My Father's World FIRST GRADE Curriculum Review

[@unpoedic]

You're an excellent reviewer; I'm binge-watching your videos. 😊

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Hannah A. (mommyshortlegs) thank you so much! Feel free to submit review requests

[@heatherlambert4927]

I love how you allow your kids to express themselves and let them do the writing and drawing on their own. I’m definitely going to do the same with my daughter after watching your video. Thanks for the great advice! Blessings to you and your family!

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Heather Lambert Aw, thanks for watching! Blessings to you too.

[@kdevera1]

Thank you for a thorough review. I’m new to homeschooling and still eager to learn more about curriculums that has a Christian foundation/ viewpoint, particularly for history and science. Could you tell me the other curriculums you have tried in the past, or direct me to your video reviews of those curricula? I am new to hearing about Bob Jones, the mystery of history, the good and the beautiful, abeka. I’m new to it all really. Would love to know what your thoughts are of Sonlight. Which LA, history and science curriculums you would recommend. Thanks so much!

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Karen De Vera Welcome! You can find my other reviews by clicking on our profile and looking at the video list :) Bob Jones & Abeka are good “school at home textbooks”...Mystery of History & Sonlight are good reading books/literature based learning. Very different approaches. I do not support The Good & The Beautiful - mormon author. Simply Charlotte Mason, Queen Homeschool and Masterbooks are companies you can check out while researching.

[@amandamendoza4181]

My 4th child is now 2, I considered my Father’s World for my oldest and forgotten about it since. I really am thinking that is the direction I want to go with my youngest. Thanks for your review!❤😊

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

You're welcome! Blessings on your school year.

[@MoombaMakai]

So glad to hear you used BOB books. We are starting these. Btw would you say the kindergarten curriculum focuses more on learning letters? I am looking at the first grade vs kindergarten curriculum and I am thinking of skipping the kindergarten only because my 5 year old learned letters and sounds over a year ago and flies thru that. Any recommendations? Is skipping MFW kindergarten a bad idea or good? Btw I really want to thank you for your in depth video. I’ve watched so many and yours is so detailed and in depth!

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching. We really really loved MFW Kinder year; perhaps I should do a review video for that ;-) It was such a great year of relationship building, discovery and fun....I wouldn’t want to miss that. (First grade is good but different). It’s very easy to beef up MFW K. We added a full daily math curriculum....and whatever the theme of the week was, I added to it.

[@MoombaMakai]

Grace and Glory Home Schooling thank you so much for your response. This is so helpful!

[@samanthashirley206]

I'm also wondering this! My pre-K kid is reading and writing and I don't want a year of review in the kindergarten curriculum! But I don't know if I should skip it! I also have a 3 year old and wondering if getting the k and letting him tag along w what he can is best. Or buying my 5 year old the 1st grade and getting him his own preschool curriculum. First time homeschool mom here!🤣

[@danielledowdall9981]

Thank you so much for this video. I'm trying to decide on MFW first grade. We did AAR level 1 for kindergarten year. I really like the idea of MFW. I've also thought about Abeka. In your video you said MFW is in the middle compared to other intense phonics programs. AAR 1 was so many rules. My child is just ready to take off in reading, without all the rules I think. I like AAR but I'm overwhelmed my child won't be done with phonics for 3 more years in that program! What does the MFW phonics look like in a day? 15 minutes a day? I just am unclear what their phonics looks like.

[@danielledowdall9981]

What does their phonics day look like until they get to the Bible reader?

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

The amount of time really varies by child. It depends how fast/easily your child grasps the concepts and how much they are motivated to learn. I personally did not like AAR and felt it took much longer to complete lessons in the brief time we tried it. But you can call MFW on the phone and talk to the authors; they are great helps to answering questions about their specific design of the program!

[@danielledowdall9981]

@@OfficialHomeschoolGems Thank you for your help

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

Did you need to do any additional phonics work after mfw? We're doing aar 1 but my daughter does not care for it, she also hates Saxon math and so I'm considering a complete overhaul and switching to mfw for next year

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

That really depends on your unique child :) Some kids need more review than others, because every child develops at their own pace. We didn't do any phonics past first grade.

