help with choosing guide(s)

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erin.kate
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:02 am
Location: seaside Maine

help with choosing guide(s)

Post by erin.kate » Fri Mar 04, 2011 2:48 pm

Hi everyone!

I have a two-fold question, I think. We will be switching to HOD in with our new school year and I am super excited! :D I have spent waaaaaaaay too many hours pouring over every guide and comparing them to our current curriculum, and I am finally at peace with our decision to become a HOD family (and our tax refund was deposited today so I am ready to commit and get to planning).

A little background ... my oldest will be in second grade, turning 8 at Thanksgiving. She has completed MFWK and is in MFW1, and we are very happy with her progress. Aside from MFW we use FLL1, Singapore 1A&1B (completed Miquon Orange), Calculadder, Draw Write Now, Classical Kids, and we have been reading storytime selections from Ambelside and Mater Amabilis. She is more than ready for cursive. We have not used a spelling curriculum, but she is a good phonetic speller and we do some dictation daily ... from words to one or two sentences. I think that she fits squarely in Bigger, but I'm sure that she would do well in Beyond, but she may not be challenged enough and I would rather slow down the pace of Bigger than beef up Beyond. To be honest though, I am not totally sure since I can't say how MFW has prepared her for HOD, or if that matters at all, since her curriculum is more than simply MFW.

Thoughts on my thinking there? Anyone with MFWK and MFW1 (or similar) kids who moved to HOD ... was Beyond or Bigger the better choice?

My middle two are 5 (as of two weeks ago) and 5 (6 in July on paper, but he will be aged a year younger ... adopting from Ethiopia). We are planning on LHTH with both of them and MFWK (I think that MFWK will be better suited for our adopted son and I already own it and was happy with it the first time around).

My youngest is just tagging along at this point. I've decided to wait another year or two for LHTH for him.

Given my Kinders, and my oldest, I would love to possibly get them in the same year at some point down the way here. I absolutely see the value in teaching separate guides and proper placement is of utmost importance. That said, I would still like to explore if there is a way to get them in the same guide, with extensions for my oldest, while preserving their placement.

I was roughly thinking (and I apologize in advance if this is just a ridiculous wondering) ...

What if I put my 2nd grader in Beyond this year and my Kinders in MFWK (for our Ethiopian, his year will be modified to suit his needs first until he is learning the language and ready to really learn ... no pressure for him at all--just life, family, settling in, and good books to look at first--then "school", but historically, our adoptive friends' children cannot wait for school! It is such a privilege where he is from so they want to be a part right away, and he'll have been home 3 months before we start the school year. I will also do LHTH with him alone in the mornings).
Then, next year, 3rd grader in Bigger at half speed on the left side and full speed on the right, and 1st graders in Beyond.
Then, 4th grader in Bigger at half speed on the left and full speed with 4th grade options on the right, and 2nd graders in Bigger.
Then, 5th grader in Prep with extensions, and 3rd graders in Prep as well.
So on ...

The two big drawbacks I see to this hypothetical are that my oldest won't get to Modern History by 8th grade and she'll miss Geo thru History, unless we did that for 9th grade. Also, my middle two will never have done LHFHG, but will instead have done MFWK (and LHTH to ease our adopted son into school) and then to Beyond for first. Not sure that this is really a concern, but throwing it all out there.

I know that this is looking far down the pike, but I like to have a map in my mind of where we are headed, especially before I click purchase. :lol:

Thank you for reading so long and for helping me along.

I am blessed already by this board.
♥erin kate
mae 9, viola 6, james 5, jack 4
http://www.beautifulblur.com♥

blessedmomof4
Posts: 1138
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:34 pm
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by blessedmomof4 » Fri Mar 04, 2011 4:04 pm

