Choosing 1st vs. Adventures

[Mom2theteam]

We used mfw k and loved it, my little guy learned a lot about God that year. We didn't use the 1st grade the next year because I felt he was just not ready for all of the writing, so we switched for 1st. Now he is doing a bit better, he is occasionally able to copy short short sentences without a meltdown. He is not reading, but can sound out simple words. He can do basic math (addition/subtraction facts to 10). I am considering using mfw again for this upcoming year.

Since he is not reading and is still learning to write/copy would it be wise to use 1st grade even though 'technically" he is in 2nd? I try to not think too much in grade levels but what level he is on currently. I am really concerned about him not reading though. We have been using All About Reading and it has been slow going. He really hates school time, but loves learning about God. Worksheets cause many tears, so I try to avoid those. Is there a lot of drawing/writing in 1st? I know I need to get him to work on his writing skills but I also don't want him to hate school anymore than he does already. We both really like hands on stuff. Any input if 1st or Adventures would be a good fit for us would be helpful.

Also, he was recently diagnosed with ADHD and ODD, but we also suspect he may have high functioning ASD, and maybe even Dyslexia Disgraphia and are working on testing. Thanks for advice!

I think MFW 1st would be great for him!! How old is he? My son was an older 1st grader. He turned 7 only a month after we started. He was also a "slower" reluctant reader. It was great for him. The phonics was great for him and the copywork was really good. If the copywork is too much at first, you can break it up and do it in more than one day. I let my son do it in 2 days for a while and then he naturally just started doing the whole thing in one sitting...he would surprise me with me. He has made great progress this year. We have really loved the program!!

BTW - I had my son take a reading level assessment, he tested into 3rd grade reader (borderline 4th). And, he is more than ready for more writing and copywork/dictation.

One other thought is because he is older, you might want to get a separate math curriculum. MFW recommends Singapore from 2nd and up. We like Singapore. (We did that this year instead of the MFW 1st math, though we incorporated some of it.) They have a placement test for Singapore to see where he should start. Just a thought.

[Yodergoat]

Having just done First Grade, I would also say that your son sounds ready for it, and it will be great for continuing his reading from right where he is at and expanding his writing. One thing I noticed is that you said your son "loves learning about God." This is another reason I think First would be a great fit... he will be learning to read while learning about God! His copywork will be from the Bible, and the writing he does in the Bible Notebook will be about God! It also has the Bible timeline, which is invaluable. Adventures is about God too, of course, learning the names of Jesus and seeing God's hand in American History. But First is just absolutely saturated with God and the Bible from beginning to end, and so it may appeal greatly to a child who enjoys learning about God. First has a great overview of the entire Bible. It was wonderful!

There is drawing and writing in First for the Bible Notebook, but he would not begin that for some time (I think it was 39 or 49 days in). Making illustrations for the notebook could also be adjusted for a child who does not like to draw. My daughter loves to draw but we had fun using other things to illustrate the notebook at times... cut-out pictures, stickers, etc. You could vary it enough that perhaps your son won't get too frustrated with it. You could decide how you want to handle the writing and copy work and adjust it to his needs.

I have looked at Adventures extensively (almost ready to start) and it seems from your description that it would not be a good fit for your son at his current level.

But, as Heather suggested... mayhap you should look into other math for him?

You may have read these already, but here are the "is my child ready for" checklists for First Grade and for Adventures, copied from the MFW website. From what you have said, your son seems to be a better fit for First Grade when comparing the two side by side.

