I'd wait a year before doing RTR. And I'd be working on solidifying written narration skills and following directions from a guide quite well. Sometimes my life is just so much we can barely get to school, so I think regularly that I just need to drop doing a program (PHFHG) and focus on basics but just like you, when we do a day of PHFHG, I just love it and all the skills woven in and want to stick with it. It's a lot of work, but I don't think it's HOD...I think it's parenting and homeschooling!

This is something I've considered doing, and b/c of life circumstances I am now doing it by default. I will start my 3rd grader next year in either Bigger or half pace Preparing. Or just continue with the basics like we have been and practice some CM style skills while I work with my will-be-6th grader next year in CTC. Then I'll have my K'er doing basics and a 3yo running around wild. My DS that will be in 3rd will be able to read well and I'll have him just reading the DITHOR level 2 and/or 3 books and probably some of the books for Bigger if we aren't doing the full guide.

Have you seen Heart of Dakota? It's a CM program with daily schedules! You could at least get some ideas of what a day looks like by looking at samples. Also, look at the "times per box" in the different levels of HOD...that'll tell you how many minutes are allotted for each subject and give you some ideas. The program is so awesome though...so you might want to just give it a go! ;)

Try Math Mammoth's topical books. She needs to see the why of it..not just how to do it but why it works. Why you bring it down, why you put the placeholder zero, etc. Rote memory of steps, especially when there are so many steps like long division, is really difficult! With a little conceptual teaching, she might breeze right through it :) Hopefully. ;)

I focus on the basics and then if I want to add more, I use Heart of Dakota or Teach Me Joy. With having older kids too, I really do mostly the basics for K-2 so I can keep up with teaching that many! I have done full programs for my 3 but have parred down. Lots of playtime and a little bit of the 3R's is plenty. 30-60m tops of school and sometimes less.

I think she says to allow more time for certain boxes on paint/notebooking days. ;) She also stresses in many posts about organization and having things you use regularly (like paints) with easy access and ready to grab and go. My daughter is not motivated really...she's in PHFHG and really it never takes us as long to do the boxes. CTC and up has more independent work so mom's time goes down while kid's time goes up. I can't imagine taking a full 4.5 hours to do Preparing! We take maybe 3-4...and that only goes up to 4 if we have tons of disruptions from the 2yo or 5yo. Which is actually fairly typical. I don't foresee the time being an issue in CTC either. I do find that one box might need more time alloted but others we have more than enough allotted so we just shift the times. Also the order you do the boxes may increase your time, bc having to go back and forth to put away and gather books is time consuming.

Heart of Dakota, Math Mammoth, Rod & Staff English done mostly orally or independently in upper years with 1/3 written, ...HOD just works for us b/c I have no planning at all, the guide is so easy to follow, it helps get my kids working right on their levels without me having to tweak up or down, and it helps guide them gently to master skills and become more independent learners. I've used 3 levels at once and it went very well...and those were parent intensive levels!

He's in PK this year btw...so we'll really pick up RSA for K'er year with him this fall. Maybe a bit earlier. So, MM1A would really fit well if we went straight to MM after RSA b/c it would be 1st grade. Or if we did RSB as well and for his 1st grade year, then MM2 for 2nd grade would be right on.

So it's not real crystal clear, but I suppose we will just have to figure out what he's ready for then!

I think if properly placed, the workload is always right on target. People complain about Preparing Hearts taking way too long, but we get it done in less time than Carrie says to allot. Being solid in the skills on the placement chart that dictates the level to start with is of utmost importance. I think you'll be just fine if you always take it at her pace, and realize if you don't finish a guide in a year, that's okay! HOD guides are not grade level, just one continuous and streamlined progression of skills. You can pick up a new school year with the guide you ended the previous school year with even if that means starting in unit 5 or unit 25. I think most of the people having trouble finishing either placed too high, have highly unmotivated children that need more hand-holding (that hand holding comes in earlier levels of HOD), have kids that have big issues with time management, or haven't taken the time to be more highly involved in the first few units in order to properly train their children to use the guide and what exactly each box is expecting ...or perhaps just aren't giving enough oversight "from afar" ;) (Not hovering, but near and mindful of helping them get and stay on track until they learn to really do that on their own).

