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We have a placement snafu. Your thoughts are welcomed.....

DSalmost8 (birthday this month) is placing squarely in Bigger now. We've been working hard on basic skills this year and he's blossoming. Currently, he is halfway through Cheerful Cursive and flying (2-3 pages daily with no hiccups; he loves it). He is well on his way with English 2 and done with Emerging Readers. He can do Level 2 Dictation also. He is done with first grade math and we are spending time reviewing and solidifying concepts before moving to 2nd grade math.

DS9.5 is on Unit 11 and he LOVES Bigger. I was not going to continue with HOD (long story) but we are going to stay the course for now because our oldest loves it. Admittedly, HOD works so well..... sigh. Anyway, I keep looking at Beyond (we own it) and it would be fine for my DS8 but he places better in Bigger. I do NOT want to run Bigger concurrently at two different places. I keep thinking I should just start DS8 with his brother in Unit 12 on Monday. Yes, he'd have missed the first 11 weeks and would have gaps in his timeline BUT it might mean that we could combine for the long haul! He'd still enjoy the bulk of Bigger and have a pretty full notebook by the end. We JUST started the Audobon biography so he would be able to pick up with that at the beginning (I'll probably pull him in for that this week if we do this plan since Audobon started yesterday.). Combining is something I did not anticipate being able to do with my kids as I do think CTC looks VERY challenging and he might not be ready at age 9. But, then again, this kid keeps surprising me and it's looking possible now.

Thoughts on picking up with Unit 12 and adding the middle kid??? I would have to spend extra time with him but that would be fine. My oldest does well with the notebooking and works independently on a lot of it (after instruction from me). The one thing holding me back is CTC. The consensus from so many is that it is super challenging..... it scares me.

So glad Bigger is going well for you with your oldest ds. If you remember my two kiddos are combined in Bigger this year as well. They are 7 & 9. Their b-days are in June in July if that helps any. I too have read the many times online about wanting your dc to be atleast in the middle range of the the upper guides. At times this bothers me a little, but then I tell myself what I've heard here that one guide prepares the child for the next. I'm just taking that by faith and walking out what I'm suppose to do now. KWIM? It's working for us now and we'll continue on until it doesn't work and then reassess. IMHO do what you're sure will work now and "take no thought for morrow" (Matthew 6:34).

I know it's not commonly done, but I think I'd be very inclined to try it! If it doesn't work, re-evaluate. You could pull your younger child back into Beyond, or could start at the beginning of Bigger with him, while your older one does it half speed for him to catch up, or your older one could go on "summer break" while your younger one works to catch up. You know your family/situation best. If that's what keeps coming to you as your praying and considering things, I say don't hesitate to go for it.

Thanks ladies.

Sometimes I hesitate in asking questions like this because it is true that we know our kids and situations best. But, I also get tunnel vision and don't always see potential issues. I appreciate the counsel of others and hearing about "been there done that" experiences. More than anything I want my kids to study together and that has been a difficulty for me in using HOD. On the other hand, HOD works so well for my oldest son and he loves it. This has kept us going and now, praise to the Lord, we are clipping along full speed and consistently. We had a horrible school year for so many reasons (health and hiccups with placement).

My younger son CAN do Bigger. I'm just going to have to decide whether or not to "risk it" at this point. I will think on it a bit more this week.

I do think this is a possible plan, since your 9 year old is not that far into Bigger at this point. It would be wise at this juncture to see if your daughter could join in and see how she would do with it. With this in mind, I wouldn't go back to the beginning of Bigger and have your son repeat what he's already done, but instead have your daughter just join your son.

While this isn't normally recommended, there are moments in time that you must seize if you see the possibility of combining kiddos as a viable option that would suit them both well for the long haul. If your duaghter is able to handle Bigger well by the time you finish it, then she will likely do well in the guides to follow. Then, they could be a pair as you travel the HOD path. If for some reason, the combination doesn't go well, you could always drop her back a guide. I think you'd be able to tell in a matter of weeks how it would go.

Blessings,
Carrie