FIAR vs. MFW for K

[amselby81]

I'm sorry. I feel like I ask too many questions. Yesterday I was asking about MFW for K, and supplementing it with more phonics/reading and math. This path sounds great, and I can afford to do it, but the frugal part of me wonders whether I can give DD a similar experience, and save some money. How is FIAR compared to MFW for K? Would you say one is easier to use than the other? How about prep work for each unit? Does FIAR require a lot of other purchases for materials, or are the materials mostly things that can be found around the house?

 

Do you like one more than the other, and if so could you please tell me why you like it better?

 

I'm really sorry if this comparison has already been done. I tried to search the forum, but all I could find were threads about either one, but not a comparison. Thanks a bunch!

[kristin0713]

I love the book selections in FIAR and use them as a supplement. I have tried several times to use the guides and I just don't like the format. I always feel like there is so much to weed through.

 

I've looked at MFW and it did not appeal to me. We settled on Heart of Dakota for K (Little Hearts for His Glory) and I LOVE it. I've committed in my heart to use HOD for the long haul. The skills that it introduces in the early guides are built on in a very systematic way to prepare students for a heavier and more independent workload in the later guides. Initially, I had a hang-up about it not offering enough literature suggestions that correlate with the history, science, and character building themes. But I've gotten over that and just make good use of the library and all my booklists (FIAR, SL, etc.) for our supplemental literature. HOD is really just enough extra for us for K, since our phonics program is pretty intense (Spell to Write and Read) and our math is very teacher intensive (RightStart.)

[selh09]

We have never used MFW, but we have been using FIAR for 2 years and love, love, love it!!! As for prep work with FIAR, you can do as little or as much as you want. Some people do FIAR conversationally, while others (like us) lapbook/notebook each book. FIAR can be very low cost, if you can get the books from your library. Since FIAR is unit studies, you can use FIAR for many years just going deeper with the subjects each time you "row" a book. You would need to add a phonics and math program to FIAR.

 

If you are considering FIAR, look at http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ all the titles are listed with lapbook/notebook ideas you can use.

 

My blog will give you an idea of how we use FIAR

 

HTH!

[amselby81]

Thank you, ladies. Kristin, I will check out HOD, although I probably don't need another option to stress about. :lol: Julie, that is very helpful! I kind of thought that you can make FIAR whatever you want it to be. Another concern that I have is that we're also doing Classical Conversations, so I'm worried that we'll have too much to do if I do MFW. So with FIAR if doing all of the subjects is too much, I can just lighten the load a little.

 

Hoping for a little more feedback from anyone who has experience with both. Thanks!:001_smile:

[KristenR]

Sorry I can't give you feedback on both, but we greatly enjoyed our time rowing with FIAR. I blogged about a few of our experiences here. I found it helpful to read FIAR blogs to get some ideas and see the projects in action.

 

Maybe you can see if anyone blogged about MFW and get a feel for that as well.

[teeniebeenie6]

Is the Christian aspect important to you or not? FIAR makes you buy a separate Bible volume. That rubs me wrong. Whereas in FIAR the Bible is weaved into almost every aspect of it. I was so impressed. You may want to check out the MFW forum and the FIAR forum to get a feel for each. Take the forums with a grain of salt, there are often those who monopolize such boards that may not really represent the curriculums or writers of the curriculums well. FIAR leaves me with an off feeling, but that is just me. The husband of the woman who wrote them rubs me wrong. MFW leaves me with a good feeling. If you are a believer I recommend praying that God will lead you to whichever curriculum he wants you to go to. I had a couple of different curriculums I was really leaning towards in the beginning of my homeschool search that I really felt I was not suppose to do, maybe due to my daughters learning style? I'm not really sure why not but I ended up picking ones I felt peaceful about. I am an eclectic homeschooler and use bits and pieces of different things.

[lorisuewho]

I haven't used MFW.

