possible homeschool newbie needs some help

[TNT]

If we hs it will be an act of obedience on my part! But I know the Lord is prompting me to look into it seriously for my kids.I wondered if you all can help me please...

I have 4 dc - 3 are school aged.

My oldest dd is 8 and was completely bored this past year in 2nd grade at ps- not challenged at all! She is an excellent independent reader and thinker- devours thick Nancy Drew books in a day, etc. She really loves learning has an excellent memory, etc.

My next dd is 6 and has autism and has challenges! She has very low muscle tone and struggles with her handwriting a great deal- goes to ot/pt/plus does home therapy we do. She is just finished kindergarten in public school and had an aide at times in the class. She LOVES the computer- pretty much taught herself to read on starfall.com. She is a pretty good reader but weaker in math.

My ds is 5 and will be in kindergarten.

I've been quite overwhelmed when looking at all the curriculum options (but thankful there are some!) I think I'm researching too much.

I was thinking on putting my 5 and 6 year old together for Little Hearts. My guess is I will have to make some modifications for my 6 year old so she can type some of her work. Not really sure what to do about math. Is Singapore math helpful for kids with special needs?

I have struggles with what to do with my 8 year old- Bigger or Preparing. The last thing I want for her to be is bored and not challenged especially with the reading level. But I also would hate for her to miss all the American History in Bigger. For math I thought about trying Teaching Textbooks- to give her some time to work independently so I can help the others( I also have a 2 yr old). ANy thoughts on any of this?? I'd appreciate it!

[8arrows]

As I was reading your post I was thinking you might combine the 5 and 6 year olds in LHFHG. I think Bigger would be my recommendation for the 8 year old. HOD plans allow you to use whatever math you choose; they just schedule Singapore for you. I will be using LHFHG with two of my little girls this year (same ages as your children).

[krismoose]

Hi and welcome! LHFHG has very little writing (just once a week for storytime activities, I think) scheduled into the guide itself, and I skipped those parts of the activities because at the time my son wasn't writing at all. So you would be free to work with your 5 and 6yos at their own levels in their fine motor skills. Have you checked the placement chart for dd8? If she places between Bigger and Preparing, and coming from ps, it's usually recommended to go lighter (Bigger, in your case) and ease into the CM style of education. There is an "extension pack for older students" of history and science readers scheduled in the appendix that you could add to Bigger if she seems to need more of a challenge If cost is an issue, I'd leave them out for now and just wait and see how she does, since she's in the right age range for the guide anyhow. I haven't done Bigger yet myself, so I'm sure some who has will chime in with their thoughts

[Mom2Monkeys]

I agree about combining your 5&6yo in LHFHG...there really is very little writing. And, I bet what little there is would be helpful and tolerable for your 6yo. I seem to remember in earlier weeks, you might right some words, then leave a couple blanks (and dot the letters if needed) for them to fill in a word or two (starts with their names).

For your 8yo, I suggest Bigger. Coming from ps, I think Preparing would be too much! Not that she's not bright enough, but the styles and methods are SO very different! I have a gifted 9yo (10 this month!) with ADD and Asperger tendencies who is thriving with HOD and will be using Preparing this fall as a 5th grader. It's not beneath her at all, and she reads way ahead of grade level and is super smart. I also know from experience from this past semester of having to enroll my oldest two in public school, that they don't do much grammar! And R&S grammar is rather advanced...I think the grammar in Bigger would be a good, gentle start and it will ramp up a notch in 3 (in Preparing) and will keep ramping up each year...it's a rigorous program! No matter which program you choose, be sure to do most of R&S grammar orally and/or on the dry erase board and save about 1/3 for her to write (and some lessons we don't even write at all).

My son will be starting Bigger this fall, half speed over 2nd and 3rd grades. He'll be almost 8 when we start. I almost combined my 5th grader in with him with extensions but she's ready to move forward and already did part of Bigger before being enrolled in public school mid-year. So, you won't be behind or anything by putting her in Bigger!

