Does it matter where you start with FIAR?

[OregonNative]

I'm still waiting to be taken out of the queue on the FIAR forum, so I'm hoping for some help-

If I go with FIAR and combine my 1st and 3rd grader-does it matter which volume I start with. I'm having trouble understanding where the program integrates anything besides Lit. because outside of the Volumes, I'm only able to purchase Lit. books. Will I be needing add'l books for science and history from the library? Should I add anything add'l for my 3rd grader? We currently do read-alouds using books like: Charlotte's Web, Grandma's Attic, Stuart Little etc. My 3rd grader does not read chapter books by herself as part of schooling, but does read them for fun.

 

Here is what we currently use:

Bible Study For All Ages

STOW 1 w/activity guide

Writeshop A & C

CLE Math 100 & 200

A Reason For Handwriting A & C

Elemental Science

Scheduled Read-Alouds from Easy Classical 1st grade schedule (like Charlotte's Web listed above).

 

OPGTR-DS only

SWO & Advantage Grammar-DD Only

 

What if anything could I cut out when using FIAR?

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

[MangoMama]

I had to wait FOR.E.VER to get approved on the FIAR boards, too. Ick! You can view many many of their threads, though, without being a member.

 

So to start, if you want to see what one of FIAR's unit studies looks like, you should go to www.homeschoolshare.com and look at the unit studies there. They are very similar to FIAR's unit studies and they are free.

 

For a 1st and 3rd grader, you can start anywhere with Volumes 1-3. They are all interchangeable and you don't have to go in any order. Pick and choose whichever one you'd like to start with. Here is a list of all the books that are covered in each volume written by Satori here on the WTM forums:

 

http://satorismiles.com/books/fiar-list/

 

It is not necessary to get additional books for your studies, although you can if you'd like. For instance, for the book Albert (which is in V.4), you can get additional books on cardinals or birds. Or you can just do a Google search for cardinals and find a lot of information that way. There is already so much information in the volumes of FIAR that chances are you won't need to get additional books.

 

However, the wonderful thing about FIAR is that if your child picks up a real interest in a particular aspect of a book (again, using Albert as an example), you can take a "rabbit trail" (as FIAR users call them) and spend additional time researching and doing projects on cardinals. We would make a cardinal finger puppet or stuffie; build a nest (maybe an edible one out of rice crispy treats); make our eggs from found pebbles and paint or clay. There are also recipes to go with each unit study in the FIAR manuals.

 

As far as cutting down other curriculum to 'make room' for FIAR, it is completely up to you! ;) But from looking at your list, I would take out SOTW, Elemental Science, and the read alouds (since that's what you're already doing with FIAR). Also, FIAR comes with bible study, so you can remove Bible Study for all Ages if you want.

 

Also, my children write as part of their unit studies. I'm not familiar with WriteShop, but if it is a handwriting program, you might be able to ditch that, too. Depending on if you can come up with your own sheets of writing to go along with the unit studies or not. If it is a composition writing program, then you'll probably want to keep it (but you'll be able to incorporate FIAR into it).

 

To be perfectly honest, at the ages your children are at, I would almost exclusively use FIAR (without any add-ons, especially for your 1st grader) and just enjoy delving into the wonderful world of books with them. :)

[OregonNative]

I had to wait FOR.E.VER to get approved on the FIAR boards, too. Ick! You can view many many of their threads, though, without being a member.

 

So to start, if you want to see what one of FIAR's unit studies looks like, you should go to www.homeschoolshare.com and look at the unit studies there. They are very similar to FIAR's unit studies and they are free.

 

For a 1st and 3rd grader, you can start anywhere with Volumes 1-3. They are all interchangeable and you don't have to go in any order. Pick and choose whichever one you'd like to start with. Here is a list of all the books that are covered in each volume written by Satori here on the WTM forums:

 

http://satorismiles.com/books/fiar-list/

 

It is not necessary to get additional books for your studies, although you can if you'd like. For instance, for the book Albert (which is in V.4), you can get additional books on cardinals or birds. Or you can just do a Google search for cardinals and find a lot of information that way. There is already so much information in the volumes of FIAR that chances are you won't need to get additional books.

 

However, the wonderful thing about FIAR is that if your child picks up a real interest in a particular aspect of a book (again, using Albert as an example), you can take a "rabbit trail" (as FIAR users call them) and spend additional time researching and doing projects on cardinals. We would make a cardinal finger puppet or stuffie; build a nest (maybe an edible one out of rice crispy treats); make our eggs from found pebbles and paint or clay. There are also recipes to go with each unit study in the FIAR manuals.

