our 1st year of school**LHFHG or LHTH**

[trustyourinstincts]

I have a boy just turned 5 in March and he did not go to preschool nor did I do preschool at home. I only fallowed his lead and worked on different things hear and there as he showed the interest. **I'm thinking** We will be starting this fall with kindergarden. not sure if he is ready for LHFHG or LHTH. He knows his letters pretty good ( he does not always get them right 100%) and does not know the letter sounds. I don't want to get ahead of him. I'm thinking now I should have done a preschool program with him I tried to find one last year and was not finding anything that looked worth doing. I wish I would have known about HOD I would have done that. Just wondering where we need to go from here??????????

thanks

[spidermansmum]

I think he will be able to do Little Hearts.My son wasnt ready to learn his letters before he was five :DI think following their lead is excellent and a reason why many homeschool. The LHFHG has the phonics program as something you select[its not an integral ,immovable part of the curriculum] so that allows you to pick a phonic program that suits you and your son .I have used The Reading Lesson and that starts with letter sounds.You could start at half speed at first.

[crlacey]

Have you looked at the placement chart yet?
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

It sounds like he might place in LHTH since it mentions under reading that they are still learning letter sounds.
One thing to keep in mind about LHFHG is that your child will be learning to write his letters and be listening to short chapter books for the school year.

[jenntracy]

my son turned 5 last October. we have been doing LHFHG and just taking it slow. usually, one page of a unit at a time.

if he knows some of his letter sounds i think he would be fine, because you will be using the phonics program that fits for you. we were actually using a phonics program that teaches the "sound a symbol like "A" makes rather "what letter does this sound make" and so you don't have to know your alphaabet. my son did know the sounds already, but other moms i know have used that phonics without their kids knowing what letter it was.

also, just follow his lead and you can move as fast or as slow as feel led to his ability.
hope this helps.

[my3sons]

Welcome to the HOD Board, trustyourinstincts! We are glad to have you here and will be happy to help you with placement. Before we advise you, it would be oh so helpful if you could please check out the placement chart crlacey mentioned. Looking especially at the first page of the chart, please share with us a bit about what descriptions from the chart fit your ds best in reading, writing, and math. Also, if you could please share if he is able to listen to books that have short chapters and fewer pictures, or if he does better listening to books with more pictures for shorter stints. Then, we will definitely all be able to give you more accurate advice and get your ds off to a super start! Also, don't sweat it about not starting preschool last year. You can easily do Little Hands to Heaven this year (if that's where your ds places), and next year do Little Hearts for His Glory and still be in the target age ranges of the programs.

In Christ,
Julie

[trustyourinstincts]

I have been over that a few times and not really sure what they are asking. "Building large and small motor skills to get ready to write" what are they asking exactly? I need more detail to know were to begin to go on. I'm thinking he might be ready for the LHFHG in math but I need examples to know for sure but the reading i'm just not sure.

[tiffanieh]

I just wanted to pop on real quick and give you, and anyone else interested, in something me and many of my friends have done to help our kids learn their sounds in about 1 hour.

The Leap Frog Letter Factory video! I'm telling you...my kids watched it two times and they knew all their letter sounds. I've loaned it out to many of my friends and they all were amazed at how quickly their own children also learned the sounds!!!

[my3sons]

I have been over that a few times and not really sure what they are asking. "Building large and small motor skills to get ready to write" what are they asking exactly? I need more detail to know were to begin to go on. I'm thinking he might be ready for the LHFHG in math but I need examples to know for sure but the reading i'm just not sure.

Thanks for checking out the chart, and we'll just chat through it to figure it out. I know it's sometimes tough to put into words what little ones can do. You'd mentioned he knows most of his letters, but not his letter sounds, so we know that so far.

For the large/small motor skills: is he holding a pencil yet? is he scribbling? writing letters on handwriting paper? writing words on handwriting paper?
can he copy any letters or words looking at a model?

Also, can he cut with scissors on a line? does he color with crayons? if so, is it scribbling, or does he sort of stay in the lines?

I'm assuming he hasn't had any grammar yet, from what you've shared.

For math: can he count - if so, to 10, 20? can he recognize and read numbers? can he write his numbers - if so, up to about what number? does he know what numbers stand for - like if you asked him to put 5 cereal pieces in a pile, can he do that and know that's "5"?

