What I want to do next year for first grade- need advice!

[mafi39]

I have two children that will be in first grade next year. A 5yo ds and a 6yo dd. I could use your advice on the programs I am looking at. I liked mfw K. We used some of it, but the kids learned their letters quicker than a letter a week, so we dropped it after a while. I am looking at mfw 1st grade and wondered what their phonics program is like. Can anyone advise on this? Can I teach the kids to read on this program alone? I am also looking at HOD and WP. I like the way they are all set up, so I am having a hard time deciding which one will be the best.

Learning to read is the most important part of 1st grade work to me and I want a program that I can have confidence in. I am very much a phonics based teacher.

We did ETC books a,b,c and I liked them. I was planning on doing books 1,2,3 with Alphaphonics. Would this and MFW or the other programs be too much?

For math it is a toss up of Saxon and Rod & Staff. I like the cost of R&S but I am worried it will be too much drill. Have any of you used either? What did you like/not like? My ds is good with math while dd is a little slower. They both like hands on.

Having the bible in my curriculum is important. The kids also like doing hands on activities and love nature, animals, etc...

I want to be sure before I invest a few hundred dollars on these programs, so I appreciate your advice.

McKinsey

[Amber in AUS]

Just wanted to say i have read your post, but can't offer any real advice on the programs you mention.

[Melinda]

I also have children who will be 5 and 6 this fall. This year, we have used Saxon 1 and the first few ETC books with the 5 year old. We are using R&S's Bible stories/coloring pages, McRuffy's Science K (with some extra stuff thrown in), Health, Nutrition, and PE for PK-K, Atelier art, listening to different types of music, and we go to museums and shows sometimes. It has worked well for us except that the oldest child is bored to tears with Saxon and feels overloaded with ETC (too much assigned at once).

I have ordered Right Start math, which we will start in a week or so (as soon as we finish Saxon 1). ETC is great, but I have been giving him too many worksheets per day with it and now he really dislikes it. I cut back to 2-3 pages a day with ETC and he is fine with that. I also got All About Spelling and have it prepared, but we haven't started it yet (will probably start that this week).

A lot of times, he drags his feet and we don't get to anything but the three Rs. They enjoy the R&S Bible stories and coloring, Atelier art, the health program, listening to music, going to shows or museums, and all the extra science experiments. McRuffy science has not been enough for us though, so we are switching to something with a lot more experiments and moving involved.

Something else my children have enjoyed that you may want to look into for phonics is readingeggs.com.

I know you didn't ask for all this, but the ages of the kids and the similar materials made me think it might be helpful.

Good luck!

[arcara]

I can chime in on Saxon for Math. We're using it, ang I think it's a great program. We use some sort of manipulative for every lesson. I like how they group the math facts, and how they space them out and give lots of time to learn them. Just make sure that you do a placement test for your kids so that they won't be in a level that's too easy for them. And, don't feel like a prisoner to the script. Use it according to the needs of your kids.

For science this year, my dd has been learning about animals using library books and the free lapbooks from Homeschool Share (http://www.homeschoolshare.com/animal_studies.php). A lot of people like the science programs from Pandia Press (http://http://www.pandiapress.com/real_science.htm) for the early grades, too.

[Dawn]

I'm another one who feels a solid phonics program is important for our kiddos. I have one I use that I absolutely LOVE and has worked wonderfully for us.

I can't speak to HOD or WP, other than to say that though I have drooled over WP's catalog, they are pricey and have a strict no resell policy.

I've used MFW Adventures and ECC. I think they are a great company and I know from a friend's experience that their phonics is very good.

Rod and Staff math and Saxon are very very different. Check both out - thumb through their books etc. We love R&S Math. Yes, it has a lot of drill and repetition, but we adjust it very easily. I have my 2nd grader doing about every 3rd lesson since there is a lot of repetition built in during the early grades particularly. I love that it's very traditional - but that's just me. :) The math really starts to speed up in grade 5. Each lesson teaches a new concept. Review is much less. For both kiddos, I rarely have them do entire lessons. Usually "odds" or "evens" or just what they need work on. For my oldest, we skip all the review until Fridays and I have her work on review then.

