A Detailed Review of Five in a Row

*  This is not an affiliate post, this is simply me sharing my heart and my thoughts on this curriculum...  :) *

Over the past two years, I have had so many parents ask me about Five in a Row curriculum.  We have worked through nearly all of Five in a Row Volume One, and a good half of Five in a Row Volume Two.  I thought it might be helpful to offer a detailed review of this program for parents who are considering using it in their homeschool or home for supplementary learning.

We started our journey with FIAR when I scored an older version of Volume One for $5 at a used book sale.  I flipped through it and thought it looked interesting but wasn't sure I'd use it.  However, I'd heard a lot about the program so grabbed it anyways, considering the low price.  When I asked more Moms about their experience, I was inspired by their enthusiasm and decided to give it a try in our 2011-2012 school year.  We then continued with it for the 2012-2013 year and really enjoyed our time with the program.  We are continuing our journey again this year in 2013-2014 (especially with our younger two children) with Volume 3.

Buying my first copy of Five in a Row was honestly the BEST $5 I have ever spent. Through this program, we went on journeys all over the world - China, Italy, Japan, the USA, England, France, and more.  We created beautiful books and projects together and made memories through various field trips, arts, crafts, and handiwork activities. 

We learned about things like the Renaissance, architecture in early 1900s France, life on the Yangtze River, and patriotism in the USA.  We made Eiffel Towers out of wafers, took a photo treasure hunt looking for "houses covered in vines", and baked our first Apple Pie.  This program is so fun and so enriching for young learners.

I'm even considering sneaking in a few more studies this year!  (I'm actually kicking myself for not grabbing another copy of Volume 1, 2, and 3 at a used curriculum sale in June...)

 

Five in a Row is a literary based curriculum for children age 4-8 (ish).  It is a Unit Study style program using classic and popular children's literature as the basis for each individual Unit Study.  

The books used in Five in a Row are beautiful picture books that children truly LOVE to read and study.  We really enjoyed the books in Volume One.  Some titles include, Madeline, The Story About Ping, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Papa Piccolo, Katy and the Big Snow, and many more.

Some of the books we've been blessed to add to our library through our Five in a Row experiences.

We've had so much find digging for old classics like this at used book sales! 

Getting the Books:

I should mention - this program DOES NOT include the books needed.   Some literature based curriculums include the books with the teacher's guide (IE: Sonlight, My Father's World).  For FIAR, you pay about $30 for the teacher's guide/program but you need to find the books on your own.

Many parents acquire the books needed at their local library.  I did this for some titles.  I also chose to purchase many titles so we could keep them in our home.  Some I bought new and some I bought used, depending on what I could find.  The choice is ultimately in the hands of the family.  There were many titles available through our local library and many more through the Inter-library loan program.  There were only about 3 titles that were either out of print or almost impossible to find.  We chose to skip those titles. 

You CAN purchase Literary Packages through a vendor called Rainbow Resource Center.  I've purchased from them before and had success, I would recommend them.  It could be really useful if you know you want to use the entire program.  It would take the battle off of finding the books, that's for sure!

Here are some of the packages I found:

Literary Package for Before Five in a Row
Literary Package for Five in a Row Volume 1

The package for Volume 1 is $154.00 plus shipping.  It sounds like a lot of money, I know.  But, if you consider that you are getting a full year's worth of curriculum for about $200... it really is a reasonable cost for a great program such as this.

*Note- I just ordered Volume 3 and the book package and had it shipped to Canada and my bill was $150.  That's for the whole program... not bad for a K-level curriculum!!!

Anyways, just offering some different options with regards to getting the books in your hands!


A peek at Volume 3 books:

Our Five in a Row book shelf...

About the Program:

Each Unit Study is broken down in several categories for learning and exploring.  This is comprised of little lessons, activities, and experiments that directly relate with the content in that specific book. 

The categories for study include: Social Studies (includes History and Geography), Language Arts, Math, Science, Art (History and Visual Art), and some Music.  I would add to this list Home Studies/Life Skills because of the amount of opportunities we had to cook, bake, go on field trips, and learn life skills-style lessons.

The idea is this: take a classic book, enjoy it together as a family, then use it to learn interesting and applicable lessons.  The learning is done in a natural, fun way that children don't even realize how much they are truly learning.


A look inside the Teacher's Guide:

An example of a first page of a Unit Study.  Each study gives the details of the book, when it was written, by whom, and a summary.  We LOVED studying Mike Mulligan!~

A page from the study of another favorite of ours, Clown of God.

