Little Hearts or Beyond

[karalatte]

Trying to decide if Beyond will be a good fit for my soon-to-be 6 year old son for the fall/first grade. We focused on learning to read most of this year (Kinder), no formal math, we did/are doing Five In A Row. I sort of feel like I want to start him with Little Hearts, but the reading level would be too basic, he won't need phonics instruction next year. The readers and read alouds in Beyond seem right up his alley, but the rest of the curriculum I fear might be too much. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Samuel'sMommy]

Little Hearts is great for first grade! If your son doesn't need phonics instruction, you can go ahead and order the Beyond guide and emerging readers and have him do those. There are actually supplemental titles for reading listed in the Beyond guide as well that you can get from the library if he needs more reading practice. The read alouds in Little Hearts are really great and I'm sure your son will enjoy them. There are also additional titles relating to the history listed in the appendix that you could get from the library if he wants more. If you use Little Hearts for 1st grade, that will put you on track to do one guide a year through graduation.

[MelInKansas]

I agree, for a young 6 year old Little Hearts is a great choice. If you think that is where he fits all except reading it is very easy to adapt his reading lessons to his level. As StephanieU mentioned the Emerging Reader schedule is in the Beyond guide, and the books are available as a package from HOD. I have seen my 7YO take off with her reading by using this, she is about 1/2 way through them. If he can already read about level 2 easy reader books, you would start with their easier Bible option to ease him into it and then he will start reading great early readers like Frog and Toad, Amelia Bedelia, and some great historical books. I'm sure he would love it!

I hope this helps.

[StephanieU]

I was in this position last year, and I am very glad we started with LHFHG. We spent the fall reading My First and Level 1 I Can Read Books and then jumped into the ER books in January. The history, Bible/devotional, and story time were perfect for my daughter for 1st grade. The rotating box often was a hit as well (art, science, dramatic play, and thinking games). We will start Beyond in just over a week, and I don't think my daughter would have been really able to do everything in Beyond even though according to the placement chart, I could "check off" all of the boxes. She just wasn't mature enough yet.

[karalatte]

Thanks for the advice ladies! I'm looking forward to starting HOD!

[TXmommy]

Loved this question, because I am pretty much in the exact same position! My little guy is six, but turning seven very soon after starting HOD Little Hearts for 1st grade. I am not planning on phonics instruction... he reads amazingly! I chose to do Little Hearts with him because I feel a lot of Beyond would be above him.

SO... if I reach up to Beyond and grab the emerging readers set, what do I do when I get to Beyond when he's eight? Would I do DITHOR 2/3 with him at that point?

ALSO... someone mentioned getting the guide for Beyond, do I need to purchase the whole guide now if I'm just using the emerging readers from it?

Thank you so much for your input!

[MelInKansas]

TXMommy - yes when the Emerging Readers is finished the next step is DITHOR 2/3. Short chapter books and literary analysis and activities.

The Beyond and Bigger guides have the Emerging Reader schedule in the appendix. This tells you what to read each day and has comprehension questions for the books that don't already have questions included (the Early Reader's Bible has questions). I have seen these questions help my daughter think through what she is reading and retain it, which is obviously important. So yes, having the Beyond guide for this is really essential. They have said that if you buy just the guide now and then in the future you want to get the package deal on the rest of the Beyond Economy package you just need to say so, they will sell you the rest of the package with the package discount.

[StephanieU]

Also, you can spread out the ERs to about 2 years if you can get a hold of the supplemental titles in listed for each unit int he Emerging Readers (at the back of the Beyond guide). This is what we are doing. We read the Bible through then did 1-2 of the supplementals from those units. Then we did the next "real" ER book and then another supplemental book. Our library has a lot of them, so hopefully it will take us close to 68 weeks to complete everything. For the supplemental books, I just have my daughter summarize/narrate back what she has read. Then we use the questions for the other books.