using BEYOND for 5/7 year old?

[rideswithchrist]

I have an almost 5 year old that has been working on Kinder stuff and a 7 year old that is an advanced reader.
I recently bought Beyond from a friend and I am trying to make it work for both of them...but it seems way too in the middle.

How can I make it work for a K/2nd grader?
*fixed title

[StephanieU]

First, are you referring to Bigger (like in your title) or Beyond (like in your post). Beyond has a blue cover and Bigger has a yellow and green cover.
I would not use either of these guides with a 5yo. Bigger is meant for 7-9yos, and works best with older 7yos to younger 9yos. Most families use it for 3rd grade, adjusted the 3Rs as necessary. Beyond is for ages 6-8, and is best for older 6yos through younger 8yos. Most families use it for 2nd grade, although some use it for 1st or 3rd.
I would try to use Beyond as written for your 7yo. Your 5yo can tag along in anything she wishes, but focus on the 3Rs with (reading, math, and handwriting). My 5yo and even my 3yo listen in some times, but all instruction is for my 7yo in Beyond. The younger ones love doing the science and art with the oldest.

[mrsrandolph]

I agree. Neither for a 5 year old.

[MomtoJGJE]

If I absolutely HAD to combine a 5 and 7 year old I'd do LHFHG. I would not put a 5yo in Beyond even if their writing and attention span and reading is super advanced. Because all that stuff gets harder quickly through the guides. I'd keep it light and easy at 5.

[Mumkins]

Little Hearts, the red one, would be the only one to meet both of them. The guides seem deceptively simple at first. It's the writing that will soon become too much when you place ahead. My child turned 7, 7 weeks after starting Bigger. He did ok. The next year, I felt like I was pulling him along and the next year, I had to separate. He was/is academically advanced, he could read well by his 5th birthday. But, the volume of writing in weighed him down and he wasn't gaining all he could.

If your kids aren't equally matched in skills, its often best to separate them. Alternatively, you can beef a guide up for an older child and the guides in Bigger on up do provide extensions. However, trying to adjust a guide for a younger child doesn't work so well.

[rideswithchrist]

Yes, I ment Beyond!

What about using it just for history/science/bible for both and use their separate math/language/reading programs?

I really need to combine and get on a better schedule. We did great last year with MFW 1st grad and this year, they are doing an eclectic mix and stuff is getting left off the table- mainly science :/

If I get One for the 5yo, wouldn't they be learning different bible and history and stuff?
Then I have a 3 yo that will be coming up the ranks too.

[rideswithchrist]

So the moms that have a kid on each level, how do you teach them?
Are there any topics that they learn together?

[rideswithchrist]

First, are you referring to Bigger (like in your title) or Beyond (like in your post). Beyond has a blue cover and Bigger has a yellow and green cover.
I would not use either of these guides with a 5yo. Bigger is meant for 7-9yos, and works best with older 7yos to younger 9yos. Most families use it for 3rd grade, adjusted the 3Rs as necessary. Beyond is for ages 6-8, and is best for older 6yos through younger 8yos. Most families use it for 2nd grade, although some use it for 1st or 3rd.
I would try to use Beyond as written for your 7yo. Your 5yo can tag along in anything she wishes, but focus on the 3Rs with (reading, math, and handwriting). My 5yo and even my 3yo listen in some times, but all instruction is for my 7yo in Beyond. The younger ones love doing the science and art with the oldest.

That was what I was thinking of doing.
I don't have the language or math curriculum, so I ordered explode the code and will get Singapore math.

[Nealewill]

I came from MFW as well but found that with HOD, it was very easy to teach alone. With HOD, if you wanted to keep the kids together, you would place the youngest in the guide that they fit best and modify up for the older child. When I came to HOD, I did Beyond for my then 5 year old and 7 year old children and then Preparing for my 8 (almost 9) year old child. I ran 2 levels and it was actually very easy. HOD begins having the kids be independent in Preparing. This year, I agree with others when they say that work load increases with each level. I knew that I didn't want to put my 6 year old in Bigger this year so I bumped my son up to Bigger but my youngest down to Little Hearts. I did modify Little Hearts by adding some copy work to keep it more similar to Beyond. I also let my youngest do grammar and cursive with big bro. But other than that, I kept her year lighter. I am glad I did. My oldest is in CTC and I am slowing her down just a little. There is a lot of reading and writing in every level. I would not put a child in higher level than their age because it will just become too difficult too quickly. Plus, I find that the other subjects don't really affect me that much by keeping them separate. For us - I do let my youngest listen in when I read to my son. The story time books will be different for her but she isn't really participating in the activities or the writing for Bigger so she will definitely learn more.

I always thought that I would want to teach my kids together but not any more. I tried teaching them together but it seemed like one was being dumbed down or the other child was being challenged. For me, I placing them according to their level in the HOD is what has worked great.

[rideswithchrist]

So far, so good just combining them for now.
I think I am going to go ahead and get LHFHG (for 5yo right) to start once she hits 5 and see how we can combine that way. Maybe hold off.

I really have no organization skills at all so to have them on different days would really confuse me LOL.

Maybe I will finish our math and reading we have been doing and do a homemaking/science focus during the summer and pick up with HOD this Fall fresh and on the same page.

I realized I can't do eclectic or unschooling. I really need it all planned out for me- at least for now!

