Program for 4 year gap

[mommyx5]

We are almost at the end of our 1st grade year w/ Sonlight - with 6 yr old twin boys. We did MFW for K5 @ 4 1/2. We have another boy who will be 3 when the twins start 2nd grade. I plan to start him @ 5 w/ K when the twins will be starting 4th. There will be a 4 year grade gap between the twins and the baby. Can anyone share some opinions/advice on programs for eventually combining all 3 of the boys? It's difficult with such a large gap and would like to start now to work our way towards that goal. I have considered going back with MFW Adventures for 2nd & for 3rd doing their year 1 cycle, but IDK.

 

Thanks in advance for any insight offered :confused:

Edited March 6, 2012 by mommyx5

[Tap]

One thing to consider is that by 4th grade, the older kids will likely be pretty independent if you train the to be. Yes, you will still need to be there for instructions/questions, but it is not the intense hand holding that you see in the younger years.

 

I have used various programs, commonly history, for both of my older kids at once. I don't think it is often the best way. You either have to bring the reading down to the youngest's level or chance that they will not really understand what is happening. They will revisit the material in 4 years so it is fine in the long run, but sometimes I think it took more time to combine them than it would have taken to separate them.

 

One program we did use at the same time that they both remember fondly was "Journey into Africa" it has premade study sheets for both ages based on the one text.

[jenL]

I haven't actually tried this yet, but this is my plan for next year with a 4 year gap between my boys. Ds#1 will be in 4th, so we are doing MFW ECC (ds#2 will tag along some) while Ds#2 will be doing MFW K. When Ds#1 is in 6th grade, I will roll ds#2 in with ds#1 completely (using MFW). Until then, I will have ds#2 doing K & 1 separately. According to the MFW website, you can roll the youngest in as soon as they hit 2nd grade.

 

I scoured every open & go curriculum available and the only other one where I could easily fold the two boys together with this gap was Tapestry of Grace. However, we can't afford TOG, so we're going with MFW for now. I'm praying it fits! :)

[mommyx5]

I haven't actually tried this yet, but this is my plan for next year with a 4 year gap between my boys. Ds#1 will be in 4th, so we are doing MFW ECC (ds#2 will tag along some) while Ds#2 will be doing MFW K. When Ds#1 is in 6th grade, I will roll ds#2 in with ds#1 completely (using MFW). Until then, I will have ds#2 doing K & 1 separately. According to the MFW website, you can roll the youngest in as soon as they hit 2nd grade.

 

I scoured every open & go curriculum available and the only other one where I could easily fold the two boys together with this gap was Tapestry of Grace. However, we can't afford TOG, so we're going with MFW for now. I'm praying it fits! :)

That is sort of what I have been thinking with the twins, let them do MFW Adventures for 2nd & baby will be 3, MFW -3rd ECC Yr 1 & baby will be 4, MFW 4th CG Yr 2 & baby MFW K5, MFW 5th RR Yr 3 & baby MFW 1st, MFW 6th & baby joining in for 2nd, MFW 7th E1850 & baby joining for 3rd, MFW 8th 1850MT & baby joining for 4th, but my thinking here is that actually I will only be combining all 3 for only 3 years. Since 9th+ MFW has a different program. Any ideas there?

 

I thought about just doing SOS starting 3rd since it appears to be so independent & then I could focus on the baby learning more and more so for 4th when the baby will be in K5 and beginning to read. Any thoughts there? I'm not crazy about them learning mostly from a computer, but I figure I could include the twins in on the hands on learning for the baby & beef their part up for their ability w/ readers, facts etc?????

Edited March 6, 2012 by mommyx5

[Tarreymere]

My dd is going on nine and ds is a new five year old. Honestly it hasn't been an issue because she is so independent with almost everything now so I DO have the time to work with him. She curls up with a book (we do Sonlight) and I get out AAR. She curls up with another book and I grab Miquon.

 

One thing I did start doing recently is to have her 'explain' to him what she learned in either history or science and show him pictures, ect. They both like that and he might even be learning something.