Sonlight Core K vs Five in a Row questions

[Rainbows]

Help me figure this out....Im trying to figure out how exactly a literature based program works. I like the idea of having lots of great kids literature that I can read to/with my DS and then have discussions and some activities based on those stories. DS does like arts & crafts some, but he doesn't want to do them every day. He would like to do other activities that are based on the books though.........so would that work ok with programs like Five in a Row and Sonlight?

 

I'd also like to have separate math and phonics programs (which Ive already chosen).

 

I know I *could* just get library books and come up with my own ideas....but since this is my first year HSing and we are kind of doing it last minute, plus I am juggling a 2 yr old and several older kids, I like the idea of having something planned for me.

 

I know for FIAR you read the same book every day for several days. I think DS would like it for a few days, but by day 5 he'd probably not be into it. Would it work ok if we only did it for a couple days or would that mess up the program? (I have no problem altering the program, just need an outline/starting point etc)

 

For Sonlight, do you only read parts of books daily? Or do you read the whole book? I can't remember where I read it but I think I saw some teacher guide excerpt and it had you only reading a chapter a day (but that may just apply to older levels)

 

So, any input would be great! thanks :)

[TrixieB]

For Sonlight K, you read parts of different books each day (a 2 page spread, several pages, or a chapter, depending on the book). This drove me nuts -- some of the books were so short that my dd could easily listen to much more in one sitting. It felt so choppy. So we switched to FIAR.

 

FIAR -- you don't *have* to read the book five days in a row. It worked well for us to read the book about 3 times during the week. On the days you don't re-read the book, you may want get it out to look at specific pages as part of your learning time. Sometimes you won't even want/need to do this. FIAR is really nice in that you can fine-tune it to fit your dc's needs.

 

With FIAR, you can use separate math/phonics, and the manual has language/math activities too. There are some crafts, and some times for talking about the book together. I don't know if you already have a copy of FIAR? If not, maybe your library has a copy, or I think you might be able to preview some pages at christianbook.com.

 

HTH!

[Annie Laurie]

Help me figure this out....Im trying to figure out how exactly a literature based program works. I like the idea of having lots of great kids literature that I can read to/with my DS and then have discussions and some activities based on those stories. DS does like arts & crafts some, but he doesn't want to do them every day. He would like to do other activities that are based on the books though.........so would that work ok with programs like Five in a Row and Sonlight?

 

Sure, you could add on related lapbooks or craft projects. www.homeschoolshare.com has a ton of ideas for related projects and lapbooks for FIAR and some ideas for SL books also.

 

I know for FIAR you read the same book every day for several days. I think DS would like it for a few days, but by day 5 he'd probably not be into it. Would it work ok if we only did it for a couple days or would that mess up the program? (I have no problem altering the program, just need an outline/starting point etc)

 

I don't see why there would be a problem with reading the book for fewer days, but in the manual, FIAR has different areas of learning (social studies, art, math, etc) and I think most people focus on one area and notice that area in the reading for the day, then do some related activities.

 

For Sonlight, do you only read parts of books daily? Or do you read the whole book? I can't remember where I read it but I think I saw some teacher guide excerpt and it had you only reading a chapter a day (but that may just apply to older levels)

 

So, any input would be great! thanks :)

 

You read parts of many books daily, all scheduled for you. Reading parts of different books bothers some, and they tweak by reading one whole book, then moving on to the next one. You'll have a history selection like Living Long Ago scheduled and read a page or two, then read a chapter or a few pages from the read aloud selections, then read a poem, and so on.

 

One thing to note is that FIAR consists of picture books (great selections, and many are long and complex picture books, especially in the later volumes), and SL K is mostly chapter books. So I would consider your child's attention span and if he can listen to a story without pictures. In Core K, the scheduled daily reading is short, and many of the books do have pictures, but they are often smaller ones or drawings that aren't in color.

 

Some of the Core K selections are on the mature side, so that's another consideration if your child is sensitive. (Nazis in Twenty and Ten, sad stories of babies dying and other stuff in Mary on Horseback, homelessness in The Family Under the Bridge). Some skip those selections and add in a different book and go back to the mature books later.

 

P4/5 is often used as a K curriculum, the picture books are on the more complex side.

 

If you decide on SL, I would highly recommend posting at the choosing forum there.

 

Hope something in there helped!

[The Governess]

We're using FIAR. There are usually only one or two art projects to go with each book. During a normal week, we do:

 

1) one geography lesson (which usually consists of locating the country or state we're reading about on the map, reading a couple nonfiction books that discuss the country or state, and watching a video if I can find a related one at the library)

2) one art lesson - usually drawing or painting a picture using the same techniques that the book illustrator used

3) one bible/character study (talking about the morals or choices presented in the book)

4) one simple science lesson (an experiment or learning about a substance or animal, etc.)

5) we also cook a recipe from the FIAR cookbook that goes along with the story.

 

We use separate math, handwriting, and phonics curricula. Some weeks we only read the FIAR book 3 times, other times we do it all 5 days. It depends on the week, and the book. =) There are plenty of other suggested activities in the books that you can use; my dd is only 4 so I chose the ones that were most interesting to her and were more geared toward her age.

 

I've never used Sonlight so I can't comment on that. I love the flexibility of FIAR and so far we've enjoyed all of the books (I think we've gone through 6 so far this year).

 

Hope that helps!!

[Rainbows]

So far, its sounds like FIAR would be a better match for us. My DS would much prefer picture books to chapter books....I don't think I could hold his attention if there wasn't something to look at (at least not at his age)

 

Where is the best place to get the FIAR volume 1 book? I'd like to get that and try to get some of the books from the library or find them used

 

thanks!

[The Governess]

There are usually copies being auctioned on ebay!

[Annie Laurie]

Check the for sale board here or you can find it new at www.fiveinarow.com

[Penelope]

You could always do both. :)

 

We used FIAR for K and had a great time with it. I also read chapter books aloud, including many of the SL K books, the ones that were more fun and less intense. There are a couple of books from SL1 that are also great for RA for this age-- Mr. Popper's Penguins is one that I remember. When I started reading chapter books aloud with my kids, I started with only a few pages at a time, until they'd start getting restless, not even a whole chapter.

[Rainbows]

I think I'll try FIAR and see how that goes...and then use the list of books from Sonlight and either just have those as read alouds (DS would love if I'd read all day long!) What attracted me to Sonlight was their book lists

[Mamasteff]

It depends on your child's interests and personality. Now that I have another one coming up in a couple of years, I am planning to do FIAR with her. I have started doing a modified B4FIAR with her. It is hard to find the books, but well worth it. At 2, she has already memorized 3 of the stories that we read once a day for 5 days, and now has stories to tell in the car, and is applying what she has seen and learned.

 

So my personal votes is: FIAR. (but I do like the logically sequenced science and social studies of SL).

[Free Indeed]

Just wanted to chime in here and let you know you can do both- kinda. ;) If you go to http://www.homeschoolshare.com you will find a list of FIAR books and it matches the FIAR book with a Sonlight title as a read aloud so you are getting to do both, but they are related somehow in theme. :D Just wanted to share that with you. http://www.homeschoolshare.com/general_resources.php matches FIAR books with various other products- the Sonlight matching is the last one listed there.

[Tabrett]

SL doesn't have any activities to go along with the book you read. You just read, period. If you want some hands-on activities I would go with FAIR.

The only hands-on activities in SL is the science experiments.