Extension for Beyond

[amysconfections]

So what resources would you use to create a extension package for Beyond. I am looking at just the History and science and books that can be read independently. My son will be 8 and is a great reader.

Thanks all!

[DHT1999]

I'm trying to decide if I'll do Beyond or Bigger Hearts with my then 3rd grader next year. He has been doing Little Hearts this year but he sits in on almost all of Preparing. He definately will place into Bigger Hearts but I'd love to do two years of American History with him AND I hate him to completely miss out on Beyond.

I've been thinking about it alot and I think if we do try Beyond (with Bigger's LA), I am going to have him read through the Christian Liberty Press Nature Readers for science and we are going to read all of the Little House on the Prairie books (as read-alouds). I think this will meet my goals for him for 3rd grade.

So, that's what I have in mind. If we do Beyond, I don't want to tweak it so much that I overdo it. I want to keep it simple.

[amysconfections]

That sounds good. I don't want to add too much, because I will also have a 2yo and a newborn. That's why I am combining my older two into one program. I know my oldest would fit better in Bigger next year. We've been doing Bigger this year at a very slow pace and he could not handle the amount of writing. Next year would be a perfect fit but I can only do so much. The Little House books would be great to read through. Any other ideas for History or Science readers? I also don't want them to be something that's included in another guide and spoil it.

[GinainMD]

I'm going to be using Beyond starting in late summer/early fall with an eight year old. She will turn 9 in December so I'm going to be adding a few things. She will be doing arithmetic and reading on grade level and I'll be adding song school latin. Other than that, we will be doing some extra readers/independent reading and read alouds. Field trips will be on Fridays twice per month. I also do not want to use any books that will be used later on in another HOD guide so I have to look over the books listed and eliminate them. I chose Beyond partly because I just hate the idea of my eldest missing out on it. I am looking forward to starting a curriculum with her that we can be consistant with for several years. Anyway, I'm always interested to hear what other families are planning.

[GinainMD]

Oh, I was just looking at the books for Beyond and I think I'm going to order the girl interest set and then once we get through those I'm going to order the classic set. Or maybe even do these simultaneously as I'm sure there are schedules to follow for each set.

[Carrie]

Gina,

I just wanted to let you know that you are welcome to read more than one book for each genre in the Storytime box of Beyond, as each genre (or type of literature) lasts for 20 days (except for Folk Tale which is 10 days). The pacing of how quickly you read the book is left to you to customize for your family. However, the guide will warn you to wrap up each genre in 20 days time. So with that in mind, some moms read the Girl, Boy, and Classic Sets aloud (reading 3 books in 20 days). Other moms read aloud only one book for each type of literature, keeping the readings shorter and stretching them over 20 days. Other moms read aloud 2 books in 20 days, doing two of the book sets. So, if you were looking for more higher level literature for Beyond, you can easily do that by reading more than one set of books from the Deluxe Package. Clear as mud?

Another wonderful thing to add to Beyond is the D'Aulaire books (although, you'll want to steer clear of Leif the Lucky, Pocahontas, and Columbus as they're used within our other guides). However, Benjamin Franklin, Abe Lincoln, George Washington, and Buffalo Bill are great books to add for this age! They are recommended within the Biography section of Beyond as choices for read-alouds.

The Level 2 and 3 book pack for DITHR also have some excellent American history books within them, so your kiddos will be getting American history as you go on through the years too. Just a few thoughts!

Blessings,
Carrie

[GinainMD]

Carrie, That was quite clear. I really like the idea of reading two or three read alouds per each 20 days. My girls are the type that say "Just one more chapter puleeeeeze," so it's possible that we will finish a read aloud before 20 days have passed. I was under the impression that the reading was keyed to the other resourses that were scheduled in the guide so I was worried about the girls not relating what was in the read aloud to what they were learning in the subjects. Does that make sense? Thank you for clarifying, I now feel as though I have more options.

[DHT1999]

Another wonderful thing to add to Beyond is the D'Aulaire books (although, you'll want to steer clear of Leif the Lucky, Pocahontas, and Columbus as they're used within our other guides). However, Benjamin Franklin, Abe Lincoln, George Washington, and Buffalo Bill are great books to add for this age! They are recommended within the Biography section of Beyond as choices for read-alouds.

Blessings,
Carrie

Carrie, I agree about this! I actually came back to this thread today to make the same suggestion. I have most of these books and love them! I think we are going to read through the Little House books but not to replace the storytime books from each genre. Beyond's story time is one of the reasons I've decided not to skip Beyond.