Placement question.

[Nataliebodwell]

Hello! I’ve been using HOD with my daughter and son. My daughter is 10 and going to be starting 4th and we are planning On doing preparing. My son is in second and I have another daughter starting Kindergarten. Last year I just did my oldest and son together and modified the note booking assignments to fit his level. My question is should I continue doing that or should I teach him and my kindergarten one together?

[StephanieU]

It really depends.
First with HOD, you will find that it is best to place the younger/lower level child and the beef up for the oldest. It is possible to make LHFHG through Bigger to work by placing the older, but starting in Preparing, it gets tricky. Things are intended to be independent, and making those things parent led (so the younger can do them) can really change the guide. It will add work for you and likely lengthen the school day for everyone.
Should you combine the younger two? It really depends on their personalities. I have tried a few times to combine my middle two, and it just doesn't work. They are very competitive, and when I combine, it is just stressful for all of us. They do best with their own levels and personal time with me. Yes, it does make things a little more complicated, but it is worth it for it to not be so stressful. Other families find combining to be amazing for their kids. If you want to combine the younger two, you would want to start them in LHFHG. The second grader (and even the kindergartener) can "tag along" in some of Preparing, but their actual school work would be LHFHG with the appropriate levels of math and language arts. If you don't want to combine, you could place the 2nd grader in Beyond. Then have the kindergartener focus on math, reading, and handwriting this year. That child can "tag along" in Beyond, and then start LHFHG for 1st grade.

[Rice]

To clarify, do you mean that you had your son in Bigger with your daughter last year? How did he do? Where would he place if he was your only child?

Also, for your K daughter, are you planning to start LHFHG with her? If so, are you planning to stretch LHFHG through Bigger over 4 years so she gets to Preparing at 4th grade? That will affect whether you can combine your son with her, too.