LHFHG or BLHFHG

[Tracee]

I thought I was all set, but now I'm starting to doubt my selection. My dc will have just turned 4 and 6 when we start HOD. I'm trying to figure out which book would be better for my future 6 year old. We are currently using Math U See, Sing, Spell, Read and Write, and Handwriting w/o Tears for Kindergarten. We do nature studies for science and I read to them a lot. I'm going to start LHTH for my 3.5 year old twins, but I'm stuck as to where to put my ds. I don't want LHFHG to be to young for him, but I also don't want Beyond to be too old for him.


When I look at the placement chart, he is right there in the middle. For LHFHG, it says, "ready to start phonics instruction". We've already started that, but we aren't anywhere near being finished. Beyond says, "finishing phonics and emerging reader" Not there yet either.

I was going to do LHFHG for 1st grade. I was going to use the 1st grade Science, math and handwriting, while still working on phonics with possibly The Reading Lesson. Does this sound right, or should I do Beyond with all the 1st grade stuff. I


Thanks,
Tracy

[Tree House Academy]

We were around the place you are last year. My son was turning 6, a good reader, halfway through phonics, etc. We initially chose Beyond. When we got into it, I realized he just wasn't ready. There was narration, copywork and lots of things he wasn't used to. We dropped back after 8 weeks and are now finishing LHFHG. It has been a perfect fit for him and so much fun! I am so glad we went with Little Hearts afterall!

Best of luck in your decision.

[Tracee]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! That is exactly the kind of thing I needed to know. My first instincts were to go with LHFHG, but I started doubting myself. Thank you so much. That really answered my question in a big way. I know my ds wouldn't be ready for a lot of copy work and narration.


Thanks,
Tracy

[LeAnna]

Hi Tracy,

I choose to do LHFHG with my 4.5 and 5.5 year old dd, and we took the first few weeks slow, and then moved at full speed with them. They did great, but it took some time to adapt to listening to the Burgess books, and a little time with handwriting, etc. Now, with my ds, we are going to wait, I think and start LHFHG when he is 6, so that he will be in the middle age bracket of all the manuals. IMO, I don't think I would rush it. I think I would start at LHFHG, and then move to Beyond when your ds is 7. But, you have the option too of using the 1st grade option with LHFHG, or you could do Beyond at 4 days a week or half speed. That's one of the many nice things about HOD.

Hope that helps!
LeAnna

[my3sons]

Ditto to all that has been said here! I think you have the perfect plan for what you've shared doing with LHFHG. I think this will give your ds such an awesome start to school, and it will not pressure him into doing some things he may not be ready for too early. Plus, I just don't want you to miss LHFHG. We loved having the one year sweep of history before we began American History in Beyond/Bigger. It just gave such a well-rounded overview and taught our dc that a lot has happened all over the world, and history is a deep well of learning, that goes much deeper than just the city/state we live in.

In Christ,
Julie

[Tree House Academy]

Oh good! I am glad that our experience helped you! I thought that because he was advanced in reading and such that he "fit" in Beyond. I never though to factor in that he wouldn't be use to listening to stories without pictures. We read squanto in the first 4 weeks and Beyond and he did okay with that one. When we started Sword in the Tree, he was so lost. Then, the poetry copywork was too much for him, so I was having him just do a sentence or two. In the end, I came to the realization that I was pushing him, and, at the same time, missing parts of HOD because I was cutting it down so he could complete it. Little Hearts, we were able to do it as written and even have time for music and French. He has thrived with this program. By far, my favorite book from Little Hearts is the Family Time Bible! It is written on that age level and my son always loved to see the book come out (we are finished with it now). History for Little Pilgrims is a great next step, and the History Stories for Chilren is engaging and short enough to not lose him in a sea of facts. Bible and History time is his favorite time of the day!

[jenntracy]

i also suggest going with LHFHG. My son who turned 6yr in October is using it this year and it has been enough for my active boy. it is easy enough to up the level of Math and reading without having to change to an entire new guide for everything. that is what we have done. stick withyour instincts


Jenn D.

[countrymom]

My son placed in the middle too, actually leaning towards Beyond a little. However, due to his age I chose LHFHG and have not regretted it at all. I think it is a great foundation to prepare children for the learning methods HOD uses. For example, my son was totally lost with narration initially and LHFHG really eases the student into narration. I feel he will be able to gain the maximum benefit from Beyond for having gone through Little Hearts first. You could always up the math if needed (although Singapore is solid) and you can take reading/phonics at your own pace, as it is not connected in any way. If he finishes phonics you could start the emerging reader set before you were done with Little Hearts, although you would need the Beyond teacher's manual for the schedule. I have also added in extra reading from the boys and girls lists for Beyond (from the storytelling section, we will use the classics for the program). This has been very good and my son has really enjoyed the extra reading, all while building his vocabulary. Most of those books are carried by our library, so should be easy to do without spending extra dollars.

[SoaringEagle]

We're using LHFHG for grade 1 with my 6 yr old dd. She also kind of placed in the middle but I knew that Beyond would be over her head. This is just perfect for her.

[Mom4Him]

Tracy, I just wanted to say Hello! I'm so glad that you found HOD! It is such a blessing!
We will be doing LHTH & LHFHG at our house next year too- we'll have to compare stories! We also chose The Reading Lesson & have really enjoyed it. Our girls are on Lesson 17- it amazes me to see how much they have been learning!
Have a great day!
Jessica