Those are the exact programs we are doing right now. I've experimented with a few different plans for the day. Currently we are doing Bible and prayer and work on James together (my first grader isn't formally memorizing James, BUT by forcing her to be at the table -- or on the family room floor -- she is learning it without trying). Then I read history during which she sometimes listens and participates and sometimes runs to the basement to dismantle some toy shelves or dump out the Legos (well, someone has to do it, otherwise the basement would be too neat). I throw in art and music and "read aloud" time too. She loves our read alouds.sandi wrote:I will be using both of these programs together. What part of 1st will I do? Will I do the phonics and bible? Or just phonics? She is seven years old so she will sit in on the young history parts of expl to 1850 with us.
I bought the resources for the 2nd and 3rd grade supplement for my 3rd grade son. He doesn't really get into them all, so they are perfect for my 1st grader. It's okay if she doesn't "get" it all.
After we're done doing things together, I turn the kids loose and work some with my first grader. Then, we have lunch, and I work with my first grader some more. My big kids let me know when they need help, so often I'm sort of jumping back and forth (oh, the life of a homeschool mom).
One thing we're not doing MFW on is (right now) science. The older two kids are doing Apologia General Science and Biology and we already did botany with a co-op last year, so we have worked through most of the Animals science books, BUT the three older kids are totally absorbed in our homeschool Science Olympiad team (hey, we did great in regionals and we're going to state), so I'm sort of "scienced out"! My first grader is suffering (as she begs for science but I am tired of it) but after the state contest (4/12) we'll be done (I'm assuming that we won't be going to nationals, several teams are stronger than us).
ANyway, you'll do great with both programs. Remember that your first grader will get that history when she's older. So, anything she gets now is "icing on the cake" even if the cake isn't baked yet (bad analogy, sorry).
Have fun!