Hi Cheri,
It looks like you already have all of your questions answered.
The only thing I thought I would add is that the 'unit study' feel for me in MFW1 is the Bible. The days when the Bible story is read from the Bible, then the student reads the same story from their Bible reader, then the student narrates the Bible story they just read, then they summarize it and copy the summarized sentence into their note book, and then they illustrate the story with a picture they draw, and then they put the time-line piece onto the time-line for the story. This consecutiveness of Bible from Genesis to Revelation to me was absolutely wonderful. Then the LA ties in with the phonics blue student note book on some days by having the work in it having the same topic as the story of that day or that week. The hands on activities tie into the Bible too. Things like making a scroll, Bible costume, Birth Right Soup (the soup Esau sold his birth rite for, and is very good), etc. The History is the Bible; ancient History using only the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
The science, as Crystal mentioned, is separate. The math is on the yellow pages in the front of the manual and too is separate. The drawing ties in by teaching drawing for the illustrations. Then they encourage you to read to the student for 15 minutes a day. Picture study and music study too. Nature walks too.
I Love MFW1. I hope you do too.
Smoakhouse wrote:Thanks Carin for the further explanation. I think I almost have the full picture.
You mentioned the drawing book... "The drawing ties in by teaching drawing for the illustrations." I had not thought of adding it to my basic package, does it actually teach using bible pictures or is it teaching more generic drawing skills?
cbollin wrote:I think what she's saying is that from the skills learned in DWC, your child can use the pictures in the Bible reader as a model from which to draw.?
The DWC teaches the child to draw, and then those drawing skills that they learn help them illustrate their Bible note books. I had never thought though of having the Bible reader as a model from which to draw from. What a great idea Crystal! I am going to use that this time around. My first born learned to draw from the Drawing book, but then didn't have a model to draw from for his Bible note book. So the learning to draw taught him enough drawing to do it; but I think the model would have really helped with his pictures. Thanks for the idea.
Smoakhouse wrote:I like the idea of the "everyday" math subjects. I am thinking of using them 1 day a week and then continue with my current program the rest of the week.
I am thinking that you might be able to use it the way I am using Singapore 1A with MFW1 math. Instead of having him do the book in the deluxe package I have him do 1 or 2 pages of Singapore 4 days a week. Then the rest of his math is the MFW1 math. It would be difficult to do MFW1 math only one day a week since it is based on consecutive day building. Let me try and give a sample day (I have it all on a single sheet in his math book so I can remember each day, but I will see if I can do it without looking

). MFW1 math: Write the 'today's number' (the number increases by 1 each day) on the 100 chart. Count by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's to the number. Count backwards from 20. Randomly have him name numbers. One lower and one higher. Then write 'today's number' on the number line on the wall. Then add one penny to the cup and count the money (For example, day 13 will have one dime and three pennies/ day 15 exchange 5 pennies for a nickel). Write 'today's number' on the work sheet, which has number placement and add one and subtract one. Bring me 'today's number' in objects. Find an object in the room the length of 'today's number' with the measuring tape. Get out a snack and do fractions. Play the number game (guess a number; no mine is higher, no mine is lower until they guess the number), etc.. etc. The etc. are the many ideas for real life math. Oh, and then of course their is the wooden shape puzzles with animals that my kids adore. It is doing it every day and increasing by one number a day that teaches MFW1 math. Trying to do it once a week would really lose the lessons that are based on continuity.
I hope this helps!