Thanks so much for taking time to reply.
It really helps to know more about your son as we work to find the right fit for him. From what you've shared I do think it possible that your son could use and enjoy Preparing this year. My hesitation in placing him in Preparing lies as we look down the road to the year after Preparing. I have to wonder whether we would really want him doing CTC as an 8 year old. As you read through the questions I've listed in my previous post, only you can know whether you would want your 8 year old being required to do the things that I mentioned are necessary for CTC. Another question that I have in my own mind is that even if he can handle the workload in CTC at age 8, should he have to handle it? Will it truly benefit him more in the long haul to have to work long and hard, even though school should come easily to him? Another thought I had wondered about was whether he has had much in the way of American history at this point? Bigger Hearts with extensions is our last big shot at American history until your son gets to Revival to Revolution and Missions to Modern Marvels. This is an important thought to consider, as many children love the content in an American history study and Bigger does this study biographically making it all the more interesting to a 7 year old boy.
One other thing to weigh is that with a somewhat lighter school schedule, you would be more free to pursue other topics that interest your son as well. That is always a strong incentive for kiddos who are intrigued by many new things. With his long-term road in mind, I'd be inclined to recommend Bigger with extensions at this point. If you went this route, you would want the Extension Pack as well, however you may need to look over the books prior to handing them to your son, as they were not selected with a 7 year old audience in mind. Instead, they were chosen for a 4th and 5th grade audience, so his maturity will come into play here. I would place him in Rod and Staff English 3 for grammar (even though English 2 is scheduled in Bigger), just having him do a lesson a day. English 3 is where the students begin diagramming sentences. If your son has never done any studied dictation, he could use the dictation passages in the Appendix of Bigger. It is likely if he is a natural speller that he will rarely miss anything. If preferred, you could use your own spelling program, however studied dictation is definitely something you will want to consider doing with him in the future.
I'd also look at Singapore math and give him the placement test to see where he places. When he takes the placement test be sure not to help or guide him in any way, or it will alter the results. Simply give him the test beginning with Singapore U.S. Edition 2B and see how he does. Singapore often requires even kiddos who are strong in math to back up a semester or more in their placement, simply because Singapore has a different scope and sequence and a different way of looking at math concepts.
There is plenty of writing within Bigger Hearts overall if you make sure to require all that is outlined in the plans. If you get going and feel that you desire even more writing than what you find in the curriculum, you could always consider adding Igniting Your Writing Vol. I (which we carry in our online store). It is typically for grades 4 on up.
As far as reading goes, you could choose between Drawn into the Heart of Reading Level 2/3 Student Book and Level 4/5 Student Book, depending on how much writing you desire for him to do. If you desire more of a challenge in the writing area, select Level 4/5. Each level of Drawn into the Heart of Reading works with any books you choose. So, you will be able to choose the books your son will read along with it. If you desire for us to choose the books your son will read, then you may wish to look at the Book Packs. Perhaps the Level 4/5 Boy Pack would be appropriate, depending on the content. I fear Level 5/6 Boy Pack will get into content that you would rather wait a bit for your second grader to read, but you'll be able to tell upon closer inspection. If you do instead decide that Preparing is a better fit for your son, then my recommendations for the 3R's would still stay as outlined above.
I will share that with a Charlotte Mason style education the emphasis is on fewer books of a higher quality read more slowly over time, so this will likely be a shift from anything your son has had prior to this point. I know it was a shift for mine!
There will be small amounts of reading each day in a variety of subjects to allow the child to really live with a book over time, rather than plowing through a book as quickly as possible. Slower, more thoughtful reading is a skill that is also developed through practice. So, for example at our house, for my avid reading boys... I allow them to devour as many books as they desire in their free-time, but during school I expect them to follow the pacing in the guide. This is because these two ways of reading address two different types of skills. If I allowed my sons to read through their school books as quickly as they'd like, they'd be done in no time. However, all of the connections and pondering and discussing and ruminating would have been missed. So once you make a decision on which guide to use, when your books arrive, you may have to be diligent not to allow your son to sneak off and devour the books before your school year even gets underway! Another thing to bear in mind is that in science there is quite a bit of writing each week, which is as much or more of the focus than the material being read. This is because the skills honed in notebooking and recording experiments or discussing the scientific method or narrating are all important skills needed for future science learning. So, these are truly a big part of the work in Bigger's and Preparing's science. If you desire to add additional science reading in your son's free time that can be easily done, however I'd encourage you not to move too quickly through the science in the guide as there are many skills he will need wound within its pacing.
Last, I'll admit that from my own growing up years, my mother's words about boredom always ring in my head whenever I hear the word 'bored'. She always said that boredom was a choice. If my sisters and I ever said the word 'bored' we were given a task to do (like cleaning the bathroom or pulling weeds) that reminded us that we weren't really that bored after all!
I share this because it is a fine line as the teacher between fanning the flame of children's interests and over-catering to their whims. If you find yourself altering the plans to avoid complaints of boredom whenever compaints arise, you will soon find your child is running your day and you are frenzied trying to find new and exciting ways to keep your child's interest. This is actually true for all kiddos! If you ban the word 'bored' from being allowed at your house, you will already go a long way toward a better dialogue between teacher and child for the long haul. I pray you will find the fit you are seeking. You know your child far better than I do, so you will be the best final judge as to what will suit him best. If you do decide on Preparing rather than Bigger Hearts, you will likely enjoy the intellectual stimulation it offers too. Just be sure to ponder CTC also to weigh carefully what his path will be the following year.
Blessings,
Carrie
HOD has made it come alive.