Should my son do Beyond or Bigger?
I have spent a great deal of time looking into Heart of Dakota (HOD) via the catalog, website/FB/blog, and amazing message board. I am so very pleased at what I see and the amount of wonderful support given to those with questions. In the years I have homeschooled, I have been through more than my fair share of curriculum choices, but nothing felt or worked just right for us. I do know there is no such thing as the perfect program, but I would really like to find something that fits our family more so than what we have done so far.
We were recently given Little Hands to Heaven (LHTH) and have used it for a week so far with my 4-year-old son. We LOVE it! My son loves it! I like the layout of the book. I also really like that even at such a young age, my littlest one is learning about God in all things.
Should my 7 1/2-year-old do Beyond or Bigger?
My questions are about placement for my middle son. He is 7 1/2 and going into 2nd grade. I have looked at the placement guides and even spoke to another mom about where to place him. I was told he could place in either Beyond Little Hearts or Bigger Hearts. On the placement chart, he could fit in either. He is reading books that are in the Emerging Readers Set, but is still working through a phonics workbook. Recently, he started the Rod and Staff English 2, but writing is hard for him, so we do almost all of it orally.
He is not a big reader, but he does well when he reads. I still help him with the larger or odd words, but he does hold his own. He is still working through a phonics workbook but more so because he does not like to write.
Should my son do Beyond or Bigger if writing more than a sentence is difficult?
He is not a big fan of writing. I do have him work in a handwriting workbook, and we have started to work on cursive. But it still takes some work to get him to write more than a sentence. He can write, he just fights it, a lot. For history the poor thing has been dragged through parts of Sonlight, Mystery of History, and some BJU Press. So he’s had lots of exposure to different styles of learning, but nothing consistent yet. I would really like to change that. He also REALLY loves science! He has done great with any science we have done with him.
Beyond or Bigger?Â
So I guess my question is should he use Beyond and Bigger? Would Beyond be too young for him? What about the science in Beyond? Will Bigger be too much writing for him? Thanks in advance!
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Help Me Choose Beyond or Bigger”
Dear “Ms. Please Help Me Choose Beyond or Bigger,”
When choosing between Beyond or Bigger, it is better to wait to start Bigger if you have a child who is still strengthening writing skills. You can easily continue with Rod and Staff 2 for English and likely can begin somewhere mid-way through the Emerging Reader’s Set, depending on the books he is reading at the time when you are ready to begin Beyond with him. The schedule for the Emerging Reader’s Set is in the Appendix of Beyond, so you won’t mess up your daily plan by starting at whatever point in the set fits your child best.
Whenever your son finishes the Emerging Reader’s Set (following the daily schedule with questions in the Appendix), he can just head into Level 2/3 of DITHOR with the Level 2 book pack.
As far as science goes, if you are a science-loving family, you can always add something additional for science if desired while using Beyond’s science. That is truly the beauty of HOD in that each family has enough time outside of “school” to pursue their own interests, yet HOD covers what is needed.
Blessings,
Carrie
