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Hi ladies, I have a 2nd and 4th grader who will finish Bigger in a couple of weeks. My 2nd grader will be 8 in May and is the most gifted out of my 7 kiddos. She loves to read and for example finished all of Grandma's Attic yesterday and most of Charolette's Web today, which is typical. She is also finishing Singapore Math 2B before the end of March. My 4th grader is an older student, he is 10- will be 11 in September. He is a bright boy but had a slight language delay so is slightly behind. He likes to read and write stories but he is not as fast a reader as his sister- nor does he enjoy it anywhere as much. They work wonderfully together, have so much fun and are each others very best buddy. I do not want to separate them! My original plan was to follow Bigger with a light geography of the world kind of study and then start Preparing in September because I have heard strong warnings about not advancing younger students. However, I am rethinking this because in the last few months my son has made wonderful gains and I almost wonder if Preparing will be too light for him next year- especially since he could use a little pushing at times:). Also, he is currently so interested in ancient history and I know he would love the battle type story of Grandpa's Box( I have read that before with older children). Yet, if I move him ahead, I want to move his sister ahead too. I am wondering if I should have them both go 1/2 speed since we will be going into summer months when our school work naturally goes 1/2 speed anyway-lol, then do full speed in the fall- maybe even doing a couple of extensions with my son to fill in some gaps. Thoughts?

My oldest started Preparing at 8 and she has done fine. She even read most if not all of the extension books, as she is an avid reader like your daughter.
I think starting half speed will work well. As the younger is able to handle more in the fall, speed up. If she isn't ready for full speed, add in extensions for the older one.

Thank you, I think I just need reassurance I am not going to be going too fast down the road

It sounds like your daughter and son are well-placed and thriving in Bigger Hearts right now. It also sounds like your daughter will turn 8 very close to the time you are beginning Preparing Hearts, so she will be in the suggested age range of Preparing for almost the entire guide (and so will your son)! With this in mind, I would just keep on chugging forward. You have a great thing going! Preparing is a guide you don't want to miss with your pair of kiddos. We have enjoyed it so much at our house!

Blessings,
Carrie

Thank you so very much Carrie! Your input seals the deal for me and I so appreciate your time! HOD is an amazing blessing to our family and we can't wait to start Preparing:)