[@jaykay3839]

Great review. I like hearing different perspectives. I love those calls we get for prayer from the MFW office. They're the best. 💕😊 I do want to say that MFW is actually a great curriculum if you have multiple children. Once you get into the family cycle in 3rd grade (or 2nd if you have older children) they are working on Bible, history and elementary science all together. It's wonderful for family bonding. You do have separate packages for the younger years and high school but once you hit that sweet spot in the elementary age range it is so nice. We're using 1850 to Modern Times this year with all three of my middle/younger kids and it's been so nice working with all three of them together. Again, great review. 💖

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Awesome, thanks for sharing :)

[@tracypepmeier2289]

Thank you for the review! We are finishing up MFW kindergarten, and I am looking at using this next year. We would also like more science. Did you incorporate any other science program/materials?

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Science this year was...very eclectic :) We mostly did literature based science (read the picture storybook, do a project that coordinates); however, if I had it to do over, I would probably choose to add one of the Queen Homeschool or Apologia full year of science programs!

[@withherfamily9531]

Thank you for your simple And good review on my father's world curriculum.

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

You’re most welcome!

[@lindsaypotter3694]

If my daughter is already reading CVC words but not a fluent/confident reader would you recommend we start with 1st or K? Also curious if another reading program is necessarily or not

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

I would start with 1st if she knows CVC words. Every child is different so I can’t say for sure if you’ll need an additional program, but we did not.

[@IndianaKristina]

Do you feel this curriculum was a lot of work on your part? I saw your video on using the Simply Charlotte Mason curriculum books later on . I’m curious which curriculum you liked more and if you felt MFW was more busy work than simply Charlotte Mason?

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

I didn’t use MFW with SCM for the same child all in the same year, however, they are very different feels. MFW has paper crafts, baking recipes, assembling a timeline. SCM has reading, oral discussion, observation, copywork. I like both of them for different reasons and different seasons (or stages) of homeschooling :) I guess I lean towards MFW in younger years and SCM for older years.

[@IndianaKristina]

@@OfficialHomeschoolGems thanks for sharing! That totally makes sense. I’ve really enjoyed MFW for kinder and pre-K so far. Just not sure about moving forward with it. SCM looks lovely for later years.

[@trismama1290]

I so appreciate your review!! Our kids seem very similar so this was a huge help!

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Tristany Beckwith you’re welcome 🤗

[@homarandtaniarodriguez820]

Hi! Thank you for the review. I definitely want to use MFW first grade but I have and old edition. Do you know if the new student sheets would match or how to trade it in? Thank you.

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

You’re welcome :) The old and new editions are very different and don’t match up. It’s definitely worth it to get the new!!

[@homarandtaniarodriguez820]

@@OfficialHomeschoolGems Thank you very much.

[@petralewis3366]

I'm currently using My Father's World and love the curriculum and looking forward to 1st grade, my question is I would love to see the Math book and worksheets for My Fathers World before I decide whether to get it or not in the package. How can I view the math section?

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

If you go to the My Fathers World website and click on the package you want to buy, they have a “Contents and Samples” tab where you can see the inside of every item including the math workbook. I always suggest spending time digging into everything on their website and forum before purchasing.

[@beccamjo]

Hi! I’m new to MFW, and I’m not seeing where you find the student sheets for those who don’t have a strong foundation in phonics. Are they included in the first grade set, or are they something you have to purchase separately? I can’t tell when I look on their website. Thanks for your comprehensive review! It was very helpful. 🙂

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

You’re welcome ☺️ Everything comes included within the kit: either basic or deluxe!

[@SpiritAndInTruth]

Did I see you doing a review on simply charlotte mason as well? I am considering using MFW or SCM, I have seven children. And I’ve been homeschooling them all. I have used a very eclectic approach that is heavy on Charlotte Mason style homeschooling. I’m considering to simplify things and just go with one curriculum if you’ve used both can you give me some pointers on which one you think might be better for a large family. I have a two year old to a 14-year-old.

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

I do have a video on this channel about SCM. Yes I have used both and for a very large family, I would definitely suggest SCM. You can always add to it if you want projects/crafts like MFW has but it’s totally optional.

