My kids aren't big into "doing" art but they do like to study paintings and learn about artists. I think I'll get it and we can then decide if we want to do the first lessons this summer. I thought I'd pick three artists (Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Norman Rockwell) and spend a couple of months studyin...

Thank you, Julie! Your thoughts about "easy classics" is just exactly what I've been thinking. He is a big reader. He prefers those type of books ("easy classics") and non-fiction. I will look through your posts for ideas. I don't want to overdo the history readings, that I know. He has read ALOT of...

MFW has always been my Plan for HS. I did waiver on that for some time because we could beef up and it would be fine. But, I've put alot of thought and prayer into it and we are definitely going with MFW for HS. I like the scope and sequence. I like the works that have been chosen for the structured...

Well, I'm just coming back to MFW after a period of burn out. I was trying to do way too much. I've decided that I am not going to add any other curriculum even though my son already knows alot about the science that we'll be covering in ECC. We used MFW for second grade and I didn't add any science...

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 5:34 pm Whew! I feel so much better. Right after I posted my question, it occurred to me that after having taught ECC, I will have a more thorough knowledge to just make me a better teacher. Also, after really considering it, it looks like I'll have my youngest sitting in o...

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 6:36 pm My son started K right after the first of the new year. He will be five in May. We are now on lessons three and four. He absolutely loves it. I am also using Adventures with my 2nd grader. Because I am doing both, and I try to do everything, it's looking like our K ...

Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:09 pm I can completely understand that difficulty in making a decision and then having to live with it, too! I can so relate to what you are going through. I wish I was able to articulate the advantages, to me, of MFW. The best way that I can explain it is to say that I ...

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2007 10:09 pm MFW-1st does teach phonograms. When I was teaching First, I was very stressed out and worried. I had never taught a child to read before, so I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to be teaching... I just knew we had to cover those phonograms! By the end of the yea...

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 3:39 pm I wanted to add that my son is NOT a hands on learner. He is actually an auditory learner. We used a literature based curriculum last year for K. We loved all the reading and he learned alot. But, I still felt he needed some hands on things just because I think it i...

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 8:27 pm Is there a particular area that you are most concerned about... as far as, if that is academic enough? Are you wondering mostly about skill development (how to write a research paper, how to conduct a science experiment) or are you more concerned with the content le...

Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 8:52 am I wouldn't worry about it. I'd keep doing the pages but expect for spelling skills to improve very gradually. I bet it's a maturity issue. I've decided to take a leisurely approach to spelling until around age ten when we'll do a more complete study of the rules. In...

I'm teaching K and ADV now and I would not change a thing. I try to do everything in both, so I generally take longer than six days to do the K lessons. Sometimes, it may take me two weeks to do everything. It doesn't really matter. What I wanted to share is that the programs coordinate very, very w...

I like to overall attention to detail that Marie has shown throughout. I have found this in First Grade and Adventures, too. She has really thought of everything. I like that K is easy to teach, simple, flexible, and doable for me. The themes are just long enough that my son is learning but short en...

My boys love to make a volcano. We take a plastic bottle, place it in a baking dish, cover it with dirt/sand, until just the tip is poking out. We color the vinegar red with food coloring. Then, we use a funnel to get the baking soda down into the bottle. Then, you pour the red vinegar into the bott...

Truthfully, this is a myth that has somehow developed about MFW. I have used 2 previous programs and I own another which I've looked over very thoroughly and have a good feel for. Great curriculum, but not any more academic than MFW even though I hear that all the time. In my opinion, MFW is just as...

Another thing to not neglect is adding extra reading material. My son always did very well with the phonics lessons in the workbook, but he sometimes struggled with the reader. When that happened, I would take a few days off from MFW all together. Instead, he would read books like The Cat in the Hat...

Our first day of Adventures was today! Starting with the Thanksgiving unit has been very enjoyable. The Bible for today is the same text that our pastor spoke on yesterday. Both of my boys loved the pumpkin activities. My second grader said this was the best science experiment he has ever done... an...

I work on an "as needed" basis. I am a relief worker. So, I am only called when a regular employee has to be away from their job. Our agency has four relief workers. It's ok for me to say "no" when they call but I try not to do it very often, because I want to be a reliable employee. I feel very ble...

Thanks for the encouragement! I feel so blessed because all I've really been waiting on is the Lord. Such a personal God that we serve! Crystal - I woke up during the night last night and thought that we would definitely make Thanksgiving special this year. We will have plenty of time to plan becaus...

One question, do you think it would be too much to add more readers in with the MFW 1 program? Thanks. No, it won't be too much! I wouldn't worry about scheduling them though. My son used readers at bedtime to practice. I didn't require him to read them but we did encourage it by sitting them on th...

Would it be too late to change over to MFW 1 and use their phonics program? Maybe start later into it? What is a typical day of reading/writing/phonics/spelling in the 1st grade program? Is there any spelling? Thanks. Yes, we did! When we switched to MFW First Grade, it was truly a miracle for us. ...

discouraged... Ok...I'm in desperate need of some encouragement and/or advice! I will start with a typical day: I get my 12 month old settled with some toys and call my other 3 children to the table with high hopes and feeling very excited at what they will learn today. Reluctantly they sit at the ...

My son began first grade when he was six and reading three letter words. He did not want to learn to read at all but I had been reading out loud to him for at least one hour a day since he was four. Before he had even finished all of the phonics workbook, reading just clicked for him. By the end of ...

In my opinion, a seven year old can not be behind in math. We are very relaxed with math and plan to stay that way until age ten when the child's brain takes a huge developmental leap. Singapore is an advanced program. The levels of Singapore have nothing to do with grades. The children in Singapore...

I've read the math pages in the TM, but I'm a very visual person and sometimes just reading it doesn't click with me. Does anyone have any pointers, or could you just briefly walk me through what a couple of math lessons are like? I hope this makes sense, it's late and that's probably part of my pr...