HTH!

[Susie in MS]

For me the choice between WP and HOD is an easy one. If I don't like a companies policy I don't buy form them. WP's prices are way too high and then they have a no re-sale policy. That doesn't set right with me.

I have used HOD's Little Hands and I have Little Hearts. They are excellent programs. The good thing about HOD is that you can choose the phonics and math program that you like and it won't upset the study. You will find God woven throughout the entire program. It is very easy to use, and you won't have to run to the library cuz the book packs have all you need. Plus it is economical.

As far as a strong phonics program you might want to take a look at Adventures in Phonics by Christian Liberty Press. It is well done and economical. I wish there was a place where you could look at all the *parts* on one page and see the samples too, but you will need to filp pages at cbd to see the discriptions and samples:

Wkbk
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=29810&netp_id=196735&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=covers

TM
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=29811&event=CF

Readers
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=50451&event=CFN

Charts and Flash cards
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=25815&event=CF

I have plans to use R&S math, but I will not require my child to do all of the work. There is just too much in there.

[TaraTheLiberator]

I also had a five and six year old this past fall. My six year old started first grade and my five year old started K. They are now 7 and 6 and will be in second and first come summer (the start of our new school year).

I followed TWTM recommendations for first grade. I used the resources I had or preferred in place of some of their specific curriculum suggestions, but overall, we had a WTM kind of year. It went very, very well and was inexpensive yet quality.

We used the free Mosaic (http://bringinguplearners.com) history guide that correlates with SOTW 1 for history. We used the History Pockets Ancients and lots and lots of supplemental books, and we kept a history notebook with pictures and narrations. History has been my kids' favorite subject.

We used the Usborne First Animal Encyclopia and the Usborne Human Body encyclopedia for science. I read a few pages twice a week and the kids used coloring pages and narrations for the science notebook. We will be moving on to plants in a few weeks. I didn't like the Green Thumbs book suggested so we are going with some other books but we are still going to follow TWTM format.

For math we use RightStart and I simply can't say enough good things about it. There are gobs of threads on RightStart so I won't bore you with my raves here.

We have used Explode the Code for phonics as well as Saxon and K-12 phonics readers and The Reading Lesson. My dd has moved on to short chapter books now.

I started my dd in Writing with Ease around the start of this year and it's going very well. We don't use the workbook; I find my own copywork and narration exercises with no difficulty.

We spend about 2 1/2 hours a day on school. The kids enjoy it and so do I. Even though I have to pull together my own resources, I find my planning time to be quite reasonable. I plan two weeks at a time and I spend about 1 to 1 1/2 hours planning those two weeks. I also spend about 1/2 an hour a week using our library's online catalog to find supplemental books, which I request and have sent to our nearest branch. I pick them up once a week.

So my suggestion would be to give TWTM a try. I spent around $200 for combined k/1st and we have had a phenomenal year.

Tara

[Michelle My Bell]

I am going to recommend different programs than you mentioned just because I personally have tried a lot of programs over the years, including MFW, R & S, Saxon etc... so this is from my own experience of what I recommend for 1st grade.

Reading: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 EZ lessons with Explode the Code

Math: RightStart Math (probably B) I can't recommend this highly enough. Seriously, it is AWESOME!!! Check out my blog for the reason why I recommend this so highly.

Handwriting: Pentime (get it at RR) This is inexpensive, works great, and is educational also.

History / Science / Literature : A good library card can cover all these subjects. Read lots of living books and check out great videos.

Bible: If your a christian I highly recommend Truth & Grace Books for bible memory and more. Add in a good Bible Story book and a missionary story or a character building book.