FIRST GRADE:

Does your child know the 26 letter sounds (consonants and short vowels)? Letter names are not as important.
Is your child generally able to print alphabet letters correctly? Is he generally able to place letters accurately on kindergarten-sized lined paper?
Can he easily read short words such as hat, pig, and men without your help and without any accompanying pictures? (Was he taught how to blend sounds, not just memorize words?)
Is he developmentally able to sit long enough to copy 4-6 short words on kindergarten-sized lined paper without complaining or becoming tearful?
Is your child mature enough to sit cooperatively for 20-30 minutes at a time for structured school activities? (Learning God's Story for first grade will take up to 2 hours each day to complete.)
Will your child be six by September 1? (We do not recommend first grade for a four-year-old, even if he appears to be ready. A mature five-year-old about whom you can answer yes to all of the above questions may be ready to begin first grade. However, we still encourage you to consider using God's Creation from A to Z because of all the wonderful things your child will learn about a relationship with Jesus through the integrated Bible and science. Kindergarten reading and writing assignments can be adjusted to meet the needs of a child who is already reading simple words.)


And for Adventures:

A child should have a strong foundation in these skills to begin Adventures in U.S. History:

Can your child write or copy 1-2 sentences fairly easily and cheerfully?
If you were to read the story of David and Goliath to your child, would he be able to write several simple sentences about the story? (Spelling and punctuation do not need to be correct.)
Have your child read a sample from our Bible Reader (http://www.mfwbooks.com/products/6/First-Grade/#Samples). Can he read it fairly easily? Please note that needing to sound out words is common at this age.
If you are considering Adventures for an advanced six-year-old, is he prepared to spend 3 - 3 1/2 hours each day doing school?
If you can answer yes to these questions, your child is probably ready for Adventures. (However, if he is younger than six-years-old, please call our office for placement help.)

If your child is not strong in the above areas, we recommend Learning God's Story for first grade.


I hope some of this has helped as you make your decision.

[gratitude]

There is quite a bit more writing in ADV than MFW1 with PLL, copy of scripture, note booking, etc. Especially with PLL.

I would strongly advise MFW1 from what you are saying about his reading, copy work, and writing levels. Plus, I would advise it for the 'first part of the history cycle' that is completed in ADV. It really is fun to see that time-line spread out from creation to the end covering the OT, NT, and American history after doing both programs. Plus, it really helps to have that OT and the coming of Jesus prior to the names of Jesus. If you are like us your kids learn about these things from home and church too. Doing them 'as part of school time' though adds a different dimension and depth to the studies that ties together and solidifies a lot of things.

In MFW1 he will learn to read. So that will be positive.

The writing in MFW1 is:
*Copy Proverb weekly. My oldest is a reluctant writer too and he usually took 3 days to copy the Proverb. Marie schedules it one day a week, but I would spread it over 2 to 3 days.
*MFW1 note book. My oldest would draw the pictures and dictate his narrations to me that I would write down. The mistake I made with him is that I should have had him copying those narrations. He wasn't ready to write them. It would have been better if I would have had him give me a sentence, have him watch me write the sentence, and then had him copy the sentence. The latter is what I did with my second son for the first half of MFW1; by the end of MFW1 he could write the sentence himself without having to first dictate it and then copy it. My dd6 has started MFW1 and I am having her dictate and then copy what she dictates. The beauty of MFW to me is that this program really can be tailored to where your child is at and pull them forward.

The activities in MFW1 are fun and the science I think he will like. The two programs go well together, and ADV is definitely a step up from MFW1. I would start where he is and just move forward. Not reaching ECC until 4th grade is fine. I actually ended up not doing ECC this past year because I wanted to wait until my two oldest were in 4th and 3rd for ECC, and we still have time for the cycle. ECC is another big step up from ADV, so I would give him the time and know that you aren't behind at all!

[kw4blessings]

I agree with the above three ladies. MFW 1st sounds like a good fit for your son. We just finished 1st a few weeks ago and loved it. Since ADV can be used with 2nd and 3rd graders, you won't miss out on anything by using 1st this year. If anything, it will give your son more confidence in reading and writing, in a gentle way. I think you'll both be pleasantly surprised at how well he'll have advanced in his reading by the end of 1st. Marie's phonics are gentle (short lessons), yet effective. Good advice from others to maybe choose a different math curriculum for the year. And, like Shawna said, the Bible content is amazing. My daughter and I both learned so much this year! Blessings on whatever you choose for your sweet boy

[gratitude]

We started K last August with my two daughters, they were 5 1/2 and 4 when we started. We only school 3 days a week so we are only halfway through (on E:Elephant to be exact), My older daughter is already reading at a 2nd grade level and has been doing 1st grade math since last year. My younger daughter is beyond the reading in K.

