Anyone using or have used LHFHG and BLHFHG at same time?

faith0428 · Post by **faith0428** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:08 pm

My daughters will be in kindergarten and 1st in the fall, and I was originally going to do LHFHG with them both and just get the first grade resources and emerging readers for my 1st grader, but now I'm thinking it might be best if I do LHFHG with the kindergartener and BLHFHG with the first grader? Anyone else done this? How well did it work and how much time did it take each day?

Melanie · Post by **Melanie** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:30 pm

Here's my vote - let them both do Little Hearts.

It is a great program and very appropriate for K or 1st. I would just let them keep advancing up the program together using math and LA for their individual levels. Honestly, you could go either way....I was just thinking that with little ones, it might be easier to have some subjects combined.

You have 2 more coming up that could probably do the same thing.

faith0428 · Post by **faith0428** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:56 pm

Thanks Melanie. That's what I was thinking, but I'm good at second guessing myself. I also thought that since my soon to be kindergartener will likely want to sit in on most if not all of BLHFHG that it wouldn't be as fun for her when we use it with her for first grade. And yes, I'll likely be doing things together for my son and daughter also who are only 16 months apart.

Melanie · Post by **Melanie** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:04 pm

faith0428 wrote:I also thought that since my soon to be kindergartener will likely want to sit in on most if not all of BLHFHG that it wouldn't be as fun for her when we use it with her for first grade.

Ooh....I hadn't thought of that. Really good point and another reason to keep them together. My kids would be that same way.

Mel

Post by **Carrie** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:01 am

April,

Our programs are actually designed for you to be able to keep your kiddos together if they are close in age (like yours). The target range for "Little Hearts....." is ages 5-7. So, I think Melanie is right on with her advice to do "Little Hearts..." with both of them.

Also, your kiddos can move along right together into "Beyond..." and so on through the years.

There are many moms using "Little Hearts..." for both K/1st grade kiddos together and doing great with it.

Blessings,
Carrie

6timeboymom · Post by **6timeboymom** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:25 am

faith0428 wrote: I'm good at second guessing myself.

oh, I know that feeling!!
I purposefully chose HOD because I could keep like ages together easily, so I second Melanie's advice to keep them in LHFHG.

Melanie · Post by **Melanie** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:45 pm

April....are you totally confused yet??? On one thread we rec. one thing and here we rec. something else....

I think you should probably get both manuals, look over the LA/reading in Beyond and just see how it goes. Has you dd finished a complete phonics program?? You can start the emerging readers and still work on phonics/spelling type lessons.

I would not rec. getting a spelling or grammar program to go with either program.

I don't think we asked you what you were doing for math. Are you doing Singapore or using something else?

I think this got confusing with 2 different threads going at once, and we're still getting to "know" you. So many new faces...and trying to keep them straight!

You'll get it straight by fall....hopefully!

faith0428 · Post by **faith0428** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 3:02 pm

Both daughters have been doing The Reading Lesson. Older is at lesson 13 and younger is at lesson 8. We plan on finishing it over the summer (hopefully). Older is in Bob Jones math 1 and younger is doing Bob Jones math k. Younger isn't as excited about math as my older daugher. We plan on trying Singapore since that is what Carrie uses. Math has honestly been the hardest thing for me to try and figure out what to use. I feel like it's the area I can really mess up the most if they get behind in it. If Singapore doesn't work out, I'll be crazily trying to figure out something else.

What I've decided to do is keep them both in LHFHG and use the 1st grade resources for math,science, buy the BLHFHG manual and the emerging readers and use use the spelling and grammar from BLHFHG also. Does that make sense?

Thanks everyone for all the help.

blessedmomof4 · Post by **blessedmomof4** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 5:54 pm

Be sure you have your older child take the placement test for singapore math, because it is much different from other programs. The tests are for the Primary series.

http://www.singaporemath.com/Placement_Test_s/86.htm

There is no test for the Earlybird Series, but here is a list of skills covered in EarlyBird 2A and 2B, from the Little Hearts intro. If you feel your younger is past that, you should test her, too, for placement in the Primary series.

