Homeschool World Forum

[byHisgrace]

I'm currently choosing language arts curriculum for my son for Kindergarten. I am very interested in Five in a Row, but I also like the Sonlight Core. I've heard good things about Ruth Beechick's "Three R's" books as well. But I don't want to buy redundant curriculum and end up wasting money. Can anyone with experience with any of these tell me whether they think these are redundant? I'm assuming that I need to choose either the Sonlight Core or FIAR, but I'm not sure exactly what the Beechick book covers.

[Kitty-Cat]

Of the three I only have FIAR, but I wouldn't call it a LA curriculum. It's a booklist and a teachers manual with ideas covering some LA, some maths, geog, art, ss and some history from the listed picture books. Most of the books are great and in the U.S I know libraries carry them so it can be really cheap as well.
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Jo from Australia

[byHisgrace]

Do you like FIAR? I'm new to all of this. I've looked at the FIAR website, but I haven't actually flipped through a copy of the book. I know I like the idea of teaching through real books, though, which is why FIAR and Sonlight are appealing. Are you only using FIAR or do you also use other things?

[Kitty-Cat]

I know a lot of people on the FIAR boards use just FIAR with a maths and a phonics programme. I use it as a kind of a supplement, when we feel like it kind of thing. (We are doing K also)
I tend to go through cycles of things and at the moment it's more grab a game and a workbook cycle. Partly because we are busy with Dr appts with my youngest and don't have the time to devote to FIAR like I like but also after a few books I get tired of finding extra stuff to go with them. Not that you have to, some people seem to just pick up the manual and do discussion type things but I like to find extras and do hands on stuff. My daughter likes that way better. Like when we did Madeline I found a Lego Eiffel tower instructions online. Although they are picture books some of the concepts taught are quite meaty and I will leave those things till later. Other things my daughter has no interest in yet. the good thing with it though is we can row now what we pick and choose and then a couple of years later rerow using the older concepts.
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Jo from Australia

[Sarahc]

I use FIAR. I wrote a review that explains it that is pretty indepth.
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