I am wondering what we will miss if we skip 1st and if it is doable to do Adventures with a 2nd grader (who will be 7 1/2) and a 1st grader (who will be 6). Thank you

You could do first for the Bible History and science and only use the phonics if needed. Your oldest sounds beyond first for learning to read and for the math. It sounds like MFW1 would be a better fit at this point.

Bible History in MFW1:
-Bible reader. It was easy for my oldest as well to read, but the program still was good for him at ages 6/7.
-Bible notebook: draw a picture of the Bible story and write a sentence or two summary.
-Memorize & copy Proverbs.
-Hands on activities to go with the Bible stories & science.
-Wall timeline from creation to Revelation for Bible stories.

It is a great 'first history' for children going from Genesis to Revelation. The science is fun for these ages.

I did it in full for my oldest, history & reading for my second as he tagged along in ADV, and Bible history for my third. I am really glad that all 3 of them did the Bible notebook for their early education, drawing, & first history with the time-line.

I hope this helps. If you do decide on MFW1 I would recommend now from the sounds of where they are at.

Blessings,

[BCat7305]

Has anyone used Adventures with an advanced 1st grader? She places squarely into Adventures currently as a 5 year old. She is reading, spelling, and writing well and gets irritated with a year's worth of review in a level that she has mastered academically (we are going through MFW K right now). We would continue using our current programs for reading/math. The only part of MFW 1 that I would like to use is bible so it seems wasteful to purchase the whole curriculum. I would still call her a first grader if she uses Adventures.

If anyone has used MFW ADV with a 6 year old first grader, how did it go? I'd love to hear both sides, the positive and negative of using Adv with an advanced first grader. Advice and questions are welcomed .

The year we used Adventures, my oldest was 6 (he turned 7 in November) and my second had just turned 5. We had a GREAT year. We were coming from Sonlight Core A--it had been too heavy for my younger, and he was not ready for the next Core, so we did Adventures.

My 1st grader had no trouble at all--the hardest things were--the history spine (which has changed since we used it, but I think it is still an older text--but with me reading in interesting voices, stopping to explain, and the short readings, they did enjoy it and learn from it!) and the notebooking pages where they were to narrate. My oldest did great, orally narrating then writing it down with a little help from me. And even my 5 year old could orally narrate with me writing, and do some coyping by the end of the year.

There was NOTHING in that core that went over their heads, and all of the writing was adaptable as needed. There are tons of great picture books in the book basket. The year we did Adventures is one that we will always remember--we loved homeschooling, all of a sudden--

The negative--what will you do the next year?? We went back to Sonlight before coming back to mFW this year to do ECC and CtG (trying to fit most of both in this year) with my 4th- and 5th grader.

Even if your child is ready for ECC in 2nd, I think you will hit the cycle a bit too young all around. So that's something to think about--if you do Adventures this year, what will you do next year?

Betsy

[mothermayi]

Thank you for your reply! It was very enlightening. I've been thinking about what to do after Adventures because we wouldn't go into the cycle. I have some ideas that would be re-evaluated as we were closer to finishing Adv.

What was the history spine in Adv. when you did it? I believe the one that is used now is for 3rd grade but don't quote me on that.

It was still the Story of the U.S., but an older version--they updated it somehow the year after we used Adventures. I don't know how much they changed it; it obviously has a different cover--

Betsy

[Julie in MN]

What was the history spine in Adv. when you did it? I believe the one that is used now is for 3rd grade but don't quote me on that.

