MFW K for 4yo reader - need help supplementing

[scrapper4life]

This question is for a friend of mine. Her daughter is about to turn 4 and has read through all the Bob Books and is able to decode compound words, -ing/-er/etc. words, and so on. She will read 6-7 readers at a sitting and still ask to keep going! She's super motivated and my friend wants to foster that but is trying to keep a gentle approach because she is just 4yo. She ordered MFW K to start with her this fall because her daughter asks to do school work. She LOVES workbooks! My friend looked through the MFW manual and is concerned because her daughter is far past all the phonics (and math for that matter) in the entire K year. She is second-guessing her choice and wondering how she can keep it gentle while meeting her dd's desire for learning. I'll say it again, this little girl is eager!!

 

Any suggestions for ways to beef up MFW K? She is wondering if she should just return it and get something else if she has to supplement phonics and math. It seems like a lot of money to spend on book lists and craft/theme ideas. What do you think? I have not used MFW K so I am not very helpful to her, but the Hive is always helpful to me :)

 

BTW she wants open-and-go and her daughter loves worksheets.

[boscopup]

I had one of those. To be honest, I didn't really have to teach him phonics and reading. I let him use a K math program at 4 (Singapore Essentials K). And I let him read. I also read to him a lot. He did school only when he asked, though that was most days because he wanted to be like big brothers! Now he's a rising second grader and he corrects his rising 7th grader brother's spelling. So his phonics knowledge is solid without ever doing a full phonics program. With kids like that, you don't necessarily need curriculum for them to continue. Just let them keep going.

 

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[cbollin]

In the 2nd edition, there is a list of some ideas (big picture, not day to day micromanaging ideas) for how to use that program with a student who is already reading, but everything else is age appropriate. 

 

My experience may be different from others as we used it long enough ago that it was first edition.  The "phonics" became "spelling lessons" and penmanship practice.  Then read what you want (the second edition has some several hundred library book ideas).  Everything was fun and age appropriate so I didn't worry on that.  The music lessons were appreciate and early childhood music movement/art.  I had my children who used mfw k make the crafts they best they could on their own. well, ok, I did make a model too.  I still laugh at times with the toilet paper penguin I made.  used the c.rods as flippers. 

 

all of mine were "ahead" of the lesson plans for what they knew with phonics and blending.  But weren't older than their age, so it was more about fine motor skills, enjoying books.  Do hands on math.  and then play educational computer games, play outside.  and make a mess that was usually easy to clean.   Have fun with the stuff in the deluxe package like music, and C rod thinking skills book.

 

of course, it may help to say that was not with my first born.  If I had done mfw k with first born, I would have poo poo'ed it.  I had things to prove to grandparents about homeschooling and was still learning the ropes.  But it fun with other kids.  And no body was held back from reading.   We'd read out loud to them.  They could practice with us (yes, even my special needs autism one). 

 

 

ps: thanks for letting me have a memory lane moment...  youngest starts high school in a few weeks. :)

Edited June 9, 2016 by cbollin