Beyond or Bigger??

[Magyarlany]

Hi,

I'm looking at Heart of Dakota and cannot figure out exactly where I should place my son. I've looked and looked at the placement charts and emailed Carrie, but I'm still not sure. He's 6, and right now he's doing 1st grade work. He can read well and is almost through with the 2nd half of Horizon math 1. We've done a lot of science this year (using Five in a Row and Moving Beyond the Page 6-8). My main concerns are that the read-alouds hold his attention, that there not be too much writing involved (3-5 sentences at a time is doable), and that the science not be a repeat of what we've already covered. He's ready for 2nd grade grammar and has no problem spelling simple words. Carrie responded to my email with a great and detailed plan, but I just wanted to get a few more opinions before I make the final decision. He'll be 7 in October, so I know we're a little early for Bigger and I don't want to push him, but he's always worked ahead of his "level" so I usually just choose the next level up for him, hence I was thinking "Bigger" would be a good fit. I would love to hear any and all opinions on where he should be placed for his 2nd grade year.

Thanks in advance!

Amanda

[Mom2Monkeys]

I have a very advanced 7.5 year old daughter in 2nd grade. She's already done R&S grammar 2 and is almost done with Singapore 2A (we already did Horizons 2 last year). Because of her age, and her writing ability/stamina, and her attention span for read-alouds, I chose to start her in Beyond. It is a PERFECT fit! It is so age appropriate and plenty challenging. I use the Bigger manual for her hands-on math activities since we're using Singapore 2, and we're taking an easy year in grammar since we already did R&S 2. We'll use Bigger with Singapore 3 and R&S 3 in the fall for 3rd grade. I would think that although it could be done, Bigger could be a bit much for him and you might find yourself having to do some tweaking. There is certainly more writing as you progress through the guides. Also, Beyond gives your ds (and my dd) time to develop the skill of narration which is a must have skill! One more note, if you find the spelling words too easy for him (we did for dd) I just used the 2nd list as a quick review sometimes doing 2 per week until we got to harder ones or just ones I really wanted to cement in her head...once we finish the spelling list, I'll move on to the dictation in Bigger.


So, feel free to use either...this is just my experience! We have loved Beyond so much and I have no doubts about it being enough. Plus, by doing it in 2nd grade, we'll finish the last HOD guide (still to come) right at 8th grade and be ready to go into high school-- if I had gone with Bigger for 2nd, I'd have a year between the last guide in 7th and starting high school in 9th...that could be the blessing you need, or like me, could throw you into panic mode for 8th grade...LOL.

If what I've said is different than Carrie, go with Carrie! LOL. She helped me with my decisions and I am so glad I took her advice! She really knows her stuff.

[Jen in Va]

My son will also be 7 in October, but works ahead of where the ps would have placed him for the year. I faced the same decision last spring/summer, only I had to decide between Little Hearts and Beyond Little Hearts. According to the math/language arts, he should have gone into Beyond for this school year, but I didn't feel like he was ready for the listening/reading comprehension of Beyond. So I put him in Little Hearts with plans to go into Beyond early, scrapping the rest of Little Hearts. I've since changed my mind and will have him finish out LHFHG and start Beyond when we're done (we'll school at half speed over the summer). I am supplementing his math (going more in depth with telling time and money), and we are working through various easy readers as we get close to the end of Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading (our phonics program). Little Hearts has been great for him as he has really blossomed in listening/reading comprehension, which is just as I hoped. We love Little Hearts so much that we don't want to miss any of it, so we'll stick until we're done in May. I think the decision to go with the lower level is a good one to help get boys ready for all the reading/listening they will be doing in Bigger, just as it was with mine to preparing him for Beyond. And if you do decide to go with Beyond for your son next year, I'll be right there with you! And really, with Carrie's guides, I'm not sure you can make a wrong decision, just a better one.

[Magyarlany]

Thank you both so much for taking the time to reply! It is so helpful to hear from others who have used the curriculum. I think we will go ahead and start off with Beyond and see how it goes.

Thanks again,
Amanda

[my3sons]

Hi Amanda! Tamara, Jen, and Carrie did a super job of helping you! It is wonderful to take all of that advice and mesh it together for a plan that works the best for you and your ds. I love this board and HOD's personal customer help on phone and via email for that reason - batting around ideas helps each person end up with the best choice for their situation. Not many curriculums encourage that - they want to hand a box or a bag to each parent that has exactly all of the same materials for every 7 yo (or whatever age). And we all know - not all 7 yo's are alike! I'm so glad you've reached a peace with your decision. I think you will find the skills in Beyond are excellent - and necessary - prep for Bigger. Plus, Beyond will keep your ds feeling confident and excited about his learning.

In Christ,
Julie

[mansmom]

Amanda

I know you've already decided and are ready to go...I just want to encourage you some more ...I am doing Beyond with my 6 and 8 year old...okay so split the difference and you have your 7 year old next year ....but both my girls are EXPLODING with Beyond...they love it...and they each love different parts (another thing I love)...so I encourage you to go with Beyond and enjoy every minute of it...I have the Bigger Manuel to do dictation and r and s with my oldest and it really is more...I'm glad we are doing Beyond this year to get ready for Bigger...it seems each manuel gets better and better!!!!

Good luck and enjoy!

[StillJulie]

Just thought I'd share my story with you too...

I was ready to start my will be second grader in Beyond next year and my will be fourth grader in Preparing.

The more I read on the board, the more I looked at the manuals... I couldn't wait... I couldn't handle depriving them of the manuals that come before. They're just ALL SO GOOD!!!! So, I transitioned early... My older is doing Bigger while the next is doing Little Hearts. We won't be on the regular school year cycle, but I'm okay with that. I'm just happy that my next four will get to start with Little Hands to Heaven and go through EVERYTHING... They're the blessed ones that won't miss a thing!

[inHistiming]

Just adding my encouragement to start with Beyond...I used Beyond...with my dd in 2nd grade and it was a great year! She loved the readings, did well with the spelling, enjoyed the science readings and experiments, etc. And has retained enough that when someone or something we covered last year is briefly mentioned in our books for this year...a person's name or a place, she often remembers what it was we learned about it (him/her) last year. Don't let that worry you though, because Bigger...covers American History in a completely different way, so it's not redundant or boring at all...it's very exciting! I think Beyond...would be great for 2nd grade, but if he'll just be turning 7 you could also start with Little Hearts for His Glory and continue year to year from there. I would go with whatever Carrie recommended as a previous post mentioned...she is the expert after all! Just wanted to say I think Beyond...is a great idea!

[Magyarlany]

Thank you so much to all who have responded. You are really helping to put my mind at ease. I'm thinking about going ahead and ordering Beyond, starting this spring, and going at half-speed (is that what you call it?) over the summer. I know I'll throw in some of my own unit studies here and there, so it'll last me for awhile I'm sure. Again, thanks SO much. I can't believe how helpful this group of ladies is!

Amanda

[Kathleen]

Amanda,

Hi! I just wanted to welcome you to the HOD board! I've not used Beyond yet (too bad I didn't find HOD sooner ), but I can tell you that I'm thoroughly enjoying our start with all of HOD this year! It's a wonderful fit for us...and just tons of fun to do! I have an 8 yo that is pretty advanced (except in his desire to write ). Academics come easily for him. We started in Bigger this year and it is perfect for us! So, going with Beyond for your 7 yo sounds like it will be a good route to go. I'm guessing that you'll be surprised at how much is really in there when you start your Beyond guide. I know that was my thought as we started Bigger. The info on the website, as helpful as it is, just doesn't do the program justice!

Kathleen