Can you combine read alouds??

[momof3kids]

Hi all!
We are looking ahead to our next year...will probably start mid July...
I will have 12yo son in MTMM
10 yo son in Res to Ref
7yo daughter ( will be 8 in Sept) finishing up Beyond now
4 yo so (will be 5 Sept) in LH now
My question is...do you ever combine any of the Storytime books just to save time?? Mainly talking about the middle 2, it can be difficult to get it all in now. Looking ahead to next year, I would want to start doing more with my little...so just concerned going forward.

I have even considered waiting to start Bigger with my daughter until next year...just to avoid have her in Preparing and the little in Little Hearts and the same time (it seems a bit overwhelming thinking about getting all their time in, and keeping my older 2 in check!)

My older two are getting more independent, but still requires time to check and do math together, etc.

I would love any suggestions going forward!

[Robbi]

Starting in about the middle of Preparing my older 2 have read their own storytime. So that may be an option for you too. Or doing it in the evening after littles have gone to bed??

[aecastleberry]

ABSOLUTELY!! My oldest is in Rev to Rev this year, and she does her story time books all on her own. But, I have all 3 of my kiddos join our "family story time" each day. I usually choose a book from my middle's book list. All of the books from HOD are so well chosen that you cannot go wrong reading them to multiple kiddos together. ((And, if you're worried about "repeating" books, you can always choose a new book from the same genre/time period the next go 'round.))

[my3sons]

Hi all!
We are looking ahead to our next year...will probably start mid July...
I will have 12yo son in MTMM
10 yo son in Res to Ref
7yo daughter ( will be 8 in Sept) finishing up Beyond now
4 yo so (will be 5 Sept) in LH now
My question is...do you ever combine any of the Storytime books just to save time?? Mainly talking about the middle 2, it can be difficult to get it all in now. Looking ahead to next year, I would want to start doing more with my little...so just concerned going forward.

I have even considered waiting to start Bigger with my daughter until next year...just to avoid have her in Preparing and the little in Little Hearts and the same time (it seems a bit overwhelming thinking about getting all their time in, and keeping my older 2 in check!)

My older two are getting more independent, but still requires time to check and do math together, etc.

I would love any suggestions going forward!

Hello! MTMM's Storytime and RTR's Storytime read-alouds can be read by either the teacher or the student, as noted by the T/I ("T" teacher-directed or "I" independent) in the top right-hand corner of the Storytime box in the guides' daily plans. Carrie carefully chose the Storytime books to match the skill level, maturity level, length, interest level, and/or given topics of each individual guide. So, rather than combining Storytimes, we'd suggest letting your child read the books instead. If your RTR student is not quite ready to ready his own Storytime books, summer is the perfect time to use one of these 7 time saving tips for multiple read-alouds...

https://www.heartofdakota.com/blog/2018 ... schooling/

You can just use the above tips for your Bigger Hearts read-alouds. The Little Hearts read-alouds are only about 3 pages long, so they are fun and easy to do even on the busiest days, so I'd probably plan on reading those in your LHFHG homeschool day. If you find the books in RTR too difficult for your child to completely read on his own, you can always set the timer for 10 minutes as you begin reading aloud. Then, when the timer dings, you can have him finish the reading independently. Often this is just enough to help the student understand the plot and know how to pronounce any difficult names/places/events, so they can continue on and finish the reading successfully on their own. I did this with my middle son back when he was in RTR, and half-way through the year, he was able to take over reading the books completely independently. Hope this helps!

In Christ,
Julie