Preparing for a School Year Using MFW Curriculum

So, one of the common questions I see on the Facebook My Father's World group is: How do you prepare for Exploring Countries and Cultures? (Or whichever year the person is using.)

I've never used MFW's Kindergarten curriculum, so I really can't advise for that one, but I'm pretty sure detailed instructions are in the front of the teacher's manual.

So, here is how I prepare each school year.

First, I just briefly flip through all the books that come with the curriculum just to be a little familiar with them. Sometimes the books are Usborne books and have lots of text or columns of information or sidebars and I just want to be familiar with how the books are laid out.

Next, I get a pencil, notebook, small sticky notes, the teacher's manual, and all the books, and find a quiet corner, or spread them out on the coffee table. Do whatever works. If you have littles, you may need to wait until nap time, and spread this next part over several sessions.

I read through the front introduction section, underlining anything that jumps out at me as important. I might make a little note or put an asterisk there. If I really don't want to write in that particular TM, then I'll use a sticky note. I use the notebook to make lists of things I need to do to prepare, supplies, etc. So, if I am reading the Rome to the Reformation TM, and I see that I need certain page from The Body Book copied, I'll make a box and then write "Make Body Book copies." (I like having all my copies done at the beginning of the year. You may not feel like you need to do it in advance. Only write what you need to do based on how you like to prepare.)

I also think about what supplies I already have, and then write down any other supplies I need based on the list in the front of the TM. Some years, like Explorers to 1850, it suggests spiral bound 4x6 cards for the memory work. That's something I probably wouldn't have on hand, so I write it down and then watch prices in the Sunday sale ads. 

I usually read through the introduction section more than once, trying to become really familiar with it. I want to remember when we use narration and when we use copywork and dictation and such, so reading through it several times helps me. (One big tip I have is to read through that introduction section about once every 8-12 weeks, as a reminder. I often forget things.)

Next, I go to Week 1 in the TM and look over the grid and see how it is laid out. I pull out all the books that are used that week, and as I go down each day, I find the book, read what the TM tells me to read, look at the student sheets to make sure I understand which one and what the kids are suppose to do. I might write "narrate" in each Bible and History box on the grid for the first two weeks to remind myself to do that when we actually start. Then I read all the Notes after the grid to make sure I didn't miss any important information. The grid will say "see notes" if there is information there. 

If all the books aren't used the first week, I will go through the weeks until I find a week where it is used, and then read the Notes about the book and read the pages assigned for that day. The idea is to feel comfortable using the books and TM together.

I might be able to do this process in one day, or I might spread it out over several days. Then, I go ahead and read the grid and Notes for every week of the year. Yep, every one. I have that notebook handy and will write things like, "Week 7, Make boats - supplies needed. . ." This really helps me get an overall view of the year. (The second time through a year, I don't go into nearly as much detail, as I'm already familiar with the books and topics.)

Finally, I read through that introduction section again. Just trying to cement all those little clues in my mind.

After that, I have my list in my notebook to work with. I put the student sheets for each student in a separate hanging file folder. We pull them out of the folder, complete them, and then they go into the appropriate notebook in a page protector. Two sheets per page protector, one facing forward, one back, unless the sheet has a backside. It took a little bit of training to teach my kids how to do the sheets in the page protector, but now at the end of the year, I can take the sheets out and have them bound at my favorite office supply store. Then I go through my checklist and do all the prep work from that.

Preparing a high school year is similar. I read through the Daily Lesson Plans, get familiar with the books my daughter will be using, and try to get a feel for the flow of the year. Then, I go over it with my daughter so she and I are on the same page. I do use Homeschool Tracker Plus to track assignments and grades, so that is a big part of my preparation for high school: entering the assignments into HST+. 

So, that's is basically how I prepare using a MFW TM. For 1st grade, I did laminate things that were used frequently: the reading chart, the math place value cards, and a few other things. For that year, I also made several skip counting charts, calendars, and other daily repetitive things and put them in a notebook for each boy, and then would go through them with each boy separately. And, for first grade I added in memorizing home phone, address, and their birthday.

Enjoy your year in My Father's World!

Finding Your Kids' Interests

As I now have a child halfway through highschool, and Tigger and Pooh are starting junior high this fall, I thought I might change the direction of this blog. I know. I haven't been that good about keeping it up anyway, so might as well change course.

This fall, my oldest (Rabbit) will be doing My Father's World U.S. History to 1877. I've read through it, and it looks like a good, challenging year. It also looks like it is going to take a good deal more of my time - especially teaching Thinking Like a Christian. It looks like great material, but with our weekly co-op, we may have to do the parent-led teaching on Saturdays. She is also doing Spanish 3 and Apologia's Anatomy and Physiology for science. We're going to try VideoText for math. I think she needs to relearn those foundational algebra concepts. 

Tigger and Pooh will be doing My Father's World Explorers to 1850. The last time through the boys were second graders, and only did the second grade supplement. It will be interesting to see how they like it. They are also doing Apologia's General Science (they will be doing the labs at our co-op), Saxon 8/7 for math, and My Father's World seventh grade English recommendations. We have already started Saxon 8/7 this summer, to get a head start.

One of the things about heading into junior high and high school is to start focusing your kids on their interests. Seeing where God might be leading them. Rabbit is pretty easy. She loves dance and music and teaching. She is thinking about perhaps a Music Education degree, some how tied into dance. We'll figure it out. 

Pooh is pretty easy. He's very much the engineer. So, we have gotten him Mindstorm Lego kits and he's learned to build cars and program the remote control. I also plan on adding in some programming somewhere. (Finding the time is the challenge.) His dream is to eventually run a car company - he wants to design and build cars. 

Tigger has been more challenging. He can build things with Legos, but it's not his number one favorite. Mostly, he has been into sports - baseball, flag football, hip hop, and basketball. But, he is also very small, and though he wants to be a professional basketball player, i'm not sure he will be big enough. Two things about Tigger caught my attention: one is that he likes doing things that get other people's attention - dressing super nice, cool hair cut, asks if he can get his ears pierced; the other is he perseveres. I also noticed he was writing lyrics to "rap" songs and other things. Then, he wrote up an "article" on a NBA team, on his own. So, I set up a blog for him. This allows him to write, and when people read it, he gets the attention. It's all about his thoughts on the NBA. I also saw an ad in our newspaper for a "Journalism Day" - they learn how to interview, photograph, etc. So, I've signed him up for that. The nice thing is, if he does this one day camp, he may decide he loves it or hates it. If he hates it, we can move on to something else. But, I'm thinking we're on the right track for his future.

Let me just say this: I'm not really worried about their futures. God has a plan for their lives. He will guide them, and use their experiences (or lack thereof) for their futures. I will give them the best foundation I can, but God's got this. 

So,that's where we're heading this next school year. I'll try to keep posting about different things. How our days are going, our co-op, and then maybe thoughts on more "general" homeschooling topics.