Please help with placement

[exodus007]

I am new to these boards but I have been around reading posts and drooling over this curriculum for weeks now

I know your rec is to look at the placement chart. So my 8yo fits in Preparing for most things but his cursive hw is still very slow. He also hates to write , like most boys . Also , we have been doing ancient history for the last two yrs , so he really needs some american since he takes SAT test every year and at this age the test is mostly about US history.
He loves science and covered in depth many of elementary topics. His spelling &reading are a few grades ahead , not so much the comprehension and the maturity though .

Based on that info , which level would fit him best?
If I get Bigger , will he be challenged enough ?

I like the idea of dictation for spelling but I do not have the time and am not organized enough to do my own. Since Bigger w/extensions can be used for older kids , does it include grammar & spelling lessons to challenge older kids ?

Should I just use Bigger without the LA part ? ( that means I have to do it my own in addition to R&S 3 we are doing )

Or use Preparing and forget about American history ? He knows some things anyway , probably just enough for SAT . In addition , we are not obliged to send the tests to the school district , only proof that he did take the tests .

Also does anyone use supplements w/ Bigger or Preparing science and what ?

Thank you so much for your time and help !!

[Tree House Academy]

I think an 8 year old in Bigger is perfect. My son will be 8 when he does Bigger next year and he is also advanced in reading/writing/English. I would not hesitate to start Bigger with him.

[pjdobro]

I think Bigger sounds like a nice choice for your ds. We'll be starting it with my 8 year old twins in a week or two. Their reading skills and comprehension are a few grades ahead as well, but I think Bigger will be a nice fit. I'll be using R&S 3 instead of 2 with Bigger as well since we already covered 2. This will be our first year with dictation so we'll start with that in Bigger. If we move through it quickly enough to need something higher, then I would consider getting the Preparing guide that has the next level of dictation in it. That might be an option for you as well. I think the extensions for older children in Bigger are mainly for the history and science not really spelling or grammar. With using the R&S 3 for grammar, you'll be upping the grammar already. If you use the Drawn Into the Heart of Reading as your reading program with Bigger, you can customize that at whatever level you need. The only other consideration would be the math. We'll be using the Singapore 3 as scheduled in the back of Bigger. We haven't started yet, but in looking over the program I think it looks really meaty and will be challenging for my dc. You could try looking over the first week plans on the website to get a feeling for the work involved and see if it looks like it would be challenging enough for your ds. HTH!