heartofdakota.com

When this school year finishes, we will be on week 27 of Bigger. Due to travel and a burnt out hs mommy the only schooling we will be doing this summer is in the area of math. Can anyone share pros and cons of finishing the last 8 weeks of Bigger in the Fall vs. just starting with Preparing? My main concern would be getting "behind" in grammar/writing/spelling...Thanks!

Hello!

I don't know if I can list all of the pros and cons, but here is my opinion.....

I think when you start back in the fall you should just pick up right where you left off with Bigger. Don't think of it as being "behind". As far as moving through each guide and from one guide to the next....I look at it as being one big long continuum. You truly won't be behind on anything. I also think that your kiddos would benefit from the last weeks of Bigger in the fall to help prepare them for Preparing.

I know I didn't list a lot of reasons per se for you, but I hope this helps a little!

We've always done what Liz said and just picked back up right where we left off. And that looks to be the best decision for us and it has worked well. When I was thinking of skipping the end of a guide and moving on...and then didn't...we have been very blessed by the content and I have seen how that was exactly what God wanted us studying at that moment.

I, too, see the guides as just a continuum. You're moving forward and learning. So whether Bigger finishes in "3rd grade" or "4th grade" doesn't really matter. They're moving forward and learning. I don't know if that helps you at all, but that has been our experience.

I know that Carrie & Julie are quite busy now. If you're really wanting their input on this (or wanted to share more about where your kids are), maybe take your summer break and ask this again during the summer or before you pick back up. This is their busiest season.

Kathleen

This is a busy, busy season, but the wise advice given here already is exactly what Carrie and I would have given! In fact, I will have about 5-6 weeks left of Bigger Hearts when we finish this school year, and we are just taking our summer off and picking back up where we left off - too many good things there not to finish. We have done this with LHTH, LHFHG, and Beyond before with one or more of our dc - taken the summer off in the middle and finished it the next year. It has been like coming back to an old friend, and it has made the "start" of the year especially easy. This kind of learning is a continuum, it is filled with such excellent living books that it need not be rushed but instead savored. Take your summer off m'dear, and refresh, renew, rejuvenate, but then come back and finish it out so you and your dc can have the satisfaction of seeing how those heroic Americans marched through time and trials to build this country we love today! And "finishing" is a powerful thing to teach our dc anyway, with PHFHG being a 4 day a week program anyway, there's built-in breathing room - once summer's done, you'll be able to finish BHFHG in a short time and pick up PHFHG afterward with dc fully equipped for success. HTH!


In Christ,
Julie

I agree with all the PP --we also finished up about the last 6 weeks of Bigger at the beginning of the school year in the fall and it was a PERFECT transition to Preparing (we ended up starting Preparing around the end of October, due to a new baby in August)! I think this helped DS ease into Preparing and helped him feel more confident! Hope you have a great summer break and come back to school rested and ready to go in the fall!