The original history spine for Adventures was Exploring American History, an older elementary text published by Christian Liberty Press. Only portions of that text were read in Adventures, while the whole thing pretty much was/is used in EX1850 (and finished in 1850MOD).

When that CLP edition went out of print, MFW published a version of the same text that included only the portions needed in Adventures, with very minor other changes, and called it The Story of the U.S. So, it looks different (and the cover may have changed again) but the readings have remained virtually the same.

The other spine for Adventures history is American Pioneers and Patriots, which is more of a storybook method of teaching history from the point-of-view of children.

1st is a big step up in "real school" compared to Kindergarten, yet it still has the amount of writing and attention span for younger kids. I would think in either case, you'd be using math, spelling, and language arts at the appropriate level (2nd grade materials?), and the Bible/history/science/etc. could work for either grade?

Julie

[Julie in MN]

Here is a thread about choosing between 1st and Adventures: http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8345

I'm just trying to understand . Thanks everyone for your input. It sounds like most people suggest going on to complete 1st before Adv. Please help me understand a couple of things.

I just am going to answer your questions from my own perspective about little ones.

1) If the phonics and math in 1st will not be used, is there still enough meat to the program?

Well, every family is different, and I am coming from the perspective of having only used parts of 1st for "afterschooling" with my grandson. And from the perspective of having chosen to put my own kids in public school according to their age rather than their abilities (youngest could already read well when starting K; oldest was more sheltered from reading but learned within months of starting K, which I didn't start him in until age 6.2).

To me, 1st grade includes things so appropriate for a 1st grader, in terms of getting the whole flow of the Bible timeline (vs. learning the Proverbs and names of Jesus in Adventures), having a shorter school day, writing what was learned from a 1st grade Bible reader with basic history lessons about how the world got started rather than writing from American history, etc. MFW-1st also includes hands-on math that I think helps cement learning in the way young children understand best, even if they are asking for multiplication workbooks as well, like my 1st grade grandson. He is getting multiplication and he is proud of himself, but without the hands-on and visual steps, I fear he would head towards more memorizing than actual understanding.

2) Since MFW recommends younger siblings in first grade to join the older child in Adv. while completing first grade phonics and math, how is this different from the younger child bypassing MFW 1 if they've already mastered the phonics and first grade math?

From Marie's instructions on teaching 1st & 2nd together:

1. Teach MFW-1 to your 1st grader but only Bible, reading (and writing), and math.
2. Teach Adventures in My Father’s World to both children. Do not expect the 1st grader to do any of the writing (or copying) assignments in Bible or history.

The 1st grader would still get 1st grade level Bible and 1st grade level writing, for a start. The 1st grader would have the older sibling (and parent) to lead. And the younger one would also be allowed to participate as he had an interest, rather than being expected to do everything the older sibling was doing.

Does that add anything to your thinking process at all?! I don't want to steer you towards making a choice that isn't right for your family, I just like talking everything through so you have all the information you need. Teacher workshop - take the bits you can use LOL
Julie

[Mommy22alyns]

Sylvia was in first grade when we used Adventures. She was already an excellent reader, and although I also had my oldest daughter in the program (third grade), Sylvia kept up perfectly and I didn't have to modify anything for her.

[gratitude]

Has anyone skipped MFW 1st and jumped straight to ADV or ECC with a first grader? I did MFW K with my son and it was way too easy for him and got very boring quickly. I ended up supplementing a lot. After looking at MFW 1st I don't think it would be right for him, plus I don't want to do the suggested math...and don't really want to pay for something that I won't use. He is my oldest so my others would most likely follow the same path to an extent.

Has anyone done this? Or any advice on this topic?

What grade level is your ds5 reading at? What books, for example?
How long of a sentence can he copy without frustration or tears?
Can he narrate? How much can he write of a summary from something he reads?

These questions are geared towards the skills taught in MFW1.

MFW1 is very fast compared to MFWK and includes:
Reading, narration, writing summaries, drawing illustrations with the written summary, copy work of Proverbs, science, Bible history, time line, and math. It is a big year in writing that prepares them for later writing. A lot of phonics, writing, narration, and spelling foundation is laid.