A double page spread from the study of Lentil by Robert McCloskey.

Giving an idea of the kind of Social Studies and History FIAR covers...

The Teacher's Guide is pretty comprehensive, but you still have to plan your days and organize your activities.  I found this program VERY rewarding but work intensive for me, both in planning and executing the program.  There was a lot of scheduling, printing activities, organizing crafts and experiments, etc.

I also added quite a bit to the studies based upon some of the ideas I saw online, on Pinterest, etc.  So, I beefed up some of the units, which made more work for myself as well.  This program is doable just as it is, but you will likely come up with many additional ideas and activities to add to the units.

Using Lapbooks with FIAR:

We were introduced to the idea of Lapbooks through our experience with FIAR.  We now LOVE Lapbooks and use them often in our homeschool.

Some images of our Lapbooks:

Great Britain Lapbook (not FIAR specifically, but a good example of a Lapbook)

Lapbook for Clown of God.

From Volume 2 of FIAR - Ferdinand the Bull!

From our FIAR study of The Very Last First Time (we included Northern Canada in the study)

Lapbooks are an easy, fun, creative way to collect some of the learning you've done on a specific topic or, in the case of FIAR, book.  I'm really sad that I lost many of my photos from our 2011/2012 school year when we studied some of our favorite books like Madeline, Ping, and Mike Mulligan. 

Lapbooks will include various aspects of your study from images, small art projects, vocabulary, geographical information, and whatever else you feel like adding!

I would highly recommend Lapbooks for families who enjoy doing arts and crafts.  I'd also really recommend them for kids who are reluctant writers.  Our eldest *hated* (his words) writing.  Through the use of simple, easy copywork in our Lapbooks, we've taken him from 'hating' writing to writing easily and without complaint.  The process was seamless for him because the copywork was easy, quick, and disguised as "doing our Lapbooks".  *wink*  Hooray for gentle progression.

  

Will your child like FIAR?

In one word?  Yes.  I believe most children would love FIAR.  I know this because I have three children that are all incredibly different, and all three connected with and enjoyed the program.  I have a highly analytical, facts-oriented son, an incredibly artistic and languages-focused daughter, and a very active young preschooler.  I was able to tailor FIAR to fit the needs of all three children.  The all came out loving the experience and learning a ton.

 

Some (hopefully) encouraging thoughts:

Five in a Row is a wonderful program.  It is not only user friendly and FUN, it is extremely educational for children a parents alike.  I can't believe how much our children learned through our study of these fabulous books.

The thing that gets me most excited when I think about Five in a Row is how the program has influenced our learning style within our homeschool and developed a deep rooted love of reading in our children.  Through this program, our children were exposed over and over again to the JOY of reading and now are avid readers who either have a book under their own nose, or are begging me to read to them constantly.  Also, I really grasped so much about how to pull learning out of great books and how to use literature as a starting point for endless conversations that inspire growth and discovery.

The skills I learned as an educator will now follow me for years to come.  We've also realized the joy of reading classics and using them as a platform for study.  We're currently working through Charlotte's Web in this same way.  Surely, this program launched us into a great rhythm, especially since we used FIAR in the first years of our homeschool.  I just wish I had of learned about it sooner!  I would have started earlier with Before Five in a Row and really soaked in every ounce of FIAR I could with our children!

For those looking for some quick pointers, I thought this might be useful... I compiled my own 5 Reasons to USE FIAR and 5 Reasons not to use this program...

Five Reasons to definitely USE Five in a Row:

1. You love literature and want to spend a lot of time reading with your children and building your family's love of reading.
2. You don't mind planning your days and organizing materials and activities, even if it takes some time.
3. You want a more eclectic, hands-on, Charlotte Mason-ish style homeschool experience.
4. You would like your family to learn together (mixing different ages/learning levels).
5. You desire for your learning experiences to be fun, memory making times together.

Five Reasons Five in a Row might NOT be for you:

1. You want a program that is completely planned out and all provided for you.  (IE: "I don't want to do ANY planning!") 
2. You prefer a less literary program.
3. You don't want any 'messes'.
4. You want a grades-based, textbook style program.
5. You want your children to work independently.

I truly hope this review was helpful to parents considering the FIAR program and parents looking for a gentle, fun approach to a GREAT home education.  I'm looking forward to making more FIAR memories this year!!!

Big hugs and blessings to you.