As for the math, you can use teaching textbooks, but I highly suggest giving Singapore a try. It only takes about 20m (only about 10m for you) and there will be plenty of things in the guide she can learn to do independently to give you more time with the others. As the year progresses, you could train her to begin taking over her science reading and assignment for the most part. She can do her cursive workbook (Cheerful Cursive is great!), copywork, and study for dictation on her own....as well as finish up her math lesson and grammar lesson.

Homeschooling is so rewarding! I think you'll find you will enjoy it...you've been super blessed to have found HOD right from the start!

[pjdobro]

Welcome! Like the other ladies I was thinking LHFHG for your 5 and 6 year old as I was reading your post. It is a wonderful program and will be lots of fun for your dc to share together. The writing is minimal and you can adjust that as needed. I can't say really how Singapore math would be with a dc with autism, but LHFHG does have the hands on math explorations that go with the Earlybird math series. It might be worthwhile for you to give these a try. They are lots of fun!

For your older dd, I would definitely take a look at the placement chart: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php to see where she fits best. It sounds like reading won't be an issue since she is an advanced reader, but you should probably consider her writing abilities and grammar exposure. Here is a link that compares the writing in Preparing and Bigger: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3602 That might help as you ponder where she would best fit. We just finished Bigger and it is a wonderful program. It is filled with lots of wonderful character studies and a marvelous view of American history. My dc have really advanced their skills in narrating, dictation, notebooking, deeper level thinking, and in overall character through our year in Bigger. I agree with Tamara that Singapore math doesn't take much of your time. In general it takes 20 minutes a day and only 1/2 of that would be your teaching time. You can have your dd take the placement test for Singapore here: http://www.singaporemath.com/Placement_Test_s/86.htm If she were to place in 2A or 2B, there would be math explorations in Bigger that go with that. If she places above that you would use the textbook for your teaching time and have her do the workbook activity independently.

I hope that is helpful and you find HOD to be a good fit your family.

[krismoose]

I've been thinking about Singapore & autism (I'm an SLP, used to work in ps, now homeschooling ), and one of the good features about Singapore is the short lessons, which is good if attention span is an issue. Also, their lessons intentionally start with concrete, hands-on activities and then move to picture supports, and then eventually remove the picture supports. The activities in the LHFHG guide are simple but fun (often involving snack foods ) and designed to go with specific lessons in EB 2A/2B. I'd say these are not to be missed if you have a learner that you know does better with hands-on activities. I also let my ds, now in 1B, use manipulatives if he needs to for any of the exercises. It seems to help his confidence, knowing they're there, but he does fine without them much of the time. The number of problems to answer is very small compared to some other programs, so you'll want to keep an eye on how well she retains the info. She might need to repeat or do extra activities to practice the concepts. I'd try Singapore now, because it'll be great if it works for her. If it's not a good fit, it's would be easy to switch into another style of program later, but not as easy to switch to Singapore later because it teaches a different way of thinking about math. I did not learn this way, so I make sure to look ahead and learn right along with my ds .

[my3sons]

Welcome to the HOD board, TNT! I am glad you are opening your heart to the Lord's prompting to homeschool. I did the same around 8 years ago and have not regretted it one bit! I think you will find homeschooling with HOD to be very doable, and not only doable, but very enjoyable! LHFHG will be a great place to start your 5 and 6 yo, and I too believe Bigger Hearts will be a good place to start your 8 yo - but to be sure, make sure to check out the placement chart for your 8 yo. If your 8 yo will very soon be 9 yo, and fits into the reading, writing, and independent work required to be able to do PHFHG, then that may be a good placement for her. Here is a link to the placement chart:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

This board is full of encouraging ladies - as you can already tell from all of the great responses you've received here! If you get the chance to share your thoughts here, we'd all love to hear what you are thinking and help further however we may be able to. HOD has been such an incredible blessing in our home. It has made homeschooling easy to do, academically strong, kept Christ at the center, given us heartfelt talks, and helped our days to be full of FUN learning! I truly just open my guides and enjoy teaching each day. I think you'd find the same blessings with HOD too.

In Christ,
Julie

[TNT]

Thanks to all of you for your help and advice.

i know there are placement tests for math but are there also placement tests for reading AND spelling?????