We have been using Before FIAR and FIAR and really enjoy it. I don't like doing the additionally lapbooks that you can find online. I pretty much just use the manuals. It takes me about 15 minutes once a week to plan. I sit down with the manual, pick out which book I want to use and reserve it from our library if I don't own it. Then I go through and look to see which activities would be a good match for our children and jot them down. There aren't additionally materials really needed, just the manual and the books (which you can get from the library). FIAR has been a very easy curriculum for us. I feel we get a lot of "bang" out of our time with it also, even though I do so little prep and don't do any additional notebooking.

[mystika1]

I used Fiar Volumes 1-4 and part of Beyond Fiar and loved it. It was perfect for us. I read over the unit and ordered library books to cover the science portion, printed out what I wanted to use from homeschoolshare, printed out handwriting pages from http://www.janbrett.com/coloring_alphabet/alphabet_coloring_tracers_main.htm

and added in math and phonics.(super long sentence there...:D)

 

I purchased my volumes used and saved atleast half the price. I have absolutely never had any problems getting Fiar books from the library. Only one that I couldn't find out of all those book titles. That is pretty good. The author created the curriculum just to give to a few friends and more and more people wanted to use it. The bible portion came after the original volumes were made as a help to people who(like me)can't just think this stuff up.:001_smile: I have the bible supplement and used it regularly. Volume 4 and the large super volume that has 1-3 should contain the bible in the manual. If someone does not want to cover Fiar bible they can just use the volumes without the supplement. I do like flexable, tweakable unit studies that can be used for both my girls. If you have kids in prek-3rd you don't need a separate curriculum for each kid. You can read straight from the manual or you can plan and really get into it. My dd still talks about the Fiar books we read.:)

 

I have never used MFW. I did look at the K materials when my oldest was younger but didn't use it because my dd already knew half of the material. I figured it would be a waste cause I would only use bits of it. I never liked fully open and go curriculum cause my dd would always fit in between two levels/manuals. I did receive Adventures in MFW manual recently for free and found it to be well put together. If you want open and go and like bible material in each subject area..this could be for you.

 

HTH,

 

Penny

[amselby81]

I've probably spent way too much time online, looking at blogs for FIAR. I really like what I'm seeing. :) It looks fun, educational, but yet not too heavy. I don't need anything heavy since we're already doing C.C., MUS, and OPGTR.

[mommyx5]

We have done MFW K with my twin boys @ 4 1/2-5ish. The boys knew all their letters, but not lower case nor sounds. They of course, knew colors also and how to count to at least 30.

 

MFW we chose because we wanted something that was hands on, Bible based, & teach the begininnings of phonics. MFW is just that. We did everything by the schedule for probably the first 1/3 of the program then I saw areas we didn't need & eliminated or just didn't do them as frequently as the schedule listed. MFW you are totally able to do or not do things & it still flows. There were alot of cute crafts, that were really things you have on hand any how. Each week you study 1 letter each week(they are not alphabetical, thus you little one can read sooner like bat you'd have to get to T before you could read bat if you did alphabetical) & each letter has a corresponding character value w/ a quote to memorize (not a Bible verse :( though but based on Godly character). During that week the letter has an associated thing like B is for Butterfly. And that week you learn how to write B, you learn the sound of B, you learn about butterflies & read butterly books, crafts, songs etc. Every week there isn't a song & craft etc. They do a nice job of mixing up all the hands on projects every week to match the theme for that week. However, the phonics part is the same thing every week just a different letter and we found that boring after a while. They have very simple games, great book suggestions for each week, activities to teach letter sounds etc. I do wish I would have done more handwriting & an add'l math. But as far as the program it was great. Majority of the activities you don't need to purchase anything add'l, except like A week was A is for Apple and we purchased about 6 different varieties of apples to taste test to find the favorite. Then we made applesauce. Well no normally I wouldn't have 6 different varieties of apples in my home but I didn't consider that a major thing since it was a basic food. But you can omit any craft or just do a different craft or do their craft w/ different supplies, it is really flexible.

