General Ideas for My Father's World From A to Z

[Marie]

General ideas for My Father's World From A to Z -- ideas that are not specific to just one lesson

[Donna]

Author: Donna
Date: 8/21/2003

We love MFW --Kindergarten. I made a notebook for my 5 and 3 yo with page protectors in it. I copied the front page of the handbook ( in color) and put it on the front of their notebook. We are on day 4 of creation and they love it!

My 3 yo is just doing what he can with us. But he is welcome at the table.

After we do each activity we are putting them in the page protectors in their notebook--They are SO PROUD of their work. They can also flip through and show dad their work without damaging the pages.

Thought I'd share our joy with this great curriculum. We also sing -- God's beautiful World along with the other suggested songs.

This is my 3rd child to start schooling. THANKS for a wonderful curriculum.

OH-- we also laminated the ABC cards so they will last and can be handled.

[Lindsay]

I just ran across a book we've had for years.
It's called Monkey See, Monkey Do: An Animal Exercise Book for You, by Anita Holsonback w/rhymes by Deb Adamson. It is a cute book that has all kinds of animal "walks" for you to do. It's great motor planning for kids this age (per my son's Occupational Therapist).
It includes lots of animals, but the ones related to MFW K are:
elephant, frog, horse, kangaroo, turtle, caterpillar (butterfly), penguin, and grasshopper (insect).
I would bet most libraries would carry this.
Blessings,
Lindsay

[Lindsay]

Usborne has a simple drawing book called I Can Draw Animals by Ray Gibson. They are cute simple drawings and break it down step by step, similar to a simple Draw Write Now book.
The animals they have related to MFW-K are:
frog, horse, turtle, bee (insect).

Another simple animal drawing book is Animals, by Joan Holub, published by Price Stern Sloan. There are many simple animals to draw in this one too, but the only one directly related to MFW-K is the elephant.

If you are trying to supplement for an older child doing K with your younger child, you can also try the series, Draw Write Now books (includes handwriting practice) by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer. My 7 year old didn't like to draw before he was introduced to these books (and the ones above). Now he can't get enough.

Blessings,
Lindsay

[Lisa Dickinson]

Hi,

www.billybear4kids.com
*** step by step drawing lessons for FROG, PENGUIN,BIRD, FISH, BUTTERFLY, DINOSAUR, FOX,Elephant and more!

You can print out the sheet or do step by step online. Same idea as I can draw! books- but FREE!

Note- option for badges, just do big circles and have child draw animal and write the bible promise on it.
can purchase a reusable button badge at craft store so child can wear their badge. Idea for boys especially.

Lisa Dickinson
Colorado

[pruegert]

My son already knows his alphabet (upper and lower case), so I decided to teach him his letters in sign language. He is learning the 2 or 3 letters each day during the Creation lesson. He's doing very well and likes to show off his new knowledge to grandparents and friends.

Also, I give most credit to his knowledge of ABC's to watching the videos he got last Christmas. If you haven't seen them yet, I HIGHLY recommend the videos by Leap Frog: Letter Factory and Talking Words Factory. They're so much fun and very educational. After watching the first one only once or twice at the age of 3-1/2, he knew all of his letters and their sounds. After watching the second one a couple of times, he started sounding out words on signs. He even pronounced "RX" on the sign at the pharmacy! Great videos!

Cindy

[Lindsay]

My boys enjoyed this book from the library:
ABC Animal Riddles by Susan Joyce

[Lindsay]

I taught my 5 year old son the pledge of allegiance and we say it each morning, after our Bible time and calendar. I didn't just want him saying a bunch of words he didn't understand. I found a cute book at the library that he (and my 7 year old son) liked. It's Uncle Sam and the Flag by Dr. Lee Mountain. It is illustrated with animals, Uncle Sam as an eagle and other animals asking questions about the meaning of words in the pledge. It is written in rhyme. We enjoyed it.
Blessings,
Lindsay

[Lori]

I want to start by saying what a great time we have had with My Father's World this fall! It has been a wonderful experience for my children and me -- far surpassing my (very high) expectations.

We found a fun book at our local bookstore entitled Eric Carle's ANIMALS ANIMALS. It is filled with short poems, proverbs, haiku and sayings for many of the animals we will be studying this year... butterfly, sea turtle, octopus, insect, cow, fox, elephant, kangaroo, tortoise, dinosaur, bird's nest, penguin, horse and frog.

The softcover edition retails for only $7.99.

Lori

[Liesl A.]

Here is a great book for each week: Alphabet Art, by Judy Press.

[lkselby]

My daughter invented a new game today while we did a salt tray for her tactile activity. She decided she would draw part of a letter (or number) and I would have to guess what it was going to be. After I guessed, she would finish the letter. She sometimes gave clues to help me out. This game kept her writing longer than usual.

[pruegert]

In the horse unit I did an image search for 'horse diagram' and it brought up many different pictures with TONS of body parts, and some only had a few. One I found even had a diagram of a saddled horse with directions on how to properly saddle a horse.