Hi,
I don't have answers on all your future plans, but I can appereciate that planning nature :) I have always tried to see how it would be years down the road...That being said, I have learned to expect the unexpected, and that when it comes to children, long-term plans often need adjusting :D This is because we can never really predict how fast or slow they will develop in the many different skill and maturity areas. THAT being said, based on what you have shared, here's my opinion on getting ready to start with your kids:
Your oldest sounds ready for Bigger. Bigger Hearts has great daily plans with activities for Singapore Math 2A/2B, and she sounds ready for spelling which is provided in the daily plans, and Rod and Staff Grammar 2 which Carrie recommends should be used mostly orally.
For your middle two, if you are going to do MFW K, I don't personally feel you should add LHTH. I used MFW K in the past, and I remember it is quite full all on it's own. If you changed your mind about using MFW K, I would suggest you try LHFHG, or LHTH with the K options from LHFHG if you wanted to ease into things.
If you stuck with MFW K for your middle two, you would probably need to do MFW 1 to complete their 2-year phonics program, and then reevaluate those two kids at that point to see where they would fit in HOD.
Lastly, you could wait to start anything with your youngest, since you have your new arrival who will undoubtedly need a lot attention while he adjusts. Perhaps just having a special box of toys and activities available for school time to keep your toddler busy will suffice.
Lourdes
Wife to Danforth
2 grads 9/19/92,7/8/95
2 in charter school 1/31/98, 9/19/99
3 in Heaven 8/11/06, 8/18/10, 9/13/13
Future HODie is here! 9/14/12

tnahid
Posts: 531
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:51 am
Location: Texas

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by tnahid » Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:04 pm

We have really enjoyed Beyond this year with my 2nd grader. It has been a perfect fit for him, and he is very studious and academic type. It has been just enough, but not overwhelming. Beyond has been a joy to teach. I have read on here that it is much easier to "beef up" a program than it is too try to scale it down or make it easier. So, that's something for you to consider. I don't think you can go wrong either way, but I guess I am biased on Beyond, since that is where we started. Blessings and I hope you enjoy it! I believe you will.
Tina
ds 11 -- DITHOR 4/5 and other curriculum
ds 9 -- Preparing and DITHOR
dd 5 -- 1st grade variety of curriculum
Wife of a loving DH 12 years
starting our 4th year of home education, 3rd year of HOD and DITHOR, so blessed...what a journey!

erin.kate
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:02 am
Location: seaside Maine

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by erin.kate » Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:11 pm

tnahid wrote:We have really enjoyed Beyond this year with my 2nd grader. It has been a perfect fit for him, and he is very studious and academic type. It has been just enough, but not overwhelming. Beyond has been a joy to teach. I have read on here that it is much easier to "beef up" a program than it is too try to scale it down or make it easier. So, that's something for you to consider. I don't think you can go wrong either way, but I guess I am biased on Beyond, since that is where we started. Blessings and I hope you enjoy it! I believe you will.
Hi Tina,

Thank you! So, I'm wondering, what are your plans when your Beyond second grader gets to middle school? I'm worried that my daughter will not have experienced the Geo guide. Or, perhaps this could work for 9th grade. I'm sure that you've planned it out much better than me. :D This is all new territory to me.

Did your second grader do LHFHG before Beyond, or did he come from another curriculum?

I talked to both Mike and Carrie and they both suggested Beyond since they felt that MFW was not as preparatory for Bigger as Beyond. So much to consider.
♥erin kate
mae 9, viola 6, james 5, jack 4
http://www.beautifulblur.com♥

erin.kate
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:02 am
Location: seaside Maine

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by erin.kate » Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:22 pm

blessedmomof4 wrote:Hi,
Your oldest sounds ready for Bigger. Bigger Hearts has great daily plans with activities for Singapore Math 2A/2B, and she sounds ready for spelling which is provided in the daily plans, and Rod and Staff Grammar 2 which Carrie recommends should be used mostly orally.
For your middle two, if you are going to do MFW K, I don't personally feel you should add LHTH. I used MFW K in the past, and I remember it is quite full all on it's own. If you changed your mind about using MFW K, I would suggest you try LHFHG, or LHTH with the K options from LHFHG if you wanted to ease into things.
If you stuck with MFW K for your middle two, you would probably need to do MFW 1 to complete their 2-year phonics program, and then reevaluate those two kids at that point to see where they would fit in HOD.
Lastly, you could wait to start anything with your youngest, since you have your new arrival who will undoubtedly need a lot attention while he adjusts. Perhaps just having a special box of toys and activities available for school time to keep your toddler busy will suffice.
Hi Lourdes,

Thank you for such a thorough response. So grateful!

