Considering coming back to HOD - down syndrome

[Christi in Ohio]

I am considering HOD again for my daughter with down syndrome. We had started a few years ago and now I don't even know why we stopped. I have tried combining her with her little brother and Sonlight and she just needs more hands on activities and isn't really interested in what we are reading. She wanders off.

I have considered just doing Before Five in a Row or Five in a Row with her, but I have not been very successful with that in the past. I need things planned out for me. As much as I would love to be planning out great activities it just doesn't happen. I overwhelm myself and don't do anything.

I am not sure where I would place her. We would most likely just be doing the left side of the pages. I have a math program and reading program we will be starting. She knows most of her letters and the sounds they make. She can follow along and enjoys most picture books. Chapter books and no pictures really don't do much for her. She and her little sister work well together. Not so much with her little brother...he is leaping past her in skills.

Thanks for any suggestions you can share.

Christi

[LovingJesus]

I just wanted to thank you for posting this. I found it very helpful to read. What are you using for reading and math with her? My daughter with down syndrome turned 4 this winter so at this point she is enjoying picture books being read to her. I am hoping to be able to do LHTH with her at some point in the future. I just wanted to let you know that I was blessed by your post, and that it was helpful to read about your daughter's school at age 10. Thank you.

[my3sons]

Hi Christi! Thanks for sharing about your dd, and I agree - I think HOD would be a breath of fresh air for you and for her! I'm like you, I am not great at adding hands-on activities on my own. I cannot tell you how thankful I have been that HOD has those planned for me - and my dc are so thankful too. I shudder to think what I'd do if I planned the day all myself - probably a lot of just reading books and seatwork. Thank the Lord for HOD!

For your dd, I am wondering if you've had the chance to look at the placement chart, just taking the age consideration out of it? I would love your wisdom in this area. From what you've shared so far, I thought maybe Little Hearts for His Glory would be neat to do? It has a nice balance of picture books and very short chapter books with short stories. It also has oodles of fun hands-on activities and is a one year sweep of history. I was remembering meeting a lovely young girl who had downs syndrome at a book fair, and she had moved through LHTH, LHFHG, and was on to Beyond Little Hearts when I met her. Her mom and she moved through these guides at a pace that fit each day well, taking longer to get through the guides and modifying as needed, but always steadily moving forward. I believe she was 12 yo when I met her, and she'd been doing HOD for about 4-5 years. She held that Beyond guide in her hands as if it was a treasure! She was beaming telling me that this was HER guide for the next year, and she poured over the Storytime choices before choosing the Girl Interest set over the Classics. She loved HOD. I remember this clearly because she had the most incredible smile and sparkly eyes, and I thought that she was lovely. What are your thoughts on this though? I'd love to hear your thoughts and help you until you are set!

In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

I just wanted to thank you for posting this. I found it very helpful to read. What are you using for reading and math with her? My daughter with down syndrome turned 4 this winter so at this point she is enjoying picture books being read to her. I am hoping to be able to do LHTH with her at some point in the future. I just wanted to let you know that I was blessed by your post, and that it was helpful to read about your daughter's school at age 10. Thank you.

Thanks for your comments here, LovingJesus! Your presence here on the HOD Board is incredibly uplifting and such an encouragement to many. I thought these posts might encourage you right back!
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11313&p=82083
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11178&p=81360

Thanks for being a part of this board!
In Christ,
Julie

[LovingJesus]

Thank you so much for the encouragement Julie!!

The links were very helpful to read, as was the story of the sweet girl with her Beyond guide. It is wonderful and so very helpful to read of other moms success using HOD with their down syndrome children who are older than mine.

You made my day! Thank you!

[mommyofmany]

I was SO excited to see this thread!! We are using LHTH with our 6yo son that has Down syndrome. Sometimes he doesn't want to participate in what we are doing- but sometimes things seem to "click" for him! I'm hoping as we slowly move through it, he will understand more and more. If he had his way, he'd be watching Veggie Tales while twirling a sock around all day long, lol. He needs a LOT of direction in order to accomplish anything. He already knows his letter sounds too, but I think the hands-on activities in LHTH are great for him! I'm in the process of rewriting goals for him to work on this year. He is so behind in fine motor skills and really struggles in that area. I've had to change my mentality a little bit about what I should consider "school" for him. I'm focusing more on prewriting activities, basic math concepts (more/less, bigger/smaller, etc...), self-help skills, and teaching reading. LHTH is like the frosting on our "school cake" for him.

[my3sons]

I just loved this and had to quote it...

...LHTH is like the frosting on our "school cake" for him...

What a blessing for your ds to have a mother that focuses on finding the 'sweet joy' homeschooling can give each day! I really like your thoughts you shared here. As homeschooling mothers, we can have such an impact on our dc with our thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions. I am glad for your ds, as well as for your other dc, that your impact is a Christ-centered sunny one! God bless!

In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

Thank you so much for the encouragement Julie!!

The links were very helpful to read, as was the story of the sweet girl with her Beyond guide. It is wonderful and so very helpful to read of other moms success using HOD with their down syndrome children who are older than mine.

You made my day! Thank you!

So glad to help in any way, LovingJesus! What a beautiful relationship I can see you building with your dc - God is certainly present there, in hearts and minds. Certainly all days are not easy, but when we strive to find Christ's guidance and mercy in them, each day has the potential to be our best. I see that habit in you, having read your posts on the board here. 'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.' Keep being a light, LovingJesus - I can see that in you, and it's lovely.

In Christ,
Julie

[mommy3]

I have also been using HOD with my daughter that has Down Syndrome (she is 10). This year, my twin girls are in Kindergarten so I combined them all for the "Left Side" plans and Storytime in LHFHG. She is almost finished with the Emerging Readers and she is also reading many of the supplementary titles that are listed along with the ERS. We recently started dictation and I plan to start Rod and Staff Grammar 2 with her in the fall and combine her with her sisters for the "Left Side" and Storytime in Beyond. The higher order thinking questions are difficult for her due to her language delay so I usually make up my own questions as we go along and word them in such a way that she is able to be successful. She is not using Singapore Math at the moment...she struggles more with math and needs constant review so we are doing CLE math since it is spiral. Sometimes she joins in with her sisters for the hands on activities in their Kindergarten Earlybird math and I plan to have her do the same thing with her sisters for 1st grade Singapore math in addition to the CLE that she is doing. So, we are actually working at three different grade levels since that is where her skill levels are in each subject area. Just wanted to share how HOD is working for her