My dd8 NEEDS to be challenged and I'm leaning toward Preparing- I know she can handle independent work and if it's too easy she will be so turned off. But still looking at Bigger because of the American History we would love for her to have.

Any advice or suggestions would be great.

now my other dd6 has autism....and I have really sought the Lord on whether to hs her and I'm not getting clear direction either way. Our public schools are great here and have done well with her. I know being around her peers helps her - she wants to do what they do....but i can't imagine doing hs and ps and i know my oldest needs hs. I know I have some fear- both in my abilities and in her being lonely or challenged or interacting with peers.

I also have a question that may seem silly but what do you do when your child just never gets a concept when you hs?- like it ps we have ieps and goals to master. What happens when if your child doesn't master a concept or skill in homeschooling? Do you keep a child working on 1st grade skills when they are in 4th grade? I wondered.

I'd love to hear from some moms who have children with autism about this or if you have any suggestions or advice!

thanks for your help!

[krismoose]

I also have a question that may seem silly but what do you do when your child just never gets a concept when you hs?- like it ps we have ieps and goals to master. What happens when if your child doesn't master a concept or skill in homeschooling? Do you keep a child working on 1st grade skills when they are in 4th grade? I wondered.

Still new at this, but my inclination is that the beauty of homeschooling is that you have the freedom to move ahead at different speeds in different areas as needed. My ds, for example, is at vastly different levels for reading and writing, and because I know that, I am able to choose a reading program at his level that involves no writing at this point, and just work on reading skills at that time. Writing is practiced at other times. In ps, my ds would probably have to have some sort of individual plan, because he wouldn't be able to just "not do" the worksheets, or answer them all orally in a class of 25+. Some skills may take longer, but I'm sure that what is necessary will indeed be mastered. Isn't it great that God's grace is sufficient!

[mamas4bugs]

My youngest has Autism and SPD. Since she is only 4, I'm not sure I'll be much help, but my older son is dyslexic, and I imagine with her I'll just do what I did with him (as a previous poster suggested). I'll move her ahead where she excels and keep her working on what she needs help on.

My older boys both have strengths and weaknesses. The beauty of homeschool is that you can cater to those. My oldest son tests on a college level for reading and comprehension, so we pick literature books accordingly, but he was behind in math for awhile, which was fine--we just worked at his level.

My younger son is technically in 4th grade. He reads on a 3rd grade level and is in 5th grade math books. It works great. I can meet each of my children on the level where they are for each subject. And if they need extra help or extra challenges, I have the ability to add those things in for them.

My youngest (the one with Autism) recognizes all her letters, most of the sounds, all of her numbers, shapes, loves workbooks. She can't really write very well yet (very stiff muscle tone), although she loves to color. She also has language delays, some expressive, but definitely receptive. Books without pictures DO NOT work for her yet. So, we move ahead with the phonics and math in the workbooks she loves, but we slow down and still use picture books with her instead of introducing any chapter books yet.

May the Lord bless your new journey! It's difficult at times, but amazingly rewarding--I can't imagine doing anything else.

[spidermansmum]

Hi.I have an 8 yo boy who has an autistic spectrum condition [ASC] He as part of that ASC has ADHD +Auditory processing Disorder[APD].I think he falls more into Aspergers than high functioning.
My son loves the computer -he is a very visual learner,so anything that teaches him in a visual way is the way to go.We use Singapore for most of our math.If he is struggling with a concept we use Math-U-See.So for instance my DS grasped tangrams,bar graphs ,shape and space as easily as breathing[visual math].He struggled with rapid recall of math facts [like 2+8=10 ] for a long time.Partly he will never get rapid because he takes much longer to process the command 'what is 2 plus 8.....?' but he didnt have the math fact in his head and needed more practise...MUS was good for giving him very visual and concrete pictures for the abstract of 2+8 = .However I have found Singapore much easier to use than watching DVD's and dragging out blocks for each math lesson.Singapore does use lots of pictures in its workbooks which my DS finds really helpful.
The writing in Little hearts is minimal .I think I tried to hard in my first year -when DS started LHFHG-and I selected A reason A ,and Itallic A would have been a much better fit.Do it carefully and Finding the answer are great for building fine motor skills.He still misforms some letters and reverses a few numbers now.Ive seen big improvements this year.Some children with ASC respond better to different writing instruments.We were told to try softer HB writing pencils .

