Fun stuff first or hard stuff first?

[MelInKansas]

Well, the baby came, the baby is growing well and I feel like we are adjusting well as a family. It's also starting to get hot in the afternoons, and while we want to enjoy the things summer has to offer, we are ready to get back to school a little more. Especially my oldest.... I think she is a little bored

So I am trying to now create a schedule that will start us off with Beyond 1/2 speed, LHFHG full speed, and LHTH 2 days a week. I know there are a lot of great ideas on the schedule thread and many have shared what is working for them, I just wanted to ask one quick question about how you order things, and ask for a prayer or two as this is new to me (doing more than one guide, though I have been doing some things with my 2nd that are her own, but not a whole guide, and of course the idea of doing all this and trying to manage the baby is a little daunting too though I know it will work out).

Do you do fun stuff first or hard stuff first, or do you mix them together? I found by the time we quit school in March that it worked well to go ahead and have my oldest start her handwriting and math first thing. She was motivated to finish those in order to get on to things that she likes better. Also balancing what I do with each one, so that they can participate in some of the things that are more fun with others (like in LHTH, a lot of the activities involve more than one person, or acting out the stories which I know they would all love to do). That makes me want to save LHTH for the last thing I do, but then a little afraid it will not get done. Anyway, I welcome you ladies' thoughts. Blessings!

[Mom2Monkeys]

I've learned we really have a hard time starting school if harder or "technical" stuff is first....math or grammar for instance. we don't dread them but we don't look forward to them. Well, DD dreads math. It's not that other things are easier hat we start with but it's a different kind of hard. We can look forward to just sitting and enjoying some.reading right off even though it's followed by hard thinking assignments. whereas math requires immediate brain power and no easing in! we start early too. we are NOT morning people.but it is REALLY working to get started early and see we are done early and have all day to....clean. haha...and play some too We take big breaks in tthe middle of school so starting.early is the only option aand when.its early, there is no math happening in my house. hehehe. dd10 starts with Bible Quiet time and then if she has any time.left before breakfast she does a couple math problems. knowing it isn't a lesson and just a couple problems helps her face it easily. then she jumps into history ajd science and then teacher boxes and THEN we finish with math and.grammar. It's motivating to see.dawdling.is.directly affecting free time.right then. instead of morning.dawdling affecting afternoon free time.
sorry. that's a book! I have a.schedule on my blog. check for the link to it in the blue box on.the sidebar. Link to the blog is the little globe to the right of this post where it says my location. I'm on my phone.or id link you.

[lissiejo]

I like to start with my daughter's least favorite, handwriting, so she has something to work towards...getting it over with! Her handwriting is excellent and she's even started cursive as a 6-year-old. It's only improved each day, but she just hates the tediousness of handwriting practice. As far as difficulty, I like to mix it up and alternate what I think will be more difficult with what I know won't be so she's not overwhelmed with difficult new topics.

[Robbi]

Melissa,
Glad to hear things are going to well with the baby!

We just do Beyond and lhth, I give dd a break in the middle and do lhth w/ my ds.

Our schedule is history, bible, poem, LA, then break while do LHTH, music (snack), reading choices, math, storytime, rotating box.

The hardest for my dd is copywork so she must get that done b4 break. I've thought about starting w/ it but really wanted a happier start! Kinda like what Tamara said, we might not ever start otherwise. HTH

[KristinBeth]

We mix it up so the favorite stuff is sprinkled in with the workbooky stuff. Read history, which dd thinks is just okay, but when she gets to do a related project afterward she is really happy. She calls it "the fun stuff" and it motivates her for the rest of her subjects. After that we'll do math because it's so important and I want to do it when she's fresh, and she still likes it well enough, then handwriting which is hard. Reading is last because it is easiest.

[MelInKansas]

Thanks for those thoughts. My DD still does it okay first thing in the morning - she also does not like handwriting because you have to be slow and careful in order to do a good job and she doesn't like slowing down! she is a speeder, all the way! I suppose she finds it tedious too. Left to her own devices she would rush through and it looks terrible, I try to find a good balance between not being a hawk on her about the neatness and yet expecting good work and not letting her off too easy.

My kids love almost everything else about school, they could listen to history or storytime reading anytime, they actually both like math, mainly because they connect with their father with it, he always has them do math "games" when he's around and they get lots of praise from their dad for doing math, of course the rotating box and Bible time (with the physical activity we do during Bible memory review) are favorites also. So... it's just that handwriting and when to do it! I like the thought that if you do it at the end, or right before a break, then they are motivated by a break after its done. I will have to think on that. I actually am going to try having her handwriting/spelling (if she's just copying for spelling that day) and math workbook pages laid out for her at this special desk so she can do them first thing in the morning. She likes to go hide and be by herself for 30 minutes or so when she first gets up anyway, and again I don't think its that handwriting is hard for her, just that she doesn't like to do it. When I suggested this to her she seemed to like the idea, we'll see what happens when we actually do it.

[lmercon]

I always start with history because that is the spine of the program and so much relates back to it. Plus, it's a fun way to start. After a snack or play break when the content areas are over, I start back up again with a harder skill area first and end with whatever skill area is easiest for the child.
hth,
Laura