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Hi

This is our 1st year hsing my dd 6 (she'll be 7 in July). We are currently using MFW 1st Grade. I was all set to us MFW Adventures next year and yet now I am considering switching to either Beyond Little Hearts or Bigger Hearts for her second grade curriculum next year.

I am having a very hard time deciding which program is a better fit for dd. I appreciate any help you can offer. She truly falls right between these two programs when I fill out the placement chart. It looks like the LA in Beyond is going to be a little redundant to her; however I'm worried about the heavier writing requirements in Bigger. She is still so young and her hand gets tired with alot of writing. I am going to keep using R&S math because it works so well. I was wondering if I could use their English 2 with Beyond. Will this work? I am also having difficulty classifying her as an emergent or independent reader. Does anyone have any tips on this? She is reading very well, but still occasionally needs help - especially if it is a hard phonics rule.

Also, has anyone used Beyond for 2nd grade and then moved into Bigger for 3rd grade? How have your children done? Have they gotten bored since these programs cover such a similar time period?

Thanks for all your help. I am so excited to find what looks like such a great program. I really need something that is open and go next year since I will also have a 3 1/2 yo and an infant (due in May) at home.

I look forward to getting to know you all.

Robin

I recognize your dilema. We used Little Hearts for my 5yo using the first grade options. At 6yo we tried MFW Adventures which was way too much. We finished out the year using FIAR and workbooks. This year at 7yo, we are using Beyond for 2nd grade although he is in the Singapore 2A / 2B program. I plan to move into Bigger next year. Part of me really wants to do MFW ECC for 3rd but my children seem much better suited to Carrie's programs than MFW. I am currently using MFWK for my 5yo and will move her into Little Hearts when she is done with it. (I didn't think she was ready for Little Hearts this year).

Does that help at all?

Hi Robin...welcome to the boards! I'm the "Melanie" that sent ya over here!
My advice would be to do "Beyond" and give the emergent readers a shot. There are additional readers scheduled in the appendix that are a liitle more difficult if the originals are too easy. There are also additional spelling lists in the back that are more difficult for 2nd or 3rd graders.

I plan on using Beyond for my 2nd graders next year, but I will have a 1st grader using it, too. I just think it's much easier to "beef-up" so-to-speak, than to discover that Bigger was too hard and be discouraged. My twins just turned 7 in Dec., and we are in Little Hearts for 1st and I'm finding that to be a good fit. My 5.5 yo is using Little Hearts for K (she did MFW K with us last year).

I would just keep using R&S math if it's working for you, we use a different math and it doesn't effect the program at all. Every once in a while we will even do the math activity that's in the book just because they are so much fun! You might want to save R&S English for next year if you plan to use Bigger.

Again, welcome! and I'm sure other more experienced HOD users will chime in!

Melanie

Lee Ann! We used MFW k before Little Hearts, too! A "kindred spirit" (I love Anne of GG).

I'm finding it's the same "type" hs'er drawn to MFW and HOD. I just am not "crafty" enough for MFW.

Thanks for your replies. I am glad to see that others have used this program with 2nd graders. I definitely see what you mean about it being easier to beef up a program than to water it down. I guesse that if I order R&S English 2 to use with Beyond and find it to be too much I won't really be out any money since it is used in Bigger.

I am interestred to hear from others who have used Beyond and then moved on to Bigger.

Thanks,
Robin

Hi Robin! It's nice to meet you!

We did Beyond... last year, and we're doing Bigger... this year. They're both awesome programs, so the good news is, you can't go wrong no matter what you choose!

You got some great advice from Melanie and netpea. I think that if your child is right between Beyond... and Bigger... according to the placement chart, it would be best to go with Beyond... I agree with Melanie that the Emerging Reader's List would be a great place to begin. I think it's important kids feel like "awesome" readers right from the get-go, and I'd always error on the side of starting too easy than too hard. One idea would be to move more quickly through the Emerging Reader's list, maybe doing 2 lessons a day, and then begin Drawn into the Heart of Reading, Level 2/3 halfway through the year, or near the end. That is what we did with my oldest son who took off in reading more quickly.

You are right in mentioning the writing requirements in Bigger... Bigger... has kids writing a lot more than in Beyond, which is another good reason to stick with Beyond...

Your math should work out just fine, although you may want to still do the math activities in Beyond... They're just so much fun and seem to help kids remember the mathematical concepts so well!

As far as the R & S Grammar, you may want to hold off until the next year. Or, you could do one page a day this year, doing half of it, and do the other half next year with Bigger... There is a lot of writing in R & S English, so you may want to hold off on it though. Even in Bigger, the suggestion is to do all but about 10 problems or less of it orally.

You asked about history, and the time period. We've not found it to be boring in the least - in fact, it's had quite the opposite effect. My son remembers some of the early American heroes he read about in Beyond... now as we're doing the first part of Bigger..., and he LOVES "knowing them" and "getting to know them better". This is a kid who had NO interest in history prior to beginning HOD.

Both guides are totally open and go, so you can't go wrong there! In fact, they're so open and go that my Mom just picked up Little Hearts... and Bigger... and Drawn into the Heart... today and taught them to my kids while I was at the hospital with my baby. Congrats on your upcoming baby, and hope some of that helps! The moms here are great about encouraging one another - so just keep firing away with your questions!

Hi Robin!

Welcome to the boards. I only have a minute, but I thought I'd link you to a recent thread about 2nd graders using "Beyond....". Here's the link:

http://www.heartofdakota.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=152

That may help some!

Blessings,
Carrie

We used Beyond last year for second grade and this year we are doing bigger for 3rd and 4th grades.

My dd is not at all bored with history, for example in Beyond they cover the pilgrims from why they left England and went to Holland then back to England for a bit then to New England. If I'm remembering rightly James town is mentioned but not in depth

In bigger we went into Jamestown in much more detail. The Mayflower trip is reviewed and we get to know Miles Standish in far more detail. She likes that she knows a lot about the stories already. It really helps remind her who is important to remember.

Thanks so much for all your replies. They have been really helpful. It really sounds like Beyond will be enough for a 2nd grader. I feel at peace about that. Plus, it will be easier to add to the program if I need to for her. I'm sure it won't be too difficult to add more writing, etc. I really feel like this is an answer to prayer. I was beginning to worry about how we were going to handle next year with a new baby and all. I honestly didn't think that there were any other curriculums out there like MFW that had the Christian content woven throughout. I am so glad that there have been many posts on the Homeschooling Review boards lately that have led me to HOD.

I look forward to getting to know you all better as we begin our journey with HOD curriculums. I am sure I will have more quetions once I get the catalogs in my hands. Have a blessed day!

Robin

Melanie wrote:Lee Ann! We used MFW k before Little Hearts, too! A "kindred spirit" (I love Anne of GG).

I'm finding it's the same "type" hs'er drawn to MFW and HOD. I just am not "crafty" enough for MFW.

I am "crafty" by nature. I love doing crafts with the kids but MFW Adventures was writing overload for my boy. I like MFW's concepts but HOD keeps drawing me back. I walked into the local homeschool store when my oldest was 4 and felt led to the shelf where LHTH was sitting. We followed that up with LHFHG then got nervous about how do I know the one curriculum we've used is the best one for our family. I am sorry I doubted.... I truly feel God let me to HOD at the beginning and I'm here to stay.

I can't wait for my daughter to finish MFWK and move into LHFHG! She's gonna love it.

HOD rocks!