If your ds has done well with PHFHG, it will be quite a step back academically to do Bigger Hearts. Heart of Dakota's guides are not linear in content and skills. They build upon one another in order to teach target skills needed for each increasing age level.
Some programs are linear in that each guide is written with relatively the same skill level as the previous guide, and because of this, the order the guides are done in does not matter. Of course, linear guides year after year do not move dc along in their academics, and the result is often dc who reach upper level learning unprepared.
In homeschooling we sometimes give undue attention to history. It is important - and a very worthwhile subject area to do up big and enjoy to its fullest!
But, choosing a certain history time period over academic needs for a student can cause dc to fall behind.
I can understand your desire to do American history, and I realize you've mentioned you've done the Old Testament before. I really do feel that Creation to Christ gives a very fresh, unique, and deep look at the ancients, however, and for your 12 yo, it would be much more appropriate academically than Bigger Hearts. Even if your child had had a somewhat difficult time doing PHFHG, I would still think the better placement would be in CTC half-speed.
My 11 ds just asked to reread the Eggleston Books from BHFHG for fun, and that gave me an idea for your older ds.
I wonder if he could read the Extension package for Bigger Hearts for His Glory for his free reading time? With his age, he could be doing the CTC Extension books anyway, so why not just have him do BHFHG's extensions independently instead to get a good overview of American history? If you wanted him to follow a schedule for the books, you could get the Bigger Hearts guide and he could just check off the days as he moved through them. We have actually done this, though we didn't use the schedules for the extensions as we were using them for fun.
I didn't want my ds to miss any of the books HOD carries, and yet he is not old enough for the extension packages for the guide he is doing each year as he's in the younger target age range for them. So, I got the extension packages from 2 years previous to where he is now in the guides, and put those books in a basket under his bed for him to read at his leisure. He has loved this, and it has helped him learn even more about history!
In CTC, dc have a beautiful History Student Notebook they keep, and it really gives that guide a more grown-up feel that older dc really seem to love (I know my ds did). Here is a link to the CTC Photobook so you can see what your ds would be doing:
http://heartofdakotasphotobooks.shutterfly.com/31
All of the following areas are higher level skills included in CTC that your ds would not be doing with Bigger Hearts:
History projects that have students following step-by-step plans spread over 3 days of each unit, written narration instruction, research utilizing an encyclopedia, reading higher level history books independently, doing an independent history box with various media forms, learn to give a detailed oral narration, learn to give a "sketch-based" oral narration, learn to give a summary oral narration, art study with watercolor painting, bi-weekly creative writing lessons with "Write with the Best", step-by-step sketching with "Draw and Write Through History", mapping with Map Trek, personal Bible Quiet time, weekly Science vocabulary/comprehension and Biblical application questions, Bible Study of Genesis 1-11, more mature focus on Geography by using "A Child's Geography", and of course higher level grammar, math, and dictation passages are also part of the plans.
I hope something here helps as you think this over and decide what fits your ds best.
In Christ,
Julie