Michelle

[Lovedtodeath]

I think that MFW 1st would be my choice. Having 2 kids doing it together would be great! They may not be ready for the amount of writing, esp the 5 year old. MFW 1st will cover phonics and math. You do not need to add those. Why don't you take a look at the full program before you decide that you need separate phonics and math?

For math (if you feel the need to get it) I would go with Rightstart, because having 2 kids doing it together would be fabulous for the games. You can also buy rightstart games in their own package without the rest of the program.

I know a lot of people love WP Animal Worlds, but I think that at this age, WP is a little bit of overkill (and expensive). So I would probably choose HOD instead. But, people resell WP it all the time, so I wouldn't let that deter you.

[mom2hunangirls]

i am thinking of using MFW 1st as well. I have already purchased it but I'm confused. I thought the book basket started with 1st. I do see their list of books in the back for math etc...is that what the book basket is? I just don't see where they specifically talk about "book basket".

And OP, we are doing Phonics Pathways this year, and in looking at 1st I think she will be ready for it. Are yours reading at all yet?

I do plan to do Horizons 1 and FLL with my daughter along with MFW 1st. The math only because she likes Horizons so I figure it can't hurt, the lessons are short. And FLL just because I think it will be an easy compliment to the things she does in MFW.

[Calming Tea]

One thing that occurred to me this year is that if the kids are really that bright or "gifted" then they will speed ahead on their own quite apart from your lessons. In that case you just either skip the lesson or do it really quickly. I wouldn't ditch an entire prorgram that worked well for you because your kids are a bit faster than the usual pace of the program.

MFW 1st takes them from non-reader all the way to all the phonics they need to know, eliminating the need for second grade phonics. I have not used it, but to me that seems like enough phonics for a 6 year old. And don't forget you have one first grader that will barely be 6, and you don't want to stress out that child. MFW 1st also includes grammar, lots of penmanship, writing sentences, copywork, etc.

TO me that is enough. I think you should stick with what worked for you this year. It seemed you were fairly happy with MFW K, so that's a great thing! MFW 1st is more advanced, anyway.

What's the rush? Sometimes kids learn faster on their own. That's great. Unless they are crying and banging their head in frustration and boredom you're good. Just skip what they already know and use the grammar and penmanship parts of the lessons.

[Lovedtodeath]

i am thinking of using MFW 1st as well. I have already purchased it but I'm confused. I thought the book basket started with 1st. I do see their list of books in the back for math etc...is that what the book basket is? I am sorry, I don't know. My knowledge of MFW 1 is limited to friends that have used it. I ended up skipping a lot in MFW K and going ahead with piecing things together from there.

[Julianna]

I love the look of MFW first grade program. Dd would have enjoyed the Bible focus. I ultimately chose HOD for first grade because of the separation of phonics from the rest of the curriculum. I'm glad I did, because dd made years of growth in her reading skill in just a few months. HOD can accommodate that kind of variation.

[mafi39]

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies, it gives me plenty to think about!
I am going to a curriuculum fair in may and I will look more in depth at mfw before I make a decision. I liked the bible aspect of mfw and I have been recently looking at HOD and really liked the looks of it too! Ughhhhh :) too many great choices, I wish there was time to do it all.

I will have to look into RightStart, I've heard about it, but haven't really researched it much. I want a more formal math than what mfw gives so that is why I will choose something for math.

The kids are reading 3 letter words, I don't really have any readers for them yet. I saw some at the library, so this summer, we might check them out and just read, read, read!

My 5yods will be 6 in november,so there is no rush for him, but He loves to do everything my dd does and picks up on stuff quick!

This is my first year hs and although I taught ps for 6 years, teaching your own is entirely different. I don't want to push them too hard but I also don't want to be too lax, so it's hard to always know the right balance.

Thanks Again, I know I will have a ton more questions before it's all said and done!

