FIAR/Supplement

[makagrin]

Hi!

I'm new to the board and homeschooling this fall. I'm looking into FIAR as a possibility for curriculum. I'm wondering if any of you have done that and what you loved/didn't like about it. Also if you had to supplement with it...

Thanks so much!

:)

[CAMom]

I've used FIAR with both of my older kids and am just starting it with my almost 5yo.

 

Really I love everything about it! I love that it has sparked my kids to love to learn and love books. My older kids have been reminiscing this week about their favorites from when they were little.

 

It gives great introductions to lots and lots of topics through natural discussion.

 

For K-1 all I supplement with is math, phonics and penmanship. As mine got into 2nd grade, I pull in a spelling program and any extras they are interested in.

 

I've never found anything I don't like about it.:)

[ALB]

I love FIAR. The books are wonderful and I've bought almost every title. The suggestions for activities are really fun and my dd picks up on a lot. I also love the "idea" of FIAR as a way to enjoy literature. Having said all that, I just can't do it by itself. I know everyone adds math and LA, but I also just wanted more of a planned order for the other subjects, too. It's just my own teaching style, I don't do well with unit studies :glare:. If you have the time/ creativity for it, I think FIAR can be a complete education in the early years, it just doesn't mesh with my personal methods. I always feel like something is missing or I'm not doing enough...

[Rivka]

We use FIAR and really love it. I feel as though I'm spreading a banquet in front of my daughter, with little tastes of many, many different exciting things that are out there to learn about. Spending one week on each book means that we are always being exposed to something new and interesting.

 

The style of FIAR feels very natural to me - in many ways, it's an extension of what we've been doing for years: reading books, looking at the pictures, and talking about them. FIAR doesn't have a big focus on "products," which I think is very appropriate for the early years. Many people choose to do lapbooks, but we mostly just work conversationally and I can tell that my daughter is still picking up a ton of information.

 

You do need to add math, phonics, and handwriting. All I do for handwriting in K is to have her trace and copy the title of the book each week.

[Free Indeed]

I have used FIAR for 8 years now and love it!! As a matter of fact my 9yodd just asked last night if she could go back to doing FIAR. ;)

 

Also, I have to agree with Ronette "I love that it has sparked my kids to love to learn and love books. My older kids have been reminiscing this week about their favorites from when they were little."

 

That is so true in my family.

[Mom25girls]

I've never found anything I don't like about it.:)

:iagree: We love FIAR. In fact, my girls begged to school 12 months so we could do BOTH a WTM approach and FIAR. FIAR has created a love of learning and a sense that school is fun and exciting. I don't think that you can go wrong with FIAR in the early years.

[sandra in va]

We used FIAR when my oldest kids were younger. I loved it and so did they - I have some of my fondest homeschool memories from that time. That said, I haven't been able to use it successfully with any of my other kids. I think b/c we supplemented so much - we got extra titles from the library and did activities (I used the FIAR archive boards for ideas). We also used the cookbook for recipes and read biographies and books from SL. It was really fun but a lot of work.

 

I know (mentally!) FIAR can be done as written and be wonderful. I just have it in my mind a certain way and haven't had the time/flexibility to repeat what we did before. This year, I am hoping to do some titles with my younger kids. Even if we only read the books (which are great and not to be missed) and do a few of the activities!

 

Best to you with your decision making! :)

[Tracy]

:iagree::iagree::iagree: LOVE FIAR!

 

And I agree with PPs that there is very little that you have to do to supplement FIAR. But we did a ton of supplementation, not because it was necessary, but because FIAR lends itself very well to supplementation in those areas that are most important for one's family. Here is what we did:

 

• Vocabulary--dd picked out words from the FIAR book that she was unfamiliar with, and we reviewed them each day before reading the FIAR book and dd pointed them out as we read. (She still does this whenever she sees a word that she has learned in FIAR!)
  
• Handwriting--I made copywork sheets from sentences out of the FIAR book.
  
• Geography--I had intended to do a geography study with FIAR, but by Vol. II, I realized that FIAR's geography scope was too narrow and missed a lot of the world. We supplemented by having dd choose a country from the wall map, and I would get books that are set in that country. Here is my country and book list.
  
• Narration--I had hoped to use FIAR books for narration, but this backfired on me. I tried it on the last day of the week, and dd could largely recite it back to me.
  
• Science--FIAR science is not quite enough when dad is a physics teacher. We are using BFSU. But sometimes, I would skip one or the other in any given week depending on the situation.
  
