Bright kid, confused mom....curriculum junkie issues

[lovetobehome]

Talk me down, ladies...
As some of you know, I have struggled to stick with a curriculum. I have tried many, many things. Last year, I started HOD Bigger and then after about 11 weeks switched to Preparing. Then I ditched that, and moved on to doing my own thing...we just did MOH for history and something else for science. I seem to vacillate between a 'boxed' curriculum, and then choosing my own books for each subject. I do a few months of one, then want the other.
So, here I am again.
This fall we started Bigger, and we are finishng week 13 now. I commited to using Bigger for the fall semester at least, which I did. I thought I would continue it into the spring, but am not sure now. I am not sure what to do.
My son is begging for more...more depth in history and in science. So today I picked up another history text and read a chapter that corresponded with what was in Bigger. My son was BEGGING me to read more, and asked if we could keep using that book instead. There was just a ton more info, more detail, and he eats it up.
I should say that my almost 10yo son is also doing the extensions for Bigger.I am also doing Write with the Best with him. My 7yo daughter is doing Bigger as written.
But my son craves MORE, and I want to feed that. He is a sponge, he really gets into it, he is extremely bright.
So...what do I do?
I can't just add in that other book, because it wouldn't match up well with Bigger, and coordinating readings never works well for me.
I am wondering if I should move him up to Preparing, or even CTC (I already own both). But I don't think Preparing has a lot more history detail either. I know CTC does. Or, part of me even considers just doing this other history book we have and setting HOD aside. GASP! There, I said it.
I love many things about HOD...primarily the spiritual aspect. The way it all ties together. But, I can't get past the feeling that he could be soaking up a lot more. I don't think this is typical, I think HOD is solid academically. But this is a kid who scored upper 90th percentile in all subject areas on standardized tests. He is definitely brighter than I ever was. Wha would you do?

[Daisy]

We just have a stack of library books that follow same time period/character/topics. I like that because it allows us to read more of them when we have time and just do the TM as written when we don't. We are spreading BIGGER out over 1.5 school years so I always have 2 days that I need supplemental materials so the library really works well for our situation.

[water2wine]

Do you have the extension pack? That adds quite a bit with science and history. If you have already added that then here is another list of books for older kids Carrie recommended. I had my older child read these on her own. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=640&hilit=poor+richard Another idea might be using DITHR with books that match the time period. Praying you find contentment.

[hugsathome]

Hi.

My 10 year old is currently in Preparing. He is a kid that LOVES history, geography and science. So, I know what you mean when you say he begs for more. I understand that you switched from Bigger to Preparing and then back to Bigger again. Is that right?

Can I just say that I really hope you finish Bigger - we loved the American History. It was such a "rich year". Now, back to your problem. Instead of switching curiculums yet again...you may want to allow your son to experiment with some other tools for learning. My son is working on writing his own book. He loves to research all those little details that you mentioned. He is filled with History/Science trivia!! An information junkie!!! So, I told him to write a book. He is currently working on it (which I plan to have printed and bound). He is so excited about it. He works on it all the time!! It's a way that he can learn details GALORE and then put it into his book. He is adding his own pictures, too. By the way, he does NOT like writing, but the excitement about researching is stronger than the dislike of writing. Meanwhile, he is learning, learning, learning. Did that make any sense?? Anyway, we also did the extension package with Bigger last year. I came up with the book idea this year (with preparing) because of his appetite for learning.

So, for what it's worth, I thought I would share our experience. Hope it helps.