 

It was:

-fun

-economical

-they learned to read short vowel words

-learned about God's world

-learned Godly character

-great book list (that you get from library & suggestions for options if you can't find the one they suggest)

-adorable, easy but memorable crafts/activities

 

 

We learned about living water. We got a plant & tore off a leaf then laid it over to the side. My boys still talk about that. They really retained the crafts/activities we did in MFW K. We did SL Core A for 1st, but are seriously considering going back to MFW for 2nd.

 

IDK about FIAR, other than it does look fun :)

 

HTH, best wishes in your search.

Edited March 8, 2012 by mommyx5

[mystika1]

I've probably spent way too much time online, looking at blogs for FIAR. I really like what I'm seeing. :) It looks fun, educational, but yet not too heavy. I don't need anything heavy since we're already doing C.C., MUS, and OPGTR.

 

All I really ever purchased for Fiar was

 

Childrens First Atlas

Wall map(world)

Phonics(Explode the Code)

Math

Fiar Manuals

 

That combined with my library card was all I needed.

 

Fiar is not a craft kinda curriculum. The print outs from homeschoolshare and some I found for free at enchanted learning took care of that for us.

 

HTH,

 

Penny

[cbollin]

I'm sorry. I feel like I ask too many questions. Yesterday I was asking about MFW for K, and supplementing it with more phonics/reading and math. This path sounds great, and I can afford to do it, but the frugal part of me wonders whether I can give DD a similar experience, and save some money. How is FIAR compared to MFW for K? Would you say one is easier to use than the other? How about prep work for each unit? Does FIAR require a lot of other purchases for materials, or are the materials mostly things that can be found around the house?

 

Do you like one more than the other, and if so could you please tell me why you like it better?

 

I'm really sorry if this comparison has already been done. I tried to search the forum, but all I could find were threads about either one, but not a comparison. Thanks a bunch!

 

Hopefully you know it's ok to ask plenty of questions. :grouphug: seeing the unseen and making those first tries about programs is a learning process and we've all been there.

 

My oldest used FIAR in Kindy and 1st. (She's 10th grade now so FIAR could have changed). My next two used MFW K and 1st.

 

With FIAR, I had to add phonics, math and if I wanted to do hands on learning, add that. There were times that I couldn't find the exact book listed and that meant I couldn't do that unit. But FIAR was talk about language arts, but no phonics - so that was added. FIAR had some applied math (or a stretch of it for the story) and that approach did not appeal to me. So I added a math program. I really like the story selection.

 

Also, I tried the Christian Character supplement with FIAR and it wasn't my flavor. Things felt disjointed to me or just not the right concept for the story and it just didn't work for me.

 

I do not remember any crafts/activities with FIAR? is that just poor memory on my part or has it changed?

 

 

With MFW K and 1st, I had 2 children who were already reading short vowel words and sentences. But I found the program very useful in spite of that. I turned the phonics into spelling lessons. Reading lists of words began copy work and more penmanship. These days in the new MFW K manual, they list how to use the program with early reading children. I know I did my own way of that. I'll link to the MFW board with how I did that, but realize I'm one of those very frequent posters on that forum and really like using MFW. ;)

So filter and ignore me as you wish. :001_smile:

 

But here is what I did to beef up phonics in Kindy for my children who were reading.

 

http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7179#p47744

 

the main program....Materials were easy to find and usually quick to adapt if I didn't want to go to store. Reading list -- you could use a wide variety of books in any unit and not worry if an exact title was not available because lots of titles are given to use with the unit.

 

I don't think of FIAR and MFW K as similar at all. MFW and HOD are more similar. HOD wasn't around when I was searching. I know I would have struggled trying to pick HOD or MFW.

 

I remember many FIAR titles showing up in MFW programs later on and it was a lot of fun to read those books again. So, I like the titles of the books.

 

I think overall I liked FIAR for reading lists. As a new homeschooler at the time, I felt like I tried to teach too much with it and it was too abstract for my daughter to really retain the information or grasp it. Overall I found that a literature based unit study was not the best style for us. It wasn't a bad thing to use. It served a season.

