Doing Bigger with delayed skills?

[Geo]

Next Fall, I have decided to use Bigger with my 7yods and 10yodd,who will be turning 8 and 11 in Dec/Jan. However, my son doesn't fit easily into any of the levels. He probably has some learning disabilities in math and although he is learning to read, he is progressing very slowly. It is these two factors that make him difficult to place.We have always been a CM style family, he loves read alouds and handles higher level literature with ease. He has an excellent vocabulary,comprehension, and recall.I would like to combine both children in BHFHG, with extensions for my daughter. If I were to place him by skills... he would fall under LHFHG. I looked at the materials, and though it better fits his actual skills, the literature is far below what he is used to.In all honesty, he could probably handle Preparing or HFHTT, if read aloud to him. He works so hard and it just seems unwise to hold him back in content areas and literature because of delayed skills. I was thinking I could just replacethe Language Arts, Reading, and Math portions of the program with our own appropriate materials (Reading Reflex, HWT, Mathematics Their Way, and Developmental Math).I could easily place my dd in Preparing or HHTT, but she hasn't had American history since 2nd grade and this is her chance to refresh before moving through the HOD sequence (I suspect we will be using HOD until we grow out of it...I think it's amazing). Even though I feel confident about my choices, I thought I would share my plans with others who have used the materials before. I am especially interested in what Carrie has to say, knowing how she feels about placing by skill level.

[Lynnw]

Geo,
I'm interested in the responses you'll get too! If I had come to HOD when my oldest was younger I would have been in exactly the same place - he was a later reader, but very used to more challenging read alouds. Now my 2nd ds has been more in need of building listening skills and Beyond has been a great fit for him. I have found I can add something more challenging for my "storytime" selection with him and he does well with it - I attribute that to how well Beyond has helped him grow already! So that may be one option - choose the program that best fits skill wise, but add a storytime or read aloud to it?

Looking forward to other responses!

Lynn

[Geo]

Lynn,
I am sure that is one way of doing it; except, I don't really want to add HOD skill work on
top of what he is already doing. I also don't want to place him in a lower level and then need
to tweak the other side. He is challenged quite enough with the work we are already completing in
language arts and math. In fact, we do math and phonics several times a day, broken into different
activities. I didn't mention before, but adhd is a factor as well. Actually, he doesn't even place in Beyond
(skillswise), but LHFHG! I really want to avoid a scenario where he is faced with struggling in one-half
of his studies while being underchallenged, or even bored, in the others. I imagine this is where the term
"gifted/LD" came from? None of my other children have had such issues, so this has been very eye opening,
to say the least. I understand, and even agree with the "skills first" philosophy, it's just that my son doesn't
really fit the combinations in the programs provided.They are written for more developmentally
"normal" kids (understandably). I'm just doing the best I can with what I've got, kwim?

Thanks,
Geo

[Lynnw]

Geo, Yes I see what you are saying now about already having all you need to work on skills. It sounds like you are doing a great job of providing for his needs. I'll be interested to read other responses!

Blessings,
Lynn

[Geo]

LYnn,
Ah, I'm lapping up those kind words, I thank you for them.
I am strong on the outside, but secretly I am very concerned for him.
I'm just searching for wisdom...

God bless,
Geo

[Carrie]

Geo,

Thanks for doing such a great job of sharing your precious kiddos with us. It sounds like you know your children very well and are working hard to meet their individual needs. For your little guy, I would agree that your choices in the 3 R's are all very solid for helping him gain confidence and skills in those areas. We did use and enjoy Reading Reflex in my public school teaching days, and Developmental Math is solid incremental learning that works well for building math skills one step at a time. I applaud your efforts to do the 3 R's in short sessions more than once a day and can see you have many good ideas that work well for the type of learner that your son seems to be.