[funkmomma71]

I have to seccond the idea of getting books from the library to supplement; my dd loves science so i look ahead and pick-up books that match what we're doing in science and put them in basket for her read at her leisure and then I have her tell me about what she is reading. This really helps add to what is already a great curriculum without adding a bunch of stress to my day. i think the previous poster mentioned writing his own book, but if that isn't your son's cup of tea maybe he could do a notebook with lots of illustrations to accompany what he is learning, maybe he could do a blog and report his history findings, or do some hands on artsy crafty projects, which he figures out for himself, of course. One more idea, check out this site http://www.learningthroughhistory.com/, it is periodical and they will send you a monthly newsletter, it is NOT Christian based, but it does have tons of history resources and mini-units that maybe your son can complete on his own. That's all I've got!! HTH

[Carrie]

lovetobehome,

I only have a minute, but this past thread may be of some help to you. Link: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2803

Blessings,
Carrie

[inHistiming]

I haven't read the entire thread, so I apologize if I repeat something a pp has said. However, my opinion is that maybe you could continue with Bigger....but allow him to pick out some books either from the library or from the books listed at the HOD web site for him to read in his spare time. The book list Carrie has put together is great and you can purchase that right on the site as well. That way, you don't have to switch to anything else and you can still fill his need for more....plus you would have the option to choose more history that coordinates with Bigger...or to study other time periods, World history, etc. Doing this would also enable you to finish' your school time with him and move on to other things you need or want to do, and he would have the freedom to choose some of what he's learning. I'm not sure if that will help, but it was what I came up with. I'm sure you'll find a good solution. We really enjoyed BHFHG last year, and are getting into PHFHG and CTC this year too!

[my3sons]

Well, it is wonderful that your ds has a love for learning new things. I think part of what may be the issue is your ds enjoys deciding what he studies and how much he reads because he has a love of learning. This can work in your favor! He sounds like a self starter, and giving him books and letting him get creative with research, projects, etc. would be a great way to put him in the driver's seat without having him drive your entire school day. Do you have DITHOR's Book Projects to Send Home books? These little project books are open-ended and jam packed with neat ideas that can be used with ANY book. So, whatever ds would love to read, he could do a follow-up project using these books. You could also explain that you are setting aside time for him each day to head up his interests and take the lead this way. When I taught in ps, the Gifted teacher had them do just that - pick projects within some given parameters and complete a project independently. The kids THRIVED on it, but yet they still completed the rest of their school day to make sure they were getting what they needed in a balanced, consistent way in all subject areas. I'm sure you don't want to switch again, and both Bigger Hearts/Extensions and PHFHG are excellent programs that fit your child well anyway, so why not encourage him to take charge of his free time for learning more while yet still maintaining order with the rest of the school day? Then, the following year, you could take a fresh look at the placement chart and place him wherever he fits best. OR, of course, you could do that now. You could take a fresh look at the placement chart and place him again, starting there now, but then as a self-proclaimed curriculum junkie , you'd keep in mind it would be very important to finish that out. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[lovetobehome]

These are some great ideas. THANK YOU! Quick question, I can't find Book Projects to Send Home on the site or on amazon...is it no longer available?

[my3sons]

They are actually out of print, but HOD has some of Level 2 in stock yet. I actually think this level would be just right for your purposes especially, because your ds enjoys independence. This level should allow him to do this fairly independently, so it won't become another thing for YOU to do. Here's the link:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/drawn-into-packages.php

In Christ,
Julie

[lovetobehome]

Thanks, Julie...can you describe this book a bit for me?

[Carrie]

lovetobehome,

This link to a past thread should help answer your question: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=746

Blessings,
Carrie

[my3sons]

Sure! This book has open-ended projects that can be based on any book a child has read. Some of the projects are dioramas of an important setting from the book, writing a role play between characters in the book, making a mobile of a main character complete with description of physical traits and personality, making a bar graph of the events of a story and ranking their intensity from 1-10, etc. Each of these projects is broken down into manageable steps that give enough detail to help a project turn out well, but still leave enough open so each child can put his/her own personality into it. If you go to this website, you can see HOD's photobooks:
http://heartofdakotasphotobooks.shutterfly.com/

Just follow the directions to click on these books and then scroll ahead to these specific pages to see dc's projects they've done with Book Projects to Send home:

Bigger Hearts for His Glory photobook: p. 31-33
Preparing Hearts for His Glory photobook: p. 40-41

HTH!
In Christ,
Julie