 

-crystal

[cbollin]

oh wait...

 

I like the FIAR cookbook. still have that on a shelf. I should dust it off, or sell it...

 

and I really like the new math worksheets in 2nd edition MFW Kindy... those are really nice. but I have a lot more memories of MFW K and enjoying it than remembering specifics from FIAR... but then again I did MFW K twice, so that might contribute to that feeling.....

 

-crystal

Edited March 8, 2012 by cbollin

[amselby81]

-Thank you, Crystal! Yay! Someone who has experience with both! I haven't decided yet. I do like the look of MFW as a complete curriculum, but the thing is that I don't really need a complete curriculum. We're doing Classical Conversations (already re-registered for next year), we've been doing Math U See for Math, and we've also been doing phonics on our own using H.O.P., the early ETC books, and progressive phonics. I'm thinking about just using The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading next year. Ideally, C.C. is supposed to be a complete curriculum when you add Lang. Arts and Math to it. But I feel like my DD is missing out on doing individual Science experiments and other hands on projects. So, that's why I'm looking at something else to fill in the void of those hands on projects.

 

I think I would be completely on board with MFW if we weren't doing C.C. I like the look of it. I'm just afraid that we'd have too much on our plate if we had MFW, C.C., M.U.S., and whatever we do in L.A. I'm still undecided, but I am leaning more towards FIAR right now. LOL, yesterday morning I was leaning more towards MFW. I just keep flip flopping. :001_smile:

[freeindeed]

We use FIAR for Kindergarten and First Grade. I use Volumes 1 & 2, along with the FIAR Cookbook and Bible supplement. I also use the FIAR ideas from http://www.homeschoolshare.com/. Then I add in a math and phonics program.

[cbollin]

I think I would be completely on board with MFW if we weren't doing C.C. I like the look of it. I'm just afraid that we'd have too much on our plate if we had MFW, C.C., M.U.S., and whatever we do in L.A. I'm still undecided, but I am leaning more towards FIAR right now. LOL, yesterday morning I was leaning more towards MFW. I just keep flip flopping. :001_smile:

 

one other idea is to look at the other way.

 

how much time do you want to spend each day on non C.C. stuff?

MFW K doesn't take much time to do phonics, math (very similar in kindy goals as MUS but less time - yes, my oldest did MUS, SSRW and FIAR), and then the fun science/Bible other. MFW says plan about 60-90 minutes to do everything thoroughly. I spent less time because I'm not as detailed like that and my daughters didn't want more to do than 3 sets of fifteen minutes. (and at age 5, that was plenty for me and them for structured formal seatwork... rest of school time was informal, play based learning.)

 

How much time each day will you need to spend on keeping up with CC stuff at this level? How homework intensive is it? (I've never used C.C. or been in one of their groups.. so I don't have a clue!)

 

neither FIAR nor MFW K are huge time consumers. But one way to think about it is how much time a day can you do with your child to teach and learn? and yes, MFW K - you can do just the science/Bible stuff.

 

:grouphug:

 

it'll get clearer.

 

-crystal

[amselby81]

CC doesn't require a whole lot of time right now. It's just drilling facts at DD's age. We are able to do it in 20 to 30 minutes a day right now. But we do go to the meetings once a week. And we're usually exhausted when we come home, so I feel like not much else will get done on those days. But we only meet for 24 weeks. We start in late August and are finished with the first 12 weeks at around Thankgiving time. We get a whole month off for December, come back in January, and finish in late March. There's still plenty of time in the year to play catch up in other areas.

 

As for how much time we want to spend on non CC stuff, I'm not sure. Maybe an hour and a half to 2 hours max. We could do the non CC stuff in the AM and drill CC stuff after lunch.