 

As far as cutting down other curriculum to 'make room' for FIAR, it is completely up to you! ;) But from looking at your list, I would take out SOTW, Elemental Science, and the read alouds (since that's what you're already doing with FIAR). Also, FIAR comes with bible study, so you can remove Bible Study for all Ages if you want.

 

Also, my children write as part of their unit studies. I'm not familiar with WriteShop, but if it is a handwriting program, you might be able to ditch that, too. Depending on if you can come up with your own sheets of writing to go along with the unit studies or not. If it is a composition writing program, then you'll probably want to keep it (but you'll be able to incorporate FIAR into it).

 

To be perfectly honest, at the ages your children are at, I would almost exclusively use FIAR (without any add-ons, especially for your 1st grader) and just enjoy delving into the wonderful world of books with them. :)

 

I had to email FIAR to get my account up and running:glare: But I'm on:)

Thank you for all of this information!! It has really helped. If you frequent the FIAR forum, you will see this posted there as well:tongue_smilie:

[MangoMama]

Here are some links that might help:

 

Some blogs of those that use FIAR:

Adventures in Unsell Land

Aussie Pumpkin Patch

Creekside Learning

Faith-Filled Days

Rowing Downstream

Blog She Wrote

 

 

If you want to search for something specific on the FIAR forums, go to Google and type in the search box:

 

WHATEVER YOU WANT site:fiarhq.com

 

be sure to put no spaces in the part that says "site:fiarhq.com"

 

that should bring all the threads on the FIAR forums that pertain to your search and you don't have to be a FIAR member to search ;)

[MangoMama]

I had to email FIAR to get my account up and running:glare: But I'm on:)

Thank you for all of this information!! It has really helped. If you frequent the FIAR forum, you will see this posted there as well:tongue_smilie:

Glad you got on! :D

[Sherry in OH]

I'm still waiting to be taken out of the queue on the FIAR forum, so I'm hoping for some help-

If I go with FIAR and combine my 1st and 3rd grader-does it matter which volume I start with. I'm having trouble understanding where the program integrates anything besides Lit. because outside of the Volumes, I'm only able to purchase Lit. books. Will I be needing add'l books for science and history from the library? Should I add anything add'l for my 3rd grader? We currently do read-alouds using books like: Charlotte's Web, Grandma's Attic, Stuart Little etc. My 3rd grader does not read chapter books by herself as part of schooling, but does read them for fun.

 

As stated by pp, titles in vols. 1-3 can be done in any order. Vol. 4 titles are more advanced.

 

The program integrates literature, social studies (geography, civics, some history), art, science, and applied mathematics. At your children's grade levels most people add mathematics, handwriting, and additional language arts - phonics/spelling/grammar.

 

Many people add additional read aloud titles to complement the FIAR topic of the day. Adding or not adding library books on science and history topics is a matter of personal preference.

 

Here is what we currently use:

Bible Study For All Ages - If you plan to use the FIAR Christian Character Bible Study Supplement, drop this. Otherwise, keep it.

STOW 1 w/activity guide - Use STOW as a read aloud or listen to it on CD. FIAR plus the STOW activities and extra readings would most likely be too much.

Writeshop A & C - ?

CLE Math 100 & 200 - keep

A Reason For Handwriting A & C - keep

Elemental Science - drop for a few weeks, if you feel you need more science than is in FIAR, you can add it again.

Scheduled Read-Alouds from Easy Classical 1st grade schedule (like Charlotte's Web listed above) - read as bedtime stories or for fun.

 

OPGTR-DS only - keep

SWO & Advantage Grammar-DD Only - Amongst these and Writeshop, which do you feel is the most important? Keep that one. If after a few weeks, you feel more is needed, add the others one at a time.

[Tracy]

If you start with Volume 1 and go in order through Volume 3, the books are set up in an order that matches up with that particular time of year. So, for example, you will be reading Cranberry Thanksgiving, for example, at Thanksgiving time. I don't see any other reason to do them in any particular order.

[CandaceC]

Hi there, we've been a FIAR family since the start and have loved it! I have quite a few posts on my blog about FIAR, too, if you want another look at how it looks in our home! I have a FIAR category where all my FIAR posts are.

 

I usually check out a few "go-along" books from the library on whatever topics we will be covering with each "row."

 

So, for instance, when we rowed Ping, I checked out a kid's book on China, a few on ducks, a book on Yangtzee river, etc. Does that make sense??

 

As for order, you can do the books in ANY order. We've rowed books from volumes 1-4 over the past few years and enjoyed each volume equally! In January I'm going to do the unit study on Helen Keller from Beyond Five in a Row with my 2 girls and still do a few FIAR titles with my son as well. We'll see how it goes! :)