Is an hour doable for these parts of Bigger?

[Heart_Mom]

Hi!

Here's a question for any of you ladies who have done Bigger in the past!

I'm putting my schedule together for the fall, and I'm planning on an hour time block for the following boxes with my oldest two children:

History Box
Poetry Box
Bible Study/Scripture Memory Box
Music Box
Rotating Box (Geog., Vocab, Art, etc.)
Science Box

Do you think that one hour is in the general vicinity of how long it will take to get these done, or should I try to allow more time? (By the way, the other parts of Bigger will be done at a different time of day.)

Any thoughts?

Thank you!

[John'smom]

You can see the times for Bigger that Carrie posted here. HTH!

[Heart_Mom]

You can see the times for Bigger that Carrie posted here. HTH!

Thanks, Edwena! That's very helpful! (I bookmarked the page, so now I'll be able to refer to it again in the future.)

Based on that, I'm thinking that I may run into trouble on some of the days when Science takes longer, so maybe I need to see if I can schedule a little more time for this (or go half-speed).

Thanks again! : )

[my3sons]

... I'm thinking that I may run into trouble on some of the days when Science takes longer, so maybe I need to see if I can schedule a little more time for this...

That's what I was thinking too - on the experiment days it may take longer. Also, a few of the art projects and some of the hands-on history projects may take longer. I'd say overall, 1 hour 15 minutes should be a safe time allotment for the skills you'd mentioned. One thing that helped me when doing Bigger Hearts last year was to end my teaching time with the hands-on project. That way, after we'd read through the box's directions together, talked about the steps of the project, and started it together, my ds could then finish it out on his own while I made lunch or worked with another child. So, the extra 15 minutes doesn't necessarily have to be an extra 15 minutes for you. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[Heart_Mom]

... I'm thinking that I may run into trouble on some of the days when Science takes longer, so maybe I need to see if I can schedule a little more time for this...

That's what I was thinking too - on the experiment days it may take longer. Also, a few of the art projects and some of the hands-on history projects may take longer. I'd say overall, 1 hour 15 minutes should be a safe time allotment for the skills you'd mentioned. One thing that helped me when doing Bigger Hearts last year was to end my teaching time with the hands-on project. That way, after we'd read through the box's directions together, talked about the steps of the project, and started it together, my ds could then finish it out on his own while I made lunch or worked with another child. So, the extra 15 minutes doesn't necessarily have to be an extra 15 minutes for you. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks, Julie, for your help!

That's a good idea to schedule some time after the hour for the children to finish up projects. I'll think about whether or not that might work for us.

I'm still thinking that for my situation it may be best to go half-speed, at least for a while. My in-laws live with us because my sweet mother-in-law is very ill with Huntington's Disease, and she's probably going to need some help from me during the day this coming year. Because of that, I think I might be setting myself up for a stressful day by trying to do full-speed in an hour, or even an hour and fifteen minutes.

My husband and I are thinking that it would be better to do Bigger half-speed, doing all the boxes fully, than it would be to do full speed, but leave out some activities and writing assignments. Do you agree? (I value your opinion!!!)

I'm imagining that after a couple of months, when my children get used to the larger amount of writing in Bigger, than we may be able to bump up to full-speed.

[my3sons]

...My husband and I are thinking that it would be better to do Bigger half-speed, doing all the boxes fully, than it would be to do full speed, but leave out some activities and writing assignments. Do you agree?...

Yes - I agree 100%! Skipping boxes means skipping skills, and that often means dc are not ready for the increased skills required in the next guide. I do think beginning BHFHG half-speed is a good idea, and when it is right to go full-speed, you will know it.

I also wanted to comment on your helping care for your mother-in-law. I think that this kind of love and self sacrifice is rare, and that it is very much like something our Savior, Jesus, would do. I love to look for the Lord in other people - and I just saw Him in you here when I read your post. May the Lord richly bless you for your loving kindness toward your mother-in-law. I also often think that the way our dc see us caring for our parents and our dh's parents will more than likely be the way they may care for us someday when we are more elderly. Your dc will learn so much from the example you are providing - both in daily living and in homeschooling. I hope you have a wonderful year!

In Christ,
Julie

[Heart_Mom]

Yes - I agree 100%! Skipping boxes means skipping skills, and that often means dc are not ready for the increased skills required in the next guide. I do think beginning BHFHG half-speed is a good idea, and when it is right to go full-speed, you will know it.

Oh, thank you for confirming this, Julie! I really want my children to be fully ready for Preparing when the time comes, so this makes sense!

I also wanted to comment on your helping care for your mother-in-law. I think that this kind of love and self sacrifice is rare, and that it is very much like something our Savior, Jesus, would do. I love to look for the Lord in other people - and I just saw Him in you here when I read your post. May the Lord richly bless you for your loving kindness toward your mother-in-law. I also often think that the way our dc see us caring for our parents and our dh's parents will more than likely be the way they may care for us someday when we are more elderly. Your dc will learn so much from the example you are providing - both in daily living and in homeschooling. I hope you have a wonderful year!

You just can't know how much you have blessed me today, Julie! My husband and I are very thankful to be able to care for her, but it is often very hard. Your encouragement was like "apples of gold in settings of silver" today! I will share it with my kind husband.