Preparing for 2 kids

[amysconfections]

For those who are using or have used Preparing Hearts with 2 kids, do you feel like you need 2 manuals? Is one Preparing Manual enough with all the indepent activities? I'm wondering if it would be easier if each child used their own manual. If you have a schedule that you used Preparing with 2 children I would love to see how you worked out all the kinks of this.

Thanks!

[janie_ranae]

We are currently using PHFHG for two kids. We do have two manuals but rarely use them. Sometimes we will use one for reading the poetry or studying dictation, which are located in the back, and leave the other book open to the lesson plans for the day. Here's how we do PHFHG with two students:

Days 1 - 4:
A. St1 begins with Reading About History / St2 begins with Storytime
(Each reads the assigned pages, then comes back to me to narrate, answer questions, etc.)
B. Swap readings in A above

C. (Day 1)We do the Research box together, (Day 2) Vocabulary - Older st does 3 words, Younger st does 2 words, (Day 3) Geography is done either with just 1 st or both depending on what the other st is working at e.g. if the one st is still reading but the other is ready for Geography I'll go ahead and do it with just one st, (Day 4) Timeline - either way, both at the same time or separate times depending on where they are at with the written narration.

Days 1 - 4:
D. History Project together
E. St 1 does the Independent History Study and St2 does Dictation or Reading or Handwriting (although this is not scheduled in PHFHG)
F. Poetry together
G. Bible Study together (except Day 3 which is independent and Day 4 is writing out the verse)
H. Dictation, Reading, Grammar, Math, and Science* are completed independently. We juggle the teacher required subjects with more independent ones so that both students have something they can work on. e.g. St1 does Dictation and Grammar while St2 is working on Math.

*Day 4: has a Science Experiment which we generally do together.
*Day 2: Creative writing is completed together.

Ok...that is rather long. If something is not clear, just ask and hopefully I can clarify it. You'll find your rhythm with your students after a unit or two. We use checklist boxes for each unit to help us remember what we have left to do each day. Have fun!

Checklist:

This is the checklist that we use.

schedule blocks.jpg (135.62 KiB) Viewed 2254 times

[mamayi]

That checklist is amazing! I'm starting Preparing next week with two students and your post was so helpful!
Thank you!!

[pjdobro]

Wow, you are so organized Janie_Ranae! I love your block schedule.

I have two students at the same level using Preparing and we just use one guide this year. Here is how the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants household works with two students. My two students do their independent work mostly before our time together. Their books that they both use are kept in one location and they work out who gets the books among themselves. This usually works out fine. One of them will work on science while the other is working on history and then switch. We then have out time together reading about history, story time, poetry, Bible study on the days that we have it together, and we go over all semi-independent subjects. We do the research or geography mainly together. On vocabulary days and timeline days, I mention what they are to do then they use the guide to finish the activity. We go over grammar and math together since both of my students are doing the same math and grammar. Then they have a list of assignments to complete to finish up their semi-independent work. If they didn't finish all of their independent work before our time together, they finish that as well. So basically our day goes like this: 1 hour or so of independent work, 1 to 1 1/2 hours of together work, then 1 to 1 1/2 hours more of independent work. Then I check over their work and they make corrections then or that goes into their pile to correct the following morning during their first independent time slot. It's not super organized, but it works for us.

[Homeschooling6]

I have two dc using Preparing and only have one manual. Next year for CtC I plan to purchase two or three. One for each child and if I can afford a 3rd for me.

[Kristen]

I'm also going to be starting Preparing with my two oldest boys - wow, there are a lot of us here with 2 in that guide. That checklist is very helpful. When I've combined them in the past I've used one guide but there also wasn't that much independent work. I think as they get to the higher guides and much of the work is independent it might be more helpful to have more than one guide.
Kristen

[frankesense]

I currently have my 2 dc in Preparing and we use one manual. Since only two of the boxes (Science and the Independent History) are written to be independent, those are the only boxes my children do without involvement from me, but they still do them together at the same time. They work will together. They check in with me when they've completed it. I still do the History Reading, Storytime, Poetry, and Bible Study together with them and we do it together. The other subjects, like the History Project, research, and vocabulary they do mostly without my help but they complete it at the same time. And I am always nearby for them to ask questions or to give guidance. In the areas like math, and R&S English and DITHOR, where they are at different levels - we swap those times. While one is working on their independent math, I help the other with their English, and then we swap...HTH

Stephanie

[amysconfections]

Thanks everyone. I think I will just try it with one guide and see how it goes.

Thanks for sharing the checklist Janie. That is so neat. I would love to do something like that with my kids.

[LAB]

Wonderful post! I will have two in Preparing next school yr as well and I've been wondering how to juggle it.

[janie_ranae]

I'm glad you found the checklist helpful. I got the checklist idea when someone else shared her's with me. I just tweaked it for us.