FIAR No Lapbooking, only manual aka how to walk away from pretty blogs?

[Tracy-chi]

I think the key is to give yourself a nice steady pace and don't think or plan too far ahead. Also don't go ALL or NOTHING. You don't have to choose between doing a whole bunch of lapbooks and activities or doing nothing at all. Just go with the flow. Do some lapbooking and fun activities and than when you start to feel warn out or it starts to feel too much just row some titles simply. Than when you begin to feel you want to add a bit more to your FIAR studies than do so. Just be natural about it.

I think many of us like to have a full plan in order to move and many times it is better to just start moving and make the changes as we go along. It's the stopping and thinking to much that can really get us I think.

This is so helpful, even to just know that others feel like me! Thanks for sharing

Manual only is the best way to row and it really is very easy to do.

No guilt necessary...it was written that way for a reason!

www.blogshewrote.blogspot.com I have a tab for FIAR units and I'm a manual girl.

Typically for a book we'll:

• do a map
• make a flag
• put up the story disk
• do the art assignment
• do the LA- I use Start Write to make handwriting paper and have them write the sentences that Jane suggests from the assignment
• Science- we do the experiment or study the habitat or whatever is asked of us

Now and then I have grabbed a map from Homeschool Share, but now that I have a source for maps I no longer do that. I find the printables there to be very difficult for kids with developing fine motor skills.

I also make my own sheets to go with Jane's lessons. It's quicker and simpler.

The other thing you will find in our lessons are the fold n learns if there is one and I purchased it.

Another note- I usually choose 2 lessons per subject for a row. One easy and one difficult. That keeps things pretty balanced for us.

This is also very helpful. Thanks for sharing! Even though it seems so simple to say follow the manual= you specifically shared what is working for you. This is very helpful to get a glimpse of a different way to do things.

I'm an ex-public school teacher. I could easily get sucked into lots and lots of fun, interesting, creative, educational stuff. The only way I've managed to protect myself (and my children) from that is to not visit blogs. Oh, maybe a couple of times a year I'll go to a particular blog for a particular purpose via someone's particular link, but other than that, . Visiting blogs is very much like reading women's magazines; there's an immediate "high" , but you can get discontented and restless afterwards. You can have a head full of ideas and not enough money, time, or energy to do them. And you can have that ever-present "grass is always greener" nagging feeling all the time.

In earlier years, I literally had to force myself off the computer, it was all so interesting. If you do that, if you stop the madness , you won't be sorry.

Yes Rebe, i think you gave me a lot of common sense advice to ponder. Not sure how long ago you last taught in public school- but i used those blogs to write my lesson plans at the early childhood center. it's a hard habit to break.
but clearly, that's what i am leaning towards in my heart.


Thank you again for all your support. i really appreciate your loving advice. There was something in each response that has personally touched my heart.

[Heather W]

Tracy- I taught in a public school classroom before the days of lesson plans on blogs! Wow that would have been something.

I check just a few regularly and for me blogging is a way to share what we are doing with my family.

Besides, it's really hard to keep a good teacher down! I like to blog because I'm a teacher and blogging about how I teach fulfills that outlet for me and it turns out that others do enjoy our content.

Based on your story, you won't have your son home from long so just enjoy the time together and let the rest go!

[Rebe]

Not sure how long ago you last taught in public school- but i used those blogs to write my lesson plans at the early childhood center. it's a hard habit to break.
but clearly, that's what i am leaning towards in my heart.

Tracy, it was a long time ago. They were just getting email in the school when I quit in 1996. I know that makes it MUCH easier for me to not visit blogs or websites for teaching stuff today. I tend to rely more on books and paper than virtual help for my teaching. So it's easier for me to "not go there" than it is for you, I'm sure. But still, I've had my times of computer addiction, and I struggle with that! And I work on the computer for my job, so I'm very often being tempted by the Internet (as I am right at this moment!) It's hard, but it's so worth it to get away from the computer and go do real life.

[Jennifer Unsell]

I think many of us like to have a full plan in order to move and many times it is better to just start moving and make the changes as we go along. It's the stopping and thinking to much that can really get us I think.

This is so true! And it has been my experience that those rowings when I didn't really plan much at all- just picked up the manual and started in without much prior thought- those were some of our sweetest rowings. Oftentimes we can try to throw so much extra into what is already a wonderful educational week (with just the manual) that we overwhelm our kids and us and in the end they don't walk away having learned nearly what they would have had we kept things simple. And this is coming from a person that loves to plan ahead and finds much joy in the "planning" stage of things.

[Veronica D]

In other words, if you find yourself caught up in the "grass is always greener" category, it might be time to stop blog hopping, researching, & planning & start creating your own fun memories while putting to use everything you know so far.

Well said. It's so tempting to use every wonderful idea on pinterest and blogs that you miss out on the simple joys of learning. I found i was burning out so I just had to quit looking. Now I have so much more time to play with my kids.

[Suzanne (VA)]

I think I'm kind of on the same wavelength that you ladies are talking about ... despite seeing some neat looking lapbooks online I have yet to attempt any with my son. I just feel like it would end up being more of a project for mom than student. We have done a few printables from HomeschoolShare when they seemed appropriate. But so far we're just storing everything in a 3 ring binder with pocket dividers for the different books.
So my question is ... does anyone do notebooking in conjunction with FIAR? I'm considering it as an option when my son's ready to do more of the written language arts activities. It seems like notebooking is a bit less involved than lapbooking, and that appeals to me. At the same time, I don't want to turn everything into a writing lesson. Any thoughts?

[Lori D]

So many great answers! I have not been around for a while, but that is one thing that I found hard was taking the pressure off of doing more. In the end, sometimes we did more. Sometimes not. I would say we were about 50/50 for doing just using the manual and even just doing it orally and adding in extras. I do, however, love to blog hop and drool over what other moms do- I just try not to put pressure on myself do all of that!

[Tracy-chi]

I wanted to share another solution (or part of solution). I'm putting aside some money right now to buy some of the FIAR books. I have been relying on my library & when they don't have a book- that's when I'm really getting overwhelmed by the pretty choices on line.

I think for me, if i buy the books- then i don't have a reason to even get online. My early childhood experience should kick in if i want any other hands on activities.

I have been thinking a lot about my original question, part of my frustration is knowing i spent money on the manuals. And if i am always using online resources, i'm wasting all the money i have spent. I don't like to be wasteful. actually this drives me crazy ..so i can see it being a force behind my motivation of staying offline.

[laurie in ok]

I never look at blogs! I don't have the time or energy or desire to do all of those extra things. I want to enjoy school with my kids, and then enjoy living life with them.

Leave the blogs behind you and just grab those manuals and go. Challenge yourself to not add anything to the manual for the next 6 weeks and then you can see which style you personally enjoy more.

[Melissa Crabtree]

I have been thinking a lot about my original question, part of my frustration is knowing i spent money on the manuals. And if i am always using online resources, i'm wasting all the money i have spent. I don't like to be wasteful. actually this drives me crazy ..so i can see it being a force behind my motivation of staying offline.

Might I gently say that if you're not doing the manuals, you're not even doing FIAR? Only in the manuals will you find the richness of Five in a Row. On blogs you may find fluffy icing, but if you missed the cake, there has been no substance! In the manuals are where you'll find the literature and art techniques used in the books, and that's the stuff not written about on blogs much. You won't find lessons on perseverance or generations sharing stories written about. Because there's not much to "do" with these, it's hard to blog about them and make them look fun, but they are the meat of Five in a Row and what separates it from other curricula! Open your manual, check off the lessons you want to do for the week, and then do them!