If you have any further questions about FIAR, please, leave them in the comments and I will do my BEST to answer them!




Some links worth checking out:

Delightful Learning blog!  This Mom has posts about almost every FIAR study in Volume 1-3.  Her blog is beautifully done and very helpful and inspiring.

Homeschool Share!  This is another resource style blog that gives countless links and full lapbooks and studies that go right along with many FIAR studies. At one time, they specifically named FIAR in their listings, but no longer do so.  I have linked directly to the post that provides links to FIAR-based content which is still accessible and FANTASTIC for use with Lapbooks.

Check out the links on the side bar or my blog right over there ---->
There are several links to studies we've done of FIAR books. 




To finish off the post, I thought I'd share some memories and photos from our journey. 

TONS of photos from our Five in a Row studies:

Studying the art of Monet with Clown of God and Papa Piccolo.

Baking English Scones!

Along with our study of Peter Rabbit - a trip to the British Shop!

A "walk" in the "English Countryside"...

Feeding Bunnies...

Sketching and copywork from Madeline.

Making Gnocci with our study of Papa Piccolo/Clown of God.

Painting like Michelangelo with our study of Italy and Papa Piccolo.

Venice inspired masks!  So much fun. (Clown of God)

Visiting a country market (How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World)

Studying and experimenting with gravity. (Clown of God)

Carving our own "David"... sort of.  ;)

A trip to the Gelato Bar!  Yum!

The FIAR Story Disks are part of the program.  We place a Story Disk on every country where the books take place.  Here, we see the disks for Madeline, Papa Piccolo, and Clown of God from Volume One.

Making PIZZA (before we went Vegan...)

Learning about color wheels and colors.

Making Pretzels!

Enjoying a "Japanese style" dinner for our study of My Father's Journey from Volume 1.

Printing and learning Japanese letters and numbers.

Learning about Volcanos for our study of Italy (and also Mexico).

Our Story Disk Map for FIAR.

More Asian cooking (My Father's Journey, and Ping).

A trip to the Asian Market (The Story about Ping)

Making snow forts for our study of The Very Last First Time (Volume 2).

Finding animals tracks in the snow.

Making Snow Crystals!

Learning about and creating our own "Big Dippers" for our study of Follow the Drinking Gourd (Volume 2).

Learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for our study of Follow the Drinking Gourd.

A trip to a local Black History museum for our study of Follow the Drinking Gourd.

Ferdinand the Bull (Volume 2) gave us tons of opportunities for fun activities!  Here is a measurement scavenger hunt based on the growth of Ferdinand in the book.

Dying carnations.  (Ferdinand)

Learning about Olives and Spain!  (Ferdinand)

Cork creations... (Ferdinand)

Learning about our sense of SMELL for our study of Ferdinand.  (Our kids LOVED this!)

Studying Tchaikovsky and Russian Ballet for our study of Another Celebrated Dancing Bear (Volume 1)

Making Russian bread.  (Another Celebrated Dancing Bear)

Learning how to "etch".  (Another Celebrated Dancing Bear)

Art history and St. Basil Cathedral in Russia.  (Another Celebrated Dancing Bear)

Making Inuksuks for our study of The Very Last First Time (Volume 2)

Making Igloos! (The Very Last First Time)

Playing the "What Makes a Good Title?" game with our study of The Very Last First Time.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless with this program and it is so hands-on and very engaging for young children.  We are so excited to continue our journey with FIAR this year with our 5 and 6 year old. 

Thanks for reading and big hugs to you!




LINKED IN:

Lonely (Mama).

I watch her as she struggles with her stroller and a crying baby and a wandering toddler while she desperately tries to pick fresh corn at the market.  She's sweating in the sun.

"I'll take 10..."  she shouts it at the vendor and she's slightly frantic.  I remember that feeling.  The feeling that everyone is staring and you're ruining everyone's day with your noisy children.

My three are around me too, helping me shuck.  I wonder, 'when did I go from the crazy lady with the crying babies and screaming toddlers to the Mama with three big kids, shucking and paying for corn?'  Somewhere along the way, they grew.  It got easier.

I watch her and try to flash her a smile, as if that would help.  I ignore the promptings to actually put down my own golden cobs and do something constructive.  'Help her, rock the stroller, help her pick the corn, do something, Cass..."  I hear the voice loud and clear but I hesitate.

It's always in the hesitation that we miss the chance to embrace the lonely. 