My second and third did MFWK and also found it to be very easy at age 5. Neither of them found MFW1 to be too easy and instead found it challenging and it provided much learning.

I think first I would want to have an idea of where he is in reading and writing.

My oldest did MFW1 with Singapore math & skipped the MFW1 math. So it can be used without the math. I do think my second and third benefitted from the practical hands on math in MFW1.

[gratitude]

Taita,
I thought I would add something. My oldest did MFW1 from March of K thru December of first. He never did do MFWK. We started ADV in January of his first grade year. At that point he read at a 3rd grade level or so, by April he read at an 8th grade level while still in first. We did 11 weeks of ADV that winter. He struggled with the writing in PLL and scripture copywork and the note booking as a very advanced reading first grader. We took a long break from it. When we came back in Januaru of second grade he had the maturity to have a very full ADV experience, progressed in writing, could do PLL dictations, and read a very full book basket on his own.

I don't know where your son is in reading & writing. MFWK is very basic compared to the rest of MFW. Perhaps something I said will help you decide what fits him well and his abilities.

I personally wouldn't do ECC with a child younger than age 7 due to missionary content.

Here is MFWs recommendations for young children in ADV from their website & catalogue:

• A child should have a strong foundation in these skills to begin Adventures in U.S. History:
  * Can your child write or copy one to two sentences fairly easily and cheerfully?
  * If you were to read the story of David and Goliath to your child, would he be able to write several simple sentences about the story? (Spelling and punctuation do not need to be correct.)
  * Have your child read a sample from our Bible Reader (http://www.mfwbooks.com/biblereader). Can he read it fairly easily? Please note that needing to sound out words is common at this age.
  * If you are considering Adventures for an advanced six-year-old, is he prepared to spend 3 - 3 1/2 hours each day doing school?
  
  If you can answer yes to these questions, your child is probably ready for Adventures. (However, if he is younger than six-years-old, please call our office for placement help.)
  If your child is not strong in the above areas, we recommend Learning God's Story for first grade.

I hope someone else chimes in! You know your child best. Prayers for your decision.

[Taita]

Thank so much for you reply! He is reading at a first grade level right now and doesn't gripe when writing. He tends to sit down and write stories by himself. We also have done a lot of narration throughout K so I think he would be alright in high at area.

I suppose my main concern is that I have a LA and math curriculum that we use now that is working and don't really want to change that but I love the cycle of MFW. I called the office earlier to speak with them and they suggested I go with 1st and use the LA and math from MFW as a supplement. Do you think there is enough in first to make it worth buying? I know a concern of MFW is maturity of the eldest child when they first go into Creation to the Greeks. Which I completely understand and honestly I would be too. But, at the point we get there I would have two other younger ones tagging along anyway so is maturity really an issue?

I guess I have a lot to pray about. I really do appreciate your input and advice! I love being able to get wisdom from people who have been there and know the program. It's hard for me to make a decision based off of the samples I see online.

[Julie in MN]

One consideration is: How much do you want to add to your day? First grade would add maybe an hour to cover science, Bible, music, art. My grandson is "afterschooling" very loosely using MFW-1st, since he already gets a lot of math and reading in public school (and his teachers have asked that he focus on reading in Spanish, as they do at his school).

Anyways, if we do Bible together and science, and sometimes we get into a project, some of the math, or an added video, and then if we were to add in the music and art, I think we could spend an hour a day on 1st grade even without much LA or math.

Adventures could add maybe 2 hours, and ECC could add maybe 3 hours to do all the projects and read-alouds and everything (neither including language arts lessons or math). Those are all very broad generalizations, and I've read moms who felt school was finished too quickly and others who felt school never ended. But in any case, each level will add more time to your day.

Julie

[gratitude]

Another consideration would be: what do you want his first history study to be? Bible, Creation to Revelation overview, or American History over view?

