My experience...for what it is worth... My son (yes, a boy) taught himself to read at 4. He also has an incredible auditory memory (they've "run out" of verses to do with him at Awana). We started out speeding through K, but I decided midway through to slow down! Again, when we began 1st (he was still 5), we were going quickly, but then we slowed down. I found that supplementing with other things worked better. We homeschooling Moms get all gung-ho to have smart little children! He, while academically advanced, is normal socially and a bit slow in developing self-control... In some ways, it was easier to "do school" with him than to keep him busy with other things, but he needed development in other areas. We filled time with other workbooks (that were fun for him), lots of reading out loud, and playing! My daughter (just 5) has also found MFW K to be "easy" and could have "sped" through it, but we just did the daily work and found other things for her to do. Because of all her medical problems, she has been extensively tested, and all the doctors have been very impressed with her academic development even though I felt we were holding her back by doing K as written (slowly, in my mind).
You can do what you want, but most children who develop early in academic skills are at the same level of their peers in later years! Also, I grew up in a homeschooling family and know MANY different types of HSers, but I have yet to meet one who completed school early (graduated HS early) who has gone on to do well socially or professionally. Just my experience (my siblings and I all finished state requirements by 15 or 16, but my parents kept us from university until 17 or 18 although we did take some community college courses before then.)
For as "easy" as MFW K and 1st seemed, he is reading at a 5th-grade level and comprehending at a 4th-grade level (far more important because I don't really care if he can decode words but that he understands them!).
Oh! Take advantage of the nicer weather and spend more time outside! We tend to do a ton of school during the winter (about 6 months of the year here), so I make sure we are outside together every possible day in the the spring and summer. I am convinced that this develops the brain in ways we can't understand!
This is all just my opinion. I tend to want to push my kids, and so many have told me to RELAX! If it's any consolation, we ordered a different curriculum for 2nd that is rumored to be "more rigorous" but found that it was still easy for the kids and they weren't enjoying it as much! It's being shipped back today so I can order ADV (and 1st again...and K...)!
Millie wrote:Thank you all for the advice! We are doing a lot of the suggested ideas to "beef up" the phonics portion, and that's keeping her interested. I also make an extra handwriting page and some copywork each day. I feel a lot more relaxed about it now. If we get K done before new baby, that's great. If we don't, that's great too.
The reason I decided to do K, even at a hurried pace, was to teach my daughter the Biblical truths that I didn't learn as a child. I don't want to be such a schedule freak that I rush everything and take the fun out of it. That would be my tendency! We have added in a lot of activities related to the lessons, especially cooking, and I've got some field trips planned to the dinosaur park and aquarium. Hopefully, we will get some warm weather soon and can get outside. (We made the mud nests in the garage today because we got MORE snow last night, ugggh!)
I love having somewhere to come for support and advice, especially since there isn't much around here where I live!
Millie
You must be in the north...like me! We are also alike with kids...although I have a 6-year-old in addition to my dd (5), along with the BUSY 3-year-old, and my baby is already here!
I tend to do the same thing: rush things along if the kids can comprehend them! I have purchased (and told grandparents to purchase) lots of learning-type toys (Animal Logic, Zoo Logic, Equilibrio, etc.) so we have things to do that occupy them and are "learning". I have tried to be better about getting outside (not easy with all the nasty weather plus a new baby). It really is amazing how much we have learned with MFW; I forget how much brain development happens with age! My sibling (1 in grad school, 1 in college) make me laugh because they think they are so grown-up and know everything, but it's easy for me to see how much they will still mature as they age!
This will be our 3rd year with MFW! Everyone is so helpful and nice.