Planning on using My Father's World Kindergarten

I hemmed and hawed about My Father's World Kindergarten. Ever since I saw the curriculum, I thought WOW! That would be so fun!

Then last year at a consignment sale, I bought the 1st edition teacher's manual and the associated letter flashcards for $15 total. I figured I could preview the manual and get a better idea for how it would flow, compared to just viewing the sample online. If I liked it, I'd buy the 2nd edition manual since it had lots of improvements.

But then...I was having doubts. I didn't like the look of the phonics so much, and the manual was confusing to me. I knew that would be remedied in the 2nd edition, since it had a grid layout and was supposedly better organized. But some of the things just looked too repetitive.

Some of the (hard to find, I should add) negative reviews said some of it was too repetitive. But other moms said it helped the kids learn.

Also, I was a little intimidated by instructions that said something like "Present information on zebras. Explain why they have stripes." I was supposed to pull that info from library books or an encyclopedia or something. Pfft. Why couldn't they just have little blurb factoids in the manual as well?

So part of me was like, maybe I will skip MFWK and do something else. I looked at other all-inclusive curricula for that age group. I thought about how I wanted the year to look at our house.

I thought some unit studies, involving fiction and non-fiction books on topics of interest, simple crafts, hands-on science and the sort would be fun. Something that integrated Bible would be great. And something gentle with math and reading instruction.

After making a list like that, I realized that was exactly what MFWK was. Why reinvent the wheel?

Rather than taking all the time to plan and pull things together (and probably fall way short and give up), I decided that MFWK really would be a good option for us. I could tweak things that didn't work, and that would probably be a million times easier than putting something else together. We could take a break from it and do our own thing for a little bit, but still jump back into that framework when we wanted.

Another factor? I found out that I'm having another baby! It was that positive pregnancy test, and knowing I'm due in late Sept/early October that solidified the need to keep this upcoming year really simple. I wanted something preplanned and laid out for me, because I think that having that guide and at least loosely following it would help me gain confidence. I know I could just take a big unschooling approach for the year, since Johnny is still young...but that's not what I'm wanting.

I bought the MFWK deluxe package, which also included a classical music CD, cuisinaire rods and a book with it, a book for moms that I already owned, an ant hill farm, a butterfly garden, a book about dinosaurs and an inflatable globe.

I then sold my MFWK 1st edition manual, the new flashcards that I got with my new order, and the new book, rather than my used ones. I figured those two new items might make the eBay auction more appealing. Would you believe I sold that set for a hefty profit? I started it low, but the bidders bid it on up.

So all told, my MFWK deluxe pack cost a net of $146. What a deal! I'll be able to reuse everything with my other two kids, except I'll need to buy the worksheet pack for each. But still. Good price, and at the end of everyone's preschool/kindergarten I might be able to resell some of it.

There are still some things about MFWK that I'm unsure about liking. For instance, the phonics, handwriting and math are integrated into each unit. So if we want to speed one area up or slow one area down, that might be difficult.

Also, I will need to use the library a lot. I'm going to keep my eyes out for some sort of children's encyclopedia (1 volume!) that might hit on a lot of the unit topics for quick reference. I could still reserve books ahead of time, and then pick up 2-3 weeks at a time, so that should be doable.

After reviewing the 2nd edition manual, I'm so glad I upgraded. The guide makes SO much more sense, plus there are additional activities, a beefed up reading list, and more notes from the curriculum's author.

Some moms use MFWK as a K4 preschool program, and start somewhere around when their kid is 4.5 if he is showing readiness. They might take it at a slower pace for awhile.

Other moms use it as a true kindy program.

I think it really depends on the mom and the kid.

I haven't decided when we'll start. Some of the units involve things in nature that are seasonal, such as leaves, apples, and the sort. So in a way, I'd like to start in warmer months to make the most out of that. We couldn't study leaves right now, since there are no buds on any of our trees yet.

Johnny is only 4 years and 3 months. Still really young. Maybe he'll be ready to start slowly in July or August (I'm thinking it might be fun to do a little bit when it's too hot to be outside? Play outside in the early morning, do a little bit of the school activities in the afternoon?).

Then, take a big ol' break when the baby is born, and restart when I feel up to it.

I don't know. I have time to figure it out.

I do know that it is just preschool/kindergarten. I shouldn't get stressed, because it's not THAT big of a deal. I want to keep it fun for all of us.

The MFWK program seems like a gentle introduction to more formal schooling, both for the child and parent. I'm optimistic!

My first day off in 4+ years

My kids are spending time with their grandparents and have enjoyed their first overnight trip away from home sans parents. They aren't back yet -- I'm expecting them back "before dark" hopefully so we can get bedtime back on track.

But whoa. Two nights away, roughly 48 hours total ... and it is such a weird feeling. Previously, I've had quick bursts of time away in the form of a solo shopping trip, dinner out, or things like that. Never anything close to this.

I miss them! So much! And yet, this was good for everyone. The kids got to spend lots of one-on-one time with their grandparents, get spoiled x100, I had time to get some things marked off my to-do list and also relax a little, and Shane and I also had some much-needed one-on-one time.

They left late Tuesday night. I did a quick pick-up of the house and Shane and I went out to a new-to-us restaurant and then picked up some essentials at the store. Did some more cleaning after that so we could enjoy a tidy house for a few days.