Math Exploration
Daily math lessons are included in the “Learning the Basics” part of the
plans. These activities use concrete objects and hands-on experiences
to introduce mathematical concepts through guided play. The workbooks
Earlybird KIndergarten Mathematics 2A & 2B by Winnie Tan provide a
text connection for each math lesson. Two of the lessons in each unit
require these math texts. If you do not have the texts, you will need to
skip those lessons in the plans.
A brief scope and sequence of the math concepts is listed by unit below
(Number ‘1’ corresponds to unit 1, number ‘2’ corresponds to unit 2, etc.):
1 - counting and writing numbers ‘1’-’5’
2 - counting and writing numbers ‘1’-’5’, introduction of ‘6’-’10’
3 - counting and writing numbers ‘6’-’10’
4 - counting sets with one more, same number, or one less
5 - comparing sets: greater than, less than, one to one
6 - comparing numbers, identifying characteristics of basic shapes
7 - sorting by attributes, finding common attributes, and patterns
8 - patterns, sizes: big, medium, small
9 - ordering by height, measuring and comparing lengths
10 - nonstandard measurement: estimating, measuring length & width
11 - comparing nonstandard measurements, estimating weights
12 - capacity: filling, emptying, graphing, one to one correspondance
13 - oral counting forward and backward, number words
14 - counting, matching, and tracing numbers and number words ‘0’-’10’
15 - ordinal numbers, number words, introduction of tens and ones
16 - counting and reading numbers up to ‘20’, groups of ones and tens
17 - counting and writing numbers ‘11’-’20, number words ‘11’-’20’
18 - fractions: one-half, one-quarter
19 - left/right directionality, adding ‘1’-’10’ by counting on a number line
20 - combining two sets together to add
21 - combinations that make ‘6’-’9’
22 - combinations that make ‘10’, number sentences, separating sets
23 - comparing sets, subtracting: counting back, taking away
24 - subtraction: crossing out, stories, separating one group into two
25 - separating one set into two, horizontal and vertical subtraction
26 - missing numbers, picture stories, comparing numbers
27 - addition and subtraction stories, introduction to clock
28 - time: day/night, hour hand/minute hand, hour/half hour
29 - time: half past hour, days of the week
30 - days of the week, introduction to seasons/months
31 - counting by 10’s to 100, sets of tens and ones
32 - counting by fives and tens, counting to ‘100’
33 - identifying coins and values: penny, nickel, dime; counting money
34 - introduction to quarters, solid shapes: cylinder, cube, rectangular
solid

I want to encourage you that Carrie's hands-on activities make it easy to teach singapore. Little Hearts has hands on activities for Earlybird 2A and 2B. Beyond Little Hearts has hands-on activities for Primary 1A and 1B. Bigger Hearts has hand on activities for Primary 2A and 2B, which is what my 3rd grader is using. With the hands on activities, you only need the workbooks for the level you are using, and not the textbooks.

Singapore took some getting used to, but my girls are now thriving on it

Kelly · Post by **Kelly** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:15 pm

Hi April!
I'm Kelly and I pretty much asked the same question on another thread and got a different answer, but it was due more to the children's personalities than academics I believe. My kids need to have most of their school separate because of learning differences.
It can be hard deciding what to do!
HTH,
Kelly

Post by **Carrie** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:51 pm

April,

The ladies on the board have been wonderful in helping, haven't they! They are great at it!

I agree that the advice we gave Kelly was different from yours purely based on the personalities of her kiddos (not their ages)! Thanks for pointing that out Kelly and Melanie

Personalities do make a big difference in whether it will work to combine kiddos or not. The personality of the kiddos comes into play and the personality of the teacher too! So, it is a fine line of finding what will work best for each family. That's why different folks get different advice. It keeps all of us on the board on our toes getting to know each individual family better in order to recommend what will fit best. We're not perfect, but as a team we usually can help you sort through what is the best fit for YOU!

Feel free to ask if you have other questions. Lourdes did a great job in helping you with the Singapore questions.

I think your plan sounds like an excellent fit from what you've shared about your family! It is what I would recommend myself.

Blessings,
Carrie

mom2every1 · Post by **mom2every1** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:32 pm

I will be doing this very same thing in the Fall. My 9 year old will be doing Bigger...even though he coudl do the next one, we have been doing ancient history through medieval ages the past three years, so some American History will be a nice change. My littlest is developmentaly delayed, so even though he will be 6, I will be doing more of a remedial program with him. We already got our books and have started Little Hearts (and LOVE it) and he is doing very well with it.

Can't wait to see how my year will be - so far I am loving HOD and think this curric. is an answer to my prayers.

Lisa
Mom to
dd 1994 & ds 1995 using a hodge podge of R&S, Christian Liberty, Lightning Lit and others...
ds 1999 will be using BHFHG/DIHR in Fall 08
ds 2002 using LHFHG