Academics - Do I add more if K is easy or child doesn't want to stop?!

[kellybell]

We are on Lesson 4 in MFWK. My 5.5 ds enjoys the Science integrated with the Bible. I am wondering if I should try to implement the other materials I have available, which he likes. I'm not sure the best way to schedule this.. BTW, my ds is advanced in his ability to retain and comprehend chapter books, and he begs for them!

Brenda

Brenda,

Well, don't go against DH. That said, I really, really think that MFWK is so "appropriate" for kindergarten aged kids, including advanced kids. Whether a child is average or advanced (or perhaps a little behind) MFWK captures what a child is interested in at this age (animals, space, etc.) as well as what a child should be working on spiritually (such as obedience, God's care for them).

I'd recommend going with what is enjoyable and appropriate (MFWK) and using extra time for chapter books and the like. MFWK doesn't take up much of your day and I'm guessing, even with other commitments you mention, you'll have time for reading a chapter book at quiet time or before bed. You could even tie in the chapter books to the MFW themes. Get a book on farm life during all those farm animals, get one on space during sun and moon.

[Omma]

Thanks for your input, Kelly. Your right about MFWK capturing what children are interested in.

I wouldn't trade the material I got from MFWK for anything! We have ALL (teacher and students) learned so much already from this curriculum!

Brenda

[kellybell]

I just started the Kindergarten curriculum with my 5yo dd this week, and I love it - except it takes about 1/2 hour per day and as far as I can tell is all stuff she knows already. Any suggestions? Do I pick up the pace and then move on to 1st grade when we finish?

Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 2:10 pm

The creation unit that starts MFWK is light on purpose. When you get to the letters (starting with sun), you'll see that each day has some activities as well as the yellow pages of phonics. If you want, start the hundreds chart now with beans and such for some math activities.

Enjoy the ease of kindergarten. Fill in extra time with trips to the zoo and library, playing games at home, having friends over, cooking, learning to do chores at home, art projects, reading, etc...

If you're worried about it being "light" try to sneak into a kindergarten classroom (or ask a friend with a go-to-school kindergartner). There's a lot of ... nothing ... going on in a typical kindergarten room, even in full day programs. The day has some activities, but there's a lot of busywork and lots of recess time. There's a lot of time spent lining up to go to the lunchroom and lining up to come back from the lunch room and if two kids decide to talk or giggle, then the line stops. There's a lot of time simply following the six year old ahead of you!

[cbollin]

Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 6:34 pm

I remember when I was first learning all I could about the how to's of homeschooling. One thing I learned is that about 30 minutes of one-on-one tutoring a student equals 90 minutes in a classroom. If you add in the recess times, snack time, break time, line up time, stay in that line up time, group music time, you get about 90 minutes (tops) of Kindergarten instruction time in a half day K program. I asked the K teachers at my church's elementary school and they guessed that was right on. I asked what they do about quick or advanced learners and they just smiled said "we give them more of the same material."

Hope that gives you some help.
crystal

[Fly2Peace]

We started the K program (just using the reading part) several weeks ago. My dd never wants to stop. Should I slow her down?
TIA, Kristi

Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 8:34 am
My opinion...
I found with my dd that part of the love of school time is that I am SO focused on them. They love that. So, if I give them that kind of focus in other ways, (cooking, cleaning together...) instead of sending them off to clean their room alone then they love those things just as much.

Maybe you could also "slow" her by offering other school type things. Other pages to color, or sort blocks, or do card sewing.
Blessings to you,

[cbollin]

My kindergartener loves doing school. She loves MFW K. She just does not want to be done when we have finished all the activities.

Has anyone added anything to K? She is so ready to start reading, would it hurt for me to add that and continue on? Then the reading part of MFW would be review I think. I have added workbook pages I have found that we already had on hand.

The funny thing is that my 1st grader (doing 1st grade again) does not want to learn at all. Has anyone dealt with 1 child that wants to move ahead to really learn and seems possibly talented if I let her move ahead, and another that we have had to hold back because she is slow to catch on to things and struggles with diligence in her work.
Thanks for your help,
Sherry

Then add more activity stuff. For lots of ideas, check out the K ideas forum (just below the general board). There are great ideas for each unit.

if she likes worksheets and workbooks, find some fun things of interest from a place like Sams club or other local store.

my kindy kid likes to use Stirring the Gift, Melody's Beat. Grandma helped us buy it --it's a music program.

-crystal

[mgardenh]

You could have your child help you cook and prepare lunch and call it school (home ec), to add to your day.

I would come up with other stuff and call it school. Go to DLTK's printable crafts for kids and do stuff from there.

There are all sorts of things that you can do and call it school.

[kellybell]

Yippee, what an excited child.

You can teach reading if you want, but don't feel like you have to.

