Didn't finish BHFHG, now what?

[goodnewswalking]

Okay, this is going to be complicated because apparently, that's how I do things...but I'm trying really hard not to! Soooo, let me explain the situation. I have 4 kids, dd 8, ds 7, ds 6, and ds 4. For the first time, I homeschooled the 8yr old last year for her 2nd grade year and put the middle 2 boys in public school (K & 1st), and the 4 year old was still at home with me, too. I used BHFHG and only got about 1/3 of the way through it. Loved it, but found we could not get through everything in a day. She was really fighting me about sitting down and working and I'm sure this was in reaction to feeling the pressure of the time crunch. So, I backed off the pace a little bit, opened up our Bible & let her read a chapter aloud (which she needed the practice to gain confidence). We had some FANTASTIC discussions & attitude changed but because we were slaves to the public school schedule, if we did not get everything done by a certain time, there was no time to make it up.

So, I have now decided to homeschool everybody and reclaim our time and my children .
Which means I have a 4 1/2 year old, a 1st grade emerging reader, a 2nd grader very advanced in every area and a 3rd grader, who was advanced til I got a hold of her And I'm wondering for practical and budgetary purposes, what to do?
Do I repeat Bigger with the 2nd & 3rd grader and add in the extension pkg? Or do I just keep her moving along and start him at the beginning?
I'm assuming LHFHG for the 1st grader but should I get first grade and the kinder curriculum or a preschool curriculum?
Or should I hold off on any "real" school with the 4 yr old?

And my biggest concern is that if I couldn't get through the material with 1, how am I going to manage with 4? And 3 of them wiggly boys? It seems like all the separate books would just be very cumbersome and a little (gulp) overwhelming! Not to mention pricey! Help! My dh already thinks I'm crazy and I'm beginning to think maybe he's right!!

Thanks,
Kathy

[tiffanieh]

First of all...don't fret. They are all still so young...you haven't ruined them yet! . Sounds like you made positive strides in your year, if nothing else (and most importantly thru spiritual and character growth!)

Secondly. Have you looked at where each of your children fit on the placement chart? Could you come back here and full us in more with regards to that?

I'm inclined to say, start over fresh with them all from the beginning to make it as easy for you as possible, tell your daughter she is going to be the teacher's assistant for the first 1/3 of the guide that she's already studied (I'm sure she'd love that, right!?). But I want to hear about placement first before jumping the gun.

[countrymom]

I agree with the pp, proper placement will be key to a fresh start - and that is just how I would look at it. I would forget last year, form a game plan and move forward. I would not head to Preparing without finishing Bigger and starting Bigger over may be the best choice, but again, placement is key. Here is the link in case you don't have it.http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php
p.s. Not doing a formal program with your 4 yr old may be a good plan to give you a chance to get homeschooling off to a solid start. He could listen in here and there as he chooses. Boys are often not fully ready for school at age 4 anyway.

[MomtoJGJE]

I would also say take a look at the placement chart for all of them separately. If there's ever any spot where you are wavering between two different levels for something (ie, in writing they could fit LHFHG or Beyond) then default to the lower level. It just makes everything way nicer for everyone involved. Then, after you do that assessment you can come back, post what you found out, and we can help you better determine if you need/want to combine or not.

Just from what you've said though I'd lean toward just starting Bigger where you left off with your oldest, and start your two middles with LHFHG, and either LHTH or nothing for the youngest.

[goodnewswalking]

Thank you so much for your feedback! Shew, I was obviously frazzled last night after curriculum hunting for way too long! I was contemplating doing the Well Trained Mind at one point, but I never could quite get a clear picture of what exactly I needed to purchase. I had thought that I could teach them all the same thing (with history being the umbrella) at the same time and breakout the assignments per grade level. This seemed ideal to me for expediency and clarity but I agree with Carrie's assessment of Ancient history being a little intense for small ones. Plus, I love teaching them about the one true God before I introduce (formally, too!) a host of other mythology.

One of my major factors for deciding to homeschool everybody was one night at the dinner table we were having a discussion and my daughter kept referring to different scriptures we had just read and my 7 year old (who was in 1st grade in the public school) said, "Why does she know so much about God?" When I told him that we study about God in homeschool, he just sat back in his chair and said, "I want to learn more about God." All I could think was, none of us seek God on our own, this is him responding to God's call on him.

So, back to your advice: I immediately went and looked at the placement chart.

I think I'm going to hold off on any formal instruction for the 4 year old. He loves to snuggle and read with me and we were on occasion doing some phonics and basic finger writing in a pan of salt. I think I'll step that up with him and let him join us for other times (history & story time where I let them play quietly with blocks, lincoln logs or legos, art & science projects) and give him coloring pages if he wants to sit at the table. Otherwise, he can rotate thru some "centers", room time, outside time (which we call "Explore time"), computer time on PBS or starfall and maybe a video f/the Library and of course, older siblings.

The 6 year old is definitely ready for Beyond. He has pretty much finished phonics and is an emerging reader. He gets frustrated when he encounters bigger words but is a determined little thing. His handwriting is really good (his end-of-the-year award was excellence in handwriting) and he loves to write. He understands basic math and loves to out do his older siblings.
The 7 year old is ready for Bigger. This is the kid who taught himself to read pretty much the day he turned 5. Although he reads well, he's not in love with it, so I think I'm going to do DITHOR with him and the 8 year old. She wasn't quite ready last year, but I think she would take off now. He also has excellent hw skills and wants to learn cursive like his big sister. His math is good and we've been using xtramath online for drills (glorified flash cards). He is doing some multiplication and wants to do more.
The 8 year old is in Bigger (about 1/3 of the way through). She is a good reader and very artistic. We have thoroughly enjoyed doing the artistic projects in Bigger like the perspective painting & the Indian blanket. She told me last year while studying Christopher Columbus that she wanted to be a missionary! I think if we started Bigger over, I could give her some of the books from the extension pack for some new material but that way we're all on the same page and YES! she would love being my teaching assistant. Her math skills are good, we just need to press on.

Thank you all for letting me talk this through!!! Your feedback is so encouraging. I was feeling very defeated and overwhelmed but now I do feel like I'm getting a handle on where they are so I can help them to the next step. I want this to be fun and engaging! I want them to fall in love with Jesus and know His word and I want them to be each other's best friends. Most of all, I don't want to be stressed out, yelling, angry mom with a bomb of a house and a husband who dreads to come home. Thank you for helping me!
So grateful!
Kathy
ps--why didn't I post earlier before I reached the frantic point?