[my3sons]

Thanks to all of you for your help and advice.

i know there are placement tests for math but are there also placement tests for reading AND spelling?????

My dd8 NEEDS to be challenged and I'm leaning toward Preparing- I know she can handle independent work and if it's too easy she will be so turned off. But still looking at Bigger because of the American History we would love for her to have.

Any advice or suggestions would be great.

now my other dd6 has autism....and I have really sought the Lord on whether to hs her and I'm not getting clear direction either way. Our public schools are great here and have done well with her. I know being around her peers helps her - she wants to do what they do....but i can't imagine doing hs and ps and i know my oldest needs hs. I know I have some fear- both in my abilities and in her being lonely or challenged or interacting with peers.

I also have a question that may seem silly but what do you do when your child just never gets a concept when you hs?- like it ps we have ieps and goals to master. What happens when if your child doesn't master a concept or skill in homeschooling? Do you keep a child working on 1st grade skills when they are in 4th grade? I wondered.

I'd love to hear from some moms who have children with autism about this or if you have any suggestions or advice!

thanks for your help!

TNT - when it comes to PHFHG, it depends on how well dc write, read, and follow 3-5 step-by-step directions independently. Here is a post describing the differences in writing skills between BHFHG and PHFHG...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3602

PHFHG has dc reading a portion of their history and all of their science independently. It is important they can do this, as this will be a skill they need intact to do the subsequent guides. PHFHG's "I" boxes should be done independently by the student, "S" semi-independently, and "T" teacher-directed. These are noted in each corner of the boxes of plans in the guide. Take a moment to read through the "I" boxes and the "S" boxes, and see how you think your dd would do with these...
http://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/PHFHG-sample-week.pdf

I'd try to throw out the history cycle, and place dd where she fits best according to the skills noted in the placement chart. HOD teaches skills incrementally, which makes it an incredibly strong academic program. Dc thrive with this, making gains from year to year, as long as they are accurately placed. So, I'm glad you are pondering placement carefully - it is worth it! Carrie has a post about the history cycle here to explain this further...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9340

As far as your dd with autism, I am confident you can homeschool her, but by all means prayer is your best avenue of advice here. If you get a chance to share where she places according to the placement chart, and a bit about her in regard to the first page of the placement chart especially, we can all chime in with placement help.

When dc are not getting a concept in homeschooling, it depends what stage of learning the concept is in. In HOD, skills are well-balanced in every guide, with roughly 1/3 of them being review, 1/3 of them being new, and 1/3 of them being in the practice phase. If a skill is a review skill, then it should be near the mastery level, and if a child did not have that skill in place, then slowing down and really focusing on that skill would be advised. If a skill is new and a child didn't totally get it, you move on - it will come around again... and again. If a skill is in the practice phase, then you practice it, and move on. How do you know if a skill is in the mastery phase? It would probably be labeled "I" in the upper guides (practice phase labeled "S", new phase "T"). In math, many times it is best to move on if a skill was in the introductory or practice phase, as the skill will come around again. If dc are totally lost, slowing to half-speed and doing the lesson several times can be of benefit, but not forever. Moving on is important to do - many times age is on our side. The older dc get, the more they "get it", and a hiatus between focusing on what is hardest is good. Dc come back to the skill more mature and wiser, and then it clicks.

The guide acts as your "IEP". It has goals to master and steps to work through incrementally to steadily improve in the target skills focused upon. It steadily progressed dc through skills until they have mastered them. HTH! I think you would love doing HOD with both of your dc. We have thoroughly enjoyed our years with HOD - it is a blessing to me and my dc!

In Christ,
Julie

[TNT]

Julie - thanks for your reply about my dd8 . I will look over those links!