• Math program
  
• Spelling program
  

 

[Scrapmom3]

One of the reasons we have liked FIAR is that it exposes kids to such a large variety of topics. I think this is very important in the early years for fostering curiosity and a love of learning. Sometimes we just stick to the basics with what's in the manual. However certain books have a topic that sparks an interest ( usually science) that leads us down a rabbit trail. I like having the flexibility to follow my son's interests. We plan titles to go with the seasons or fieldtrip or event that's happening nearby.

[Jenny in GA]

That's funny; I was just about to start a thread (which I will in a minute) about how we are now leaving FIAR.

 

We used it for almost two full years, starting when my youngest daughter was kindy and first, and when my oldest was in second and third.

 

Here are some blogs and photos about our FIAR days, between making igloos, doing science experiments, and building an Eiffel Tower with Legos.

 

Now -- a caveat or two.

 

Note that NONE of those three activities were actually in the FIAR manual. The people on the FIAR boards would shoot me for saying this, but I don't think I would have liked FIAR that much if we had just used the manual and nothing else.

 

What I found invaluable were

1) The archives on the FIAR forums, which, for each title, list fun activities, "go-along books," etc; and

2) The FIAR section on HomeschoolShare.com, which has maps, lapbook components, and other activities to go with each title.

 

While the creators of FIAR (and many users) claim that you can use FIAR through about fifth grade with nothing else but math, grammar, and phonics ... well, I wouldn't agree with that. I don't think you would get the depth you need, especially in LA ... unless you dig so deep on your own that you're essentially writing your own curriculum with FIAR as a jump-start.

 

So, at the time, it was great! But now it is definitely time for us to move on ...

 

Jenny

[Tracy]

While the creators of FIAR (and many users) claim that you can use FIAR through about fifth grade with nothing else but math, grammar, and phonics ... well, I wouldn't agree with that. I don't think you would get the depth you need, especially in LA ... unless you dig so deep on your own that you're essentially writing your own curriculum with FIAR as a jump-start.

 

Jenny

 

:iagree: FIAR is a great core curriculum for K, maybe 1, but I wouldn't do it after that.

[Stellalarella]

FIAR worked great for my first grader and it became a touchpoint for the young kids under her as well. I will use it next for my Kindergardener. I am not using it for my older kids, as I desire something that allows them to study history in a systematic fashion.

But I do enthusiastically recommend FIAR for young ones. I got several friends started on it. I hope you can find a friend near you who has already collected most of the books.

[EJCMom]

I have a rising kindergartner and a rising first grader. We are going to do FIAR this year supplementing with math, phonics, handwriting, and we're going to do Galloping the Globe for geography. I'm going to plan it so that the FIAR books that will coordinate with the countries that are covered in GTG will be done at the same time. We are really looking forward to it!

[chiguirre]

I used FIAR as my main curriculum for ds's 1st grade and dd's PK. It was lovely. We did all the books in Vols. 1-3. Although it's no longer our main curriculum, I'm planning on using FIAR 4 when we'd like a bit of a break and Beyond once dd is comfortable reading the chapter books. It won't be our only curriculum, but it's a nice change of pace when you want to do something different in schoolwork. My kids learned and retained quite a bit of science, geography and literary terms through our time with FIAR.

[buram]

I am so glad to see this thread. I started B4Fiar this summer with my dd 4 and will be starting FIAR in Sept. So far we are really enjoying it. She will be 5 in Sept and we will add in some math and work on learning to read. We are both really excited and I plan on just adding extra stuff as she seems ready for it. Or course I have to remind myself of that everytime I read about something new that I am sure I just HAVE to have. Thanks for all of the positive stories. Oh and even my dd 1 has been enjoying the B4Fiar.

[Katja]

While the creators of FIAR (and many users) claim that you can use FIAR through about fifth grade with nothing else but math, grammar, and phonics ... well, I wouldn't agree with that. I don't think you would get the depth you need, especially in LA ... unless you dig so deep on your own that you're essentially writing your own curriculum with FIAR as a jump-start.

 

So, at the time, it was great! But now it is definitely time for us to move on ...

 

Just to clarify, there are several different levels to the FIAR manuals and not all are advertised as complete for use through 5th grade:

 

 

 

• Before Five in a Row is for ages 2-4

• Five in a Row Volumes 1-3 are for ages 4-8

• Five in a Row Volume 4 is similar but more advanced topics for ages 7-8

• Beyond Five in a Row Volumes 1-3 are for ages 8-12

• Above and Beyond Five in a Row is more advanced than Beyond FIAR and for up to age 12

 

(this from the FIAR website here http://fiarhq.com/fiveinarow.info/index.html)

 

Hope that clears things up!

