Alternative to FLL 1

[Karen FL]

What are some possible alternatives to FLL? I have a 6 y/o who loves fun worksheets with colorful pictures. I'm imagining that he will find FLL 1 quite painful.
TIA!

[Trivium Academy]

Voyages in English would be your fun worksheets with color. If you like the idea of FLL but want something a little different, check out Language Lessons for the Very Young at QueenHomeschool.com

Another would be ABeka

[CactusPair]

We are using VIE for 2nd grade. We do about 1 page a day. The pictures are colorful and there seems to be just enough work for my ds. I like that it is modern, secular and uses multicultural names and pictures. I myself think it's fun, but I do like that kind of stuff.

My ds also like workbooks better than oral FLL type programs. He needs to see and do. He responds well to the fill-in-the-blank structure of VIE, which contains both grammar and writing for 2nd grade.

I do help my ds go over some of it (he isn't an independent worker). Sometimes we do a page orally or just point to the answers. If a child likes to work independently he or she would probably have no problems doing so.

We didn't use the 1st grade VIE bec. ds wasn't ready for it, so I can't comment on that. If you'd like to see samples you can go to Loyala Press's website. They are a Catholic publisher, but the new, updated VIE is secular. It was recently revised last year to be better organized. I find it easy to use. Rainbow Resource also has samples.

VIE has both a student workbook and a teacher's edition. I bought the TE, but I am sending it back to Rainbow because I don't need it at all--totally unnecessary imo-- and it's quite expensive. The student book is reasonably priced.

Others alternatives might be something from Bob Jones or Abeka, as their curriculums tend to be colorful and workbook based.

If you want a complete language arts curriculum that includes grammar you might want to check out McRuffy Press. To get the color workbooks you have to buy direct from the publisher instead of Rainbow Resource. I've used McRuffy's K program twice and love it.

HTH

[CookieMonster]

The first alternative I thought of was A Beka Book. They have a good grammar program with colorful worksheets.

[Sue G in PA]

My ds6 finds FLL rather painful (as he did OPG), too. So, after much thought and consideration and following some board advice...we dropped grammar for him this year. I use a colorful book of Aesop's fables and we practice narrations ala FLL. As for nouns, verbs and such...we do that rather informally while reading or while doing copywork. Sometimes he'll play a "noun scavenger hunt" game w/ ds8 or a verb game where we think of lots of action words they can act out. A wise board veteran once said that formal grammar could wait until 3rd grade or so and at that point they would quickly "make up" any lost ground and be A-OK. I'm testing that w/ ds6 and ds8 to an extent. Just my humble opinion...sorry I don't have workbook suggestions for you! How about Mad Libs Jr.?

[Karin]

I'd suggest this, too. Or have your 6 yo listen to Grammar Songs. We did FLL 1 with my ds, but only the oral work, however he liked it. It would have failed for my dd's, though, as they're more visual learners. They, however, get too distracted by colourful pages, or at least did when they were younger.