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Next year we will be using 3 guides--Beyond, Bigger, and RTR. I'm concerned about doing 3 because the younger 2 still need so much help. I did put Bigger off a year so she will be 9 when she does it. There is no way to combine any of them because their abilities vary so much. Can I do this or is it too much?

Hi,

I haven't done Bigger yet, but I wanted to direct you to MomtoJGJE's post in the current "Becoming Independent" thread about how she's increasing her dd's independence for certain parts of Bigger. Perhaps it can help...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8519&p=62085#p62085

I will be doing Rev to Rev, CTC, and Beyond. Granted mine will be older, but eve this year with LHFHG and Preparing, there was time to get it all done. Your 9yo should be able to do quite a bit independently.

Could you maybe combine the 6 and 8 year old in Beyond and just give the 8 year old some extra, or up the LA and Math for her? You could always assign her extra books to read on the history topics you study in Beyond and have her do the notebooking assignments, etc. That way you would only be in two guides. This year I combined by then 6 and 9 year old boys, and it has worked out very well for them.

Just something to think about. I really think it would be do-able for you. The age range for Beyond is 6-8.

I am doing Bigger, CTC, RTR and a little intense catch up with a child with special needs (which is probably the most demanding of my time). RTR is pretty independent. Just a little for you to do really. Beyond is pretty easy to run even though it does require your teaching time. Your biggest time chunk will be on Bigger most likely. Definitely running those three together is very doable. And if that is what you need to do then you certainly will be fine with that. The only thing I would wonder about is are you the type that can teach the same manuals back to back each year. In other words you will teach Bigger this year and then Bigger next year. Just thinking if there is a way to combine the 6 and the 8 year old that would be great. It does definitely depend on ability but 6-7 can be a huge jump in acquiring skills so if possible I really like the idea of putting them both into Beyond.

I used Bigger with slightly older kids and it went really well. Certainly 10 would still be fine for Bigger with the extensions especially. You may this way always be into the extension packs but in the long run combining may be your best friend. Now I guess all that depends on if your 8 year old did Beyond last year. But if not something to ponder. The three guide together is definitely doable though if that is the way you need to go.

My 8 year old did Beyond last year, so that wouldn't work for us. Maybe I should start her at half-speed in Bigger right now and then we would have time to take it slower. I think Beyond will be a great fit for my 6 almost 7 year old next year though.

Half speed with Bigger would be a great idea! This is what I did with my dc and it has been wonderful. It lessens the teaching time but also helps the child grow into skills and eventually take over some areas. We are almost done and have picked up the pace somewhat too. Now I can have the dc look at the manual and do certain things independently. Once a routine is set up, you can always switch to full speed. I know some ladies even stagger the start up times with their dc. I'm going to try that this coming up year. You can start one child up, a week or two later the next one, etc. It gives you time to get used to each manual as well as the child.

I would definitely do Bigger Hearts half-speed! We did that and loved it. I think you could also do Beyond half-speed, but you will know. The upper guides are quite independent, which is a benchmark of standards for older dc's academics. Taking time to train your oldest to really use the RTR manual and do each box of plans properly with your overseeing the work helps immensely. It took me about 2 weeks to train my oldest to do this with RTR. We have loved our teaching times together in RTR! It does not take long, as dc at that age definitely need to be taking more ownership of their work. We are doing RTR, Bigger Hearts, and LHTH and having a very enjoyable year. In case it would help here is my schedule:


Also, here is the half-speed Bigger Hearts schedule we used when we were going half-speed:

How does half-speed look in your home?
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5600&p=41232#p41232

HTH!
In Christ,
Julie