Long time, no post! Transition to HS question

[momofgreatones]

Hello ladies! I haven't posted in forever but I am still using HOD and love it. We had a difficult year complete with a move, a new baby, and a family crisis. So we are still finishing up Bigger and CTC, and will be done this summer. We are back into the groove and it feels great! We also just started Little Hearts with my younger two and we love it so much. I look at the boxes and think, "that sounds fun", then we actually do the activity and it ends up being even more fun than it sounds! My 5 yo dd calls the guide "my book with all our activities in it" and excitedly asks each day when she can do school.

I've also finally gotten to starting DITHOR in earnest and WOW - it's a great program and adds even more richness to our studies. And the announcement about the upcoming high school guides is absolutely wonderful. I am so glad to be using HOD right now!

So to my question. My almost 12 yo dd and 10 yo ds are finishing up Bigger. Next year I am planning on them both doing Preparing. I think it will be a good fit for my dd since her skills are still developing and she's a little youngish maturity-wise, so Preparing with extensions will be just right I think, plus I can still keep her and brother together. However I'm trying to figure out how to transition her into high school. After Preparing for 7th, she'll be in 8th grade. For 9th, HOD's Geography guide hopefully will be ready (if the guides continue to be released one each year) and I'd like to begin her on HOD's high school track with that. I have a feeling with her that's she's going to make a big leap in maturity really fast at some point around that time. So my problem is what to use for her 8th grade year. Since she doesn't have time to complete the four-year history cycle, I will have to choose just one for her before she heads into HOD's HS guides. I for sure want to use those rather than beef up the intermediate guides for her high school years. So, I'm thinking I can either go with CTC, since that is what comes after Preparing, she could still be combined with brother, and it lays such a good Biblical foundation of history. But, then I'm wondering if the jump to the Geography will be a huge adjustment since it's essentially skipping 3 guides. The other option I'm considering is splitting the difference and doing Rev to Rev her 8th grade year. This would be good because this is my favorite time period in history and one we want to emphasize in our dc's education, and then the jump to the Geography guide wouldn't be so great.

Any thoughts on these two options? There must be others in similar situations. I appreciate any input! I know I don't need to decide right now but I like to have a plan in place, otherwise my mind is constantly thinking about it.

Many thanks!

Monique

[Heather4Him]

I don't have any answers to your question, but I wanted to say that it's great to see you posting again! Welcome back to the boards!!

[8arrows]

I would lean toward keeping them together and beefing up the guides. I would think skipping three guides would be a jolt--especially in the writing department. The reading level would also BOUNCE! Beefing up once you get to Rev. to Rev. does not seem very difficult to me. Just add the extention package for history, Balancing the Sword for Bible, and you would be picking higher level literature for DITHOR anyway. You have several children, so combining may be a lifesaver. For me, the sheer volume of books can be overwhelming if we are not combining. I can't wrap my brain around all the different studies. You may feel differently. If you do want to use the high school guides, I would jump her up now and not do the extention packs with the higher guides. As I get ready to graduate one tomorrow (He is taking the ACT right now!), I am finding that enjoyable and retained is more important than the "correct" level. I look forward to reading the other replies as they will be helpful to me as well.

[momofgreatones]

" I am finding that enjoyable and retained is more important than the "correct" level."

Words of wisdom, thanks for this! The dd I am referring to is definitely content with the reading level and content where she is at right now, and will be with Preparing. I should probably just assess where she is each year and progress that way. The obsessive planner in me won't leave it alone though.

[blessedmomof4]

Agreeing with 8arrows. As you see by my signature, I am soon starting CTC with an 11 year old and 13 year old (will be 12 in September and 14 next January) and though I long to grab ahold of Rev to Rev because it is the "correct" level for my older girl, I won't do it. I know that CTC is going to meet her where she is right now. If I have to beef things up later, I will, but I would rather she enjoy and retain what she learns rather than being overwhelmed and frustrated-isn't this why I am homeschooling her in the first place? On a side note-if I had used HOD all along instead of having to put them in ps for a year and a half, they would have been finishing RTR this year instead of starting CTC But I can't go back to what could have been, I have to start where we are and thank the Lord for the opportunity

[Heather4Him]

I agree with 8arrows and the other girls. We are at the high-end of the range (and will be for all the guides), but it is a perfect fit, and I would rather she "master" and understand the material, which I feel is really happening this way.

HOD is "meaty" all the way around, and I don't think any of our kids, even the older ages, will be short-changed one bit. This is way more than most of us probably ever got in public school (at least I know it is for me)!

Plus, having God first, they are learning wisdom as well as knowledge. And, that is priceless!!!!

[momofgreatones]

So...just so I understand...Are you all saying that I should plan on probably using the intermediate guides beefed up for her? I'm totally OK with doing this if that is what fits her as we go along. What I'm wondering about is at some point I feel she will probably make a big leap in maturity and be ready to transition into one of the high school guides. I guess I should just progress her through one guide after another until that happens. I'll have to try to turn off the OCD planning part of my brain.

Thanks for everyone's replies!

[my3sons]

Hi Monique! Great to hear from you, and I'm so glad all is going well! I agree that I'd have dc progress through the guides in order, as they build upon one another. They will have been through the history cycle by the time they graduate, one way or the other, as HOD has dc going through it twice anyway. If your oldest makes a leap and shows herself ready for a higher level guide, you can certainly move her into it at that point, but otherwise, just moving through the guides in order will really move her along in all skill areas nicely. There are many moms beefing up HOD guides now for high school, or who are planning to do so at a later date. Here are a few threads you can read about this if you are interested...

Ways to beef up CTC for high school:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5400

DITHOR Titles for High School:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7765&p=56997#p56997

RevtoRev for High School by Carrie:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8208

Beefing up for high school by Carrie:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6571

In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

momofgreatones,

It's nice to "see" you again! The ladies have done a great job of talking through your options with you. So, I'll just link this past thread for you to scroll down to read a response of mine that may be of some help to you as you ponder: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8558

Blessings,
Carrie