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Very soon I need to purchase the Rev2Rev guide for my oldest son (12). He'll be finishing RTR, so I'm planning out the next guide. He's done several years of DITHOR, and frankly, he needs a break! We've decided to just let him have a year off and just do some reading. My question is this: Would it be better to order the extension package and just let him read those throughout the year, OR should I just get the Level 6/7 Readers pack from DITHOR? He is an excellent reader, so I'm not worried about difficulty. He could really do the 6/7 or the 7/8 packages. It just looked like the 6/7 package fit better with the timeframe of the Rev2Rev guide.

He's mentioned that he really likes the exciting stories from the DITHOR packages, and he's worried that he won't be "drawn" into the stories if we do the extension pack. However, I was thinking that the extension books would fit better with his studies. So, herein lies the problem. I'm just not sure which route to take with reading this year, and would love to hear your advice!

Thanks so much!

Lisa,

As you think through your plans, I'll share the story of my own oldest son in hopes that it may be a help to you as you ponder. My oldest son did DITHR from the time he was 7, because he was an early reader reading well by age 4. He was not, however, an early writer! So, as we moved through DITHR full-speed (5 days a week) year after year, I felt that he needed a break from DITHR by the time he was 12. By then, he had been through Level 2/3 twice, Level 4/5 twice and part of Level 6/7/8. So, we allowed him to do Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings over the next two years. He did enjoy the study and did it mainly on his own. But after the two years were over, I felt I had lost touch with my son's reading time, and I was eager to return to DITHR 6/7/8 for his 8th grade year.

During my son's 8th grader year, my next son was in 5th grade, so they did DITHR together. I can't tell you how difficult it was to get my oldest son to answer the heartfelt questions in DITHR. It was like pulling teeth. It was as if he had become so used to the factual questions that he had lost the deeper thinking and discernment that we had developed previously through years of DITHR. My 5th grade son, on the other hand, did his assignments naturally and easily and shared openly from his heart. My older son did open up more as the year passed, but in looking back I must say I deeply regret moving away from DITHR during his very formative years.

With my next son in line, who is now an 8th grader, we have done DITHR every year. Since we've done it 3 times a week (as scheduled in the HOD guides), we haven't grown weary. It has also been a great way for us to stay connected to one another, and for the channels of dialogue to stay open about heart issues. So, before you throw in the towel with DITHR at a key moment in time, I want to encourage you that staying the course (just 3 times a week) can pay big dividends at his age. DITHR continues to provide me with insight into my the hearts of my sons, and I am grateful for the peek inside!

Blessings,
Carrie

Hi there, Lisa! My ds is 13 yo and in the midst of his last year of DITHOR, before he begins the lit instruction in the new Geography guide set to come out. He has gleaned so much from DITHOR, and as I look ahead to what high school lit programs are asking students to be able to do, I give a very large sigh of relief that my ds is 100% prepared for it - all due to DITHOR. If I were you, I'd do DITHOR 6/7/8, choosing 4-5 genres ds loves and books from the sets he'd love to read (they're all awesome, so you can't go wrong). Then, you can use the other half of the set for free reading just for fun whenever outside of school, if you'd like. We have looked to the DITHOR book sets for free reading material for our sons, as doing the plans 3 days a week through the years doesn't result in them being able to read them all. Good books are hard to find! For the extensions, I'd do DITHOR first, along with all the reading instruction, and save the extensions for another year's free reading (that is what we did too ). RevtoRev is written for the target age range of 11-13, so the extensions are meant to be for 14-15 year olds. I'd hold off on those with a 12 yo, and get to enjoying DITHOR! HTH!

In Christ,
Julie