And that Mama struggling with her crying baby and whining toddlers - she's lonely.  She is very, very, lonely. I know her well, because I was there.  I had three under three and I know the feeling of that frantic stop at the market.  She feels isolated, stared at, judged, and terribly alone.  She needs someone, ANY one to care.  To care enough to bend down and engage with her toddler while she quickly pays the market vendor.  She needs someone to help her bag her groceries.  She needs someone to intentionally walk over, put a hand on her shoulder and whisper encouragement in her aching ear.

She doesn't need judgment and she doesn't need to be ignored.

The Mamas who have babies know it's true.

The Mamas who've had babies know it's true.

So, why don't we do this for our sisters?  Why don't we step out of our little comfort bubbles and take a chance.  Take a chance on that lonely Mama who needs a helping hand.  Who needs just a moment of embrace, of warmth, in the midst of her hard, stressful moment. 

Maybe it's fear and maybe it's selfishness and maybe it's that we forget what it's like to feel alone and lonely in the heat of raising young ones.  But our sisters need us, friends.  The lonely Mamas need us to break through the norm and step out in love.

I missed my chance that day at the market.  Before I knew it, that Mama grabbed her corn, collected her toddler, and pushed the screaming stroller away.  I stood there, disappointed in myself.  But I learned something that day.  Don't hesitate to step out in love.

I'm challenging myself to be deeply aware of those around me.  To seek out the lonely, having-a-hard-time Moms.  To allow myself to be interrupted long enough to help someone out.  Even if it's in the smallest, seemingly most insignificant way. 

Because it's not insignificant.  I remember what it felt like on the (very) rare occasion when someone helped me.  I was lonely and stressed and overwhelmed and an older lady went out of her way to engage with my child so I could finish something.  It stayed in my mind and in my heart. It was like a deep, sweet breath of fresh air in a room that felt sometimes suffocating.

We've all been lonely, we all have moments when we feel lonely, we all need each other.  Let's look around us, wide-eyed, always seeking a lonely sister who need a smile, a touch, a hand, some love, some light.

Don't miss that chance, don't ignore that voice.  The opportunity to embrace the lonely passes far too quickly... and you never know what a difference the smallest act of kindness could make.







Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

xo

Cass


Written for Five Minute Friday

The Perfect Parent?

I've always been a reader.  I read every chance I get.  My husband even laughs at me because I read books while I brush my teeth.  (I figure, I might as well make use of that time!)

So, I'm always seeking knowledge, information, reading to grow and learn.  A lot of my reading includes books about parenting, as I'm sure many Moms can relate.  I've read so many books about training up our children, I couldn't list them all.  But, it seems so many of them have 'techniques'.  Even many great Christ-centered books have lists of rules about what we should do and how we should do it.  1, 2, 3 and follow these steps and voila!  The perfect kid.  Follow this recipe and your child will grow up to love God and follow the right path!'

 All the methods still come down to my earthly performance as a parent.  And THAT's the problem...

Join me today over at The Better Mom to read more about how we can model our parenting after the only perfect One.

xo

Homeschooling 2013/2014

We started back into our school year last week!  It's always so exciting to start fresh.  For us, our 'school' (I honestly, really dislike that word... but for ease, I surrender and use it...) year starts in August.  I find this works very well for us.  We usually do our more intensive work and full schedule from August to May with June and July being much more relaxed.

Can I just say, I absolutely LOVE educating our children at home.  Everything about it is such a gift and I feel completely called to this lifestyle, as does my husband.  I am still learning every day and leaning on God for guidance, but boy, have we come a long way since we first started.  There are so many reasons why we choose to educate a home.  You may want to check out my page, "Why Homeschool?" to read through some of 'whys' I wrote up last year.  If you are considering home education for your family, or need some encouragement as you gear up again this year, maybe, by grace, you can find some soul food there.

I can't believe this is our fourth 'official' year of homeschooling and I feel like I'm finally in a good groove.  (Yes, it takes a while.)  I've really had a lot of time to assess and re-assess our children's gifts, skills, abilities, and challenges.  I've also been able to tailor 'programs' that are perfectly suited to their individual needs.  We have a schedule that gives time for both 'group' work and individual studies, which are done with me at this point.  The group studies are such special times that help us learn together as a family and work on the same subjects at varying levels of difficulty. 