If one of my Kinders was not newly adopted from Ethiopia with no prior schooling and very little English, I would not start with LHTH, but I think that for the very reasonable price and for the building blocks it will be instrumental in my adopted son's introduction to school. I figure that I will do that first thing in the morning, with only him (which will double as some special mama-bonding time), and then move to MFWK or to LHFHG (now I'm thinking of selling MFWK and buying LHFHG). But truly, I am fairly sure that he will not glean much from the History, Bible, and Science just yet since his English and comprehension will be very basic. So, I'm thinking of the Right side only for LHFHG for both my Kinders, with the K options, and then doing LHFHG in full in first grade with the first grade options. My bio Kinder daughter is on the young side ... she turned 5 two weeks ago ... so this may be the best option. If we come to a point where they are ready to speed up the pace, I'll happily oblige.

The reason I'm now thinking of LHFHG instead of MFWK is because I sort of don't want to be tied to MFW1 again. :oops: I love it. NO question. But, I'm ready for something more CM and full. I just need to sell that pesky MFWK. No idea how to sell used curriculum. Well, I have it all, and it's all amazingly organized with daily and weekly grids, but sigh, no idea. Anyway.

Yes! I have the MFWPre package for my toddler ... wonderful collection of "his" school stuff kept in his own little basket. That and play doh and he's a happy camper. For a few minutes ... :wink:

Thank you so much again!!! You really got my wheels turning. I keep falling in love with the flexibility of HOD.
♥erin kate
mae 9, viola 6, james 5, jack 4
http://www.beautifulblur.com♥

andi1234

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by andi1234 » Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:44 pm

I did LHFHG last year, am doing MFW K (sort of) this year, and will do Beyond with ds 6.5 and LHTH/right side of LHFHG with a very young (August b'day) 5 year old next year. I think your plan to do Beyond next year with your oldest and LHTH and LHFHG sounds good. We are really looking forward to being back with HOD. There is so much flexibility in this program! I wish you luck with your decision.

Mom4Him

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by Mom4Him » Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:53 pm

Hi!! I really like your plan of doing LHTH with the right side of LHFHG- K options for your middle two (just adding in what your precious adopted boy is capable of at the time), & then doing all of LHFHG with 1st grade options the next year. It seems like the perfect fit (but, I have never done MFW & am a bit biased towards HOD :wink: )! That is basically what we did last year with our oldest girls, & it was great! :D
I also like the idea of having your oldest do Beyond! We are doing Beyond next year, & I've been pouring over the guide & am so excited (I would hate to miss it)!! I think you will be pleased! And, yes, the geography guide will work great for 9th grade also, so you don't need to worry about that at all!! :D
Praying that you come to a peaceful decision!
Jessica

erin.kate
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:02 am
Location: seaside Maine

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by erin.kate » Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:52 pm

Mom4Him wrote:Hi!! I really like your plan of doing LHTH with the right side of LHFHG- K options for your middle two (just adding in what your precious adopted boy is capable of at the time), & then doing all of LHFHG with 1st grade options the next year. It seems like the perfect fit (but, I have never done MFW & am a bit biased towards HOD :wink: )! That is basically what we did last year with our oldest girls, & it was great! :D
I also like the idea of having your oldest do Beyond! We are doing Beyond next year, & I've been pouring over the guide & am so excited (I would hate to miss it)!! I think you will be pleased! And, yes, the geography guide will work great for 9th grade also, so you don't need to worry about that at all!! :D
Praying that you come to a peaceful decision!
Jessica
However you phrased this just clicked and you brought a world of peace to the close of my day! It's all coming together, especially for my middle two.

I am a little worried since we've read nearly all of the read-alouds from Beyond already, so I'm not sure where that would leave us for storytime if we do Beyond formally next year. Any suggestions?

Blessings!
♥erin kate
mae 9, viola 6, james 5, jack 4
http://www.beautifulblur.com♥

blessedmomof4
Posts: 1138
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:34 pm
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by blessedmomof4 » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:45 pm