I know for me one of the first reasons I picked MFW was its Bible integrated history in Creation to Greeks. Then our first program, MFW1, was an overview of that Biblical history. I really appreciated having their first history exposure be an overview of the OT and NT with a time-line and note book. I also appreciated having an American time-line for a continuation of the Biblical history. I think it is a wonderful introduction to history. Every family though is different. So the important consideration would be what would you like him to study first for history? Would you prefer the order of Creation to Revelations, American, world geography / missions, and then Biblical / world history integrated in CTG? Or, would you prefer American, world geography / missions, and then Biblical / world history integrated in CTG? I know my children heard the Bible stories multiple times as toddlers, but it was different for them to do the Bible note book and time-line as 'history' for their first history study using those stories. It started laying a foundation of a Biblical world view that is slightly different than our reading of the Bible stories when they were younger.

I think it was curiosity mostly that wound up with me deciding to do a different phonics for my third child, dd7. Marie's phonics were wonderful the first two times, and they worked. I was curious though so my third child did do the Bible note book, time-line, Drawing with Children, and Bible reader without the math and phonics in MFW1. Would it have been worth it to purchase the program for her as an oldest? I think for me I would have to say yes. As an oldest she would have also done the science and more of the Bible projects than I got done with her as a third born (we did some). The Bible history though was important to me, and I know she learned a lot from doing the time-line herself. It was different than her seeing it done for her brothers. She also has progressed much in her writing with the note book this year and the Drawing with Children book has been a blessing for my children with me as a mom who doesn't draw very well. Thankfully, it helped each of them learn how to draw, and it is something they have truly continued to enjoy doing regularly after MFW1.

The considerations of what you want for the history in first grade, the amount of time you want in addition to LA and math as Julie mentioned, and what you think will be best a couple of years from now hopefully will help make it clear to you what will work best for him. The important part is what you and DH think is best for your family and what you want him to learn as a first grader.

Blessings,

[mothermayi]

Mothermayi. I'm curious what did you decide to go with? I'm in the same position and not really seeing a reason to do MFW 1st if my son won't be doing the math or LA.

I decided not to go with MFW 1st because I couldn't justify the price for only bible and science. This is the predicament we were in for all of MFW K. We only used the bible and science for most of the program because I had to supplement so much

I am going to the Expo to look at Adventures this month so I will know more afterwards. Right now I am deciding between MFW Adv and another publisher that uses the same spine as Adv for its 1st grade program. After the Expo, I will post more, as I should have a better idea of what will work for my learner .

[gratitude]

I think every mother should pick what is best for their children. I am sorry MFWK wasn't a better fit for your dd. It sounds like MFW1 would have been a better fit for her this school year. My oldest started MFW1 1/2 way through Kindergarten, and it was a great fit for him for K/1st (he never did MFWK). So my first MFW experience was MFW1.

I don't know what I would have thought of MFW if I had started with MFWK. MFWK is very much a true Kindergarten program in my mind and very gentle. My dd, in particular, loved it for all the cute projects. I think she also loved finally having something 'hers' after watching school since she was 2! If she had been 'school motivated' though, it may not have gone as well. It is so 'light' compared to the rest of MFW that knowing me I may have been having some of the problems I see moms have who are starting with it and then worry that MFW1 won't be enough since MFWK is so very gentle.

In case anyone else is reading though I just wanted to clarify a few things about MFW1:
*It does take using it to really know what it is. I looked at the catalogue this morning and thought 'oh' that doesn't really 'show' MFW1 to me as it exists in my mind. A catalogue though can never truly show what any home schooling program is though. They give a glimpse and do their best to describe. It is in the doing that 'we find out'.