I can see why you're leaning toward placing your son in Bigger Hearts, along with your daughter doing the extension. However, if you weren't learning toward combining him with your daughter, I'd recommend having him do Beyond instead (as the readings are still interesting and don't talk down to kiddos either). My one fear with jumping your little guy into Bigger Hearts is that he'll then always be riding along in the programs that follow and will always need things down-sized to fit him. However, if he had a year of Beyond there is more of a chance that his 3 R's will come along enough for him to be able to do more of what is written within the guides for the long haul.

Your son is still pretty young, and I have had the opportunity to see many 4th grade late bloomers really take off in the 3 R's! So, take heart! Only you can know what suits your family best, and in the end you will make the best decision.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Geo]

Carrie,
First, I'd like to thank you for your kind encouragement. It really means alot, even to an old sage like me.
That said, I'd like to respond to the following:

"My one fear with jumping your little guy into Bigger Hearts is that he'll then always be riding along in the programs that follow and will always need things down-sized to fit him. However, if he had a year of Beyond there is more of a chance that his 3 R's will come along enough for him to be able to do more of what is written within the guides for the long haul."

Oh Carrie, you read my mail. That was the one glitch in my plan that was silently gnawing at me. I really did want to combine my two children, for some good reasons, but more so for myself. It would just be easier to do the two together...for ME. Easy is nice, but rarely better. I confess; you are so right, putting him in Beyond seems to be in his better interests. Honestly, It won't even cost much, as I already own all but five of the resources! Today, I took another look at Beyond with a changed heart and it has made all the difference in what I am seeing. Instead of seeing more work, I am seeing it as a special time with him every day, and am greatly looking forward to it. These are my last two babes of six children, and although I am kind of tuckered out, I want to finish strong. Best yet, he now gets an additional year of HOD, with the emphasis on "heart".

God bless,
Geo

[Lynnw]

Geo,
I just wanted to encourage you more as you consider Beyond for your ds. My oldest was eaves dropping on some of our Beyond lessons before I started him in Preparing and he was definitely engaged. So even though your ds is used to challenging literature, the living books in Beyond are appealing even to seasoned listeners. The other good thing is that you can choose what books you would like to use for the storytime box of Beyond. So if you want to continue reading him more challenging literature you can still do that and not really even be tweaking anything - the choice is yours! I haven't used Bigger yet, but from my ~11/12 weeks into Beyond I think it really offers a lot of flexibility! I also understand what you are saying about having special time with him. This was one of the main reasons I started LHFHG for my 5.5 yo dd rather than combine her in Beyond (even though there's only 18 months between them). She and I needed time together instead of her feeling like she was always doing second best compared to someone else.

Blessings,
Lynn

[Geo]

Lynn,
You're so right, just because he can handle more doesn't mean he won't enjoy books at a lower level.
Come to think of it, I have been meaning to read him that Benjamin West book... My friend
and HOD lover, Rebecca, reminded me today that I will still be reading aloud books from Bigger to his
older sister, so he really won't miss much. There shouldn't even be any repeating for him the following
year because we can always choose different books from another package.It's a win/win situation,really.
I don't know why I was so stuck in my thinking. I admit it, I have undergone a major attitude
check. I am feeling really good about his new placement. When looking at Beyond today, I saw the
spelling lessons and I think they will be very good for him. They appeal to my "Spell To Write And Read"
background. Thanks for your care and concern, it is well appreciated.

God bless,
Geo

[Carrie]

Geo,

I am so glad that you were able to find something in my post that spoke to you. I know I always find it so helpful to talk through ideas with others. It always helps me to solidify in my mind what I know is truly best in my heart!

I'm excited for your son to do Beyond. I will be doing it with my third son next year and know it is best for him too. He is a bit of a late bloomer himself with some past speech and hearing issues. However, he so much enjoys his time with me and doesn't want the big (or little) boys to join us or even listen in as he has his momma all to himself cuddled up on the couch! I wish you the same joy.

Blessings,
Carrie