Hi there, I bought a book (FIAR 1) from my listing on the WTB board on 12/11. The person didn't accept paypal, so I sent a check. The check cleared my bank on 12/18. But still no book. I've sent 2 emails and 1 pm and have not received any response. A different book was sent to me through media mail on 12/29 and I got it in 2 days (from farther away), so I don't think the PO is the problem. I'm trying to be patient, but I had planned to use the book tomorrow. Never thought it would take so long. I'm thinking about waiting until tomorrow, then just asking for my $$ back. I really want to start our new schedule for DD right away, so I guess I'll just buy it elsewhere. Am I being unreasonable? How long have you had to wait for something to be sent? This is the first time I've had any issues like this, and I'm at a bit of a loss. :confused1:

:iagree: For some children, you probably don't need them. But for my DS who has fine motor delays, we were able to start forming letters with the pieces well before he was able to make a letter with his finger (even in shaving cream or rice). For my DD who has great handwriting, the wood pieces helped to cement the lingo (big line, little curve, etc) and I think helped to prevent reversals, too. And we liked mat man, too. :)

:lurk5: Need all the ideas I can get on this topic!

Thanks for reminding me about the recommendations on the MFW board. I'll have to start some sort of file system after I glean extra ideas.

Wow, this is great! Thanks to all the posters who gave info to me. Looks like Usborne might be a nice book, just not for MFW K. Thanks again!

Good idea! I also like the idea of teaching DD how to research topics at the library. She sees me using the computer card catalog and we talk about the Dewey decimal system, but I should start letting her do more of the work. But I still think it would be nice to have a reference book on the shelf for all those daily random questions that come up :) and for times when we don't get to the library. Anyone have any thoughts on Usborne?

If you are leaning towards MFW but are having trouble deciding between K and 1st, here's some great perspective from MFW's forums on this exact issue. Responses lean heavily towards doing K and waiting until 6 for 1st grade. http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php?t=543 As I have mentioned in a pm to you, I'm going with MFW K for my reading DD. I agree with what another poster said in regards to thinking about the priorities for your family. I want learning to be fun for my DD, and I love all the fun activities that are laid out so helpfully in MFW's K TM. And the character building will be good for our entire family. :) Because DD is reading, I plan to skip most of the phonics instruction and supplement with separate curriculum that she is already using (ETC and some PP). Same with math, she can do a little more, so I'll make it available to her, but it'll be her option, not a must-do (just like I do now). For handwriting, I'll use the HWT pages in the order that MFW covers the letters. DD is doing well with handwriting, so I'll probably have her also copy the saying for the week. Of course, we haven't BTDT so take this FWIW (don't you love the acronyms?). Now if I can just wait until she turns 5, lol! :tongue_smilie:

I'm the OP, so I haven't used this yet, but here are my thoughts. :) We are going to primarily use the teacher's manual; however, it's been helpful to look through the student materials as well. For example, there is a study of creation before you start the regular letter a week program. Some of the instructions are in the student pages, not the TM. You could probably wing it, but I'm not very good at that -- I like to have it laid out for me. Also, even though we'll be doing a separate math program, I'm going to do some of the math from MFW, and it was nice to see a worksheet or two that was included in the student materials. Again, I really like the handholding, so a more experienced (or resourceful) teacher wouldn't need it. I posted a "Want to Buy" on the appropriate forum here and got a good deal. I wouldn't have paid the retail price for the package because IMHO it wouldn't have been worth it for what we need (that said, I think it's a good deal if you needed the entire program). HTH. Perhaps someone who's BTDT will also respond.

Hi there, I've decided to use MFW K as our spine for DD's K year. The teacher's guide recommends the World Book Encyclopedia - I'll keep my eyes open for a bargain on ebay and craigslist, but we really don't have the funds or space for it. I'm thinking about getting the The Usborne Internet-Linked Children's Encyclopedia. Does anyone use this reference in general, or specifically with MFW? I assume that the MFW topics would be included (ex, sun, moon, rocks, vegetables, elephants, butterflies, and dinosaurs), but I'm not sure. Any other recommendations? We'll do the book basket each week, too, but I think it would be nice for her to have an encyclopedia as well. Also, does anyone have a children's dictionary that they really like? I'm not as concerned with this purchase, just wondering. Thanks! :)

Lakeshore Learning has lots of things. If there is a store near you, they also have a DIY laminator for a reasonable price.

