Update: We are blogging our experiences with each MFW K unit. If you'd like to browse through our posts to get an idea of what it's like to use MFW K, {PLEASE CLICK HERE}!
This past spring, I started hunting online for activity and worksheet ideas with the intent of creating K4 worksheets for Alex. My plan was to create K4 activity extensions for our existing preschool packs.
Then I realized that I’m a busy mom of three very young children. (Okay, so I already knew that…) I really don’t have the time or desire to reinvent the wheel.
A homeschooling friend suggested My Father’s World Kindergarten program as a possible option. As a matter of fact, she RAVED about how much her kids enjoyed this program!
A homeschooling friend suggested My Father’s World Kindergarten program as a possible option. As a matter of fact, she RAVED about how much her kids enjoyed this program!
She set it out one night at her house, and I took a quick glance through the materials. At first, I didn’t really give it much thought.
I took a look at a few other Christian K4/K curriculum options. I almost settled on one. Then it hit me that it was TOO academic. I want my kids to really ENJOY learning, not just sit at a table and do 2 hours of worksheets every morning.
After some thought, I decided to take a closer look at My Father’s World Kindergarten (MFW K). Chanda loaned me her materials, and I really took time to explore the teacher’s manual and student pages. I looked on their website and got a feel for the company’s philosophy.
Know what? I fell in love with it!
MFW K is so Christ~centered! Each week’s unit is Biblically based. It teaches important character lessons. It uses quality children’s literature. It’s also very activity based. Each week explores a different theme within God’s world, and it ties together science, Bible, math, and phonics through hands-on activities.
Honestly, it’s exactly what I would WISH to create…except I would never have had the gift to create something as special as MFW K!
There are worksheets for each unit, but only a few. I admit…I couldn’t resist…I made some activity pages to go with each unit. Some were designed to give Max special activities while Alex is working on his kindergarten pages. Others were designed because I just wasn’t quite ready to part with some of the fun pages we’ve done throughout our tot school lessons. A few pages (such as the handwriting ones) were created because Alex is a little young for kindergarten, and I was afraid that the small-size of the handwriting worksheet writing lines would look overwhelming to Alex.
Alex is young…starting MFW K before age 5…so we will definitely be taking it slowly and working at his pace. The nice thing about this program is that, while it covers typical kindergarten skills, it covers them in a very relaxed manner. If we choose to send him to school next year (still praying and thinking on that option), we will still be able to place him in kindergarten without fear that he will be bored.
Each day takes only about an hour, and each unit lasts 6 days, with the final day being a very light/fun schedule. The plan – as of now – is to work together 4 days a week…3 if it’s a busy week. This is K4, after all. If it takes us longer to accomplish the curriculum, that’s fine. I don’t plan to push.
If we choose to homeschool beyond this K4 year at home, we will wait until Alex is 6 before beginning MFW 1st Grade. (Or any first grade program, should we choose to make a switch.) Whether that means stretching MFW K for a length of time or using another program for a time, I’m not sure. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I’m excited to see how we feel about this program once we get started working. I think it will be a very enjoyable experience for our family. I’ll definitely be blogging it just like our Tot School posts, so stay tuned…we’ll be starting in September!
**There are NO affiliate links in this post. I’m simply linking you to a wonderful, Biblical curriculum in case you’re interested in options for your own children.