[my3sons]

The ladies are giving some good advice here! As a busy homeschool mama with 3 dc, the very best thing for me is to use the guides as they are written. Doing a little here or a little there, tweaking this or that, skipping this or adding that - well, it feels just as frazzled and confusing as it sounds when you read it. I have an idea! It sounds like your 7 yo is a good reader. Great! You already own the Beyond guide. Great! Why not just stop all the fragmented stuff, and use LHFHG as your main guide right now? Then, for your 7 yo, use Beyond for DITHOR 2/3 (if your 7 yo is that advanced in reading; or ERS if that is more appropriate), Spelling List 1, the math, and continue with the cursive if you'd like. This is a way to keep them together all the way through! And it doesn't leave your 5 yo in the dust. So you've used 1 of the history books. Not a big deal. You haven't done all of the follow-up history-themed things that encompass the entire left side of the guide! It will be new enough with all the rest of what is new. I've read books several times over and enjoyed them. Wouldn't it be worth it to have your school day balanced, totally planned out, cohesive, and working for not only now but for all the years to come for your 2 sweeties?!? Imagine waking up tomorrow and opening your LHFHG guide and just doing it all together as is. Then, using your Beyond guide (which you are already familiar with) for those few areas mentioned to meet your 7 yo's LA/math needs. Easy peasy. Really. Honestly. It is that simple! I really am longing for you to love your days, and I think you would this way. What do you think?

In Christ,
Julie

[rideswithchrist]

I already have R&S 2 Phonics, Preparing to Build and Reader set. Would That take the place of DITHOR?

So, recapping what my3sons suggested (to hopefully understand it all):

Get the LHFHG guide for my 5YO, use it as written for her and for my 7YO, just use my R&S and Miquon math that I already have in place of the
I bough used so I only have the Beyond Guide and the living books. The language and math books were not with it.
I can't bring myself to get DITHOR when I still have the R&S sitting in the cabinet.

Thank you ladies for bearing with me. This was a hard year trying to throw in my 4/5 YO and then the R&S reader took my 7YO like 1 hour to do one lesson so we were burned out by the time she got to anything else. I started letting her just dictate to me for reading and then eventually just dropped it and only used Phonics.

I really wanted to start HOD, but maybe swapping mid-year is confusing me even more.
I did all this because the K4 (Confessions of a Homeschooler curric) I had for my 4YO was not enough for her and she blasted through it and is reading Dick and Jane books now! (She turns 5 next week). So I got Explode The Code 1 for her as her "formal" lesson.
So I feel the rush to get her MORE, but Beyond is too much for her... at $50 I could not turn it down as our HS budget is super tight.
I don't even really have a math curric for her and she is my math kid I think.


AND- I have a just turned 3YO coming up the ranks too...

This momma is overwhelmed right now.
I may have to save some money and get LHFHG - the full set with math and everything for my 5YO to start in the fall.
Get the companions for Bigger for my (will be 8YO) in the fall (selling whatever R&S books we don't use) So, would I use Beyond AND DITHOR together?
Get the LHTH to my 3 YO son has stuff to do as well with us in fall (Anyone know of any Monster Truck curriculum?! LOL).

We are literally just into day 4 of Beyond so it would not be a big deal to shelf it until fall.

[Nealewill]

Yes, I think if I read what you said correctly - Julie is saying that you should start LHFHG in the fall (or now) and do it 100% as is with both of your kids. You can add in the spelling from Beyond to do with your 8 year old. Instead of doing the literature or phonics from R&S, you would use DITHOR. You can get the book packs or you can borrow books from the library for it. You would need the level 2/3 student workbook and the TM. One a side note, if your child can read, DITHOR is WONDERFUL! There is no reading and comprehension. It is all about elements of the various genres. I also found that many times, readers didn't really give my kids enough varied vocabulary for when they got to the point that they were reading lots of books. It was almost like, okay, they only knew the words in the basil readers....and nothing else . So for my younger 2 kids, I have now shied away from any "readers" if that makes sense only because of that. She was also saying that you could add in the grammar book I think from R&S that is listed in Bigger. Or you could skip it too And finally, you would just continue on with your math that you are doing.

I will say this - I did not find HOD until last year. So this is now my second full year using HOD. I have found that I really prefer to use as many products of theirs as I can because it helps to maintain a very balanced day. Especially the language arts as your kids move up in level. I know teaching kids phonics is very personal and there are a lot great programs. But as your kids move up in level, I would consider using DITHOR eventually because your kids will get to the point that they will have a lot of writing and reading integrated into each guide and the language arts box will be most balanced when you use their suggestions. I hope that makes sense and is an encouragement. I personally came to HOD for several reads but one major area I found to be a huge blessing was the LA integration. I have researched many a program and have tried it on my own. Never have I seen it done so thoroughly and successfully as HOD does it .

[StephanieU]

Also, you said you had the Beyond guide. Have you looked at the emerging reader books? I think they might be the perfect level. They should be read fluently, and they are 2nd-3rd grade level books. DITHOR Level 2 is 3rd and 4th grade level books, and the workbook is 3rd-4th grade level literary analysis. I think it is too much for a 2nd grader! My daughter will be reading many of the Level 2 books, but we won't start the DITHOR workbook until the end of Bigger (3rd grade).

[Gwenny]

I wouldn't worry about getting the DITHR books for several reasons. You said that you are on a tight budget, you are still trying to get your feet wet with HOD and get schedules down for the 2 of them, and she is so young. In the Beyond guide there is an Emerging Reader section. You can check that out and see about using some of those or if she is more advanced than those, start having her read the books from level 2/3 of the DITHR packs. Those are on the website or in the catalog.
I would get all of the items for Little Hearts for your 5 yo and do everything as planned. The day is planned out well in all of the guides so that one area of learning does not take over the day. You can do the left side of the plans with both and then the right side of Beyond for the older one.

I used the R&S reading program for one of mine years ago---it is A LOT and takes forever. It is made for a school classroom and is really overkill in my opinion. Using HOD's suggestions will cover everything but not overwhelm the day and take too much time.