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I'm going to do Bigger with both my dc this next school year. My ds will turn 9 in June and my dd will turn 7 in July. Even though I know ds does not have to do the extension pack for the program to be fully enough, we love to read. I was wondering if you thought it was a bad idea to just use the extension pack as read alouds and not require anything else. Right now with Beyond they always "complain" when I stop reading the history selection. They always want to hear more. Good or bad idea? Thanks for any input.

Hi Edwena,

I was just looking over the Bigger package and was looking at the extension package as well.
I noticed this little note (see below) related to the extension books and it confirmed for me that using the extension package as additional read-alouds only, would be perfectly appropriate. I had always thought that the extension books were mainly for supplementing an older kid's studies.
I also love the idea of adding in extra read aloud time as my daughter likes the history readings, too.

Here is the note from the website regarding the Bigger extension package books:

Note: If you enjoy reading literature that corresponds with your history studies, another option would be to read-aloud these titles to your younger students. This would be in addition to the read-alouds you are doing for the storytime part of the plans.

I think your idea to use the extension package as additional read alouds is a good one!

Hi Edwena!

That's actually what we're planning to do with Bigger next year, too! Don't the extension books look so good? We plan to do them as a read aloud as well. It never hurts to ask for a little narration here and there, either! My kids are getting used to doing them, and seem to kind of "recap" the story to me or my husband, even during family read aloud times! Gotta love HOD!

Blessings as you begin Bigger next year!

In Christ,

Lisa

Candice, thanks for referring me to that note on the site. I can't believe I overlooked it.

Lisa, they do look really good. So many good books, so little time.

Does any one know how much time it would add to the day? Thanks for any input.

I'm guessing about 20-25 minutes. Have fun reading them, Edwena!
In Christ,
Julie

Okay, I have a few of the extension books in our library already, but haven't read them yet. Anyway, I looked at how many units they were scheduled, then divided the pages in the book by that many days and it gave me an estimate of how many pages we'd read a day and then tested it out on 3 three of the books. Two of the books were 6 min. and one was 9 min. That was me reading to myself, but I tried slowing down because I know I read slower reading aloud and of course no discussion. I of course have no idea if I was close in the way HOD schedules them, but I'm encouraged. We'll get to read some great books and it won't add a ton of time to our day. I so love HOD.

Well, I guess my guess is off then. That won't add much time at all!
In Christ,
Julie

Are any of the extension package books used for regular reading in the other levels? Will there be any overlap if we go ahead and add them in? I like this idea!

ETA: One other question: I noticed things like the Bronze Bow in the Preparing Older Students pack and Famous Men of Rome in the older CTC pack. Is using these packs the only time these are going to be offered? They are examples of ones I'd like to do and am wondering if I'll need to pull from extension packs in those years to be able to cover them.

Thanks,
Kathy

my3sons wrote:Well, I guess my guess is off then. That won't add much time at all!
In Christ,
Julie

Julie, I'm sure your guess wasn't off at all by much. I hope it didn't sound like I was trying to contradict you. You know much more about HOD than I ever will. I was just reading to myself. No discussion, narrating or notebooking like I've read suggested in other places. I'm just using them as read alouds since my dc fit in the age ranges for Bigger and are always wanting me to read more. I may ask for some narration as someone suggested in this thread. Oh, and I don't know how A Child's Story of America or Exploring Planet Earth fits in either. It sounds like they are used without the whole program, so if someone was using the whole extension package as recommended I'm sure it would take the 20-25 min. that you suggested. I'm not sure if I'll incorporate those into our day or not. I know the science one is used later, so may save that for the future. Can't wait to see them at Convention.

jer2911mom wrote:ETA: One other question: I noticed things like the Bronze Bow in the Preparing Older Students pack and Famous Men of Rome in the older CTC pack. Is using these packs the only time these are going to be offered? They are examples of ones I'd like to do and am wondering if I'll need to pull from extension packs in those years to be able to cover them.

Kathy, I don't know if they are used in other places. I know what we have done (and, too be honest, I don't often know what I am doing ). I have had ds read those books, as well as a few others, as part of DITHOR. That way, he has read them, we have discussed them, even though not necessarily completing the extension assignments. Other books, he has read as the extensions and completed the extension assignments for, but he is at the upper end of the guide...so, extensions are appropriate for him. HTH.

No worries here - you are such a gracious lady though to say that - thank you! I have not done the extension package as read alouds, nor the follow-up assignments, so I don't know any more than you my dear! I just was ball-parking it, taking into account the reading and the follow-up assignment. If it's less time than I figured - well, that would be super! I am looking forward to seeing you at convention, Edwena!

In Christ,
Julie

jer2911mom wrote:Are any of the extension package books used for regular reading in the other levels? Will there be any overlap if we go ahead and add them in? I like this idea!

ETA: One other question: I noticed things like the Bronze Bow in the Preparing Older Students pack and Famous Men of Rome in the older CTC pack. Is using these packs the only time these are going to be offered? They are examples of ones I'd like to do and am wondering if I'll need to pull from extension packs in those years to be able to cover them.

Thanks,
Kathy

"Exploring Planet Earth" is scheduled for science in RTR, but a second option is available for those that read it in BHFHG's extension package. "Tolliver's Secret" is used in BHFHG's Extension Package and also in DITHOR's Level 3 Book Pack, but any book can be used with DITHOR, that one is in the Adventure genre, and there are plenty of adventure titles. "Aesop's Fables" (the $4.99 one) is used in PHFHG's self-study extension package for older students as well as in the Classic Storytime read-aloud set for Beyond Little Hearts, but reading it for a read aloud, and then a few years later as an independent reading book would be different. Of course, a different folk tale can be substituted for the Beyond read aloud, and there are 2 other folk tale options in the the boy/girl storytime sets that could be used. To my knowledge, these are the only times books are used in 2 ways through the years. So, if you want to eventually have dc read the books in the extension package they would not repeat the books later. Maturity and level of sensitivity of individual dc should be considered though, as doing the extension titles with ages younger than they are intended could result in little ears hearing material too mature for them.

In Christ,
Julie

my3sons wrote: Maturity and level of sensitivity of individual dc should be considered though, as doing the extension titles with ages younger than they are intended could result in little ears hearing material too mature for them.

In Christ,
Julie

Julie,
Thanks for that reminder. It's something I didn't think about at all with Bigger.

Thanks for the info., Julie, and the reminder. I'll keep that in mind. Maybe it would be better to do the more mature books later in the year or in a later year.

Kathy

We started Bigger in January and LOVE it!!!

We added in the extension package as an additional read aloud as well, just because my kids like books and storytime. However, I don't do the readings. Oh no, no, no. I let my oldest, who is nine and fully capable, read out loud to her sisters. This gives me a break of about 15-20 minutes and I get a chance to kick my feet up. They finished reading Pocahontas and the Stranger yesterday, and one of my girls was in tears. Oh, did she sob!!

I would imagine some of the books won't appeal to my 7 year old second grader, but that will be determined on a book by book basis.