For read-alouds: can he listen attentively to short chapter books (like 3-4 page chapters) being read aloud to him? what if they don't have pictures?

Five year olds (especially those who just turned 5), can be very different from one another. So, while I'd love to just tell you, "Do _____" for a program, I want to be sure we consider your ds specifically and get him the best placement with HOD right off the bat. If you could please share some answers to the above questions, that will help everyone give you a tailor-fit HOD placement for your ds, and get you off and running in the right direction. Thanks!

In Christ,
Julie

[trustyourinstincts]

I have been over that a few times and not really sure what they are asking. "Building large and small motor skills to get ready to write" what are they asking exactly? I need more detail to know were to begin to go on. I'm thinking he might be ready for the LHFHG in math but I need examples to know for sure but the reading i'm just not sure.

Thanks for checking out the chart, and we'll just chat through it to figure it out. I know it's sometimes tough to put into words what little ones can do. You'd mentioned he knows most of his letters, but not his letter sounds, so we know that so far.

For the large/small motor skills: is he holding a pencil yet? is he scribbling? writing letters on handwriting paper? writing words on handwriting paper?
can he copy any letters or words looking at a model?

Also, can he cut with scissors on a line? does he color with crayons? if so, is it scribbling, or does he sort of stay in the lines?

I'm assuming he hasn't had any grammar yet, from what you've shared.

For math: can he count - if so, to 10, 20? can he recognize and read numbers? can he write his numbers - if so, up to about what number? does he know what numbers stand for - like if you asked him to put 5 cereal pieces in a pile, can he do that and know that's "5"?

For read-alouds: can he listen attentively to short chapter books (like 3-4 page chapters) being read aloud to him? what if they don't have pictures?

Five year olds (especially those who just turned 5), can be very different from one another. So, while I'd love to just tell you, "Do _____" for a program, I want to be sure we consider your ds specifically and get him the best placement with HOD right off the bat. If you could please share some answers to the above questions, that will help everyone give you a tailor-fit HOD placement for your ds, and get you off and running in the right direction. Thanks!

In Christ,
Julie

For the large/small motor skills: is he holding a pencil yet? is he scribbling? writing letters on handwriting paper? writing words on handwriting paper?
can he copy any letters or words looking at a model?

yes he holds a pencil and can write his name and some letters. I did have him write on paper with lines sometime before Christmas and he did "just ok" he would sometimes go past the lines. I thougth it might be better for him to write the letter first before he tries to understand the reason for the lines. there are a few letters I just say to him and he can write them, and a few more he could write just looking at them.

Also, can he cut with scissors on a line? does he color with crayons? if so, is it scribbling, or does he sort of stay in the lines?

yes he cuts with scissors. just today he wanted me to make something he could cut out (he ask for a heart) he cut that out very good. he never has been much into coloring. I have seen him try to stay in the lines and go out a little but he also will scribble. but coloring just does not appeal to him much. he gets a book in the mail called "puzzle buzz" he loves it. it has hidden pictures. a picture will have "puzzle pieces" missing and you have to find the puzzle piece (sticker) and put it where it goes. mazes. and dot to dot. the dot to dot is about the only thing I have to help him with. that will be A-Z or 1-30ish or so.

For math: can he count - if so, to 10, 20? can he recognize and read numbers? can he write his numbers - if so, up to about what number? does he know what numbers stand for - like if you asked him to put 5 cereal pieces in a pile, can he do that and know that's "5"?

he can count to 11 and can reconize 1-5(maybe more) he would know if there was 5 pieces of cereal in front of him. he knows about what 1/2 looks like.

