amselby81 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I'm thinking about using MFW 1st grade for next year. I know that they are revising the first grade curriculum and won't reveal it until March. I think it's going to be basically the same, but just more user friendly. Maybe I'm wrong about that. My other option is the piece together first grade on my own. This is what I would probably use: Lang. Arts: First Language Lessons 1, Writing with Ease, Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading (using it this year), Spelling Workout History/Geography: Story of the World 1 with the activity book (plus our memory work from Classical Conversations) Science: Undecided. Maybe one of the Apologia books, but I might do Sonlight. I feel like I need something laid out for me b/c I bought BFSU for this year, and I can't seem to use it. I'm just too scatter brained. I'm hoping that I can pick it up and use it before the end of this school year, but so far I've been too overwhelmed. Math: Horizons first, and maybe MUS Alpha. We're doing both this year, and to be honest, it feels like too much. But I like both of them for different reasons, and I'm not sure if I can pick one over the other. She has a very firm understanding of math concepts thus far, and I think it's b/c of using both approaches. Why am I drawn to MFW? Mainly b/c it lays it out for me. I'm doing okay this year, but I really lack organization, and she's going to have more work next year. I also want to give her more hands on activities, rather than worksheets and textbooks. I tried to use FIAR this year, but just like BFSU, I have trouble using it. It's like I do better with something that tells me exactly what to do each day. I don't do well with vague instructions. Why am I drawn to piecing it together on my own? B/c I can use what I want to. I want to do things the WTM way. I do! I just feel like I don't do it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 FLL and WWE will tell you what to do on each day. So will SOTW. I think SWO would, but I've never used it. AAS does. We use RSO for science which is also open-and-go. For math, SM with HIG would also be open-and-go. Most of the stuff in my first grader's list holds your hand and tells you what to do when. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I wanted to love MFW 1, I really did. I love MFWK (ended up supplementing math and phonics), but 1 was more of the same (not strong enough math and LA for us) and without the great activities and fun we really enjoyed in K. The old format of the TM also made me crazy, but I believe that is one thing they are addressing in the new TM. It sounds like you'd like to piece it together and what you have looks really good. I think you'll be happier with the program you set out (looks more 'rigorous' than MFW1) especially if you add a good Bible component to it. That said, my K-4er will do MFWK (spread 1 lesson/2 weeks) next fall with PR and RS math, but we'll do something else for 1st. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extrafor6 Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I was also going to say that what you are "piecing together"is much more than MFW 1st does...I did all of those with my oldest dd and now am using MFW for my youngest dd...very different philosophy and focus, but it's what I want for her because she is a young 1st grader and my view and goals have changed since I began homeschooling. All the best to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy M Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Wow, I just went through the exact same decision earlier this year. I chose not to use MFW for 1st (though I plan to use them for their 2nd-8th grade cycle), because I wanted to use something else for math and phonics. So if you want to do something different for math and phonics, it doesn't seem quite worth it to buy the TM for Bible, etc. We are using SOTW 1 and 106 Days of Creation Science from Simply Charlotte Mason, and we are really enjoying it! Especially the science, which surprises me, because I'm not a science-y person. Your choices look great to me, so I would just go with that! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amselby81 Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Thank you, everyone! I know I have a few more months before I will start to buy the curriculum for next year, but I'm back to leaning more toward piecing it together myself. And I've picked BFSU up again, and am really reading it, and it's making more sense to me. I think we can use it, along with library books, and a couple other books with just science experiments in them. DD just loved to do experiments, and I think at this age it's all about exposure and building a positive experience with science, so she doesn't grow up being scared of it. :) Thank you again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amselby81 Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Thank you, everyone! I know I have a few more months before I will start to buy the curriculum for next year, but I'm back to leaning more toward piecing it together myself. And I've picked BFSU up again, and am really reading it, and it's making more sense to me. I think we can use it, along with library books, and a couple other books with just science experiments in them. DD just loves to do experiments, and I think at this age it's all about exposure and building a positive experience with science, so she doesn't grow up being scared of it. :) Thank you again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I'm thinking about using MFW 1st grade for next year. I know that they are revising the first grade curriculum and won't reveal it until March. I think it's going to be basically the same, but just more user friendly. Maybe I'm wrong about that. My other option is the piece together first grade on my own. This is what I would probably use: Lang. Arts: First Language Lessons 1, Writing with Ease, Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading (using it this year), Spelling Workout History/Geography: Story of the World 1 with the activity book (plus our memory work from Classical Conversations) Science: Undecided. Maybe one of the Apologia books, but I might do Sonlight. I feel like I need something laid out for me b/c I bought BFSU for this year, and I can't seem to use it. I'm just too scatter brained. I'm hoping that I can pick it up and use it before the end of this school year, but so far I've been too overwhelmed. Math: Horizons first, and maybe MUS Alpha. We're doing both this year, and to be honest, it feels like too much. But I like both of them for different reasons, and I'm not sure if I can pick one over the other. She has a very firm understanding of math concepts thus far, and I think it's b/c of using both approaches. Why am I drawn to MFW? Mainly b/c it lays it out for me. I'm doing okay this year, but I really lack organization, and she's going to have more work next year. I also want to give her more hands on activities, rather than worksheets and textbooks. I tried to use FIAR this year, but just like BFSU, I have trouble using it. It's like I do better with something that tells me exactly what to do each day. I don't do well with vague instructions. Why am I drawn to piecing it together on my own? B/c I can use what I want to. I want to do things the WTM way. I do! I just feel like I don't do it well. MFW looks interesting, but honestly, there's more freedom to meet your child's needs if you choose the individual components yourself. I don't consider that to be "piecing together" anything, which implies something sort of haphazard, less-desireable, substandard. It isn't. Your dc is just six. There just isn't that much more work for a six-year-old than for a five-year-old. Really. The two most important things for a six-year-old are literacy (reading, spelling, and writing, although *I* feel less pressure to work with a six-year-old and writing skills, other than very basic things such as simple sentences, properly capitalized and punctuated), and arithmetic. Choose those first. Between FLL, WWE, and OPGTR, you'll have everything you need for literacy. And those are not vague, are they? Well, there you go. :-) If you cannot choose between MUS and Horizons, flip a coin. I know that many people use two different methods/publishers for math, but I'm suggesting that you use just one because you're overwhelmed. Science...meh ::shrugs:: I can't get worked up over having Official Science for young children. If anything, a CM-kind of science would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.