older FIARers/younger FIARers

[Alexandra]

Hi all,

I've been using FIAR on and off for years now. This year is the first where I've really thrown myself into it and so far it is going great! :clap:

In the past, I've always picked and chosen from volumes 1-3. 5 yr olds hear Harold and the Purple Crayon, The Salamander Room, etc. My older children hear Mrs. Katz and Tush, Who Owns the Sun, etc.

This year I find myself with 2 children who are rowing (along with an 11 yr old who cannot bear to not listen in on her favorites), and somehow I've got myself rowing separately to them. Its not impossible, but I'm not sure its necessary and I'm wondering how others handle this situation.

The older is going to be 8. She has heard all the easier to understand vol. 1-3 books since she was 4 (we are saving vol. 4 for next year). The younger one is going to be 5. She is hearing B4 books, but we will finish them before the end of the schoolyear and then I will start her on FIAR in the spring.

So if you have children at the beginning and the end of the 4-8 age span, what do you do?

[NicoleinWA]

With 3 in jr/high school age ranges... I just cannot do different FIAR lessons with different children. I'm a simple person. :lol:

I am using FIAR (volumes 1-4) with a 4yo, 7, 7 and 10. Granted, my 10yo has some learning disabilities, but adding some older books, videos and lessons for her seems to work just fine. My 4yo I just cater to in the way of art and younger books on the same subject.

[NicoleinWA]

Oh, and I've also been using it off and on for years- this year being the first in 6 that I am throwing myself into it again. :)

and my middle name is Alexandra. :roflol:

[Michelle Pfeifer]

I have a 4 yo and an 8 yo and we're doing the same book. In fact, DS1 is excited that we are doing Madeline this week and that's one he and I have done at least twice already. Never occurred to me to do different books, except for the couple of weeks we're doing a Vol 4 book. Those weeks I don't really plan to row a book with Samuel. He's free to listen in, but the lessons will be for Luke.

Michelle

[Alexandra]

Mine wandered in this week while I was reading Who Owns the Sun. She looked at the pictures, but the story was lost on her (I however, had to keep from crying...this is a new book for me and I can't believe how moving it is). I dunno...can't decide what I want to do. I am reading other things to my 4/5ish child in her own preschool time, so maybe including her in the FIAR book won't hurt? Last week we rerowed the Clogs book and I don't think she connected much with that one, either. She is *very* engaged in the B4FIAR books, though (which I do read 4 days a week as she loves that rhythm). Maybe she's just not ready for FIAR at all yet?

Totally unrelated, but I have to share somewhere... :D

I've had an Amazon purchase of Very Last First Time in since March. They keep "extending" the shipping time. I thought I'd never see it...well, it showed up today! No warning or anything. :clap: :clap: The funny thing is that all three girls squealed when they found out it was a new FIAR book...even the one who doesn't technically "do" FIAR anymore, and they all begged me to read it right away (I refused, of course, since I have cool lesson plans for this already set up for wintertime! lol)

[Michelle Pfeifer]

If I'm doing a lesson that is more difficult, I'll give my 4yo a coloring page related to the book. Or just let him go off on his own. Since this is PreK, I'm not worried about him staying for a whole lesson at this point. For geography, he'll just color in an outline map while my 8 yo labels major cities.

So far we've done Lentil, Duchess, and this week we're doing Madeline. My 4 yo asks better questions than my 8 yo does. While reading Duchess last week, he turned to me and said "She's putting too much stuff in the cake."

When did she turn 4. Samuel just turned 4 in June. That really does affect what they'll pay attention to.

Michelle

[Esther-Alabama]

I have an 8.5yr old and a just turned (in July) 5 yr old. I am doing FIAR Vol 1-4 with them. This week we are doing The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. The 5 yr old colored the state of New York in an outline map of the USA and we find New York City on the map daily. Today, for LA, he did a compound word exercise that was fun and he keeps running in telling me another compound word he knows now! Too funny. We will do art tomorrow and both will draw a nighttime picture.

My 8.5 yr old read a go-along book all about New York City, found it on the map, learned the names of the 5 burroughs and the major landmarks of the city. He also must write a paragraph about New York City by the end of the week. (I am helping him as paragraph writing is a new skill for him and he has a very difficult time with handwriting and spelling). Today, he did a more difficult compound work activity and for art, he will draw a nighttime scene and a picture contrasting two things of different sizes. I also have a book about lighthouses for him to read as extra.

When we do a Vol 4 book, my little one usually enjoys it just as much as the 8.5 yr old. Again, they have age-appropriate lessons and I find that they help each other, learn from each other, and it is not too much work for me.

HTH!!

[Alexandra]

Maybe I just need to look at my manual differently than I have in the past. I do like the idea of everyone on the same book. I don't know how much longer my 10 almost 11 yr old will want to listen in. This may be the last year where I can have all three listen to one picture book. Maybe I need to take advantage of that.

My 4 yr old will be 5 in the middle of October, so she is not even official Kindergarten age yet. My 7 yr old, ironically, turns 8 on the exact same day! :roflol:

[Rachael]

I'm teaching all 3 of my kids- 11, 9, and 3 out of FIAR. My 3yo is along for the ride. He listens to the stories, participates in art and the hands-on projects. We don't expect too much from him, but I still think he's learning a lot! My 11 and 9yo get lots of extra related books from the library, and also study extra geography and the language of the country. They also do math, grammar, and spelling.

For Ping, they read the 5 Chinese Brothers, the 7 Chinese sisters, and the 7 Chinese brothers. They had to compare and contrast the stories, then make up a 6th or 8th brother or sister, and write about how and why they narrowly escaped execution. They loved that. My 3yo just listened to the stories.

We're spending about 2 weeks per book, with all the extra things we're adding in.

[Alexandra]

My 11 and 9yo get lots of extra related books from the library, and also study extra geography and the language of the country. They also do math, grammar, and spelling.

For Ping, they read the 5 Chinese Brothers, the 7 Chinese sisters, and the 7 Chinese brothers. They had to compare and contrast the stories, then make up a 6th or 8th brother or sister, and write about how and why they narrowly escaped execution. They loved that. My 3yo just listened to the stories.

We're spending about 2 weeks per book, with all the extra things we're adding in.

I'm not sure I'm up for the 2 weeks per book method. I get overwhelmed by the intensity of it all, so I tend to stick to the manual unless all the extra books are on my shelf. BTW, A great chapter book go along for Ping or other China themed books is Little Pear. I have that one, and a book on the Great Wall of China, so we will do more when we revisit Ping (my 7 yr old insists on doing Ping every year, no matter what).

I love your language arts ideas, btw! Very CM.

[Kendall in GA]

So if you have children at the beginning and the end of the 4-8 age span, what do you do?

I was in that boat last year...My troops rowed Vol. 1/2/3 together. It worked well.

This year my dd started Vol. 4 and my ds is still rowing Vol. 1/2/3.