For read-alouds: can he listen attentively to short chapter books (like 3-4 page chapters) being read aloud to him? what if they don't have pictures?

not sure I have not read any like that to him. I would try thou. he does LOVE to read book:) he gets really interested in learning. something like that might have to be done when brother(2yo) goes down for a nap.

thank you for taking the time to help me get this underway and thank you to everyone else adding in there 2cents

Tracy

[my3sons]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post that, Tracy! It really helped so much. You did a great job of describing him, and I think he would do wonderful with Little Hands to Heaven. I'm actually glad it turned out that way, because Little Hands to Heaven (LHTH) is just way too fun to miss out on. LHTH will teach him all of his letters and with a sound for each letter, along with his numbers and skip counting and beginning math concepts. It also will strengthen his scissors cutting, coloring, and beginning writing. He will learn to listen to a picture Bible being read aloud and do activities to respond to that reading and show his comprehension. And, all of this will only take about 30 minutes. which will give him plenty of time to play be a boy! For the Bible, you'll want to choose The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes, and for the devotional, My ABC Bible Verses. These are the higher level choices for LHTH and will fit him well. Doing LHTH will prepare him for Little Hearts for His Glory the following year, and at 6 years old, he'll be at a great age to do it. I'm sure others will chime in, but I think LHTH would be a great fit for him!

In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

trustyourinstincts,

Thank you so much for sharing your precious little guy with us! From what you've shared, and due to the fact that he has just turned 5, I agree that Little Hands to Heaven would be the best fit for him this upcoming year. If desired, you can easily add in A Reason for Handwriting K at the pace of a page a day to help him practice writing his letters. You'll find Little Hands will be wonderful preparation for going successfully into Little Hearts for His Glory.

This will also help your little guy be on the middle age range for our guides as he goes through the years, which is a good idea for boys especially as their fine motor skills often take a bit more time to develop. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you get a chance.

Blessings,
Carrie

[trustyourinstincts]

thank you to everyone that added there thoughts and comments I like the idea of the leap frog letter factory. anything that helps me teach him is great I was really glad to see Carrie pop in and put my mind at ease. ok so here it is....

1) LHTH guide
2) a reason for handwriting K
3) my ABC Bible verses
4) the singing bible

is there anything else I could use or that I might need?

[icul8rg8r]

I agree that LITTLE HANDS TO HEAVEN is so much fun - you'd hate to miss out on this sweet program. I started when my children were 3 & 4 and ds (3yo) was NOT ready/interested. Now they are 4 & 5 and they are doing well. I thought my 5yo DD (who knows her numbers, letters, sounds, colors beautifully, writes her name and copies/writes what she sees in books/magazines, and is even beginning to read) would find it too easy, but I just supplemented with additional workbooks for her to do on her own (her favorite thing to do). We'll be finishing up here in a few weeks (started in January - we went through it pretty fast - they often asked to "do more school, more school")! They both - especially dd - loved LHTH (as did I) and I'm glad I didn't "skip" it just because she was already 5 and could have easily gone into K.

The only thing else I'd do is get some read-aloud/chapter books (either from the library or purchase to add to your personal library) and you'll be amazed how in a few weeks (months?!) your son will sit and listen and beg for another chapter (we were amazed - when we began ds did NOT want to sit down or sit still - took a few weeks).

[Emilylou]

I never did LHTH but I am just finishing LHFHG with my DS5 who will be 6 in July. There has been nothing in LHFHG that he couldn't do. He actually took the math manipulative lessons and taught them to his 3 1/2 year old sister. She also could do all the art and science projects in the book with no problems. She didn't have as long as attention span for the read alouds but could usually answer the comprehension questions.
I would also factor in if your son has had bible school or AWANA classes. My DS has gone to Sunday bible school and AWANA since he was 3, the whole 1st 1/2 of the history in LHFHG is all bible history. building Jericho ect... He had done many of those activities many times in Sunday school and AWANA. Would your son want to do these now at five in LHTH and again at 6 in LHGHG?
Like I said I have not ever looked at LHTH and have always heard great things about it, but my DS and DD would not have been challenged at all by it. Except for Sunday school and AWANA we didn't do any preschool stuff with my DS either.
I know you will have fun doing either book. Just wanted to give you another opinion.

[moedertje]

I have heard from many people when looking at the guides at first glance that it all looks easy and simple, but that is because of the wonderful layout that Carrie has and the ease of use, does not mean the material the kiddo's over is easy when done in context.
LHTH is so much fun and it gives you so much precious time with your child doing the fun activities and preparation for the other guides. There is no need to rush unless your child is totally bored.
What I have found from others around me who said there child did not like LHFHG was that they were just not ready for that kind of listening and activity. So I am glad you choose to do LHTH with the addition and you will see when you need to add more or speed up a little. You know your child and the play fun years are only short.
Have fun!