FIAR Info?

[mama2mychildren]

Can someone fill me in on how this curriculum "works"? Have you been happy with it? Does it all come together or do they send you the units and you find the books yourself? What do you think of the Before FIAR?

[lenswyf]

I have the Before FIAR book and we did a little bit of it. Basically, we read a book every day for a week, and each day had something different to do and/or discuss about the book. I liked the repetition of the book because the child really gets to know the story, and the activities/discussion help kids get a lot out of the story along with learning new things.

[Booklover]

It's a unit study based on children's books and everyday you look at a different aspect of the stories (art, science, history/social studies, math, etc). They have a website where you cano look at the booklists. http://www.fiveinarow.com/

[SandKsmama]

FIAR has "volumes"(I think there are 3), and each volume contains the "units" for each book you would study. You have to buy or borrow the books yourself, they do not sell the books. Each unit has history, science, geography, Bible, art sometimes I think - pretty much everything but math and language arts, you have to buy your own math and language curricula.

You read the book every day for 5 days "in a row":-), and each day you focus on a different subject as it relates to that book. For example - Monday you would read the book and talk about the science parts of it, do a science activity relating the story content, Tuesday it would be history, etc.

Before Five in a row is different a little bit in that it is not meant to be a structured curriculum. The authors intended for it to be a gentle introduction to learning through literature - they have selected books, and then for each book there are suggested activities in the different subject categories. There's a Bible verse that goes along with each book as well. I used it with my 4 year old more like a formal "curriculum" but I know many many parents who use it just as a springboard for creating "teachable moments" as they read great kids books.

I loved B4FIAR. It was *perfect* for my bookloving daughter. She was the type of kid who could sit and listen to me read for hours:-) We had a great time with it, and she also at age 4 did the Get ready, get set and go for the code, and loved that too. It's also very cost effective. Even if you buy the books, which we did (found most of them on Ebay:-), it's inexpensive.

I have chosen not to use B4FIAR with my son. He is just a different child and I think with schooling an older child next year and having a toddler at home as well, I just don't have the time to make it "hands on" and structured enough for him. We are going to be using My Father's World, the Kindergarten program for him.

If I did not have 2 younger ones at home, I probably would use FIAR with my older daughter. I think she would love it. But just where I am in life right now, I know that I don't have the time or energy to pull it together and do it justice. So, I'm also going with My Father's World for her. It has the Charlotte Mason, literature loving feel that I LOVE about FIAR, but it also has a teacher's guide where everything is laid out for you:-) I need that right now.

hth!
Amanda

[Joanne]

We used a combination of B4FIAR and FIAR for "K" for my oldest (now 10). It was a perfect choice for kindergarten, and especially with 2 little ones younger than him. It was a great year. It offered *just enough* structure but wasn't cumbersome at all.

Personally, it would not have met my goals for ongoing education. I haven't looked at the Beyond FIAR.

[findingjoy]

I am using FIAR with my son and we like it. We can use it for awhile and then lay it aside and pick it up again later. I have volume 1 and have found most of the books at my local library. I have also requested some through interlibrary loan. We already owned one of the books listed and have not bought any others. I consider it a very inexpensive "curriculum". Another reason to love it! There are also more great ideas of how to use the books on the FIAR website message board.

[PrincessMommie]

Hi there! :)

I've used B4FIAR for 3 years and FIAR for 3 years as well.
B4 is not intended to be used as FIAR is, in that the author didn't create it as a curriculum or even to be used for the five days but rather as a learning 'tool' of gentle cuddle times between mom and child WHEN the mood strikes. :) But it can certainly be used that way for a 'ready' 4 year old who is not quite able to move into FIAR yet.

FIAR is not unit study. It is a literature study....most people confuse that I think :shrug
FIAR focuses on 1 piece of literature while delving into various topics of study sprung from the book. Where as a unit study focuses on 1 'topic' for all subjects FIAR does not do that.

FIAR IMO is a wonderful beginning curriculum for young children and beginning homeschoolers...and 1 look at the master index in the back will show that it IS a complete curriculum except for the math and lang arts.

When you buy a FIAR volume, that is what you get just the volume and you can then buy the story books used off the swap boards, through amazon, rainbow resource, or find them at the library. OR you can buy the book 'packages' from the FIAR website.

I have since moved on, but our years with the FIAR curriculums have Wonderful memories. :)