Aesop A, Aesop B, or begin Homer?? HELP

[georgiahokie1994]

As with every homeschooling mom, I have a unique situation. I have a 9 yo who is operating 2-3 years beyond his grade level. Last year he just about completed the Rod & Staff 5th grade book and was really beginning to understand diagramming sentences. BUT, he hates to write -- although he is pretty good at it when he does. Then I have a 7 yo who is 1-2 years beyond her grade level. She got 3/4 done with the Rod & Staff 3rd grade book and was understanding how to diagram sentences. She LOVES to write.

I would love to start the CW program, but am unsure of where to begin. I am afraid of boring them with Aesop A or B, but don't want to set the bar too high by starting them with Homer. Nor do I want to unnecessarily purchase Aesop A or B if it doesn't look necessary. I have waffled back and forth and really don't know enough about the books to determine where to begin. I have never seen the Homer book in person, only the few pages that I can access online.

I would love anyone's advice on this who has used the program as well as the advice of the CW staff. Help. Thanks.

[Carolyn]

I'll start off with the easy part: Your 7 yo is almost certainly not ready to begin Homer. Or perhaps she is ready to begin it, but won't be ready for the middle of it by the time that rolls around. My 11 and 12 yos just finished Homer last spring, and it was a decent stretch for them.

So, I would definitely start your younger in Aesop. If she is writing well and loving it, you could probably start in Aesop B, but don't be afraid to slow things down if she hits a brick wall. I would suggest starting your son in Aesop B as well (perhaps use notebook paper or a computer for his work, so you'd not need a second workbook), and let him move on into Homer after he is comfortable with the skills taught in Aesop.

If you weren't going to have Aesop on hand anyways, I might suggest starting in Homer ... but since a gentle start is always preferable to throwing a child who dislikes writing off the deeper end ... I'd start with Aesop. Getting Homer and reading through it to get the big picture of how the program progresses would help you know when he (and your daughter) are ready to move on.