If you ask our kids what 'grade' they're in, they will likely say, "I don't know".  That's not because they are disconnected from their learning experience, but because I don't stress things like grade level with them.  They are actually all over the map with regards to 'level'.  For example, Simon is able to do Math at a grade five level but is still working at the grade 2/3 level for Language Arts.  Just so there is some context to what we'll be doing this year, Simon is 8, Audrey is 6, and Alex will be 5 in September.

Most of all, we're just enjoying the day to day experience of living and growing together.  I wouldn't have it any other way!

If you have any questions about home education, feel free to either message me through Facebook or leave a Comment at the bottom of this post.

Oh, and I have a new camera (hooray for birthday gifts!)... and I've been enjoying snapping photos with it!  So, this post is picture heavy!

 

 

As a blog reader myself, I've found it so helpful to see other plans and reviews.  I'm praying this post is also helpful for other Moms and Dads who are either contemplating home education or are already on the journey.

 

 

Here goes:

 

Core Programs

 

This year, we are using SONLIGHT Core B and Five in a Row, Volume 3 as the platforms for our family's core studies.

About Sonlight:

Sonlight is a Christian, Charlotte-Mason based program that is based on great literature and living books.  There are no grades of textbooks.  I did a detailed review of Sonlight, HERE.

The Sonlight day to day schedule includes:  Bible Reading, Memory Verses, Apologetics, Simple Read-alouds (Poetry, Mother Goose, etc.), Literature (also read-alouds, such as chapter books and short stories), History, Geography, and Cultural Studies.  Each 'Core" has a different subject focus/topic based on age and interest.

We studied parts of Core A last year, which was "Introduction to World Cultures".  It worked well in combination with our tour of the globe (see the side panel of the blog to peek in on some of the country studies we enjoyed).  This year, we are the next step up, Core B, "Intro to World History".  This year covers Creation to the Fall of Rome.  We're really excited about the content of this program!

Here are the books we received with Core B -

We also got the Timeline book and Timeline figures (stickers you stick into the timeline book for history), as well as the great big Markable Map of the World/USA.

 

 

  Five in a Row - Volume 3

We will also be working through Five in a Row, Volume 3.  This is a FANTASTIC literary-based program that focuses on Unit Studies through the use of wonderful children's books.  We absolutely loved working through Volume 1 and much of Volume 2, so, naturally... we're continuing!

Our little Five in a Row shelf with all the books from Volume 1 and 3 along with our lapbook binders for this year and a few added resources to go along with themes in the studies!

Most of the books for this year's use of Volume 3.

To read more about FIAR and how much I love the program, click HERE.

 

 

Language Arts

 Sonlight Language Arts K (and a few more tidbits) - (for Alex, age 5)

 Level K is always tricky for me.  The whole 'teaching reading' thing is a bit of a mystery at times.  Our first child taught HIMSELF to read easily after only reading through a bit of "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons".  I used no phonics program at all with him and he reads at an advanced level.  (Well, that was easy!)

 

Our second struggled a little more with reading and I attempted to use Jolly Phonics with her because it was musical and fun.  She loved it and still listens to the songs.  Although it helped her learn letter sounds, I found it wasn't a super comprehensive program and left out much of the needed grammar and copy work.

 

With Alex, I knew Jolly Phonics wouldn't appeal to him nearly as much and wasn't scheduled or organized enough for me.  That's why I chose to go with Sonlight's Language Arts K program.  So far, I love it.  It's exactly what I need in a pre-reading/reading program. 

 

If you are looking for a flashy, exciting, manipulative-heavy program, this IS NOT it.  This is a very quiet, calm, discussion-based program.

 

Every week a new letter sound is introduced, with the children learning to read basic words within a few weeks.  All the copy work pages are included with the program.  I didn't purchase the K readers Sonlight offers because we have a lot of readers already and I didn't read the best reviews about them.

 

Along with the LA K, I'll include a lot of fun activities with letters and letter sounds.  There are countless ideas online and in books.  Tactile fun, crafts, games, rhymes, etc. will be included as we go.  I'm not a fan of paying big money for what I can do myself easily with a little google searching.

 



 

 

Our Word Boxes are a hit with the kids, along with our Word Drawers I made up a couple years ago.  I got this idea from a Montessori School I was visiting.  Each drawer has small items in it starting with the letters on the front of the drawer.  (IE: MNOP has a Marble, a Pin, and Nametag, etc.)

 

 

 

Copywork pages from LA K.

Alex, enjoying his work.  I had a whole book of copy work pages from Jolly Phonics, so I added them in to the mix for fun.

