Amy M Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We are missionaries and are planning at this point to use MFW. We don't have access to a library and have to buy any books for the "book basket" ahead of time and ship them back to Africa with us. I'm looking for ideas on how many books to get per year? Maybe that'll change depending on the child, but I just need an idea or an average. For example, how many books would you buy for a 2nd grader in the Adventures year (American history)? Or how many books for 4th grader for the Creation to the Greeks year, or for a 5th grader in Rome to the Reformation year? I thought about counting lists from TOG, BP, or Sonlight, but decided to ask y'all instead. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 It depends on the kid. Dd has read 300+ books per year for the last few years. I hope Ds will be able to read 20-30 chapter books this coming year. They are 15 months apart in age and studying the same subject area. They have different skill sets and interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofsbandeg Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Dd has read 300+ books per year for the last few years. WOW!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyto4QT Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Do you have a Kindle or Ipad? I have a missionary friend in Bolivia. They also homeschool and use their Ipad for books. They can load many books on it and not have to ship so many paperback options. I would say with MFW to go through the book lists in the back of the TM. Then, make sure you have access to any that have an asteric. Then, maybe pick through about 1/3 to 1/2 the others, based upon how often your kids like to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy M Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 I bought some of MFW TM's, but they're sitting at my mom's house and I'm in Africa. :001_smile: But I thought they said there's about 300-400 books in each list. ! Do you think I should buy 1/3 of that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 It depends on the kid. Dd has read 300+ books per year for the last few years. I hope Ds will be able to read 20-30 chapter books this coming year. They are 15 months apart in age and studying the same subject area. They have different skill sets and interests. I don't think my son has read 300+ books in his life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy M Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 :001_huh: Sorry, bumping, because I really need some help here! Does anyone have a guess at numbers for their children that aren't 20 or 300? Anything in-between?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3peasinapod Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I think she meant 1/3 of the books with asterixes.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I recently charged a Kindle Fire. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to pay for it, but that is another story. My home internet connection is spotty now, and I needed an ultra-portable way to check my e-mail and also to download free books from the library. I don't need to hook the Kindle up to my computer. At any hotspot I can download library books free directly onto the Kindle. I have cards at 3 libraries in my state and can get books from all 3 libraries. I don't know if all this would work for you in Africa. I haven't been reading fiction books like I am now, since I was a kid. I've usually got 3 books going and am finishing about 2 a day. This has been triggered by a major shift in my environment that is more similar to what I faced as a child. Long periods alone without many other resources. Do your kids enjoy reading? You are in Africa now? Under the same circumstances they will be facing while doing MFW? Will this reading be for enjoyment as well as completing the least amount required for "school"? For "school" 36 books, one for each week, should be enough. After that, it's enjoyment. And it's okay and maybe preferable to add things NOT on the list. Variety is the spice of life. If I had multiple children, I would want hardcopy books, a regular Kindle or two, and a Kindle Fire if I could download Library books from the USA on demand as needed. It's difficult to plan ahead in general, but without more info about your children's reading habits, it's hard to advise you. Also try out reading a few books on a few different type of readers to see if that might be an option. The Kindle Fire is heavier and brighter than a regular Kindle and not as comfortable, but free library books is nice. Also it needs to be recharged much more frequently. The Ipad is even more awkward for reading e-books, but has a larger screen for large pages. I never expected to love my Kindle Fire like I do. As I'm going through some adjustments, the KF and I are joined at the hip. And I have rediscovered a love of reading that I had forgotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I'm trying to look back at my records and count books. Here's what I see so far. The year my daughter was fourth grade age, she read 35 books, almost all of which were early chapter books. The year she was fifth grade age, she read 30 (including some more challenging titles). When my son was second grade age, he read 50 books, but only about half of those were chapter books. When he was fourth grade age, he read 74, with about two thirds being chapter books. The year he was fifth grade age, he read about 80. (I lost count paging through my documents for that year.) The majority of those were chapter books. My daughter tended toward picking higher level books and reading them slowly, but my son prefers to read less challenging books and read more of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I recently charged a Kindle Fire. