heartofdakota.com

Hi All!
I am so glad to be here! This year has been really crazy. I am a mother to four: ages 2.5b, 4.5b, 6.5b, and 8.5g. We have homeschooled (on and off - that's a whole 'nother story) for the past 4 years. Right now our two oldest children are in our private church academy, and our 4yo is going to 4k right now. I was already to school the children this year using "Beyond" (per the phone conversation with Carrie - thank you!) ... but my DH was not 100% on board with hsing yet.
NOW ... that God has changed his heart, and he is seeing the need to homeschool ... well, we are preparing for this summer schooling.

My question is this ...
Our children have been using BJU in school (boring! to them), and I know I am giong to use "Beyond" with our 6.5yo DS ... but ... I think our 8.5yo DD could do "Bigger". My only "fear" is that she is a reluctant reader. She 'knows' that she doesn't read well (per her fear of reading in front of other children that read well and are younger than her - also being in 2nd grade instead of 3rd) . Actually, when she is reading something she likes, or is at home she reads OK. ... but ... I know she could improve greatly.
Would you keep her with her brother using "Beyond"? Or would you go ahead and put her in "Bigger"? She does great in Math, Bible, and other things... but struggles with Reading & English.

Your input is appreciated. If you have any other questions, just ask me.

Hi MommyG,
I would keep your 6 and 8 year old together. Bigger is very writing intensive. My dd (age 8 ) and I started bigger this year and the work load was so overwhelming to her I actually stopped doing the whole days work and instead broke it down to one page per day. This really helped my dd handle the workload. Lately (because she had an operation and many Dr.s appointments) we have had to play catch up. And I noticed her ablity to handle the work load is Much better so we can do a whole days worth of school in a pinch.

Because Carries stuff is so flexible you can keep your 8 year old in her math and let her read books that will bring confidance to her reading. Your dd could even drill your 6 year old in his math facts for you

I really love DITHOR because it is not book specific you can keep your dd and ds in diffrent books if need be. But, wouldn't it be fun to have them read some of the same books like the boxcar children series My thinking is that if you keep them in same reading class. She will get to review the reading information again. It will reinforce what she already knows and you may find a gap in her education that gets filled in along the way.

Also using just "Beyond" will allow you to take any extra time you may need with your dd..

I have to keep reminding my self when my dd struggles with math.. that it is ok for her not to be exactly on target for her age. I'm sure she will learn how to multiply and divide before she is 21. At this age a love for God and a desire to love learning is what I am striving for.
I'm not sure I'm achieving it, but i sure am trying.
Hugs,
Tansy

Welcome Mommy G!

I think Tansy gave you excellent advice! Since you will be coming from private school to homeschooling, it's always best to allow for a period of adjustment... and jumping into a curriculum that would really challenge your oldest like "Bigger..." wouldn't allow time for that.

Also, since your oldest is still gaining as a reader and gaining English skills as well, "Beyond..." is the better placement in those 2 key areas. We consider the 3 most important areas for correct program placement to be reading, writing, and math.

If you start in the summer and feel your oldest has made significant gains by the end of summer, you could always reconsider moving her to "Bigger..." at that time. However, if she is thriving with "Beyond...", I would stay put and finish the program with her.

As far as the reading goes, you would probably want the Emerging Reader Set for your oldest. Here is the link to view that set, so you can determine if that is the correct placement for her: http://www.heartofdakota.com/emerging-reader.php

If that set seems too easy, then you would be ready for "Drawn into the Heart..." and possibly one of the book sets that goes well with that program. Here is the link for the Level 2 book packs:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/drawn-into-optional2.php

Also, as far as math goes, if you are wanting to use Singapore, you can take the placement test here to see which level is best for your kiddos:
http://www.singaporemath.com/Placement_Test_s/86.htm

Then, once you've determined their math levels, drop us a line on the boards and we can help you with what to do about math. If you're using another math program, then math won't come into play with your decision about which guide to use.

I hope some of the other wonderful moms on the board will chime in here too! They are all very encouraging!

Blessings,
Carrie

Agreeing with Tansy...you can always bump up if it's too easy, but it would be very discouraging to have to move down a level. I would start off in Beyond for your older dd and have them work together.

Welcome to HOD! I'm so happy for you (and your dh ) for deciding to homeschool. This is my first year with HOD also, and we are loving it!

Melanie

OK...Carrie answered you while I was typing, so I guess we ALL want you to go with Beyond!

Thank you All for the great advice and encouragement!!

You all have just reconfirmed what I was thinking first. I thought I should keep them together (like I did this last summer), but didn't know if that would not be enough for our DD since she was going to be 9yo in May. But ... now I feel comfortable just leaving them where they are.

Carrie ~ Yep. Doing Sinapore math. Already took the placement tests, and figured out that 6yo DS will use 1A + 1B, and DD will use 2A + 2B. At least to begin with. If I need to up DD's, then I will adjust it.

Again, I am soo glad I found this board. Also, that I will have my babies all home again learning the way they know how. Just wish it could be sooner. Wish I could pull them out now. Do you think asking my DH would be "pushing it"? lol Maybe, since we have $2,700 put into school right now ... and that's just the tuition fee.

Thanks again! God Bless!

MommyG,

You are right in thinking that normally we would advise placing a 9 year old in "Bigger..." and you may still find that will be true at the end of summer.

Since you're coming out of a private school, there's always a period of adjustment needed. Once that's over, you may feel your oldest is ready for more and need to bump her up. Always leave that as an option, because things change a lot in 6 months. Kids can have incredible growth spurts academically, and it's hard to know how long it will take them to adjust to schooling at home.

Keep us posted!

Blessings,
Carrie