 

 

Language Arts 1 - (for Audrey, age 6)

LA 1 comes with more books than I've photographed, so if you're looking at it for your child, be sure to check the Sonlight website.  I really like this program as well.   This is for Audrey and she has been thriving with it.  The readers are easy to follow and are scheduled into the program to encourage daily progress.  At the beginning of every week there is a new list of words the children learn along with their sight words.  The copy work pages are fun and easy to follow and included with the program.  Everything is ready and there for you.

 

Just a note: I did not purchase any of the 'optional' choices from Sonlight.  I felt we had enough with the LA program on it's own, along with many other language building activities we do.

 

 

The "I Can Read It!" books included with LA 1.

 

We are also reading through the Usborne Very First Reading Program.  LOVE it!

Language Arts 3 (for Simon, 8 years)

This year, Simon (age 8) is working through Sonlight's Language Arts 3.  I love the collection of readers included in this program.  Simon seems pretty excited about the titles, which is always a good sign. 

Here's a peak at the program (all these books were included as part of that $500 package with the Sonlight Core Curriculum) -

 

 

More Language Arts

We also have been and will continue to work through our copies of First Language Lessons Level 1 and 2. These books are really great for grammar and basic language skills.  I have found them very easy to follow and our children have grasped quite a bit from them.  I include 2 or so lessons every week from these.  Audrey is book one and Simon is working on book 2.

Art and Music

This year we are using:

The Usborne Children's Book of Art for Art Appreciation and Art History.  This is beautiful book that introduces famous artists, famous pieces of work, and also art history. 

The Usborne Famous Paintings Sticker Book for Picture Study and Art History.  Can I just say, this is a STEAL!  For all you Charlotte Mason-ers out there seeking picture study prints of famous paintings and work by famous artists, this is a must.  The stickers are very high quality and the image quality is beautiful.  Every week we choose a few paintings and discuss them after placing the stickers in the right place.

GoFish Art Cards for Picture Study and Art Appreciation.  Another great find for picture study.  I chose the Renaissance and Impressionists set for this year because I really liked the prints included on the cards.  Not sure yet exactly how we'll use these, but we'll definitely use them for memorization and picture study.

Discovering Great Artists for Visual Art and Art Appreciation.  This book is pretty neat.  It gives TONS of art activities for children at varying levels that correspond directly to a famous artist.  The projects either highlight that particular artist's technique or specialty, or mimics one of their art pieces.  We'll work through this as our Visual Art component this year.

Lives of Musicians for Composer Studies.  We will read through the entire book, which highlights several famous composers and musicians through mini biographies and illustrations.  We will also borrow music from the library corresponding to each musician or composer.

 

 

Math

Simon is in the middle of his Math 4 work right now.  He will probably need the 5th grade Math by mid-year.  He loves Teaching Textbooks and so do I.  I would highly recommend it for kids who are self-starters and enjoy working independently on Math.  He can choose to either do the book work or the computer work.  He usually chooses to watch the lecture on the computer and then do his work in his book.

For Audrey and Alex, I've struggled with what to do.  I found an alternative Math program that we're really enjoying.  It comes from a lesser known company called Queen Homeschool.  I was looking for something a little gentler, more Chalotte Mason-based for the earlier years of Math.  These books are fun.  Both Audrey and Alex are enjoying them and I would recommend them if you are looking for a more comprehensive, whole-book Math program.  The only thing I'd mention is this - if you're looking for a repetitive, drill-heavy program, this isn't it.  This is where I find our Math is lacking.  The long read-aloud portions of the Queen's Homeschool Math the kids find boring.  So, we're missing half the point. 

We will be doubling up with our Math U See (Primer and Alpha) to reinforce some key points and do more practice questions.  Alex seems to really thrive with Math-U-See.  I love that my four-year-old is easily doing math equations like 10+10, 5+4, etc.

Queens Homeschool Math 1 and 2

 

Inside Queen Homeschool Charlotte Mason Math l1 (love Alex's little men... haha)

Inside of the Charlotte Mason Math 2

Charlottle Mason Math 2 - you can see how text/reading heavy it is for a Math book.  This is the 'living math' portion of the program.  I love it, and I hate it.  Haha... it works very well for certain subject matter, and not so well for other things that are made simple by keeping it easy.

Math-U-See Primer and Alpha (work well for K and grade 1/2)

 

Inside of Math-U-See Alpha, about mid-year.

