MFW Adventures vs Sonlight A and C?

[staceyobu]

I would like to return next year to using a curriculum that includes daily lesson plans and I want to own most of the items so I don't have to depend on library trips.

 

My original plan was to return to Sonlight. I have used their Core P4/5 and Core A and really enjoyed them both. I would put my 3rd grader in Core C and my 1st grader in Core A. I cannot combine them in Sonlight because my oldest has already completed Core P4/5, A, and read most of the books from Core B. I really feel that there is too much good literature to have her repeat an entire core. I also think she would get really bent out of shape over it. My plan for the future would be to combine my two middle ones. They are slightly closer in age than my oldest two and that would prevent me from running 4 cores in the future.

 

However, I am now considering MFW Adventures for the oldest two. We could do an easy year together... then I could always jump to Sonlight the next year and put the oldest in one core and the middle two in core A. Or, if we liked MFW, we could just move into the five year cycle and not return to Sonlight.

 

Which of those plans sounds better?

 

A few questions on Adventures....

 

My current k'er is reading well (second grade level now) and we have lots of time before we start next years curriculum. So, reading wise, I think he would be fine for Adventures. He seems to be an average writer for K or maybe a bit behind (he still struggles with letter formation) MFW recommends the child be able to write several sentences. How easy is that to lighten up? MFW also says the child should be ready to do school for 3.5 hours? Does it really take that long to get through Adventures? Can I just let him off the hook for parts of it to lighten the load? I have NO plans of running MFW Adventures and 1st. If I have to use two programs, Sonlight wins.

 

Also, I'm a bit worried about the book basket vs Sonlight sending me everything needed. My understanding is that MFW includes all the read alouds but not readers. What about ordering Sonlight readers to go with MFW? I really worry that if I have to check books out of the library, it won't happen consistently.

 

Thanks for any help!

[Mom2TheTeam]

I haven't done Adv., just MFW K and 1st which we have really enjoyed a lot. So, I can't really help much. I can say that you don't have to use the book basket. It's suggested and there are extensive books listed, but you don't have to use it. We are using it next year and looking forward to it. I don't have any issue with the library. I just put everything I want on hold through the computer and run in and pick them up and return. But, I don't always get there as soon as I want and it can be annoying. So, I can understand not wanting to feel dependent on it.

 

At any rate, I wanted to give you a little bump. Good luck! :)

[kajm]

I won't be able to answer all your questions, but I hope I can shed some light on some of them.

 

I am currently using MFW Adventures with my 2nd and 3rd graders. I have not used Sonlight but looked at it quite a bit as I was strongly considering it. I can tell you I am glad I went with MFW Adventures. My kids have learned so much and we have hit things from different mediums to help it "stick". For instance, although we read books, it's not the only thing. We may also watch a video, build something with a hands on project, make a notebook page, listen to an audiobook, cook something (like corncakes during our Pilgrim study), etc. I feel my kids' retention rate with MFW is very good. I also love the integrated Bible Study.

 

That said, I do love some of the Sonlight book choices, so in answer to one of your questions, I think getting some of their books to compliment Adventures would be a great idea. Like Mom2TheTeam, I also reserve books at the library and then just pick them up, but they don't have everything.

 

I haven't used Adventures with a 1st grader, but I suspect one of the reasons MFW suggests a child be able to write several sentences is due to the notebooking pages. However, since I have a child with "writing issues", I have sometimes written in pencil what we wanted to write on our notebook page (usually just a few sentences) and then had him just copy right on top of my penciled writing with a thin-tipped marker. That way he's writing it while at the same time correctly practicing how letters are made.

 

Beginning with Adventures, you the parent can choose what LA and Math you would like your child to do. I have really liked this since I need to "personalize" that a bit for our issues. While MFW makes recommendations in both areas, you don't have to use their recommendations. They don't tie into the rest of the Adventures study. Just get what your children need at the stage they're at. To me, this is one of the pluses of MFW - you don't have to buy something you're not going to use as these things are not included in their package prices.

 

As for the time, we're taking about 3.5 to 4 hours a day, but understand we have added some things in due to dyslexia/dysgraphia issues. So without those, you're probably still looking at 3 to 3.5 hours or so, but it can be broken up. For instance, do the read alouds as bedtime stories. Also, a 1st graders math might not take as long, or something like that. But the thing is, not all of it is book work, so it doesn't seem like a drag of school, if that makes sense.

 

PS: My son just ran in and asked "Have you told her how much we love it?!" I guess that's as good as a recommendation gets!

[roanna]

We have done Sonlight B+C and are 4 weeks into Adventures.

 

Here are some things I have noticed between the two....

 

Sonlight felt rushed for reading. It just felt like a lot to me. Adventures feels very doable. Maybe too light for those that like heavy reading.

 

The student pages are very easy and they recommend that you buy another for anyone over 3. My 3 yr old is not interested but I am sure a 5 yr old would get something out of it. It is totally not above their heads. The activities I think would also interest a 5 yr old. We are doing window wax sheet things with crayons (whatever you call that) making tinfoil boats to race in the bathtub for Vikings. My son has really enjoyed the history read alouds. He steals them to read more.

 

As for the book basket I am using some of the books from SL that we didn't get to read for our book basket. You can use any books you want, it's not "must use this book". But they have some good lists for each week.

 

I like that there will be keepsake type of things with the student activity pages...like notebooking narration types, coloring maps, etc.

 

Personally as long as you would not be disappointed with lack of MOUNDS of books that you got from SL I think you'd be very happy and relieved to do both children on this curriculum.

