hope this gives you some ideas of what is working for us. My son will be 6 in October.

Jenn D.

[Rachelle]

Another idea--I decided to do LHTH faster with my 5 year olds with some of the K right side additions and then move into LHFHG when we get there (probably beginning one side each day). It will take us close to two years this way--especially if we do one side per day for a while when we get to LHFHG. I really wanted them to experience the bible stuff in LHTH. I just didn't want to miss it basically.

What I'm doing is all the activities in the LHTH guide except the letter recognition/letter sounds and combining 2-3 days per day. We'll finish two units per week. We're doing some of the K supplementary materials from LHFHG right said in place of the letter sounds and recognition. I suspect we'll get through LHTH in about 16 weeks or so. Then we'll start LHFHG.

The other option I considered was to use the LHTH day by day along with the right side of LHFHG. Then we'd do LHFHG left side along with phonics and math at the next level and a burgess reader next year. I may still do that if my plan above doesn't work out.

[MomtoJGJE]

For my 4.5yo we are doing LHFHG with all the K stuff this year and will be doing it next year with 1st grade. I figure she's not likely to remember most of what we read... at least that it's in the same order, and there will be enough different to make it different. It would also just cement what she learns this year in her mind before moving on to the next level after that... We'll only do each TM one year starting in Beyond. (at least that's my plan now)

[Rachelle]

Just an update--I did the first three days of LHTH today with my five year olds. It combined really nicely (I did one finger play at the beginning and played the song at the end). It took us about 30 minutes to cover the Pre-K guide materials without the K additions in phonics/handwriting/etc. I'm doing the K academic stuff in the afternoon. The boys loved the LHTH program--not too babyish at all!

[crlacey]

I just wanted to direct you to the placement chart here:
http://heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

It may give you a better idea on where to place your child. I would caution those considering using a manual twice with the same child. I would think that even though some of the things like math and reading would be different, most of the program would be a repeat. Maybe your child would thrive doing that, but from my experience, they will not like it the second time through. I had used the first 2 units of Beyond over the winter when we were making a trip through St. Augustine and Jamestown. (Driving down the east coast.) When it came time to so them this year, my DD did not do well repeating them. I got lots of attitude and so we ended up skipping those units we had finished and since then it's gone much better.

[Larissa]

I am planning to use LHFHG with my 4 almost 5 year old with all the K options for math and Phonics. I am also going to use it next year for 1st grade, while upgrading to the first grade math, phonics, and handwriting.

My plan is to do the handwriting, phonics, math, Bible, and song with my son. . . and splitting up the science, art, read alouds, history, and Rhymes in a way that takes 2 weeks to cover what you would normally cover in 1 week.
This will stretch the manuel out for two years without repeating anything. Then for 2nd grade we will move to the Beyond book.

This will work well for me because I am also doing BHFHG with my oldest son, and my 4 yo listens to all of my older son's read alouds. (which means when I do beyond with 4 yo son. . . I will likely order a different read aloud set with him)

[Carrie]

Briana,

You've received some wonderful advice from the ladies on this thread. I agree that I'd lean toward doing either LHTH (and adding phonics and handwriting from LHFHG) or do LHFHG (starting at half-speed, doing left side of the plans one day and the right side the next) to start slowly and stretch over 2 years if desired.

Blessings,
Carrie