 

Science

This year we will be working through Considering God's Creation.  I LOVE this Science curriculum.  It was very inexpensive and is reproducible for your family.  (I paid $30 for the program).  If you're looking for a really hands-on, family style Science, this is great.  It is very biblically based with 'Evolution Busters" throughout (which I love!).  There are 36 lessons covering topics such as, The Plant Kingdom, The Animal Kingdom, Insects, Animal Classification, Animal Lift Cycles, Human Anatomy, Rocks and Fossils, and Weather.

We will be using our worksheets from Considering God's Creation along with various other print-out and projects and compiling them into our Nature Study binders for Science this year.

Organizing Our Year

Well, Homeschooling takes a LOT of organization.  I'm still learning.  And, I only have three kids, which is a relatively small number compared to so many homeschooling families.  (Props to those Mamas of many!!!)  Even with a program like Sonlight that is hugely laid out for me, planning still takes several hours every week.

At the beginning of the year (ie: now), I will spend time mapping out each 'subject area' in months and weeks.  For example, I know in August we will be studying Charlotte's Web through Sonlight, with an added lapbook project and a science unit on Spiders.  I will sit and plan out each month with regard to the major areas of core study and decide what I need and what I want to supplement. 

Which months are we studying Medieval Times?  Roman Empire?  These will be planned so it is easier to be prepared with craft supplies, projects, reading materials, etc.

From there I narrow it down to the weekly and then daily plans.

 

Day to Day Planning

Every day, there is a hearty pile of books that are assigned for reading.  This happens both through Sonlight and also through my own additions to our reading list.  I always try to put these books aside so I have the ability to work through the reading as the day progresses.

Our days do not have a strict 'schedule', as I've found this too frustrating to maintain.  For two years straight I tried to do "8am-9am THIS, 9am-9:30am THAT, etc..." and it was a nightmare.  I just didn't feel it left the freedom we were so craving in our daily life.  There was no flexibility to learn and explore as we were led.  I've realized, the way we learn and grow best is to have a schedule that is loose. 

Having said that, we must accomplish the tasks given for the day, but we have literally from 7am to 8pm to achieve this.  "School" can happen any time, and sometimes, is happening at 7:30pm while younger kids are getting ready for bed.

An example of one of our piles of dinner time/evening reading.

 

BEST  gifts I was ever given - a Recipe Book Holder!  LOVE this and use it every single day to hold books up while I read through meals.
 

  

I'll share my little my variation of work boxes.  I have always thought the work box system looked amazing but I've never fully implemented it for various reasons.  Some of the reasons include, lack of space and the way we learn.  I don't have a lot of separate 'subjects' for each child.  So, making a separate 'work box' wouldn't make sense for the majority of our learning. 

 

However, it DOES make sense for Math, Language Arts, and extra drawing sheets and papers.   So, that's what I've done this year.  It's very simple, not nearly as exciting and interesting as some systems I've seen, but it works.  Each child has their row of bins and each child knows exactly where to find their Math, Language Arts copy work binders/ readers, and have a bin for their little sketches, crafts, etc.

 

Makes it easy for children to take initiative and get going themselves as well as encourages the habit of order, giving them a specific space to put things away and then retrieve them again when needed.

 



As you can see from the mess under the drawers, we're still working on the whole 'order' thing... *sigh*

  

Ikea - we already had this unit from years ago.  I just bought some extra drawers.  Easy.

 

Our little 'homeschool room'... :)

 

 

My favorite space... our outdoor learning area on the back deck.  Boy, I'll miss this come Winter!

 

Ok, so, I think I'm done.  Yes, I really talk this much in person.  Haha!

 

 

 

 



LINKED IN:

The NOT Back to School Hop

Our Story.

We're the silly ones in the grocery store entrance.

 

This morning, the kids and I.  Always the kids and I.  I'm unloading green melons and piling them high in a buggy.  At this point I've completely filled a large buggy, top and bottom.  The towers of fruit are likely to come crashing down at any moment.  We're searching for a lost bird.  He's somewhere in the cardboard Watermelon Bin.  

 

"I can hear him, Mama!  He's in there... he's trapped!"

 

Audrey's eyes are almost glistening as she peaks in.  Simon, always a leader, swings into action. 

 

"Well, we've got to keep unloading these watermelons.  Come on Mom, keep going."