 

The 3-3 1/2 hours is including all the other subjects...spelling, math, etc. Just the MFW part probably takes an hour...or less. By the way I LOVE R&S spelling, which they recommend.

[mymommy1]

I wanted to add basically what the last poster did. We did MFW Adventures when my son was in 1st. The reading was not too long or above him. I just picked book basket books for his level. There would be so many more books for a 3rd grader to get from the library. Then the main text would be enough for your younger child. We loved Adventures for the layout, books, activities, notebook pages. I did most of the writing on the pages; my son drew. Most of the pages would be easy to replicate for a younger child as many have a picture and space to write. Then the state pages and cards were fun. I did get tired of them after a while, but we just took a break and started again.

 

On reading level, we just did the MFW books as read-alouds and did something separate for child's reading. It's not quite like the readers set from SL, so you could use the SL readers for each child or just get some other books.

 

I totally understand wanting to have the books on hand. I reserve books online and pick them up, but it is super nice to know that what I must have is on the shelf. After Adventures, we moved to SL Core B. One thing I always felt with MFW was that I was missing some books, like not getting the classics, or something. I don't think that's an honest evaluation of their program, just a feeling I had. I don't get that with SL, but I do feel that we are missing the activities and sometimes can't keep up. Probably the perfect plan would be MFW Adventures (or other core) and buy the book. If only we had that money!

 

Really, either of your plans will work. I think Adventures with two (even with some library trips for extras) would be easier than two SL cores. The library books really are extra. I don't think they aren't learning enough without them, but if you are a big reading family (as most of us are), you will want a few extra here and there. Probably some for the 3rd to read alone.

 

One last thing to consider: Where would you put them if you went back to SL? If at grade level, your 3rd turned 4th would be in SL D and E, American history again. Is that okay with you or not?

[Mommy22alyns]

I would like to return next year to using a curriculum that includes daily lesson plans and I want to own most of the items so I don't have to depend on library trips.

 

My original plan was to return to Sonlight. I have used their Core P4/5 and Core A and really enjoyed them both. I would put my 3rd grader in Core C and my 1st grader in Core A. I cannot combine them in Sonlight because my oldest has already completed Core P4/5, A, and read most of the books from Core B. I really feel that there is too much good literature to have her repeat an entire core. I also think she would get really bent out of shape over it. My plan for the future would be to combine my two middle ones. They are slightly closer in age than my oldest two and that would prevent me from running 4 cores in the future.

 

However, I am now considering MFW Adventures for the oldest two. We could do an easy year together... then I could always jump to Sonlight the next year and put the oldest in one core and the middle two in core A. Or, if we liked MFW, we could just move into the five year cycle and not return to Sonlight.

 

Which of those plans sounds better?

 

A few questions on Adventures....

 

My current k'er is reading well (second grade level now) and we have lots of time before we start next years curriculum. So, reading wise, I think he would be fine for Adventures. He seems to be an average writer for K or maybe a bit behind (he still struggles with letter formation) MFW recommends the child be able to write several sentences. How easy is that to lighten up? MFW also says the child should be ready to do school for 3.5 hours? Does it really take that long to get through Adventures? Can I just let him off the hook for parts of it to lighten the load? I have NO plans of running MFW Adventures and 1st. If I have to use two programs, Sonlight wins.

 

Also, I'm a bit worried about the book basket vs Sonlight sending me everything needed. My understanding is that MFW includes all the read alouds but not readers. What about ordering Sonlight readers to go with MFW? I really worry that if I have to check books out of the library, it won't happen consistently.

 

Thanks for any help!

 

 

Sylvia did Adventures as a first grader and did extremely well. Not a single problem. It definitely didn't take 3.5 hours either! I bought some Sonlight books to put in the book basket and add as read alouds. I also purchased the D'Aulaire's books for American explorers/heroes and we added those in. It is very easy to lighten up if your younger is needing to write less.

 

I have done SL P 4/5 and B (1 at the time). Then we did Adventures and I've stuck with MFW. The girls have learned, retained, and had a lot of fun with MFW. The activities make a huge difference for us. The girls thrive on them. Our SL year was a disaster because they were so bored. This is just my personal experience with the two programs. It would also be much easier to combine them in Adventures than run 2 cores. If you have any other questions, just LMK and I'd be happy to help!

[staceyobu]

Thanks everyone for the great insights! This is really helpful.

 

One last thing to consider: Where would you put them if you went back to SL? If at grade level, your 3rd turned 4th would be in SL D and E, American history again. Is that okay with you or not?

 

If I decided to go back to sonlight after a year of Adventures, I would put my oldest into Core D and my middle two into Core A. I'm a little conflicted about my oldest getting three straight years of US history. I also think that I could supplement Adventures with the readers from Core D and E. However, if i supplement with those readers, I would not be able to use them with the sonlight cores if we want to return. However, if we were to choose to stay with MFW, then I could be losing an opportunity to use the books! I feel like I need a plan for the next couple of years... I'm just not sure what I want it to be!

[kajm]

I feel like I need a plan for the next couple of years... I'm just not sure what I want it to be!

 

I felt the same way. My advice would be to look at the long-term (or at least the next few years) plan of each program and decide which suits you better. I really felt comfortable with MFW Adventures giving us a year of American History at their age level, since that is where we live, then a year of world geography before diving into world history. That way, when we start world history, they will have an idea of where things took place due to the geography year. Also, I think everything with MFW is targeted to the age level of the child and not to mature of content nor talking down to them.

 

I have already purchased MFW ECC for next year. If, after that, we decide to do another world history program, I feel we'll be ready. (Although I don't foresee us changing, it's good to know we have options!)