 

edited to add--not that I'm trying to say anything at all about Jenny's decision to move on or anything like that, just wanted to clarify the different parts of the FIAR universe :)

Edited July 9, 2010 by Katja

[MGK]

I have a rising kindergartner and a rising first grader. We are going to do FIAR this year supplementing with math, phonics, handwriting, and we're going to do Galloping the Globe for geography. I'm going to plan it so that the FIAR books that will coordinate with the countries that are covered in GTG will be done at the same time. We are really looking forward to it!

 

I love your idea of coordinating FIAR with Galloping the Globe. I used FIAR last year with my pre-K daughter. She loved using the story discs on a large wall map. Homeschoolshare.com also has some great printables in the FIAR section to reinforce geography.

[CAMom]

I can see Jenny's point. :) I am a loyal FIARer and have been a regular on their boards since 1999 (in the interest of full disclosure:D).

 

I do think for at least K and 1st, you could simply use the manual and supplement with math, phonics and penmanship and have a very thorough start! I didn't add much to the manual when my big kids were little and the lessons they learned back then are still with them!

 

With my current little guy (he'll be 5 at the beginning of Sept.), I'm doing more. I'm utilizing the fantastic resources at Homeschool Share. He loves making lapbooks. I also spend a few minutes each week looking up some supplemental books and picking them up at the library. I'll also use the archives more this time. But that's because I'm so much more comfortable in my homeschooling after 10 years and I'm confident that FIAR is really all I need for the beginning.

 

We'll still be using FIAR in 2nd and 3rd but will supplement with more stuff including language arts, science and whatever else my ds shows interest in.

 

I will say that my oldest who did FIAR as an early elementary just scored very well on the SAT (98%, 96% and 99% on the three different sections) so I do feel good about his strong start in FIAR.;)

 

For those wanting to incorporate GTG, the author of that program is a regular poster over on the FIAR boards.:)

[makagrin]

Thank you so much everybody! I am reading all these and spinning with ideas and a new confidence, and even have tears in my eyes (simply from all your answers and insight that are just so encouraging.)

[Susie in MS]

Katja, thank you for clarifying about the age suggestions for the different levels. I have all levels except Above, and I can agree with you that there is a huge difference in each level that requires more maturity and covers more ground.

 

My dd and I are thoroughly enjoying our FIAR journey. I do use *some* ideas from HSS and the archives, but not a whole lot. There is a good deal just in the manual.

 

Op,

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! :D

[ALB]

Slightly off topic, but I just wanted to add another positive aspect (and I don't mean for my last post to be all negative, as I said I do love FIAR). Today my ds 2.5 was looking out our back window (we're on the 11th floor in a huge Asian city with tons of tall buildings all around), and he said so excitedly "MOM- it's the Eiffel Tower!!!" over and over again. Of course, it was just another type of a tower (I think telephone), but the shape was similar, and I was very impressed by how much he picked up from rowing Madeline last month with his older sister.

[buram]

ALB, That is cute. I love how much the little ones pick up while joining in.

[Jenny in GA]

Just to clarify, there are several different levels to the FIAR manuals and not all are advertised as complete for use through 5th grade:

 

 

 

• Before Five in a Row is for ages 2-4

• Five in a Row Volumes 1-3 are for ages 4-8

• Five in a Row Volume 4 is similar but more advanced topics for ages 7-8

• Beyond Five in a Row Volumes 1-3 are for ages 8-12

• Above and Beyond Five in a Row is more advanced than Beyond FIAR and for up to age 12

 

(this from the FIAR website here http://fiarhq.com/fiveinarow.info/index.html)

 

 

Yes, that is true.

However, at the same time, the creators of FIAR say that you can easily use volumes 1-3 for ages older than 8. (In fact, I remember the publisher talking about how you could use volume one units at the college level if you wanted to.)

 

Also, I have heard people on the FIAR boards say they use volumes 1-3 through fifth grade. That's all fine, but I definitely wouldn't feel like we were doing enough, or having enough depth, by doing that.

 

Beyond Five in a Row is supposedly the same format, just using longer books that, say, Madeline. So even though I've never used it, I suspect I personally still wouldn't find it "enough" by a sixth or seventh grader.

 

Jenny