I'm agreeing with annaz's good advice here - if your dd is doing well with PHFHG, she should do just fine with CTC!
My oldest ds was 9 yo when he did CTC, and he did great with it. My middle ds will be 9 1/2 when he does CTC, and I anticipate him doing well with it too. He is doing every part of PHFHG right now, and making good progress in all areas. He is over halfway through PHFHG, and I can tell by its close he'll be ready for CTC. It sounds like your dd is doing well with PHFHG too, so she should do just fine with CTC.
I wouldn't describe CTC as intense or overly full. I would describe it as an excellent follow-up to PHFHG, and a year full of an exciting study of the ancients.
That was such a good year - a good balance of some new skills, some returning skills that needed refining, and some skills that are like old friends to dc, as they are familiar with them and know them well.
Generally, the times I've read of CTC seeming too full for a student, it is often not HOD's CTC that is too full, but rather a student's non-HOD things that have been added to the day - whether that be in the form of additional school added to the day, substitutions for LA/math that take longer than CTC's plans, or an overload of extra-curricular activities. Students that are new to HOD may need to go back a year and go through PHFHG before attempting CTC, if they are not prepared for the level of skills within CTC. But, students who have successfully completed PHFHG, who are at least 9 yo of age, should do just fine with CTC.
As far as Bigger Hearts being "teacher intensive", I guess I found it to have a very appropriate level of teacher responsibility. Charlotte Mason's short lesson format and HOD's varied follow-ups worked together to keep the day clipping along for us. I just taught Bigger Hearts last year, and it took us maybe 3 hours to do. My teacher time was longer at the beginning of the guide, and shorter by the end. It was time well spent.
Once dc are reading and writing, as they should be when they do Bigger Hearts, naturally their learning looks different than it did prior to having those skills intact. Personally - I LOVE this stage.
It is just so exciting to see dc focusing on some new skills, after the somewhat heavily focused upon skills of simply learning to read and write. We could get to some other skills that were just fresh and new to teach in Bigger Hearts, and I guess I found that to be just good teaching fun. I like variety, and so do my dc, so we look at each subsequent guide as a new adventure to embark upon!
I think you will enjoy both CTC and Bigger Hearts, and it sounds like you've done a good job preparing your dc by doing the previous HOD guides. You can always begin a guide half-speed, or stagger start your guides, but I'd not assume you'll have to slow CTC down to half-speed for your 9 yo. To me, it sounds like you've done a great job with your dd in PHFHG, and she sounds ready.
I'd just get ready to enjoy the next chapter of learning!
In Christ,
Julie