Go on hikes, cook, color, go to the river with a net, play with clay, sort laundry, learn to scrub the toilet, etc.

Provide your K with soap and water, kitchen scales, a ruler, a piece of string, lots of books, etc.

Have fun.

[jamesandjennie]

My son is the same way. He always wants to do more.

Her really likes worksheets, so I have a bunch of activity books that I got from various sources. Sams Club has some really great ones. There are also numerous website that have free printable activity sheets.

My son enjoys:
connect the dots
color by number or letter
complete the pattern
letter writing practice
mazes

They aren't really "school", but he enjoys the activities. I don't want to overload his brain. I also will find letter, number, and phonics practice pages in the workbooks that match up with whatever letter/number goes with the current lesson so he gets some reinforcement and fun.

[Sweetpetunia]

...She is so ready to start reading. Would it hurt for me to add 100 Easy Lessons and continue on? Then the reading part of MFW would be review I think ...

I really don't think it would hurt at all to add more into her program if she's craving it. That's one of the benefits of homeschooling, right? We can personalize. :)

I actually taught DD#2 to read when she was 6, using 100 Easy Lessons, because of pressure from my MIL. LOL That kid was not ready for school. But we struggled through it. Then MFW K made an excellent review. I just wish I'd done the MFW tactile activities like the lesson said. DD now reads at a high school level (some areas are 9th grade and others are 12+) at 10 yrs old. If I had to do it over again, though, I'd wait till she was ready.

I'd check out all these suggestions that everyone gave and see what jumps out at you as something fun, then give it a try. :)
Julie

[gratitude]

Hi! I have heard some people say that MFW K is a great program and that is has all the maths and LA in it that you need to do for K, but that it is boring because all of the worksheets are the same every week. Did you find it the same? I was thinking of supplementing it with Singapore Earlybird A and B, and SL LA K.

Did you supplement at all? If so, what did you use? If I did, would it be waaaay too much work for a little one? She will be 5 and she already knows half of the letter sounds, can sometimes sound out a CVC word and can add simple sums. She will really love MFW K. TIA!

Hi Nicole,
I am hoping some others who have used the entire MFW K will chime in, since we are only 25% or so into the program. So I have a few answers.

The phonics is really good, much better than SL LA K (which I used with my first ds). The blending is exactly the foundational skill that my first ds is catching up on with MFW 1 but isn't as stong in since he didn't have it in his K program. The phonics for MFW K really does stand alone. This said, the first 5 units or so were very easy for my ds5 (he turned 5 in April) since he already recognizes all of his letters and knows all of their basic sounds, and can read a little. The character built into those weeks though had some real value to it, and he loved the cutting and hands on activities. Kids enjoy review, and those weeks have much to offer. I will also say that there are portions of the daily reading section I am skipping since he can write and recognize all of his letters. We are focusing on the phonics, blending, etc. Fabulous! The blending /reading really picks up in unit 6 or so. So far he doesn't find the repetition of worksheets boring at all. I think he actually appreciates the routine of writing a little, reading a little, phonics blending, cutting, etc. Not too much of anything for him. The heart of the program though for me is the character development built in and the Bible readings.

As for the math. Hopefully someone will chime in that has used it. My ds5 completed Singapore EarlyBird A last fall, so I haven't used the math yet for MFW K. He isn't ready though for Singapore Level 1A. I guess I will be interested in seeing the answers you get. I also have been laying a bit low on the math since he has the wiggles and I really want him to love school so I keep it very short! It really is a beautiful program (MFW K); I hope you enjoy it. We Love it!

[rxmom]

We are just finishing MFW K and we loved it all; especially the bible and character lessons, crafts, and activities. We felt it was a complete program all around...phonics/LA and math. My daughter knew her letter sounds coming into MFWK so the first few weeks were easier for her but she LOVED the crafts and activities. She learned the CVC blends quickly and we continued to practice those for a long time until she was ready to move on. She is reading well--I am very pleased. She is the first child I have taught to read (other two did Kindy in p.s). Toward the end (last 3 or 4 lessons) we did not do worksheets but did complete character lessons and crafty activities. As for math, I feel this is complete and plenty for this age...we did the recommended math (100 chart, calendar, number cup)...we also "played" with math...counting plates at dinner table, jelly beans (2 for each brother, 3 for her equal how many in all?), cooking, introducing coins, playing "store", etc. I guess you call that "real life" hands on math. Again, we loved MFW-K and have moved on the 1st grade. Have a great year!

[gratitude]

Thankyou!! I can see now that MFW K has everything in it that I will need, without supplementing. It is scarey to let go of those other programs though!! I might get them... just in case?

Hi Nicole,
I can relate to your statement, "It is scarey to let go of those other programs though!"