[@SpiritAndInTruth]

I just watched both you’re simply Charlotte Mason one and you’re exploring countries and cultures, very well done!! I have done some of the beautiful feet around the world with picture books in the past. I really want to do my fathers world ECC because I love the missionary focus and all the kids would get before my oldest moves into high school…simply Charlotte Mason does look much simpler And I could probably study missionaries for each geography unit we are in. So many decisions, LOL! Another question for you when you did the simply Charlotte Mason spelling wisdom did you use the language lessons that went along with it? I would be curious simply Charlotte Mason‘s language arts and spelling curriculum versus my fathers worlds language arts curriculum for a large family.

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

@@SpiritAndInTruth It can be hard to choose! As you pray and seek the Lord, He will guide you and give you a peace about what to use. Yes, we’ve used the SCM Lang + Spelling. It starts later and moves slowly, covering mostly grammar. MFW Lang covers picture study, oral composition, writing, grammar, recitation, etc.

[@SpiritAndInTruth]

@@OfficialHomeschoolGems Thank you! ❤️

[@emilysadlow]

Thanks so much for this! I have a 4.5 year old... she starting to read and loving it! Do you think I could start with the MFW kindergarten for her? VERSUS THE PK/JK

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Emily Sadlow Yes it’s very doable. You could even stretch each lesson over two weeks instead of one week each, that way you can wait until age 6 to start the MFW 1st curriculum :)

[@danielledowdall9981]

In your kindergarten video you said you did Abeka with your oldest. Did you also do grade 1 Abeka? I'm trying to decide between MFW grade 1 and Abeka grade 1. It sounds like you really like MFW over any other program. I just want to give my child a good foundation in reading and phonics. Is MFW a gentler approach to reading? Thank you for your help.

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Yes, for us MFW was much more gentle, enjoyable and relational compared to Abeka. They are apples and oranges with very different goals. Abeka is meant to be rigorous, advanced and like traditional private school. MFW is non traditional home schooling. It all depends on your preference.

[@danielledowdall9981]

@@OfficialHomeschoolGems OK thank you very much

[@danielledowdall9981]

@@OfficialHomeschoolGems Thank you so much I appreciate it

[@brookelewis8958]

I have a struggling reader who will be going into the 1st grade and a strong reader going into the 2nd grade. Do you think this would work with them together? Of course adding in the 2nd grade level math and LA.

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

No, I would not personally recommend that. If you visit the MFW Facebook group or website message board, you’ll find tips to do this with a struggling reader at a slower pace. A strong reader going into 2nd, will definitely need something more challenging.

[@lauracopeland4338]

Very helpful review. Thank you!!

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Laura Copeland so glad it was helpful!

[@sandram7825]

Hi did you buy the teacher manuel from BJU math ? Or only the student workbook?

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Yes, I had the teachers manual but to be honest I really didn’t use it much. There’s a script you can follow if you need/want to say what a teacher would say in a classroom....there’s extra activities and answers too but we just stuck to the worksheets :)

[@sandram7825]

@@OfficialHomeschoolGems thank you, I'm planning on just the students sheets, my daughter will start ist grade this coming August but I'm not sure if I should introduce her with 1st grade math or introduce her to pre 5 and just skim through it and focus on the areas that wasn't introduce in MFW kindergarten... What you think ? And thank you ❤️ your video really made it ez for me. I was just making my purchases for my kids and i was struggling in finding a math supplement for her and BJU it's perfect she will love it !

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

@@sandram7825 I would just start with BJU first grade math. They review kinder content for the first few weeks anyway! So glad the video was helpful to you :)

[@Dreblueskies]

What do you use for high school?

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

For my eldest, I used various living books and textbooks in a complete mix. My middle is using Queen Homeschool, and my youngest I plan to use MFW.

[@Dreblueskies]

Great video!

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Dre thanks so much

[@Dreblueskies]

Grace and Glory Home Schooling I’m ordering MFW for kindergarten 🙌

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

Dre aww you will have such a FUN year!

[@FavuQuad]

Can you explain how Christ is woven into the entire curriculum? Because from what I can see only the Bible reader is Christian

[@OfficialHomeschoolGems]

You'll keep a Bible History Timeline, write scriptures + draw in the Bible Notebook, which is coordinated with the Bible Reader, which also ties in Science lessons. Everything is connected with MFW :)

[@livinglifeacademy777]

❤