*It isn't just phonics, reading, Bible, and science. Those are parts of MFW1. The program goes far beyond those elements. I think David Hazel's CD 'What Should 21st Christians Be Teaching Their Children' explains the first cycle of MFW best. The first history cycle is MFWK, MFW1, and ADV. The first program MFWK is discovering God's creation and goes through the first 6 days of creation in the first 10 days of the program. The next program MFW1 is going through history from Genesis to Revelation. This 'History' becomes real through the wall time-line, activities, and Bible History note book. The next program continues that history with ADV. It skips up to 1000 AD with Leif Erikson and then goes to the present day without wars. Then the next cycle of ECC through Modern goes a second time through the history cycle adding layers. It starts with geography & God's heart for the world through missions, and then goes deeper into history as it travels through it chronologically. I think this over all plan helps understand where MFW1 fits in as a part of the history cycle; rather than just a phonics/reading/math program.

*When I think of MFW1 the reading and phonics aren't what stands out to me. It is History (Genesis to Revelation), Bible, hands on activities, Language Arts skills through narrations / drawing / writing in the Bible note book, science experiments, learning to draw, reading good books aloud, and the student reading daily to the parent. The math shapes too have been a hit in our house for years. I have more pictures of their own geometric designs than I can count from a good set of wooden blocks. I think the last were built a week or two ago. They teach patterns, geometry, shapes, and detail in a way that will benefit them in later mathematics. The reading and phonics were around 10 - 20 % of MFW1 for us. It has been so much more than that in our home. I think the Bible note book too is far more academic growth than meets the eye. That kind of detailed note booking doesn't show up in other programs until 3rd grade, and even then isn't as detailed. I think it is around 60 stories they narrate, summarize and write one or two sentences, and do a drawing for. It is a history note book that overviews Biblical history (Biblical world view) at a young age. I think to this day it is one of my favorite parts of MFW that my three oldest kids have done.

*Agree with another poster that one consideration of skipping MFW1 is it puts kids into the cycle young, but there was a mom once on here who started with ECC with her second grader so it can be done.

Anyways, I just thought I would ramble a bit for anyone reading. All of these programs cost something for Bible, history, and science. I know when I bought MFW1 I had the added benefit of getting my phonics and reading with it. I look at the price now though and it looks inexpensive for Bible, history, and science compared to later on.

I would encourage moms doing MFWK though to realize that Marie did a lovely job of keeping Kindergarten gentle for young children, and that it really doesn't reflect at all the depth and breath in the next program for first grade.

God Bless,

[mothermayi]

Thank you for your insight, gratitude! Mfw k is truly a gem. My next dd will get to use it fully without supplementing and I look forward to it. I was bummed that we didn't get to use the phonics since my current kindy was doing ETC 3-4.

I hope I havent discouraged anyone from K, as it is a special program that would have been great for my learner the previous year.

Now my interest is piqued about first. I will peek at it at the expo.

[Taita]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I ended up going with MFW 1st. I figured that I would rather 1st be a little easy and be able to speed it up if need be rather than wear him down with work that might be a little too challenging for him.

[HSMom03]

Taita ~ How exciting! I think you made a great choice. For many good reasons, we'll be doing MFW 1st this upcoming school year as well. He will be 6-3/4 yrs when we start. He is very bright but I plan on taking full advantage of the curriculum. I think it will be perfect and we can't wait! Have fun!

[Julie in MN]

This is our first year, daughter thrived in public school kindergarten last year and is a voracious reader. Based on guidelines in brochure I chose Adventures because of her reading skills and ability to sit for long stretches of time. I did not know that the first grade curriculum was a building block and really important before moving on. I was just so excited about US History and wanted her to be challenged. I was afraid first grade curriculum would not be challenging enough.

We are loving Adventures and are starting week 7 tomorrow. However sometimes I feel it is too much for her (she turned 6 on April 6, 2015) and sometimes I am overwhelmed too and feel it's a lot for her. I looked at the first grade teachers manual sample and it really makes me wish I had purchased first grade all along. We both need the biblical training and character building that I have been told it teaches you. She has 2 yo and 11month old sisters so any curriculum will be used again. Should I switch? I feel like I really messed up here. We will be building a house come spring and to do Adventures again next fall would probably be a blessing. Her little sis won't be 6 for another 4 years, would the curriculum still be relevant? Please feel free to offer any advice. I am so torn here. Thank you in advance.

