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Any one here use/try Beyond FIAR? want to tell me about it?


fairy4tmama
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Tell me the good the bad the ugly? Please.

 

I am thinking of using BY FIAR as assigned reading with related activities for DS 9. He is currently doing a little homemade unit on the Arctic based on MTH Polar Bears Past Bedtime and the research guide. He really enjoys this type of thing. I however would love something open and go, with ideas for fun meaningful activities or discussions that don't take a mountain of prep or research on my end? Would BY fit the bill? What new skills are used in BY vs FIAR. What is different about BY (besides the use of chapter books)? I asked about this on the FIAR forums and it was suggested that using BY as a supplement might be difficult as it is meant to be a full curriculum. What do you think?

TIA

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I tried it and we finished one book study with it, and then moved on.

 

It's really a cool program, and I think it could have really worked for my older child who loves taking rabbit trails, researching, and all. My second child was very very frustrated by it, and I had a hard time feeling like I knew what was happening.

 

Basically, you read a chapter of the book aloud. Then, for five days in a row, you do research on the Internet (the author highly recommends having membership to an online encyclopedia which I got through my county World Book rep for free). You also read related library books, do fun activities which teach character or social skills, and discuss vocabulary.

 

It's basically a Unit Study based off of a few great books. We had a great time with that one book. But every day, I would try to plan ahead and just decide that since it's supposed to be research-based, I would just guide my children through the research. So we would either get to the computer and look up something in World Book, or I would guide them through using the dictionary, or I would point to books from the library or our shelf that were related and they would read them or I would read them aloud. Or we might have a discussion, and follow those rabbit trails.

 

I felt like a fish out of water though! I love discussing things with my kids and we take rabbit trails in everyday conversation of course. But my entire school day being one big rabbit trail and research project made me feel confused and lost. My son thought it was cool, but my dd was completely frustrated. She disliked having to do the research together, but then was unable/uninterested in doing her own research. She prefers knowing when "school" will be "done" and how she can MAKE it "done" rather than just going along with the process. Of course the world does not revolve around that one child, but I felt like our whole direction was sort of lost. I have done seasons as a relaxed homeschooler, just reading and reading and reading and enjoying learning together, and preferred that and felt we learned more than with BYFIAR.

 

I hope this helps!

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I tried it and we finished one book study with it, and then moved on.

 

 

 

It's basically a Unit Study based off of a few great books. We had a great time with that one book. But every day, I would try to plan ahead and just decide that since it's supposed to be research-based, I would just guide my children through the research. So we would either get to the computer and look up something in World Book, or I would guide them through using the dictionary, or I would point to books from the library or our shelf that were related and they would read them or I would read them aloud. Or we might have a discussion, and follow those rabbit trails.

 

I felt like a fish out of water though! I love discussing things with my kids and we take rabbit trails in everyday conversation of course. But my entire school day being one big rabbit trail and research project made me feel confused and lost. My son thought it was cool, but my dd was completely frustrated. She disliked having to do the research together, but then was unable/uninterested in doing her own research. She prefers knowing when "school" will be "done" and how she can MAKE it "done" rather than just going along with the process. Of course the world does not revolve around that one child, but I felt like our whole direction was sort of lost. I have done seasons as a relaxed homeschooler, just reading and reading and reading and enjoying learning together, and preferred that and felt we learned more than with BYFIAR.

 

I hope this helps!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me, it is very helpful. The bolded really gives me pause! Were you using it as your main curriculum or as a supplement to other things? I just wish I could look at the book as a whole:glare: and make an informed decision.

 

:bigear: anyone else?

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Well, we were using it alongside lots of read-Alouds and of course the 3Rs.

 

If you like gentle unit studies and you think your kids are ready for and would enjoy the research aspect, it could work. But it's not something that YOU lay out and present. It's something that you guide and then your KIDS keep going with it.

 

Which is why I thought it would he do awesome, but with my personality it was not comfy.