The reason I am posting it here is because you could probably do an image search on most of the topics to help with the science lessons. It's a lot of fun!

[Aj]

For each MFW unit I had a bad habit of keeping the book basket in my office and only bringing out the books on the sixth day. I Slowly started scattering books around the house-- places where the kids congregate and get cozy--strategically placing all the non-fiction books we take out of the library for each unit. I noticed my daughter would pick up a book and just spend time looking at the photos, coming to me asking questions--it has been wonderful. I now put books for the unit we are covering in the pockets for the back seat passengers. My daughters sit in their carseats looking at the pages asking questions, and when I have to return the books for that particular unit, we know they all have been well read. We spend atleast an hour hunting for the all the books that need to be returned to the library, and of course we already have several in our car which makes it easy to find those. I love to see my girls 5 and 18months enjoying their books, and it seems they really learn more when books are available, the environment is relaxed and Mom is not actively involved. *U*

[Saramommy123]

Factual Book Suggestion: I'd like to see an informational book that covers the factual stuff about each "letter,theme." This would make is so much easier than having to go the the library for books on "apple" or "butterfly" etc. Granted, some weeks we have really enjoyed our trips to the library, but some weeks we have not made it. Those were the weeks where I wished that I had something I could just open up and show them. It would be nice if this was an add on, instead of required.

LA suggeston: I found the the LA was too slow moving for my daughter. It seems perfect for a child who is about 4. My daughter was 5 when we started. She was not advanced in LA when we began, so I think that may be an issue for other people as well? I would like to see more for them to do, or suggestions for kids who are bored with the LA.

Books or Read alouds suggestion: Instead of calling day 6 book day, and not scheduling books the other days, I'd encourage people to read to them every day, and just make it a 5 day program. (Then if the nubers don't add up for a full year, just throw something else in at the end of the year. Or encourage people to take a few weeks off or something.) There are so many great books out there. It would be really easy to offer suggestions of additonal read-alouds. We found so many wonderful storeis to read each week that went along with the theme.

But overal, we loved MFW K! Super program! The charcter building themes were wonderful. As I tell everyone I talk to about this curriculum, they minister to the mother as much as the children. : ) Thank you!

Sara

[OkieLiz]

If you like posters, God's World Book Club [www.gwbc.com] has a few that relate: Cow (cheese and dairy poster); Horse poster; Space poster; and my favorite - the Pond Life poster. They are $1.95 each, they but they are thin and folded.

[ShariD]

As others have noted, we, too use more books with our lessons. Our library has a wonderful on-line system where I can browse the catalog and reserve the books. They pull them off the shelves and I can go in a couple days later and pick up a whole stack of books on the subject we are studying in just a few minutes! My goal is to read one non-fiction and one fiction book each day on the subject we are studying. Then I let the children have the books to carry around the house and look at. This is working well for us.

My son is already reading, so I am also adapting the curriculum by skipping some of the LA activities that he is well beyond and encouraging him to do more reading aloud, spelling (using the blend ladder and crepe letters) and writing. He loves the science topics and all of the subjects we are covering.

Thanks for a great curriculum!

[mom2alex2]

I don't know about you but I am having a bit of trouble remembering all the "quotes" with each theme. (i.e., Sun - "Jesus is the light of the World.") So, I started writing them with a sharpie on the back of that theme's letter card. This way all I have to do it show the card and it's right on the back for me. I hope this time savers help you too!

Forgetful Mom,

Lisa
Wife to James, 8 yrs.
Mom to Alex (5), Trinity (3) & Jordyn (1)

P.S. I didn't want to use a pen or pencil because I thought you would be able to see the indents of the writing on the picture side...just a thought.

[ariasni]

Just a few ideas I have been using this year...my two yr old dd even enjoys them:
1. Sign language -- with each letter I teach the sign and then the sign (if I can find it) for the word for the week (I use http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm to look up most of them). I also have a very simple book that teaches the alphabet and a few words for each letter. We try to learn those too.

2. Spanish -- I also teach the spanish word for whatever we are studying for the week. I also try to find books in spanish about the subject or the book of the week in spanish too.

3. Badges -- We too do not have a place to wear our badges so we make it and my dd puts it on her door and shows them off when we have visitors. It is a nice reminder to her when she goes in and out of her room. We are on week 10 and we already have a nice collection.

4. www.first-school.ws has many good ideas for many of the weeks, including lots of coloring pages

We switched to MFW from SL in November and have really enjoyed every minute of it. I have a 5 yr old dd, an almost 3 yr old dd and a 4 month old dd. MFW really fits with our family. It is really gentle but encourages so much learning. My 2 yr old really feels like she is a part of school even though she is just in and out, but she knows what we are learning about each week and has already learned so much. She even knows the phases of the moon. I am very thankful for this cur. and plan to stay for many years. Thank you!!!