[Guest CarrieL]

I have done both. I really prefer FIAR for several reasons:

 

Because MFW is a complete curriculum, it can be challenging to use if your child is already reading, or not ready to writing, or doesn't like worksheets, which I feel are a large component of the curriculum. Two of my children fit into at least two of those categories, so although I love the biblical emphasis, every time I tried to use it, we had tears.

 

FIAR has wonderful book choices. Reading aloud is so important at this level! I love the relationship building that happens while reading together and doing fun activities around the book. I also loved finding activities to reinforce the stories.

 

If you are doing CC you are getting the more structured learning. Reading aloud and hands-on activities would provide a good balance, IMHO!

[Jenny in GA]

Within the last couple weeks, I gave what I thought were helpful responses :) to other threads about FIAR, so you can look for them here and here.

 

 

I know nothing about MFW. I have strong feelings about FIAR both ways, so to speak, but overall I'm glad I used it, and will use it again with my youngest.

 

ETA: I have seen both the cookbook and the Biblical supplement, but personally never felt the need or desire to add either.

Edited March 8, 2012 by Jenny in GA
Addin' stuff

[selh09]

@amselby81

 

We are doing CC cycle 3 history & Geo this year with FIAR. I haven't found it to be too much. Some books do not have a geography component or history component, so on those weeks my dd is still getting history & geography. The weeks that FIAR has either history or geography (or both) then she just gets double, but that really has only happened a couple of times. We are only doing CC 2x a month, so it has worked out well.

 

HTH!

[RedheadedMomma]

I am not familiar with FIAR, but my 5 yr old is just finishing up the MFW K program and she loves it. She doesn't even want to take the schedule breaks, so we have not taken one since Christmas. One of my favorite things about MFW is that instead of asking you to buy every single book you need, they recommend a reliance on your local library. That allows you to customize what you focus on based on your preference as well as the child's interests. I feel the supplementation with the library covers the reading aspect.

 

We do find it a bit light on math, but for K my primary concern was learning to read. She is also learning basic addition and subtraction via her Leapster Explorer and a few learning games on my Iphone, so I did not feel a need to supplement this year. I do feel she is learning sufficient math and currently she counts to about 120 before she gets a bit confused. However we do plan to start Math-U-See for first grade based on the recommendation of a friend who has been homeschooling for a while.

 

My sister is teaching K in a public school this year and my daughter is participating in an online 'advanced' program through her. She flies through these 'advanced' activities. I was already confident that she was learning what she needed, but it was nice to have that additional confirmation.

 

I know there are lots of great programs out there, but this was our first year buying a home school curriculum, as she is my eldest, and I do not regret my decision. I am especially looking forward to the First Grade program, when she will have her own Bible Reader and Notebook.

[Susie in MS]

I can't even begin to tell you how much joy FIAR has brought in this house! I ask my dd what parts she likes best and she starts rattling off everything! :lol: We are re-rowing the books again at her request! We have done vols 1-3 and part of vol 4. We use the CCS, the cookbook, and the map disk.

 

I use a math in addition to FIAR.

 

My dd reads TO ME at night :D so I don't feel she needs any more phonics.

 

For handwriting there are coordinating sheets created by a FIAR mom. They are sentences taken from each book that represent the story beautifully. They are in print or cursive and are at the homeschoolshare website.

 

I looked at MFW and it just was not going to fit us. Dd was way ahead of the phonics and not ready for the writing. With FIAR I love the flexibility to fit the child. We are nearing the end of our 3rd year with it. When we first started my dd was only 4 and we did very light rows. Now that she is approaching 7 we do nearly all of the lessons and on a much deeper level.

 

The amount of learning that has taken place with FIAR has astounded me. And it is all done in a very light manner that is fun and engaging.

 

We are hands on in this family. There are some hands on projects in the manual, but we add some from the archives and from hss, but these are not necessary.

[amselby81]

Oh my word! I hate to revisit this thread, but I thought I'd just express how much I thought I was totally on board with doing FIAR and not MFW, and just in the last couple days I began to reconsider MFW. I don't think I can really go wrong with either, but I need to figure out which one I like better. THAT'S HARD!