If seeing it taught a different way and having to do similar problems in different ways is confusing, perhaps she isn't learning it that well to begin with. Kids NEED to learn to solve problems more than one way and if they can't, they may not really be learning the conceptual WHY, just the formulaic HOW.

Math Mammoth is great b/c you can get the topical books or the whole grade level.

I can't recall which books it is, but Heart of Dakota has some excellent resources for this. It's in one up the more recently released levels. Really fantastic!

Heart of Dakota :) The program is fantastic and if nothing else, but it used for just the history b/c it's just that great!

I really like Right Start Math A to start off, and maybe will use B was well with my 2nd 2 kiddos. We really love Math Mammoth and I"m wondering which level of Math Mammoth would you think follows RSA? or RSB? And I just have to give kudos to math mammoth right now for making my math challenged child confident and capable after less than two weeks of lessons. She is now working at grade level (Math Mammoth 5) and performing algebraic concepts with ease. I'm so impressed and happy! I have pics on my fb blog page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/SchoolDays-Gone-By/257494337624585

Before bedrest and a horrible pregnancy or two and an infant that is now 2yo and still doesn't sleep, and more recently diagnosis of at least 2 autoimmune diseases, I was running three guides. SUPER easy to do. I find the open and go format and not having to tweak just makes that so doable. And the growing independence when you have one or more in the upper levels also helps so much. It doesn't take you out of the loop at all, but it relieves you of much of the time commitment. You just have to find your groove, stagger start, and stick with it at first even when it's seeming impossible because it DOES get easier and then the days fly by! Easiest to use program I've ever used. Love HOD!

LOVE Math Mammoth and with the new typewriting feature, you can even just save a copy of the file (like a main saved file then make a copy file) that they kids can type their answer in without having to print!

HOD doesn't do a USA is best/always right/#1 approach, or any other county. I've found it to be very much from a Christian perspective and they point out the good and bad about historical figures that are oftentimes given the "three cheers" treatment. In fact, they have your kids compare and contrast these figures to those of the Bible and how they showed/lacked certain character qualities. I'm really impressed.

It has been my favorite HOD guide so far and I've used all the ones before it! I love seeing the independence grow, the more basic skills from the previous guides coming to fruition (what a pay off for doing the guides as-is!), and seeing my daughter love it so much. The day is so balanced and though I am having serious health issues and we don't get to school every day, the days we do we have no trouble getting the boxes done in the allotted time stated by Carrie, the author. I have enjoyed CHOW, and the first chapter is omitted due to evolutionary teaching which isn't an issue after that point. It is told from a Christian perspective and is interesting and full of great history! We haven't added anything for my oldest who is 10, except the occasional extension book. We switched out only the math (Math Mammoth). It truly is a very enjoyable level and the skills my child is learning/has learned are wonderful.

Have you seen heart of Dakota? great books balanced with hands on and will go from PK through high school. On my phone so can't help but keep this short.

That's the convention Heart of Dakota will be at...yay!!! :D We are moving mid-Feb for sure now...

This exact sentence was posted at a Walmart walk in clinic by the APN's there when they had to close. I took a picture, laughed with the folks at the eye clinic next door to it, and the next day it was changed. Spell check mess up I'm sure.

Im having a brain MRI to check for MS Tuesday. This is a great thread with good info. I have officially been diagnosed with Graves Disease (autoimmune hyperthyroidism) and have one or both Lupus and MS. I also have symptoms of Raynauds. I have obvious CNS involvement but it could come from autoimmune issues in my spine from lupus as well. We shall see! It's very scary and tiring right now.

Thanks! I'm moving close to you! Probably near Clermont or Mascott or Minniola...somewhere around there.

I'm headed that way in mid-february... here's another site I found. http://www.fpea.com/convention/about/