Hi there, My DS "knows" his math facts in the context of games we play, but at this point it doesn't translate into knowing facts when he does his math work. For example, when we play Parcheesi, he can add the 2 dice together (so sums up to 12), but when he has to add 2 numbers together for math, he wants to use his fingers. If I he starts using his fingers to solve a problem, I can say, "what if you rolled 6+5?" -- then he would know the answer right away. I'm assuming that eventually it'll click for him and he'll "own" the information so he can recall the math facts when needed, even in different contexts. But I'm also wondering if we should start some sort of drill work or math copy work. I'm concerned about too little too late, but we beforeschool, so time is at a premium and I don't want to add in "extra" work if it can be postponed. We were using RS math, but I've recently switched him to Singapore because it's less teacher intensive. We still use the abacus and some RS reinforcement. TIA for your thoughts. :)

Soapstone would be a great idea -- it's beautiful and can withstand science experiments with no problem! It's not as hard as granite, but if you don't mind some scratching (which you can easily buff out), it would be a great option. I copied and pasted this (partial) description from another website... "True Soapstone is inert. Alkalis and acids won't affect it as they will a granite, marble, or slate. For over one hundred years, soapstone sinks and tiles have been used in science class rooms and labs along with work tables and counter tops. Its longevity to long term - high traffic use is amazing!"

starfall.com has a fair amount of silent e practice.

Wow, this is a great explanation of how Singapore works! I'm even more impressed with SM than I had been. Thank you for laying it out in a clear way.

My DD will be starting K soon, too -- officially in the fall, but we may start sooner. I haven't BTDT with a hs-ing K yet, but I'll pipe in to say that we've used Handwriting Without Tears with great success, with my two big kids. Also, you may consider easing into your schedule... starting off with a few light days (or weeks) before slowly adding more school time and subjects to your day. Loving to learn is my top priority for K.

Thanks, everyone. I should have previewed the book but jumped in so we could finish it during winter break... so we could see the movie (bag over my head). Sounds like I rushed in too quickly. I love the rich language, but there is some harshness even in the first few chapters -- and we haven't reached the part with rats yet. I think I'll try to find a new chapter book from the library and steer them to the new one. Thanks again!

Would this book be ok for my sensitive 4 and 6 yos?

Well, we tried skipping book 4, but book 5 seems like too much of a leap for DS. Book 3 has only 1 syllable words, book 4 introduces 2 syllable words, and book 5 moves to 2 syllable words + endings (eg, invented) then moves on to word families. DS had sailed through book 3, but was getting stuck in book 5 because he hadn't had practice sounding out "invent" before moving to "invented." I thought about skipping to the word family part, but the sentences use words from 4 and 5 so that didn't make sense for us. So, DS is back in book 4 and feeling more comfortable with his work again. I plan to briefly go over the syllabication rules as they come up but try not to get caught up in them. I think this goes against the general sentiment of just skipping book 4, but I think it'll work better for DS. Thanks again for all the responses. It helped me to flesh out what we wanted to do.

Thanks for your ideas. I'll have to check out FIAR more closely. I guess I was thinking everything-in-one kind of thing for K, but it makes sense just to add lit since we are already doing the 3 Rs. Anyone want to weigh in on Living Books Curriculum?

I am researching K curriculums (? sp) for my DD for next fall. I really like the look of MFW, but DD is already reading and doing K math (for reference, she is on ETC 2 and about half way through Horizon K math book 1). For those who have used MFW for K, do you think that it would be too light or boring for a child who is a little ahead? Could I supplement MFW with our current phonics and math curriculums, or is already enough work for one day? I'm looking for something "open and do" that is literature-based, with easy crafts and activities, that's lots of fun. Besides MFW, I'm also thinking about Living Books Curriculum, but it's hard to assess their curriculum because I couldn't find any sample pages of the teacher's guide. I like the look of Sonlight, but it doesn't have crafts. And I did consider Ambleside, but they don't have a schedule for K, which I'd prefer. I'm ruling out WP for now because I wasn't so keen on doing one theme for the whole year. For those who have BTDT, I'd love to hear your thoughts and am open to other suggestions, too. :)

I am a wimpy runner. If I need too much gear, I'd rather hit the treadmill at our (free) community gym (or just skip it, lol!). So I have no advice for you. But I did want to say kudos to the mama (or dada) who runs outside even when it's 20 degrees BELOW zero! ;)

This year the baby is 1 yo and very mobile. We'll have an especially simple tree -- just some lights, red bows, and maybe a few special ornaments. I try to keep things simple anyway -- it's exciting for the kids no matter how fancy you do it! :)

I agree with this, and I don't think my little guy is ready to learn, understand, and retain syllabication. He might be able to muddle through, but I'm not sure how much would really stick. I'm going to pause with ETC for a couple weeks so we can catch up in Phonics Pathways, then we'll pick up again in either ETC book 5 or 6. Thanks again for all the responses! :)

My DC LOVE Parcheesi! The game uses 2 dice... you can split up the dice to move 2 pieces or add them together and move one piece. They have learned their addition facts to 6+6 using this game, without any pressure from me. Now that they know their facts, I have them say the sum of the roll each time for extra practice (they don't mind but if they did I wouldn't push). I'll also second Peggy Kaye's books. I love them all, some great "nuggets" in there!

I also have a 4 yo who is reading. She likes the Nora Gaydos books, and we throw in a little Dick and Jane for variety and to work on frequently seen "sight" words.