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I used it the same way I used Fiar Volumes 1-4. I would read the manual and order library books that go with the lesson. I didn't use encyclopedias. We would not have enjoyed it if I would have used encyclopedias with no planning ahead. Library books an online printouts were enough for me. The book titles were great. It was very easy for me to use. I found some printouts from http://www.homeschoolshare.com The bible lessons were nice...I just read them aloud directly from the book.

 

My dd is a huge history buff so we had to put it aside for studying ancient egypt.

 

Hth,

 

Penny

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I used it the same way I used Fiar Volumes 1-4. I would read the manual and order library books that go with the lesson. I didn't use encyclopedias. We would not have enjoyed it if I would have used encyclopedias with no planning ahead. Library books an online printouts were enough for me. The book titles were great. It was very easy for me to use. I found some printouts from www.homeschoolshare.com The bible lessons were nice...I just read them aloud directly from the book.

 

My dd is a huge history buff so we had to put it aside for studying ancient egypt.

 

Hth,

 

Penny

Jumping in to ask, so did you really need the teacher's guide then?

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We've used it sprinkled in with SOTW. I loved FIAR and if my girls would dive into the research themself I would love BY, but I feel like it was taking a lot of time for ME to plan. I will still probally use a few more books this year but I couldn't do it all the time. We like it as more of a break from something a little more structured. Some families love it though. You should check out the FIAR forums for more advise. :001_smile:

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Jumping in to ask, so did you really need the teacher's guide then?
I needed the guides because I am not the kind of creative person who can read a chapter of a book and just think of lessons to go with it. :tongue_smilie: I have to have something to guide me. Some days were "fuller" than others. I aquired my Beyond Volumes used and at a really good price.($7 for all three of the older spiral bound editions) This is not the kind of curriculum that will teach chronological history. Topics are studied as they come up in the chapters. Example: One day you will study nutrition and the next day may be weather. That can be a bad thing as most people don't like studying things kind of "all over the place." Some days I read the material in the manual aloud as a time saver. She(the author of Beyond) worded things in a way that my oldest understood well. I read straight from the bible supplement and felt it was very well written and thought out.

 

HTH,

 

Penny

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We used and loved FIAR volumes 1-4 for several years!! However, I just could not get into the Beyond manual lessons.

 

We have read several of the Beyond titles...but I ended up not liking a short lesson on 25 very different things...I would rather focus on a few things more deeply.

 

We are mostly a unit study family but I did not enjoy the Beyond lessons at all.

 

We do love http://www.homeschoolshare.com and have used several

Of their unit studies for chapter books.

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  • 2 months later...

My ds 10 is finishing up his first ByFIAR book, the Boxcar Children.

 

We tend to do mostly one chapter a day. We don't really rabbit trail. The manual is chocked full of info, so we can make ByFIAR simple by just using the manual + internet. I don't order book from the library - that would make ByFIAR too difficult for us to use (this is my weakness - if I spend much time to plan, chances are that it won't get done). By keeping things simple, we manage finish it in a good time and make it very doable and easy for teacher and student.

 

This is what we do daily:

- read a chapter, narrate back.

- read the manual together and discuss whatever in the manual with the child, and give assignment. If I can find a book in my bookshelves to enrich the lesson, then I pull that out and get my child to read it.

Short assignment could be:

- creative writing

- list of facts (from articles/books/youtube videos/manual)

- compare-contrast.

- put info into diagrams, tables and flowcharts.

- copying and labeling.

- summarizing info.

- mapping

- working w/ timeline.

- posing a question or two and ask the student to search the internet/read book/article or watch video to answer the questions.

- creative assignment: planning a menu, designing a floor plan, designing a machine, etc

Or it could be art assignment or hands-on projects.

 

Bigger assignment (can be spread over a few days), e.g. making a book, making a newspaper, making a poster/advert, etc.

Edited by mom2moon2
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