I vote for switching over to 1st. You have listed all the reasons Well, I'd just add that later years will be easier, as well, with an oldest who's a little bit older.

And when little sis gets to Kindergarten age, you can all enjoy those K character lessons together, as well!

Julie

[DS4home]

Dito what Julie said! Go with what you are already thinking and get the 1st grade curriculum today.
My youngest learned how to read when she was 3 1/2 years old. I still took her through the MFW 1st grade curriculum when she was 6. And she loved it!! She enjoyed learning the "rules of reading" even though she was a good reader. I just supplemented by assigning books for her to read that matched what level she was at. You can also use some of the language arts as beginning spelling lessons. My dd is now way above her grade level in spelling, and I like to think some of it may be because I didn't skip the 1st grade material with her.
The character building and the science lessons were right on target for her age. There was plenty of learning going on that year!

Dawn

[Julie in MN]

We are just enjoying Adventures so much, I will miss all of the history and pilgrims and indians. But I need to remind myself of all the things I listed above. Thank you for the input ladies, I wish the brochure would have urged parents to strongly consider first grade as a building block even with the advanced reading skills. If we were to continue Adventures we would be stuck next year as she is too young for the next step up and I have no plans to switch curriculum. I will talk to my husband and get his take. Hopefully he will be very receptive to spending another $2XX on homeschool materials.

Any tips on a seamless transition this far in? So grateful for this board and MFW, its a wonderful curriculum!

Just remember that switching manuals will be a bigger deal to you than to a child. Group teachers often move on to new units, and kids buy into whatever the teacher says (for the most part), so be sure to model confidence in your plan.

I'd find a natural stopping point, perhaps at the end of a science unit or a period of history. You might stop different subjects at slightly different weeks, if it feels right. You could also use holidays or "semester break" as a point of transition, which often happened at our house because we got off a semester and started new MFW programs at the end of January (our local schools' semester break).

Then, once you've chosen a stopping point, find some "end of year" or "end of unit" fun. Adventures is the one year I've never used, but I know there's a pull-out Thanksgiving unit that has lots of activities. That could be a nice "celebration" opportunity for wrapping up Adventures (for now). Then, you can easily slip back into Adventures some time next year by doing that unit again. If you aren't ready to stop at Thanksgiving, just look for other "celebrations" such as cooking and making crafts, to use as a nice closure.

All the manuals have nice activities for the "beginning of the year," with a gentle start to the first week or 2, so you don't need to plan the transition into 1st.

One wise convention speaker, in my early homeschooling days, advised fathers especially to budget in an amount for "new homeschooler mistakes" - a professional expense

Enjoy your eager little learner,
Julie

[kw4blessings]

Hi! Glad to hear you're going to go with 1st. It's a wonderful year...my favorite.

As far as a seamless transition, I would just go ahead and jump right into 1st as soon as you get it! I have always loved the idea of "starting" and "ending" at a certain time every year and planning my yearly school calendar from the beginning to do just that. Reality has taught me that it rarely works out that way! We ended up moving in August/September and although I planned to begin ECC and K with my kiddos in Aug, we will start tomorrow. But, it's what worked out best for us right now.

Enjoy 1st...we've gone through it twice and will twice more again. LOVE it!!

[MelissaB]

The MFW 1st grade science is excellent! And the books you'll read are so interesting. You'll enjoy MFW 1st!

We all are regularly adjusting our academics - moving ahead when needed, slowing down when needed, and, at times, going back when needed. A great homeschooling Momma does just what you're doing right now: recalculating their children's needs and making accurate adjustments.

You're going to have so much fun doing MFW 1st!! I'm already excited for you {Wish we could do it again }!

Enjoy!!