[humpty]

I have found that there is a Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Book for almost every lesson in MFWK. Since my house burned, I don't have encyclopedias and have found these to be a great resource for facts and beautiful pictures that will last throughout a child's schooling. I love them as well. In K, we just look at the pictures and read a few facts. Most libraries carry all of them, too.
Here is my list:

Creation Earth
Sun (Space) Light
Moon (Space) Space, Space Exploration
Leaf Tree, Plant
Apple Tree, Plant
Nest (animal homes) Bird
Turtle Reptile
Us (5 senses) Human Body, Skeleton
Dinosaur Dinosaur
Octopus Ocean, Shark, Whale, Seashore, Shell
Water Pond & River, Fish, Weather
Insect Insect
Goat (farm animals) Farm, Mammal
Cow (farm animals) Farm, Mammal
Horse (farm animals) Horse, Farm, Mammal
Elephant (wild animals) Elephant, Africa, Mammal
Penguin (wild animals) Artic & Antarctic, Mammal
Kangaroo (wild animals) Mammal
Zebra (wild animals) Africa
Rock Rocks & Minerals, Volcano & Earthquakes
Jewel Crystal & Gem
Butterfly (life cycles) Butterfly & Moth
Frog (life cycles) Amphibian
Fox Mammal
Vegetables Plant
Quail (birds) Bird, Eagle & Birds of Prey
Yellow (colors)

[Marsi]

Here are some ideas of ways to embellish the reading activities: On Day 3's worksheet (the one with the cut and paste words to match the pictures), my daughter and I take turns telling a story that must include all the words from the page. This has gotten more fun (and crazy!) over time, and is her favorite language activity of the week. I've noticed that her stories are getting more sophisticated as well, and have beginning, middle, and end. For the backside of the Day 4 worksheet, with all the word lists, I have her look for a word that rhymes with ____, or that begins/ends with a ___ sound, for variety. Then, for the day 5 worksheet, she chooses 4 words out of her own imagination that begin with the letter of the week, and tries to spell them on our little white board. Once we get the spelling right, she copies them onto her paper, and illustrates. This allows her to think of fun, big words that she really wants to draw, instead of the short, perhaps uninteresting words.

[mom2five]

We bought an extra set of flashcards and sticky tac(ed) them to our boys bedroom wall like a border. It has been a great visual!

Also, for this year to really add depth to our k program I purchased World Book 2006 CD-ROM. I am delighted with it. It was INEXPENSIVE at Amazon.com! And it will make it so much more enjoyable and easier for me as it is hard for me to get to the library every week with five very young children! This will really help as every unit recommends using the encyclopedia!

Hope this helps someone!
Blessings!

[Kimberly- OK]

I just received MFW and am looking through to prepare for "school". I used Abeka K4 for my son last year which used a different twist on the well known Old McDonald song. Instead of E-I-E-I-O use the vowels (A-E-I-O-U) The verses would use an animal for the short vowel sound for each letter (cat-a, hen-e, pig-i, dog-o, and duck-u). You could still say the animal noise or repeat the short vowel sound instead. This will help teach what the vowels are and what the short sound of each is. I thought it was wonderful. My son had trouble with short e until we sang this several times. My son keeps asking to start school "today". I'm excited about this year's possibilities!

Happy Schoolin'
Kimberly
Mom of Noah-4 and Kaity-2

[Mom2MnS]

Hi :) Something we are really enjoying with each lesson is making a book at the end of each unit. We usually do it over two days (add it in to day 5 & day 6). We title them "My Book About _______" written & illustrated by ________. I sit down on day 5 with my dd and she tells me 9 or 10 things she has learned about the subject. Then we read them over and put them in order that tells a story. That evening, I make the pages of the book from card stock, punch the holes & reinforce them, and write the words on the pages for her (one statement per page). On day 6 after book day activities we complete our own book! We read the pages one by one and she illustrates them. We bind it and read it together :)
So far, she has written:
My Book About the Sun, My Book About the Moon, and My Book About Leaves
She loves them, and usually has her Daddy read them to her at bedtime.
WLIC, Quinne

[happymom~]

Alphabet Avalanche- I love these things! I use them to make words for my son to practice reading. They work so well. I thought I would pass on something that works for us.

Also when we sing the ABC song we sing it once with the letter names and once with the letter sounds. It sounds so cool!

[kenziekylanmom]

I have been so encouraged and we can't wait to get started! We are starting mid-year but I think it's going to be great!
I noticed that the www.janbrett.com website has so many wonderful activities that pertain to the Kindergarten and the first grade.

I have been using the first grade curriculum for my dd (when we talked about Noahs ark we printed out the Noah's ark mural and cut out and colored everything and then glued it to butcher paper and it made a WONDERFUL mural they also have the mural of the ocean and many other things) and we just decided on the k program for my ds so I can't wait to get started!

Thanks,
Jennifer Wedemeyer
mommy to Kenzie 6 yrs old (Korea)
and Kylan 5 yrs old (Korea)