Wednesday, I got up when I felt like it, and drank my coffee while watching the Today Show. So weird! So quiet! I headed out and went to Half Price Books, Aldi, and a butcher shop. Came home and Shane and I went to another restaurant for lunch.

Then, he got back to work and I went to see my grandma for a little bit. Later that evening, we went to an indoor pool which also had some fun activities, like water basketball, a lazy river (no innertubes though -- I guess that's TOO lazy for their standards) and the sort. I'm not much for pools, but at the same time it was fun to do in February and without having to keep an eye on anyone. That place has a fun kid area and I hope we'll go back soon with the kids.

Then, an episode of 24. We're on season 3 and it's just fun to have something ready to go on Netflix.

Today, I went to the library, out to lunch on my own, and then Trader Joe's to stock up on all things delicious and convenience.

I like to have quick things in the freezer from TJ's, because compared to fast food it's not that bad. Tasty, reasonable ingredients and cheap. Love that store.

Now, I'm just finishing up some stuff online and will maybe read a book or something before they get back.

The kids seemed to have a good time, and went to the mall, rode the mall train, went to WonderLab, and who knows what else. LATE bedtimes for both of them and plenty of treats. Oh my. I just hope they'll be mostly civil tonight and tomorrow once the sugar and adrenaline wears off :)

Just wanted to document this milestone. Kthx.

Should preschoolers learn to read?

I am such a fan of Ruth Beechick. I have the three booklet set of The Three Rs: A Home Start in Reading, An Easy Start in Arithmetic, and A Strong Start in Language. (Thanks, Christie for letting me borrow before buying!)

These are brief but right on point. I'd really encourage all homeschooling mamas to read these prior to the start of preschool.

I wanted to share a snippet from the booklet about reading:

"It is true that some children can learn to read remarkably early. But the fact that they can does not necessarily mean they should. Should is another question. One school district set up an experiment to help decide this question. Some kindergartners in the district received extensive instruction in reading. Others spent the same amount of time learning science. [...] ... no formal lessons in reading were held.

And what did the school district learn? By third grade the "science" children were far ahead of the "reading" children in their reading scores. The reason? Their vocabularies and thinking skills were more advanced. They could read on more topics and understand higher level materials.

The reading children, by starting earlier, used up a lot of learning time on the skills of reading, while the "science" children spent the time learning real stuff. And when they did begin reading, they were older and knew more and learned in a fraction of the time that the others took."

I'd better stop there, or I'll just copy the whole booklet. But wow.

I think there are plenty of 4 and 5yos out there who are ready and interested in learning how to read. There's also probably a good chunk of them who are subjected to reading lessons before they're ready. Early lessons may not accomplish much with those kids (except maybe sucking the life out of them and making them loathe reading).

Of course I want my children to be strong readers. I just hope that when the time comes, I have the sense to remember to slow it down, and make sure they are really ready. It's not about me.

January Kiwi Crate update

The kids have completed the two crafts from our January Kiwi Crate and now I'm back with some info.

First, I don't think the sibling add-on was quite worth it for us. While Vivie is a 2-year-old and doesn't share well, I think there still would have been enough materials for her to participate.

I'm dropping the add-on option for the upcoming month (and watch it be the type of month where duplicates would have been worth it!).

Comet toss game:

I had to help with all of the assembly on this one. I didn't read the instructions close enough, and taped the circles wrong, so I had to cut it and retape it (with my tape). That was my fault. I also had to help them assemble their little ball comets.

Johnny enjoyed throwing it and it was good practice for him, since his throwing skills aren't so great. Since it was a frigid day outside, it was nice to have an indoor physical activity to do.

He also got a huge kick out of the bingo card element. Throw the ball to a certain color, mark off that color on your bingo card. I think more bingo is in our future.

We then moved the target rings to our foyer, and dropped the comets from our balcony. That always makes things more fun, right?

We experimented with the comet by taking the ball out, and dropping just the ball or just the fabric square. Didn't work so well. Physics!

Overall, this activity was ok. Nothing mind-blowing, but it was entertaining and something I didn't have to come up with on my own. The ball and fabric square can be re-purposed for something else, but the cardstock rings won't last.

A DIY version could be using rolled up socks and throwing them in different laundry baskets or shoeboxes or such.

Game board:

Since we only had one glue stick and one pack of markers, I did have to round up another glue stick so they could both glue at the same time.

They both used the markers (and it was fine to share the 8 markers) to decorate their game tokens and the game board. Johnny didn't seem to want to decorate much on the board, and at first he liked gluing the pieces on the game board but he got tired of it and I helped him finish.

I just let Vivie do her thing, without much guidance. I figured she didn't need to follow the rules -- she just needed to stay occupied and out of Johnny's hair.

We put the game board together and did two rounds. Johnny won both times and easily understood the rules. It's a simple, Candyland-like game.

We spent about 40 minutes on the game board assembly and playing it.

I haven't done the "explore more" activities yet, but some of the videos and activities sound good.

I think I was more excited about this crate than the kids were, though Johnny says he liked doing it. Perhaps if they were a little bit older, it would have been even better. I thought about saving one game board and materials to do in another year or so, but then I decided to just let Vivie have one now.

Still a fun thing for us and while I'm dropping it down to one child, we'll do a few more months at least (and it does help that I have a referal credit to save $10 off my next crate!).

If you'd like to give it a try, use my referral link to save $10 off your first. Cancel if you don't want to continue.