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One more area that we're still pondering and will be pondering for some time is how the science will be done within our guides. We deeply desire to give families options in this area in high school and will likely lean toward offering choice of science sequencing in some form. We will likely offer a less typical approach to science, which will always allow you to choose your own science instead should your preference differ from ours. We will make our plans with an eye toward including 4 years of science, 3 of which will be lab sciences.

Blessings,
Carrie

Thanks, Carrie, for taking the time to write such a thorough response. The amount of time and thought you dedicate to all of us continues to impress me. I can really see God working through you every time you post.

You are right that this can all be a bit overwhelming, because I want to make the right planning decision for my son, and I cannot look into the future to see what that is! But God knows, so DH and I will be praying, and I can hardly complain because I have about a year and a half to make a decision before DS turns 5. I know that if I hold off on LHFHG until 1st grade (DS would be 6), then he'd finish the guides as a senior. But what to do about Kindergarten? We're already doing LHTH (he's 3.5 now), and I planned on doing it a second time before K, as I want to keep "doing school" every day for the routine and the fun we're having. Would doing LHTH a third time along with LHFHG Fine Motor Skills, Phonics, and my own storytime be just too repetitive? Or should I spread out LHFHG for K and 1st, using the K and 1st options respectively, and maybe beef up 1st with workbooks/unit studies/library books? At this point I think I've decided to not start Beyond until 2nd grade (7 yrs old), so that the guides will be finished senior year, and DS will be in the middle age range, which I think is a nice place to be. It's what to do with K and 1st that has me pondering...

Hi Deanna,
We used LHTH for Kindergarten but that is mainly because he wasn't yet remembering all the letter sounds and my mom was doing some of the LHTH while he was 4 yrs and we had not thoroughly done it. So I used it for his K year. If your child is ready for LHFHG, I think you could start K with that with no worries! Have fun!

My oldest son didn't start with HOD, bu started using Preparing in 4th grade. For us, I wouldn't use it as a 3rd grade curriculum, as its pretty challenging. So, with the younger kids, we use LHTH for K and LHFHG for first, so that we hit Preparing at 4th grade. Or Preparing could be slowed down. The Preparing year seems pretty pivotal, in there is more meatiness.

Carrie, thank you so much for HOD! We're excited to have some options for high school.

Deanna, don't worry about timing it just so. Life will happen! You may find some time that you can only fit in half a guide one year, or only have time for three days per week during one guide, or you need to slow down BHFHG for several units to let your ds grow into it, or illness, moving, pregnancy, vacation, etc keep you from finishing an entire guide some years. What appears to be an empty year is actually your cushion! Everyone will land differently in the guides be you can rest easy knowing there's no need to feel stressed to get every guide done in exactly one school year. Don't stress over some missed days here and there. Don't stress over slowing down for your child if he needs it. I know some don't like the "gap year" but I think there's so much wisdom there bc I bet most moms end up needing that time!

Amen, Tamara!!

I'm doing Little Hearts, Beyond, and Bigger only 4 days a week. I'm thinking this could help me spread it out so Preparing isn't until 4th grade. Also, we'll all be on the same schedule since the older guides are scheduled 4 days a week.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Tamara, I think you're right, and part of me wants to keep the "gap year" for the reasons you listed. But, as Motherjoy mentioned, I've read that a lot of moms think their children have benefited from being in the mid to older range of the guides because everything came a little easier, and/or they got more out of it, so part of me wants my son to be in the mid age range, which would sacrifice the gap year. Complicating things for me is that I plan on being enrolled in a PSP, and even though it is a very lenient one, it would still be much simpler administratively/requirements wise to do one guide per year.

Ultimately, though, I will continue to pray about it and have faith that God will make the right path clear at the necessary time. Thanks, ladies.

Deanna,

Thanks for sharing a bit more about your situation! It is so helpful! In planning the best placement for your little one, I would honestly finish LHTH and evaluate where your child is at then. If he is ready for LHFHG at either half-speed or full-speed, I would move into LHFHG. Otherwise, it will seem like you are "buying time" when he is prepared to go forward. Most kiddos who are 5, who have completed LHTH, are ready for LHFHG. So, I would be thinking your son would be ready.

You can start LHFHG easily at half-speed, doing the left side of the plans one day and the right side the next. You can continue this all year, if it is a good fit. Or, at some point during the year, you could bump up to full-speed if he seems ready. Once you get to the end of that first year of LHFHG, you can evaluate again and see what the best plan is for the next year. Typically, kiddos who have done half-speed for part of a year, up to a year, are ready the next year for full-speed to finish out the guide. Rarely, do families do half-speed of a younger guide for two full years. This is because little ones are growing, gaining, developing, maturing, and changing by leaps and bounds. So, what seemed like too much at the beginning, can quickly become "just right" as you journey.

Hope this helps!

Blessings,
Carrie

Thanks again Carrie for your response. My main dilemma is that I'm sure that DS WILL be ready for LHFHG when he's 5 (at least academically, not so much in fine motor skills). But I'd really prefer that he be in the middle age of the guides so that he's even more ready (especially physically). I think by waiting a year he'd get more out of each guide, and we'd have less chance of needing to slow down as the guides get harder in the later years. I'm also nervous about the advanced scope of Singapore math, and starting math a whole year later would alleviate some of my concern. I also would prefer to do high school credit work (the Geography guide and up) in high school, not in 8th, to streamline administrative stuff and so that I know DS will for sure be ready for it (especially Algebra and up and HS science). Basically, I have preferences, for both my own convenience (and anal retentiveness!), and for keeping school more about being fun and interesting, and less challenging for my son. By not starting LHFHG until age 6 for 1st grade I know I would be holding back DS and buying time, but I'm considering now whether the end would justfy the means and we'd be better off in the long run. I will note that if I do wait on starting LHFHG until 1st grade I would beef up LHTH for K by adding my own storytime, phonics program, history and science books, and the K level fine motor skills books scheduled in LHFHG.