Two questions on implementing HOD/DITHOR

[krazzymommy]

Hello! We have started Bigger, and I am running into two (not very important ) issues that I would like advice on from seasoned HOD users.

First: I love that currently, our Bigger read-aloud is a Biography, and my son's DITHOR book is a Biography. However, this last week I have been sick. I was tempted to do some HOD or some DITHOR, but couldn't really muster up the energy to do both. Because I did not want to get off track, I skipped both and we did no school this week. Is it inevitable that we are going to get on different tracks with our read alouds and DITHOR books, or should we attempt to keep them on the same track? (I hope that makes sense...)

Second: When you consider the art/craft, geography, science, etc. supplies needed for your upcoming week, do you gather all weekly supplies or do you gather the night before? I know, not real important, but I'm just wondering how others do it. I've read so many places that people don't have any prep time with HOD, but I'm finding I am spending a bit of time prepping, gathering supplies, etc. Is there a third option?

I'm just looking for some help as we try to navigate into a new school year.

Thanks!

[Kathleen]

Hi Monica!

We don't worry at all about keeping the genre for storytime and DITHOR lined up. We had it line up a couple times in Bigger, too, but I actually found that I liked it better when they were different. It seemed to make the story elements and character qualities stick better if we were hitting them at different times of the year rather than all in one month. And, when you start Preparing you won't be using DITHOR daily any more (and the storytime won't be genre-based). Anyway, don't worry about lining them up. It will still work marvelously!

We don't do any advance prep for the guides. We just grab things as we go during our school day. (Like, for a science activity in Beyond...I'll grab the guide from that child as I'm ready to head upstairs for my time with her. She will have already grabbed the needed stack of books as that's her 1st job of the morning while I'm with her brother. I'll give the boxes a quick glance and notice that we need a flashlight and a ball, so I'll tell her to grab the flashlight from the "junk drawer" and a ball from her brother's room and meet me upstairs. And, away we go!) Carrie usually has several options for activities or projects, so we just use what's easiest for us. I think I can count on one hand the times that I've had to skip something because I didn't have the needed supplies. There was once in LHTH that we needed powdered laundry soap (and I use liquid)...so we put that off until we went to town the next day, and then the occasional time that I was REALLY in need of a Wal-Mart run and was out of all the options for the day. When you get to the older guides and the kids are doing more of the projects independently, the guide tells them to come and mention to you a needed supply coming up the next week if it's something specific that will be needed. Like, a bag of colored candies (m&m's, skittles) for science in CTC...

If it makes you feel more organized, give the guide a glance on Sunday night before you start the week so you know what's coming. I have enjoyed that in the past. But, that has not been my reality for the last couple years , and I can tell you that the open-and-go method is working very well for us here! (With 3 guides and 2 babies ) In the future, I can see myself enjoying a leisurely Sunday night glance at our plans for the week.

You're in for a great year! I just started Bigger for my 2nd time this spring, and I am enjoying it just as much this time around. Grant loves to remember his year in Bigger when he's asking Allison about her day at lunch time. I think we'll be picking up somewhere around Unit 7 when we start again in August...I haven't pulled the guide out to remind myself yet.
Kathleen

[countrymom]

I have a place where I keep all the general supplies (paint, glue, construction paper, etc.), so I can get to it easily. I also have two small bins where I put materials needed for the next day. At the end of each schoolday I quickly look at the next day and gather any supplies needed and put them in the bins. It takes 5 min max, and I am all set for the next day.

[mom23]

We're grab and go here, too. I don't usually look at the guide ahead of time. It's working, though, to just look and get what we need when it's time for that class. If I don't have something on hand I can usually substitute and make it work.

[krazzymommy]

Thank you for these responses, especially thanks to Kathleen for the thorough response! I will not worry if our DITHOR reading and Read Aloud get on a different track. Much relief!