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I am starting Beyond for 1st grade in the upcoming school year with my twin daughters, 6 yr. old. We are finishing up LHFHG in the next month and will be taking a break for the summer. I plan on instituting some art and nature study this summer and just adding it to our normal school plans when we start up in the fall. I also plan to continue TRL thru the summer with them to keep all they've learned fresh. We will probably still be doing TRL when we start Beyond. I have decided to stretch Beyond thru 2nd grade for them. The reason being that I feel that they are just not quite ready for what Beyond requires. My oldest ds, 8 yr. and 2nd grade, has done Beyond this year, so I am keeping them in mind as I do the work with him.

I'm wondering how you stretch the curriculum over two years without getting behind in Math, the emerging readers set, etc. I do want them to stay on grade level in coordinating subjects. I have planned to go on to Handwriting A instead of having them do copywork, as well as maybe doing the Thinking Skills for 1st grade. They still need quite a bit of practice with letter/word formation. The jump to copywork would be a stretch for them. Anyway, I know that I'm rambling. I just wanted to hear some advice about how others have done it, was it a smooth transition between Math levels, etc. Are those things that you do everyday? Help! I don't want to overwhelm my girls, but I do want them to learn and be challenged. I want them to enjoy the history, but they need to develop some more in the listening category. Some things just go right over their heads. (They do well with science and the storytime.) I was thinking by taking it slow, they would retain the material better and thus enjoy it more. I just don't know how to go about tying it all together.

Hi

I am not here to give any answers...just wanted to say I am looking forward to hearing the answers too. I am doing LHFHG this year with my 6 year old...and am thinking of going straight to Beyond next year (not doing bigger) and doing Beyond over 2 years as well (so she will be about 7 when I start with Beyond).

So looking forward to everyone's replies too!!!

Love Deb

Oh dear...I cannot believe I have done it again!!!! I ALWAYS get Beyond and Bigger muddled up!!! Sorry I feel sooooo silly I am not planning to do Beyond next year...rather I am planning to to Bigger (maybe...unless everyone thinks I am totally crazy...and it will be too bigger a jump for my then to be 7 year old?????)

I am sorry to have gotten a bit confused....!!!

Love Deb

I would say that you should do math daily, using 1A/1B the first year, and then use the schedule in the appendix for 2A/2B the following year (or if you have the Bigger guide, use that to get the activities).

Phonics should also be done daily, regardless of what program you are doing.

As for reading, you can always add more books for them to read if they exhaust what's in the schedule. Same with storytime.

Spelling has 2 lists, so you can use one list each year.

If you use a handwriting workbook the 1st year, then you can have them do the copywork the 2nd year. I'm going to be using Beyond with a 1st and 2nd grader. The 1st grader cannot handle much copywork at all, so he'll mainly be doing handwriting instead. I figure whenever he's capable of more copywork he can start then, and not worry about it. He'll still be listening to the reading and participating in activities.

As for the history/science/etc (left side of plans) just do half the boxes each day, and that will stretch it out for you.

that's what I'd do anyway.

sharonb wrote:I would say that you should do math daily, using 1A/1B the first year, and then use the schedule in the appendix for 2A/2B the following year (or if you have the Bigger guide, use that to get the activities).

Phonics should also be done daily, regardless of what program you are doing.

As for reading, you can always add more books for them to read if they exhaust what's in the schedule. Same with storytime.

Spelling has 2 lists, so you can use one list each year.

If you use a handwriting workbook the 1st year, then you can have them do the copywork the 2nd year. I'm going to be using Beyond with a 1st and 2nd grader. The 1st grader cannot handle much copywork at all, so he'll mainly be doing handwriting instead. I figure whenever he's capable of more copywork he can start then, and not worry about it. He'll still be listening to the reading and participating in activities.

As for the history/science/etc (left side of plans) just do half the boxes each day, and that will stretch it out for you.

that's what I'd do anyway.

What a GREAT idea!!! I've been trying to figure out how to stretch Beyond out over 2 years, a four-day a week schedule would not do it, but this plan would. My dd will be only 5 when we start Beyond and I was thinking the copywork and maybe even the reading might be too much for her, with this plan I can stretch out each poem over two weeks, and give her more time to grow in her reading skills, as she get's better at everything we can pick-up the pace for these areas. Now I have to go back to my homemade planner and re-tool it. YEAH!! Thanks for the suggestion.

Glad I could help.