I had the same trouble of letting go. The parents on this forum though really helped me in the letting go . It was hard. I am not sure even why. I do still enjoy ordering occasional books from them though.

I have struggled through the curriculum search too. Planned more than once. The only thing I can say is that it dawned on me a few months after starting MFW that we were finally home schooling with ease.

You too will find the program that works best for your family. Perhaps you already have!

[mtnmama]

I am glad to have read the other posts on this matter. We were considering adding Singapore this fall because after a month with MFW K we didn't see any benefits of math instruction there. However, I'm glad we didn't order supplements because now that we are fully into the program, we all find it more than adequate. We might try the Singapore Earlybird next summer before 1st grade to help get him used to the workbook, build confidence, keep up skills over the summer, etc, but in the mean time MFW has supplied all of the essentials and more.

[Cyndi (AZ)]

I did not supplement MFWK or MFW1 with any math or LA. (My dd was already reading well before starting K, so she read many more books than listed.) I did get her the optional addition/subtraction book that is discussed in Lesson 20 of MFWK. Using all of the hands-on activities to their full advantage gave her a fabulous base in math. The math program is complete - if you use it. Don't skip over things that look simple or repetitious. That's the "ingrain in brain" stuff!

[jasntas]

I know it seems simple, but as Cyndi stated, don't look over the simple daily stuff. We called it our daily activities and, after prayer, it’s how we started our day. We started with the calendar, weather (I added that with a chart on the wall and she would fill out a graph each day), number of the day (she would write the # on her chart and count out sticks, then count them by 10's when they were bundled in groups of 10), etc. At the end of the year I was amazed at how much she knew. She also says now that math is her favorite subject.

[NicoleJ]

These are such awesome answers. I think I migh save my $ and trust the MFW K program, and add in Singapore EB, etc, if I can see we need it. We might not! And, the simplicty of having the curriculum all laid out for me without having to add everything in sounds really, really nice and relaxing!

[cbollin]

Has anyone else's K'er gone through MFW K at lightening speed? If I follow the maths and reading for the day it only takes me about 10 minutes and DD4 is itching for more work. The other day she did all the worksheets and a few games for L Leaf - a week's worth in one day! That is not including the other fun leaf activities that we did - but even with those I am cramming a week's worth of activities in two days or so. Anyone else experienced this? I am wondering whether I should think about starting her on MFW 1 after we have finished K even though she will still be at K age. Or will MFW 1 be too advanced for her? she turns 5 in March. Thanks!

Take it as it comes. You might find a little later in the K program, she might hit a part that is new and might take a little longer.

For kindy, here's a thread with "beef up" ideas for Kindy phonics that still might not take a long time, but could add a little bit more school
http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php ... 179#p47744
and for extending math
http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7169

You might consider some other things to add in her day, like music, more art, foreign language. learn a craft, cook
I know when my youngest attended outside preschools they had activity centers set up to let them do other things when the main lesson was done. I know even now she can work on her speech clinic homework in short bursts of time.

I guess I'm trying to say help her find ways to spend her unstructured time in productive ways so it pays off down the road a bit. oh, there's a really old thread in the archives with tons of ideas:
http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1829

-crystal

[gratitude]

The work has been easy for my ds5, and he has gone through it very easily. Rather than speeding it up though I choose to spend 2 -3 days a week on school, instead of 5, and he is easily able to do the work in that time period with 20 minutes 2 -3 days a week (we don't do all the hands on activities though). My replacement is reading books aloud to him, and allowing him his time for creativity. He comes up with plenty ideas on his own, so school tends to take away from the other type of learning that 4 -5 year olds do: play. So I haven't done a lot with him yet outside MFW K, but I do have more of an answer for you. I have seen moms post on forums who say their kids really want more structured learning on their own at young ages. These moms usually supplement at grade level and go wider rather than faster forward. Does this make sense? In fact I do it a lot with my older ds7. We do more than MFW with him. Mostly because he has a lot of interests and questions, but also because I am not speeding forward to get through faster I am taking time to explore more subjects on a first / second grade level. He also likes to initiate a lot of play, but he is wanting more learning and books too at this point. I remember talking once to the starter of a program for gifted kids, and she talked a lot about including more details and more information about a subject, or even more subjects since there is time to do so; rather than graduating from high school early to take the extra time and use it for development of interests and deeper study of individual subjects. Does this make sense? For example, my ds is studying chess & Spanish on his own, and we are doing a separate Bible program with MFW because he has such a strong interest in knowing more about the Bible at a deeper level. Is there something your dd would enjoy learning with MFW K that is at a 4 year old level? Or fun field trips (my favorite for 4 year olds)? Or even great books? The Honey for the Heart from MFW 1 has a lot of suggestions for books, so does Five in A Row.

Blessings!