[LoveBaby]

i am thinking of using MFW 1st as well. I have already purchased it but I'm confused. I thought the book basket started with 1st. I do see their list of books in the back for math etc...is that what the book basket is? I just don't see where they specifically talk about "book basket".

And OP, we are doing Phonics Pathways this year, and in looking at 1st I think she will be ready for it. Are yours reading at all yet?

I do plan to do Horizons 1 and FLL with my daughter along with MFW 1st. The math only because she likes Horizons so I figure it can't hurt, the lessons are short. And FLL just because I think it will be an easy compliment to the things she does in MFW.

They don't have "book basket" time in 1st because for many children, they would be unable to read from many of the books. The lists for math and science are to flesh out those subjects, being read aloud by you. You don't have to use *every* one, though, and many have great illustrations (especially the crinkleroot's almanac) that your children will just love looking at.

My Dd was a struggling, reluctant reader when we started MFW 1st and she really took off and is a great reader now. In fact, I can't keep her nose out of a book which is great unless it's chore time! LOL

[Shannon C]

I was happy with MFW 1st for phonics, but if your little ones don't pick it up quickly, you will have to slow it down for their pace. We just finished up with MFW 1st(we started in July) and we are now using Spectrum Phonics Grade 2 to review b/c my dd did not pick everything up as quickly as the TM went. I should have just slowed down and reviewed as we went. She picked up a lot just from reading books, though. She LOVES the Bible reader and I think that it was the best part of the program. : ) We only used it for reading and Bible. I did my own science/history(there isn't actually history besides Bible in 1st and I wanted an intro. to American history at this age)

[Shannon C]

I also might add that we are switching to HOD now(we've been having fun with FIAR since we finished MFW in December). So you can do them both! There is time if you want to do MFW 1st and HOD. I'm starting ds 5 and dd 6 together with Little Hearts rightnow,we will school through summer and pick up with Beyond for dd in the fall(they will end up listening in to each others history/read alouds). You can adjust the LA for each manual so dd will start the Beyond LA suggestions while continuing to listen into the Little Hearts lessons along with her brother. I'm not sure that all makes sense, but basically to say that you can do both MFW 1st and HOD in the next few years if you want to! Little Hearts goes through age 7 and will cover different things that MFW. Anyway, I hope that makes some sense. I also was a school teacher and am trying to find some balance. I always have grand ideas, but don't know how to implement them with my kids!

[nukeswife]

I just wanted to throw out another option for math. My dd was using Saxon 1 and although we liked it ok, I didn't care for the way they introduced math facts. My dd would just glare over when we got to them because it jumped it a little deep for her. The doubles facts were just too much (by this I mean 1+1, 2+2...through 9+9) Someone I know suggested I try CLE math (Christian light education www.clp.org) and what a great program. I love that it has the 10 seperate lightunit workbooks, it gives my dd a real sense of accomplishment. The TM is wonderful, just scripted enough, but not overly so like I found Saxons to be. I also love how they introduce the facts, just 1 or 2 at a time and they even tell me in the TM when to change certain facts to once a day or just one day during the week. (The are labeled in groups with letters so for that purpose I really recommend their set of flashcards) Lastly the price just can't be beat. There are 2 TM's (one for each 5 lightunits) which cost $7 each and then each lightunt is $2.90 so $29 for all 10 you'd need for the year. The flashcards were something like $12. So you can actually get a whole years of CLE (TM's and lightunits) for less than the cost of a Saxon TM. The only regret for me about CLE math is that I didn't find it sooner.

[OhioM]

I didn't read all of the replies, but here would be my picks....

MFW 1st grade is awesome! Phonics are very solid. Their blend ladder is genius.
Right Start Math sorry, I know it's not one of the choices, but RS provides a great foundation for mental math and concepts. I've also used Singapore and I find RS to be meatier and more solid in the early years. And FUN, too!

I have looked at WP, too, but I read too many negative reviews, and I don't trust their book selections as much. I've purchased some random things from them and too many didn't go over that well.