How concerned are you with choosing a curriculum at grade level?

by Kelli
(Washington State)

There is a certain science curriculum that I love the looks of. It says it is written for 3rd through 5th grade. I have an upcoming 6th grader and 7th grader. The author gives ideas on how to beef it up for an older student so I really want to use this curriculum. And one of the texts she uses is recommended for ages 7 to 14.

However, I keep getting hung up on the fact that this was written for elementary age students. I wonder if I am doing a disservice to my kids by not getting a "junior high" program. The topics covered would be new to us so we would be learning, but should I be using something with higher expectations? Which generates my question, how concerned are you with choosing a curriculum near grade level?

Thanks for any thoughts or comments.