Ah, I never did use MFW 1, only K, so I didn't have a sense of how well it would (or wouldn't) prepare a child for Bigger-I love that Carrie and Mike are so helpful with everything! In that case, I agree with them and the other posters to try Beyond for your oldest. If you needed to adjust math and/or grammar, that can easily be done, but try it as written first to see how it goes :) I was thinking that, since your daughter is doing Singapore 1A/1B now, that it would be nice for you to have the Bigger guide for the great hands-on lessons for Singapore 2A/2B. Beyond has lessons for 1A/1B, but it sounds like she is finishing those this year? I also thought of her using Rod and Staff 2 because you said she is now doing FLL. Beyond has a gentle introduction to grammar written into the guide. I guess it depends on how formal you want to be with grammar-you could always wait till Bigger to use Rod and Staff 2 if your goal is to keep it gentle for the coming year.
Mom4Him wrote:Hi!! I really like your plan of doing LHTH with the right side of LHFHG- K options for your middle two (just adding in what your precious adopted boy is capable of at the time), & then doing all of LHFHG with 1st grade options the next year. It seems like the perfect fit (but, I have never done MFW & am a bit biased towards HOD :wink: )! That is basically what we did last year with our oldest girls, & it was great! :D
Jessica
I second this! With all the changes coming to your home, this sounds like a great plan for your family :D
For Storytime, I don't think it would hurt to read some good books again-but you can always choose other similar books from the library.
Lourdes
Wife to Danforth
2 grads 9/19/92,7/8/95
2 in charter school 1/31/98, 9/19/99
3 in Heaven 8/11/06, 8/18/10, 9/13/13
Future HODie is here! 9/14/12

John'smom
Posts: 757
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:24 pm

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by John'smom » Sat Mar 05, 2011 12:20 am

erin.kate wrote:I am a little worried since we've read nearly all of the read-alouds from Beyond already, so I'm not sure where that would leave us for storytime if we do Beyond formally next year. Any suggestions?

Blessings!
There's no worries about storytime. In the back of the Beyond manual there are several options to choose from, more than what's seen on the website. Those are just what they sell. You could go with any book as long as it was in the genre you are suppose to be reading about. HTH! :D

Oh, and we're doing Beyond this year and we all LOVE it!!!
Edwena
*Married to my best friend for 16 yrs
*Mom to ds (15), dd (13), dd #2(3)
*Combining my dc in WG (2017-2018)
*Completed and absolutely loved BLHFHG through MTMM

erin.kate
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:02 am
Location: seaside Maine

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by erin.kate » Sat Mar 05, 2011 6:58 am

Thank you so much to everyone for helping point me in the right direction!

I didn't realize there were other selections in the Appendix for read alouds, so that eases my mind a bit.

Now, to decide and buy. :D
♥erin kate
mae 9, viola 6, james 5, jack 4
http://www.beautifulblur.com♥

tnahid
Posts: 531
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:51 am
Location: Texas

Re: help with choosing guide(s)

Post by tnahid » Sat Mar 05, 2011 10:15 am

Hi Erin,

To answer your question, my 2nd grader was actually in Kindergarten at a Christian school last year. He has moved so fast at home with Beyond, that I consider him 2nd grade. He is doing 2nd grade math and reading on probably a 3rd grade level. He is pretty academically oriented. I really think you will find Beyond a perfect fit for you. If you need more, you can certainly beef it up by adding things here and there, but I don't really think you will need to. My just turned 10 year old is also using the guide, with beefed up math, writing and LA, and it has been a great fit for him as well. He is a little emotionally immature, but has really excelled, especially in his love for reading using HOD. He NEVER read at home when he was in school, now I NEVER have to force him to read. He even reads in bed at night. He is currently reading the Narnia series on HIS OWN! He is on the 2nd book already. Now, that is a true transformation! :P :P :P

As for 9th grade, well, with the extensions, it will work still. I am not an uber-planner :? so I really hadn't thought that far ahead. To an extent, I need to live the old hymn, "One day at a time, sweet Jesus!" I am doing good when I do this!!!! Planning is wonderful, but don't forget about enjoying each day and moment we have. Bless you and am so excited for your journey. As a personal testimony, I do believe the Spirit led me to this curriculum, as I had never heard of it before and there is no one in my homeschool group (of this town) that I know of who uses this curriculum. What a true blessing it is!

Bless you today! Have a great weekend!
Tina
ds 11 -- DITHOR 4/5 and other curriculum
ds 9 -- Preparing and DITHOR
dd 5 -- 1st grade variety of curriculum
Wife of a loving DH 12 years
starting our 4th year of home education, 3rd year of HOD and DITHOR, so blessed...what a journey!

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