Five in a Row Homeschool Unit Studies Review

by Jessica McMaken
(Denver, Colorado)

Five in a Row (FIAR) is a storybook based homeschool unit studies curriculum designed for 4-8 year olds. I've been using it with my 2.5 and 5 year old and it has been great for us.

The premise is that each day for five days you read the same story book. After reading the book, you do a lesson based on the book. The curriculum gives you options for a number of different lessons in a variety of subjects - social studies, science, art, math, literacy. You can expand the curriculum infinitely as it strikes your fancy.

Some of the books have led to huge explorations of exciting topics (flight, the ocean, the Arctic) and others have been less of a hit. But all of the books chosen are wonderful children's books. My one criticism is that many of the books can be pretty "heavy" for young children. But I've just stuck with choosing the lighter topics until my kids are a bit older.

FIAR is a complete curriculum for kids not yet ready for formal phonics and math instruction. You can do the lessons in as little as 5 minutes a day (plus the time it takes to read the story) as many of them are conversation based and you only cover one subject a day. The thing is, your kid will really remember what you discuss in that 5 minutes because it's related to a story they enjoyed while snuggling in your lap.

On the other hand, if you want to fill a week with fun and exciting activities, you can easily plan field trips and cooking projects and science experiments to go along with the unit.

Once your kids are older and/or ready for formal instruction in reading and math, FIAR still offers an incredible jumping off point for science, social studies, art, applied math and literacy. You'll just need to supplement with a separate phonics and math curriculum.

I find FIAR to be a really fun and flexible program. And my kids are learning a ton!

Jessica, thanks for the well-written and informative FIAR curriculum review! Other parents who are looking for a hands-on homeschool unit studies curriculum will definitely find your input helpful. Blessings, Heather :)
PS Our family LOVES FIAR too! :)

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