I wanted to ask you about LHFHG for my dd6 w autism and my dds. A newbie question: How do you do 2 dc at a time with w/same guide if they are at different levels- for example- my dd6 is a pretty good reader and my dds is not quite there yet. Do I just have them do the same program- I'm sure my dd6 could use the review...or do I have them work with mom at different times , then team up for the things we can do together?

I guess I really need to know for ordering the materials too...Do I just order one set for one dd and the extra workbooks needed for the other ds( like if they are in a different math?)

I know I'll have some questions about ordering for my dd8 too...

I really appreciate your help. I looked at your blog...i really admire your organization! wow!

Thanks!

[TNT]

Ok- Julie in addition to my questions above could you send me to some links or explain to me more about how Bigger works with DITHOR -are lesson plans included in the Bigger Guide? - what would you suggest I order for DITHOR in regards to my dd8 who is an advanced reader. i was thinking the level4/5 book pack,book projects to send home, beginning wisely English 3 igniting your writing ???


Also, where does spelling come in LHFHG and Bigger?

Thanks for helping this newbie!

[my3sons]

...How do you do 2 dc at a time with w/same guide if they are at different levels- for example- my dd6 is a pretty good reader and my dds is not quite there yet. Do I just have them do the same program- I'm sure my dd6 could use the review...or do I have them work with mom at different times , then team up for the things we can do together?

I guess I really need to know for ordering the materials too...Do I just order one set for one dd and the extra workbooks needed for the other ds( like if they are in a different math?)...

You can combine your 5 and 6 yo in LHFHG, and I think that would be a great fit! HOD takes into account that dc will be at different skill levels within LA and math, so there are many choices there. HOD suggests several excellent phonics programs in LHFHG. So for your 5 yo, you could check these out - but any phonics program will work with HOD...
http://www.heartofdakota.com/phonics.php

Otherwise, if your dd6 is past phonics and is reading at the Emerging Reader Set level, you can just use the Emerging Reader's Set schedule and daily oral comprehension questions that are in the Bigger Hearts Appendix (as you'll have that guide for your 8 yo anyway). Here is a link to those...
http://www.heartofdakota.com/emerging-reader.php

For the fine motor skills, there are several handwriting choices. If a child needs to work on proper formation of their letters, you would choose either "A Reason for Handwriting K" or "Italic A". If a child can already properly form their letters but needs to work on proper handwriting of words and sentences, you would choose either "A Reason for Handwriting A" or "Italic B". All 4 of these handwriting choices are scheduled in the daily plans of LHFHG. Here is a link to descriptions of these...
http://www.heartofdakota.com/handwriting-k-a.php
http://www.heartofdakota.com/handwriting.php

There are also 2 choices for fine motor skills that involve more critical thinking, as well as strengthen cutting, pasting, writing skills. Typically K dc would do the "Do It Carefully/Finding the Answers" option, and 1st grade students would do the "Thinking Skills Gr. 1" option. Both are scheduled in the daily plans of LHFHG. Here is a link describing these...
http://www.heartofdakota.com/rod-staff.php

There are 2 choices for math. "Earlybird Kindergarten" is the K level of math, and has excellent hands-on plans HOD wrote to accompany the workbooks, in the LHFHG daily plans. "Singapore Primary Math 1A/1B" is the 1st grade level of math. It has a schedule for the 1A/1B Textbook/Workbook in the Appendix of LHFHG. If you would like the hands-on math lessons HOD has written for 1A/1B, then you would want to get the "Beyond Little Hearts" guide. If you do that, you don't need the 1A/1B Textbooks, but only the 1A/1B Workbooks, as the hands-on lessons in Beyond become the teaching instruction. On a side note, the Emerging Reader's Set schedule is included in the Beyond LIttle Hearts Appendix as well as in the Bigger Hearts Appendix (as I mentioned earlier), but I just thought you may want to know that it's in both guides.

I think you can do the 2 of them together on everything except for whichever LA and math things they differ on. Especially when it comes to learning to read, to write, and to do math, it seems like doing those things would be better done separately. Otherwise, they can be together for it all.

HTH, oh, and thanks for checking out my blog! 16 years of marriage and almost 12 years of having dc have helped me very slowly become more organized from year to year. I am learning as I go!

In Christ,
Julie