 

Oh, keep going.  Sometimes I wonder if our children are even slightly aware of how ridiculous I look.  Customers are glaring, obviously skeptical about the piled-high buggy of melons.  They probably think I'm going to take a run for it and start my own stolen-melon-country market.

 

Nope, just looking for a lost Sparrow, Sir.

 

Two employees come to see what we're dong.  I explain the situation and they look at me like I've absolutely lost my mind.  I've seen that look before.

 

The kids notice the employee's nonchalant attitude towards the trapped creature and I quickly compensate.

 

"You know, this bird is worth saving.  Every creature is special and precious.  If we don't help him, he will probably die.  We've got to do what we can."

 

The two younger kids keep watching as Simon and I dig up more melons.  Time passes.

 

Finally, the little brown bird emerges and flutters to the top of a sill.  Then, he turns route and flies right out the sliding door and sails to freedom, right into the blue sky of the bustling parking lot. It was like a little mini-grocery store-miracle.

 

 I throw my hands in the air and yell it loud, "YES!!!"  The kids jump and scream and people stare.

 

Weirdos in the supermarket, I get it.  That's us.  And it's ok.

 

It's ok, because at that very moment when God's creature needed help and my children's eyes begged me to do something, I had a choice.  And in that very moment, I quickly asked myself a familiar little question: "What story do I want to write?"

 

See, I could choose to engage and create a heart-driven, spontaneous moment, despite how silly I felt.  Or I could have chosen to scoff at such "silliness" and walked away, dragging bewildered kids behind me KNOWING my soul was telling me to help that bird.

 

For many years, I chose to live stressed, rushed, with no time for such nonsense.  And I hated myself for it but I just kept doing it.  And I have many regrets.  But as I've grown and pushed into Christ, I've realized something - when we walk with Him, we walk a different route.  A far better route.

 

We realize every moment of every day, we have a choice.  We choose how we live and we choose how we respond to the little moments God gives us.  Our life is an open book and we are scripting the pages.  The black ink is being laid, whether we like it or not.

 

And you know what?  We choose how the story of us is written.  What the story of our life looks like.  Sometimes, we can't control the things that happen to us or around us, but we have complete authority over how we respond.  We can decide who we are and who we become.

 

We can decide to what and to whom we cling to.  We can choose to surrender the moments to His leading and His healing and His whispers of 'yes, stop here'.  Even for the Sparrow.

 

That's why I've learned to ask that question.  "What story do I want to write?", is the kind of question that applies to the little situations and the big, big decisions.  But, I assure you, this one question could change your life.  I whisper it to God, and I whisper it to remind myself who I want to become.

 

In every little opportunity to show God's love, to embrace a child, to encourage a friend, to change a moment from sad to happy, to lift little eyes to heaven, and yes, to save a silly little bird.  Just a spastic bird - but God's eye is on even that Sparrow.  Even that little, feathery one in the bin.

 

Every moment is a line in the story of our life.  I guess that's why I take this life pretty seriously.  We only get one.  We need to slow down, look around, and figure out what on earth we're writing.  We ought to constantly be asking ourselves what we want the story of our life to be.  What did we live for?  What did we stand for?  What kind of a person were we?  What defined us? Who did we love and how well were we loved?

 

In every situation, we have the chance to step back, calm our spirits, tune in to eternity, and really, truly ask - what story do I want to tell?

 

Do I want to tell the story of a rushed and frantic Mama who could never stop to listen, to pray, to read, to draw, to save a bird at 8am in the grocery store?

 

Who lived the amateur life of a rush-addict and never stopped long enough to realize what was right in front of her muddy flip flops?

 

 

No, I want to live an on-purpose life.  A well-scripted life.  A 'only by the grace of God', life.  An exciting, deep-rooted, 'it actually made a difference' life.

 

For my Savior.  For my husband.  For my children.  And for anyone else I may have the deep gift of meeting and loving.

 

As I sit here listening to the breeze in the leaves and watching the grass sway in sunshine, I'm praying through this keyboard... for myself and for you too...

 

"Lord, give us the clarity to see things as You do. 

The wisdom to understand every moment here on earth matters

 and every day is written down like a page in our ONE life. 

 Help us, Father, to live it richly, to live it obediently,

 to live it lovingly, and to live it authentically. 

Help us be radically aware of what story we are telling with the way we walk this planet. 

Thank you for Jesus. 

 And thank you for Sparrows in Watermelon Bins,

that remind us to pause and let Your mighty hand hold the pen." 



 

Written for Five Minute Friday




xo
Cassandra