Am I taking on too much other stuff?

[Mumkins]

So I ordered preparing today. IDK, but I feel like R&S wont work for us. My soon to be 4th grade DD is testing in 2nd grade in LA and math. I hear it's so advanced, I'm afraid to try it. We have tried Singapore and it didn't work out.

So I'm trying to decide if we should use MUS or ACE math. I think we're going to use ACE for LA, creative writing, spelling and Canadian social studies. I did have bible lined up, but realized we're probably getting enough bible. And science too, but realized there will probably be enough science cause I ordered SL's science too just cause I've been promising the kids it for the fall. I also want to get a French program and a health program.

My head is spinning just typing it all out. Is it too much?

[homeschool mom]

Don't schedule every subject every day. Some can be studied two or three times per week. Some can be covered in ten or fifteen minutes at a time. Your child will retain more with small daily exposure than one long block of time.

[blessedmomof4]

Hi there! I am a reformed curriculum-a-holic There is lots of great stuff out there, but may I just say that you will find Preparing to be very complete in all areas. I am currently using it with my fifth grader and it's all there. A suggestion would be to try doing the program "as is" first, and then see if you still feel the need to add on. A word about Rod and Staff-you can start a level or two "lower"-my fifth grader is using Grade 3 Rod and Staff and it is a perfect fit for her, a good starting point for an older student who didn't have much formal grammar instruction. All other language arts are covered well in the Preparing Hearts Guide, by way of studied dictation and copywork. A multitude of skills are able to be taught that way. I am a little organizationally challenged, so I really appreciate how everything fits together so neatly day by day.
As for math, I have difficulties with Singapore Math but it is working all right for my daughter. If you are already using a math program that works well on your home, the great thing about Heart of Dakota is it is easy to go right on doing that. My daughter is enjoying the science, but again, you can substitute if you prefer something else.
Anyway, above all, relax! You have years ahead of you to fit in lots of good stuff. For now, focus on a few goals for your kids this year and take it a step at a time

[8arrows]

Yes, it is too much. Preparing is a full program.

[GinainMD]

I haven't done Preparing but in my experience, prior to finding HOD, I tended to over schedule and the result was NOT my girls learning more but actually less because we could not keep up with everything and QUIT a lot of things . Then not only did we accomplish less, but I also felt guilty for not using the curricula that I had purchased. Just my experience.

[my3sons]

This is a good question! A bit of everything looks good, and it's tough to know what to do and where to draw the line. We've found that many times "more" is just "more" and not usually "better". In other words, the things I added became burdens that prevented me from being happy doing the curriculum we'd so carefully and painstakingly chosen because it fit our goals for homeschooling so well. There are always other things that look good, but we've decided only to add them if we are able to completely do the HOD guides well. I have a rule of thumb of doing the guides for a month before "adding" anything. When I was only doing 1 HOD guide, or when the guides were the younger ones (i.e. LHTH, possibly LHFHG), I sometimes enjoyed adding things on a fifth day we weren't homeschooling with HOD (we've always taken Fridays off - until last year). We did nature study, picture study, composer study - low key CM style things we enjoyed and that if we missed doing them a Friday, it was no big deal. So, yes, I do think that's too much, but perhaps do PHFHG for a month and then see if you want to add some things on the fifth day. I personally found anything from Bigger Hearts on up was full enough and just right for our days!

In Christ,
Julie

P.S. I once had a wise lady at church tell me that whenever she said "yes" to something that meant she was also saying "no" to something else, as there is only so much time in the day. So, she said she always made herself weigh what she was saying "no" to by saying "yes". She also said that made it much easier to say "no" sometimes. I've found this to be SO true. My just "adding on one more thing" often resulted in "skipping some other thing", and the added thing was usually not as important as what I was skipping. Anyway, that was just a new way of thinking when she shared that with me, and it has stuck with me and helped me make decisions that are more logical for our family. I hope that can help someone else too!

[momtofive]

One little quick thought. . . . . .

You could also use summers for doing some of "extras" that you may not have time for during the school year!

In Christ,
Lisa

[Kathleen]

Our family is happily using HOD as-is without extras. (And I'm quite sure that fact is what's keeping us happy! ) I know that I tend to get pretty cranky with my kids when I feel like I just can't get everything done. HOD is very complete and you don't need anything else.

I had a wise lady at church tell me EXACTLY the same thing as Julie...

P.S. I once had a wise lady at church tell me that whenever she said "yes" to something that meant she was also saying "no" to something else, as there is only so much time in the day. So, she said she always made herself weigh what she was saying "no" to by saying "yes". She also said that made it much easier to say "no" sometimes. I've found this to be SO true. My just "adding on one more thing" often resulted in "skipping some other thing", and the added thing was usually not as important as what I was skipping. Anyway, that was just a new way of thinking when she shared that with me, and it has stuck with me and helped me make decisions that are more logical for our family. I hope that can help someone else too!

...and thinking of decisions this way has helped me tremendously!! So, for my family, saying "yes" to other good curriculum that I could tack on to what we're learning (even though I'm sure the kids would learn something), means saying "no" to them having free time to play outside together and just be creative. And it means I'm most likely saying "no" to being able to keep the house together and help my husband out with things he needs help with on the farm because I'm too overwhelmed with what I have to do. And, I usually turn into a crying, stressed out mess!

If I were you, I'd take a good look at what you can happily take on. Maybe you don't respond the way I do to too much - but if you do, say "no"!

Which HOD guide are you planning on? I'd use whatever level of R&S your child will be comfortable & learning with. When my son was 8, we did level 2 with Bigger. Level 3 was a step up, but very doable for him as a 9 yo in Preparing. We do 2/3 of it orally, too. This keeps it enjoyable for all. I think it's really a very simple way to teach grammar that gets the job done well. Level 4 would be way too much for a "4th grader" that hasn't really done much grammar yet. We'll be using level 4 for "5th and 6th grade" with HOD as Carrie spreads the grammar out in 2 guides so that the parent and child don't get burned out. Since R&S is advanced, HOD reccommends completing level 6 by 8th grade to have a very thorough grammar education.

Kathleen

[Mumkins]

OK, I toned it down a bit. I'm ordering ACE LA and creative writing and R&S 2. I'm going to do a week of one, then a week of the other and see what's a better fit. I am ordering Social studies because it's Canadian and we need that as it's not covered at all. I'm probably going to skip spelling too and give dictation a try.

So, two more questions.

1- Will dictation level 1 be in Preparing?

2- Is there some way to get a schedule for R&S 2 since is scheduled in Preparing?

[Kathleen]

The 1st level of dictation that HOD uses is called "level 2", and it's scheduled in both Bigger and Preparing.

R&S 2 is scheduled in Bigger, but it would be very easy to use with Preparing. You'll just do a lesson per day (instead of doing a lesson per day of either level 3 or 4). I don't think the lessons will "match up" with the numbers of the lessons in the guide for the other levels as I'm sure the reviews and poems that don't have lesson numbers are different. We just had a sticky tab in the English book that we moved every day, and you can just move on to the next lesson.

Kathleen