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to pay for it, but that is another story. My home internet connection is spotty now, and I needed an ultra-portable way to check my e-mail and also to download free books from the library. I don't need to hook the Kindle up to my computer. At any hotspot I can download library books free directly onto the Kindle. I have cards at 3 libraries in my state and can get books from all 3 libraries. I don't know if all this would work for you in Africa. Except a Kindle Fire will not fully function outside the US. I'm not sure of the exact limitations but they will not ship outside the US because it doesn't have everything. And I have read that book purchases on the other Kindles can be difficult if outside the US if you buy it in the US. I guess maybe if it is pre-loaded? OP, I would plan on 1 chapter book a week depending on how quickly your children read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamolina Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I use a regular Kindle, not the Fire, outside of the US and it works just fine. I can checkout library books from the library in my home state and I can purchase books off Amazon and I have not had a problem. I don't know what we would do without it! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I would suggest a regular Kindle or Kindle Touch. My ds uses his in Japan. He downloads new books to his computer and then transfers them with the USB cable to his Kindle. Both of my girls read from Kindles now, and I'm slowly transferring my library to Kindle. It is terrific for classic books which you can get for free. Take your MFW lists and see how many you can get for kindle. It will cut down on your packing. Also in 4th and 5th, my dd read a lot of classic lit. which was free or $1.99 from kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I don't think my son has read 300+ books in his life! Yes, well, don't miss the part where I'd be happy to have Ds (only 15 months younger than Dd) read 20-30 books next year. Dd reads well, quickly, and often. Ds - not so much.:tongue_smilie: My only point was that kids interests and abilities can vary by a lot. OP knows her kids. If I was going to recommend a random number, I would say 35-50 school books (lit., history, science, etc.) and 20-50 pleasure books for the family. But that is for a random family. It could easily be too much or not enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I would suggest a regular Kindle or Kindle Touch. My ds uses his in Japan. He downloads new books to his computer and then transfers them with the USB cable to his Kindle. Both of my girls read from Kindles now, and I'm slowly transferring my library to Kindle. It is terrific for classic books which you can get for free. Take your MFW lists and see how many you can get for kindle. It will cut down on your packing. Also in 4th and 5th, my dd read a lot of classic lit. which was free or $1.99 from kindle. The thing that amazes me about the Kindle Fire is that it doesn't even come with a sync cord (you can purchase one though) and is not dependent on a computer. The library and purchased books are all direct downloads. I know some people like lamolina are having success downloading from US libraries while overseas, and it must be such a comfort to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boltgirl Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 My family is currently home schooling in South Korea. We are doing MFW Exploring Countries and Continents. I think that my son has read some books 5, 6, or 7 times now. I understand that packing and shipping can be an issue. So maybe it will be an encouragement that your kids can read the same books over and over. We also have a kindle. It is amazing. My husband is great at finding free books. Many classics are free. I bought The Sugar Creek Gang for my son. It is a Christian book series about boys that solve mysteries. It is $10 for 6 books. He reads them over and over. My son is an avid reader, so it is hard to estimate how many books he has read this year. I am just happy that he is okay reading the same books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 There's no number one can place on something like this. But I would recommend getting a lot of Usborne, anthologies, and a Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I would agree with getting a Kindle Fire. I can't imagine why it wouldn't work in Africa. I have LOTS of books on there. I would estimate that I would need about 2-3 chapter books per month for read alouds and about a book a week for each child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I would agree with getting a Kindle Fire. I can't imagine why it wouldn't work in Africa. I have LOTS of books on there. I would estimate that I would need about 2-3 chapter books per month for read alouds and about a book a week for each child. I read up on it. And it will work if you have a US Credit card but it will not stream movies or TV shows outside the US. When I first bought mine (when it first released), you couldn't buy apps and music outside the US but it seems they have changed that. And some people reported have some problems with the book store outside the US in the AZ help forums but I think they did not have a US credit card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melodiya99 Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) I'd also highly recommend a cheap kindle...we've been in mexico the last 2 months and I've downloaded tons of books for free or cheap for dd, and we've saved tons of money over buying the hard copies of books, plus it's so nice being able to an almost unlimited supply of books when I wouldn't be able to otherwise. The amount of books really depends on the kid...when we're home, dd usually reads a chapter book every day or two plus about 10-20 picture books a week. Having the kindle means we don't run out of chapter books so easily;) For the 2nd grader there's a 12 book set of the boxcar children that's about $25. Edited July 23, 2012 by Melodiya99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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