Is Bigger challenging enough for 5th grade dd?

[tbarr12]

I am SO SORRY to be back here again with another placement question!!! I will begin Bigger with my 9yo ds tomorrow. this is after moving him down from Preparing - it is just too much work, a little too much independence, and too much writing. Now I am wondering whether to move 11 yo dd down, too. She places perfectly under Preparing on the placement chart, and has been enjoying the program and doing just fine with it. However, there are 2 factors: honestly, I'm just not sure I can handle 3 curricula at once, and also, I have looked at the program, and it looks a little more challenging than I thought and of course includes extensions for 4-th-5th graders (a couple of which I purchased, and others could get from the library).

I am leaning towards switching her to Bigger for the above 2 reasons. However, I really did like the fact that in Preparing, I finally felt she was challenged enough. I just need some reassurance from someone out there who has maybe a 5th dc who is doing Bigger - do you find it challenging enough? That is my big question. I"m assuming that the extensions are there for the mom like me who wants to combine children instead of doing different curricula, but I just want to make sure she won't be losing out.

An idea that she and I have pretty much agreed upon is that we will try it for 2-4 weeks, then evaluate. If she or I don't like it, she can just jump right back into Preparing where she was.

Any input would be appreicated. Thanks.

Tracey

[water2wine]

I did Bigger with a 6th grader using the extensions and the recommendations found in the "beefing up" section that is stickied on this board. It was more than plenty for her. If you have one that is not quite ready for the independence in Preparing then Bigger with extensions would probably be perfect for them. Don't know a lot about your situation and you always know best but wanted to address the question of is it enough and to that I would say most definitely.

[tbarr12]

Thanks for your response. I'm not sure what you mean by the "stickies" posted on this board - I think that may be something I don't know how to access. Could you tell me how?

My oldest dd is definitely ready for the independence of Preparing, as well as the challenge. That's why I want to make sure Bigger is still challenging enough for her. It's my middle ds, 9, who just didn't seem to be ready for it - it all was overwhelming to him.

Thanks again.

[Tree House Academy]

My older son did part of Bigger as a 5th grader and it was not a good placement for him. We tried beefing it up, but the extensions made it a bit too hard (the science book was above his abilities and he wasn't ready for that amount of reading and working on his own so much yet) and the guide as written was too easy. He should have been placed in Preparing last year and I really wish I had done that instead.

This is not to say it wouldn't work for your child, it was just not the right fit for mine. You have a better situation in that your younger child is already using Bigger, so you can really evaluate it before placing your older in it (or let her "try" it without committing just yet). My son is a "special" case too in that he was a younger (August baby) 5th grader, so his inability at the time to be so independent could have been maturity too. This year, he is doing CTC and is doing wonderfully with it.

Best of luck with your decision!

[tbarr12]

My daughter is the opposite - she is an October baby, so could be a young 6th grader. So I am anxious to give her enough independence and challenge. I think my plan of trying it for 2-4 weeks is good - we can try it, and if it doesn't work, she can jump right into Preparing where we left off, and we can just finish next fall. Thanks.

[Tree House Academy]

My daughter is the opposite - she is an October baby, so could be a young 6th grader. So I am anxious to give her enough independence and challenge. I think my plan of trying it for 2-4 weeks is good - we can try it, and if it doesn't work, she can jump right into Preparing where we left off, and we can just finish next fall. Thanks.

Sounds like a great plan to me. You will definitely know how you feel after 2-4 weeks!

[my3sons]

Tracey - I like your plan of trying it too. I think it is a good idea to try it for "x" amount of time, and then evaluate what seems best. It sounds like a primary goal of yours is to be sure your 5th grade dd is challenged enough. You already know PHFHG accomplishes that, so you'll easily be able to see if BHFHG does too. It sounds like another consideration is that you'd lean toward wanting to teach 2 programs rather than 3 programs. Sometimes combining is easier, and sometimes it isn't. I think you will honestly be able to see which course seems better after you give it some time. Good plan - I'll be praying you clearly know what is best for you to do in the end!

In Christ,
Julie