P.S. I thought I would add that some weeks of the MFW K program I have chosen to spend more than one week on the character trait being taught. A character trait that was an obvious weakness in our kids and household. At those times I allowed reading and writing to be put on hold, once the work sheets were done, and focused on character training instead of academics. It is a beautiful part of MFW K.

[NicoleJ]

Thankyou lovely ladies! Yes, all of what you said made sense - perfect sense! Broader rather than faster - I like that! I think this is what she needs. And you're so right - she might plateau at some time and we will need to slow down. Thanks so much! Nicole

[Happyhomemama]

Well, we sped through K and are going to start MFW 1st after CHRISTmas break, but my daughter is 6. We started at regular pace and just kept getting faster, now we do a week in a day. Well, we don't do everything though as she knew her letter sounds very well before we even started so all the games are skipped. If it wasn't for her handwriting issues I might have ending up skipping MFW K altogether BUT I really wanted her to have it as a foundation before 1st AND I want her to be "K" this year and I don't think she will be ready for ECC next year. Though we went through K fast I think we will go through 1st slow. I hope it will last through next school year. I mostly chose this path because I felt my dd was so ready to advance in phonics and I felt I was delaying her for no reason other than to follow the manual, we are ready to move on. I can't wait to do it again in a couple years with my son though, I think that will be a whole new ball game, lol.

[Momto3princesses]

I am so glad I saw this post today. I have been having similar thoughts about K this year for my 6 year old dd. She keeps saying how easy it is and loves doing school. We are easily doing a weeks worth of school in 3 days including the activities and projects. She is very concerned with how she measures up against her friends that are in public school. She says that they are all reading more than she is and they tell her they are doing harder work. I try to limit her exposure to them, but every time she sees them she comes home feeling down about homeschooling and what she has accomplished because it doesn't seem to be enough. She really wants to be reading and is frustrated by what the fact that she can't read the books she wants to read.

I know the MFW-K is a very gentle approach to school and I have loved that about it. I have felt absolutely no pressure with regard to school this year, and dd6 and dd4 are both learning a ton. I like the idea of going wider not faster. I hadn't thought of it like that at all. I want to spend more time in reading and art, and and start her on piano. The key for me is figuring out how to add these things in because what I do for the 6 year old, the 4 1/2 year old will insist on doing as well and it is not nearly as straightforward with the dd4 as it is with dd6.

At the rate we are going with K, we should be done by the 1st week of April. I'm not sure what to do at that point, but I have a little time and we'll see how it goes between now and then.

[dhudson]

Ok so I just am not sure what to do. . . .I am doing MFWK with my son and he is doing GREAT!! I mean I know he is young (turned 5yrs end of Sept.)so I keep thinking we are going to have to slow down and I am ok with that but. . . .He is just doing really well!

Right now we are on unit 15 and he is no longer cutting out the words and sentences he is just writing them. When we are doing the blending ladder with just the beginning sounds he is like "Oh what about this. . ." and adds a letter to the end and makes a word. He is also spelling words on his own when he wants.

Sooo my question is this. . . Do I just move in to 1st after MFWK? If I have to slow down I can, and to keep him from graduating before 18yrs old I can go thru the 5yr cycle for 6yrs?? What do ya think? or do I just do some fill in stuff for a yr and start 1st when he is more the "right age"? I do know it is better usually for boys to be older so that is why I am really ok with going slow I just do not know. I do not want to slow him down either! I do know each child is different but you all are like mentors to newbies so I do take your thoughts in and then try to make the best educated guess I can! LOL!

God willing I will have peace on this issue soon!! It is just so hard knowing I have all the say on their education!! Yikes!

I would keep moving through MFWK at the speed your son needs and if he's ready for MFW1st when K is done then you can move on to 1st. However, just be ready to slow down if he needs to.

As for graduation, that's a long way away and if necessary, you can do a "gap year" between high school and college if you don't want him to go to college that early.

[Happyhomemama]

I would just move on to 1st and, like a previous poster said, just be ready to slow down if he needs to at some point. My dd did that with the blend ladder too, I think it's fine, it's great for them to get their phonics skills really ingrained, IMO. What I wouldn't do is change his grade level. My dd started MFW 1st in January but she is still a kindergartner. She will likely still be doing 1st next fall but at this point I don't know when she will finish but regardless she will be a 1st grader next year. I prefer to think of grade in terms of age not the level of work they are currently doing.

[gratitude]

I give a third vote for moving onto 1st once you have finished K. My ds did the same thing with the blend ladder too. He also spells on the refrigerator a lot with magnetic letters. I am finishing K though before we move onto 1st. He will be 6 in April and is on 22 or so - I have lost track - of K. He is going to be moving on, but slowly as needed.

I also second the idea of thinking of their grade level rather than what program they are doing. It helps for any outside activities you may do.

Enjoy!