Half pace AND 4 day weeks?

[Mommamo]

We've been doing half pace and 4 day weeks with LHTH and it's going perfectly. No worries there. (We're actually taking 3 weeks for each unit of LHTH and it's perfect for us right now.) BUT.... We've been doing Beyond full speed, but 4 days a week. Now we're just about done with Beyond (one week left, and we've loved every second of it). I really don't think that C is ready for the sheer amount of work involved with Bigger. She can handle the quality of work but not the quantity. She's just turning 7 on Wednesday and if she were in ps, she'd only be in 1st grade this year. But she definitely places here (already half way through Singapre 2A, she's reading the Emerging Readers) and she's finished Beyond. So anyway, would 4 days/week PLUS half speed be too slow? Or is that okay? We do school year round but will be taking at least a few weeks of break when the baby comes in April. Plus, dh is starting a new job where he'll eventually be on shift work and will work one week on, one week off, and I'm sure we'll travel some on his weeks off. But I can cross that bridge when we get there. For now I'm wondering if you ladies think this will work. It would put her completing each unit over 2 1/2 weeks. We will do math, storytime, and ERs daily. We have no state requirements really so no worries there. I just would like to hear some opinions. We'll probably be starting Bigger next week.

[deltagal]

I vote....Yes! What a fabulous opportunity and your pacing will be so good for when your newest family member arrives for everyone to enjoy. I think one of the marvels of the guides is how easy it is to adjust the pacing. If next year this time, your ready to go full speed, you can! Or if this pacing is working well, you can continue. I would give serious thought to slowing down the math - Singapore 2A AND 6 years old. Maybe do hands-on things one day and math pages the next. WOW! Things really start to ramp up in 3A and 3B. Enjoy. Sounds like your both doing splendidly.

[Mommamo]

LOL Slowing down math is not an option for her. It is her delight every day. We're actually doing Singapore along with doing RightStart Math once a week "just for fun." And FWIW, she will be 7 come Wenesday. So that's not sooooo bad, right? C is just wired very, interestingly. Math has come easy for her. Reading, when it decided to come, just pretty much came. She went from struggling with simple words to reading chapter books in, no lie, like a two week time period. (It just happened. I am still amazed.) Academics are pretty easy for her. Writing is hard though, and social skills are excrutiatingly hard. So... going slow we can get her adjusted to writing more easily, and I can also have more time to work on her social skills.

Thanks so much for your feedback! Sometimes you sit here and second guess yourself, even if you know it's really a good idea. I just worried that it will take us over 2 school years most likely to finish up Bigger if we keep up this pace. But like you said though, we can figure things out next school year if we do decide to go full speed. This will also give her time to be ready for the greater workload of Preparing. Plus, I'm sort of hoping that it will work out that she'll be doing Preparing while the little ones do LHFHG. But that's way too far in the future for me to worry too much about.

[my3sons]

I agree that this should be good for as long as you think this pacing fits her needs well! She is on the young side of the target age range for Bigger Hearts, and you are doing daily ERS, math, and Storytime too, so that will be very consistent. I think you'll know at what point she wants/needs more full-time Bigger Hearts. We did half-speed Bigger Hearts after finishing Beyond early at the end of last year, and I liked having that time to really teach each part thoroughly. We started this school year with full-time Bigger Hearts and then dropped back to half-speed. My ds just LOVED the hands-on projects so much, he needed a lot of time to do them up BIG! We are having an awesome time with it. He is now 7 1/2 yo. I think you can easily start half-speed, 4 days a week, and then play it by ear from there.

In Christ,
Julie

[holyhart]

For what it's worth, we will be doing BIGGER half-speed and four days a week as well. We are at co-op all day on Monday so I don't do school at home with her that day.

[Mommamo]

Great! I'm glad to know someone else is doing 4 days and half speed Bigger this year too! Our co-op is Friday. It's only until noon, but I teach piano afterwards, so there's no way to fit in school on Fridays. That makes me feel so much better to know someone else is doing this!

Yes, she is on the WAY young end of the guide (she turns 7 TOMORROW, I can't believe it) so I think it will be okay to take it slowly. I know she's capable of the learning involved, but I'm afraid if I simplified the writing TOO much that she would miss out on a lot. So I think we'll plan on this pace at least through this school year, and possibly a little longer too, depending on what life is like with 4 kiddos. Thanks so much for "talking" me through this ladies!