MFW Weeks 2 & 3

We are really enjoying MFW first grade so far. Lily is not complaining when it is time to do school work. The phonics program is a review so far, but she is doing great with that. I am noticing a huge improvement in her handwriting and reading fluency lately, and I think that starting first grade over again was a good decision.

We made a Jewish calendar, and talked about how the year starts at a different time than our traditional calendar year.

Lily has been working on Singapore math for the past 2 years. She is actually in book 1B, but I am letting her do the math that came in the MFW curriculum. It will be a good review, and it is fun. I am focusing on making her younger years as fun as possible. I want her to love learning. She is enjoying the activities in this math workbook. We will stick the Singapore back for a bit.

In week 2, we talked a little about ladybugs and geckos. We did some art projects to go along with that. We are not doing the art that comes with the MFW first grade. We are doing our own thing. 

We also watched a Wild Kratts episode about geckos.

In week 2, we learned about soil and soil layers. Lily went on a hunt for leaf litter, and explored it to see what living things she could find in there.

She also filled a jar with soil and water, and shook the jar. After it settled, she observed how the soil has layers.

After she observed the layers, we had a soil layer snack. :)

 Each week, Lily draws a picture in her nature journal. She drew a picture of soil for week 2.

She ended week 2 by making some animals with her pattern blocks.

We finished our scroll in week 3. We talked about how books were not around in Bible times, and that everything was written on scrolls. 

We celebrated "dozen day", and talked about how a dozen of something is 12. We made a dozen muffins and watched "Madeline." 

We use HomeArtStudio DVDs for some of our art lessons. We learned about flowers this week in Science, so we made a sunflower craft from the video. The videos are great, and it takes everything step by step.

We got some flowers for Lily to observe. We talked about each part of the flower and what it does. We talked about how butterflies and bees can pollinate the flowers.  We watched a Rock N Learn video about the parts of flowers.

This was a fun activity. Lily was pretending to be a butterfly. She used her "feet" to collect the "pollen" (the powder from the cheetos), while drinking the nectar. Then, she ran around and pollinated other flowers.

That's it-it was a fun couple of weeks. Next week, we get to talk about seeds and plant a bean seed. ;)

MFW First Grade-Week 1

We have been working on My Father's World first grade for a couple of weeks. Lily really enjoyed it. She actually says "Yay!" when I tell her it is time to do school work. I think this will end up being a good year. It looks like the phonics program will be thorough, but the overall program is gentle enough to not overwhelm.


This week, we used the student sheets from MFW, a calendar page from Confessions of a Homeschooler-grab it here: http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/09/elementary-daily-learning-notebook.html, and the Usborne book Things Outdoors for Science.

We discussed where we live, and pointed it out on the globe.

This week was a review week, so Lily worked on writing her letters, and how they sound. These pages will be made into a scroll in week 3.

For math, we worked on our calendar page every day. We talked about our number of the day, and explored our pattern blocks.

 This is a kitty with a really long tail. :)

 

We also explored making patterns with Unifix cubes. The pattern activity gave way to making bridges, somehow.

 

 For science, we talked about worms and other creatures close to the ground. We watched some Wild Kratts and read books about worms.

 We went on a worm hunt and made a worm home. We will be watching it for a couple of weeks.

We finished up week 1 by making a worm/dirt cake treat. :)

 

Curriculum Changes

We have had a rough start to this year. I run an in-home daycare, and I took on a 12 yr old boy this year that is being homeschooled. I couldn't get into my groove. Lily is in first grade, and the other child is in 6th, so they can't work together. They also want to play instead of do their work, and that makes it hard. I love FIAR, but with me not being able to get into any kind of groove schedule-wise, I needed something that is laid out for me. We tried HOD (Heart of Dakota). It's a great program, but it was too book-ish for Lily. She loves hands on activities. It's how she learns best. After 4 weeks of HOD, I started looking at other curriculum choices. I need something that is laid out, but has some flexibility for me to add an activity in if I find something fun. We are going to try MFW (My Father's World) first grade. Now I feel like we are a bit behind, because we are basically starting first grade over again. Lily can use some extra phonics instruction, though, so it's not terrible that she is starting over.

So, here is a look at what comes with MFW first grade:


The teacher's manual has everything laid out in a weekly grid for you. It also has things written out daily. So, you get a week at-a-glance, then your days are laid out as well.  There is a student workbook, which is the phonics/reading work. There is also a pack of student pages. Everything is copywritten, but you can view samples of each item at: http://www.mfwbooks.com/products/6/First-Grade-Learning-God-s-Story/#Package_Contents

The math in MFW first is very hands-on.  There is a container of pattern blocks, and a book of pattern animals to go with them. There are Unifix cubes, and activities for those. There is the Complete Book of Math, a clock and 2 decks of flashcards. One is for addition facts, the other is subtraction.

For Science, you use these three Usborne books. There are lots of fun hands-on activities in these books.

Bible is integrated into the  MFW curriculum. You have the Big Book of 5 Minute Devotions, which is super cute, and is an animal theme. Around week 11, your child begins reading stories in their Bible reader and writing Bible verses in their notebook. They also illustrate each verse.

Music appreciation is also included in the Deluxe package of MFW first. Your child will learn about the different instruments and how they sound with the Peter and the Wolf CD.

Also part of the deluxe package is Honey For a Child's Heart. It is a great book. It has an amazing list of books listed by age group in the back.

I went rogue on the art program. I didn't really like the one that was included in the curriculum, so I didn't order it. We are using Draw Write Now books. and HomeArt Studio DVDs. I'll also get some ideas from Pinterest.

There is also a list of books in the back of the manual that has suggestions for supplemental books based on your math and science topics for the week. You can create a book basket full of library books for your child to go to throughout the units. MFW also suggests reading aloud to your child for 15 minutes a day.

Overall, it looks like a fun program, and I think it will be a better fit for Lily. It has a nice blend of book-work and hands-on activities. I like the fact that it is already planned, so if I don't have time to plan any extras, I don't have to worry that all subjects are covered. I'll keep you updated on what we think! :)