Question about Bigger

[Kathleen]

I think that I've seen that some of you using Bigger use the "extension pack" as read-alouds with your kids that fit in the age range of Bigger. (Not an older student doing it independently.) If you do this, how much time does it add on to your day? The books look really good and I'm sure my son and I would enjoy them, but I don't want to add in too much. I want our school time to be short and sweet...and thorough as I know Bigger already is.

I'd love your advice!
Kathleen

[water2wine]

I am trying to think because I have only honestly done it this way. I think probably realistically it may add on average 30 minute maybe 45 on a long day with science. But I honestly do our science on notebooking days because there is less reading for me there on that day and it just seems to work. So I think if I was reading 45 minutes more it would be because I was reading less someplace else. I would say 30 minutes would be a good guess with narrating here and there with four kids.

I hope someone else chimes in here because I started HOD mid year and had some loose ends so I tend to add those here and there as well. It's hard for me to give an accurate answer. But this would be my honest guess. Bottom line is it is not much and very doable. But worst case scenario maybe you pick and choose what you do read aloud and let them reason on their own.

[Vicki]

I'm glad this was asked because I'm wondering the same thing. I have been reading through my copy of Bigger over the last week or so, and I noticed the schedule for reading through the extension pack in the back of the book. I am really interested in the science add on, as that will definitely appeal to us!

As water2wine said, for an extra 30 minutes or so, we'll surely want to try it. I just wondered if these books, especially the science, show up any other time in the later guides. I'm planning on starting out slow with Bigger, and probably just doing a "one side of the page" per day kind of schedule. There just looks to be sooooo much good stuff in there, and I don't want to rush over it. I'm trying to figure out now how we'll finish Beyond by late fall to start Bigger, but we're having fun with Beyond and I realized that I don't want to hurry through that either. We are really working to finish a unit per week, in spite of interruptions.

[Carrie]

Ladies,

If you love to read, you can certainly add the Extension Pack as read-alouds. However, don't feel like you need to, as "Bigger..." is very full without them! We don't do them here as read-alouds and do not feel as if we're missing anything.

As to overlapping books, "Pedro's Journal" is used in the Deluxe Package in "Preparing..", so you may want to omit reading that one aloud. "Ben and Me" is an option in "Bigger..." as a read-aloud for biography. "Toliver's Secret" shows up in the Level 2 or 3 book pack for DITHR. "By the Great Horn Spoon" is an option for a read-aloud in "Bigger..." for humor.

Otherwise, those are the only ones that show up somewhere else!

Happy reading!

Blessings,
Carrie

[Kathleen]

Thanks for the replies. I'm leaning towards doing Bigger as written...but it gives me something to think about and discuss with my husband for the next couple of weeks before I place my order!

Kathleen