five in a row

Our homeschool group has different enrichment groups you can join, based on your family's wants, needs, etc. We attend things like the Primary Playdates, Jr. Engineers, Intermediate Bookclub, Girls' Activity, and Boys' Activity. We also joined a small group, called "Five in a Row." Five in a Row is a step-by-step, instructional guide for teaching Social Studies, Language, Art, Applied Math, and Science to children, ages 4 to 8. This curriculum uses children's literature as the basis for each weekly unit study. The lessons include discussion questions, teacher answers, hands-on activities, and suggestions for further study.

Our FIAR group meets twice a month and each of the 7 families take turns hosting and leading the activity for a specific book. Seven families doesn't seem like a lot, but it always adds up to be a lot of little people. When we read Warm as Wool, the kids carded wool


and then dyed it in koolaid.


When we read Mr. Gumpy's Motorcar, they pitched in to finish off a quilt for charity.



They made pizzas and studied fractions with Little Nino's Pizzeria and went on a nature hunt after reading The Salamander Room.




In place of using a book suggested by the FIAR curriculum manual, we all voted to have a holiday party this past week instead. I volunteered to host and we based the party on the book Moosletoe by Margie Palanti.


To prep for the party, my kiddles painted a poster, depicting the cover of the book.




The main premise of the book is that Moose plans a "perfectly perfect" holiday celebration for his family, but ends up forgetting one important facet - the Christmas tree. When he can't find one left for sale on Christmas Eve, he decides to let his family decorate him, in place of the tree. For our party game, we decided to decorate the moms like Christmas trees. Like Moose, I planned a perfectly perfect party, but forgot one important facet - the green crepe paper to wrap the moms up with. So, we used toilet paper instead.




Polly wrapped Sunshine, so I would be able to take photos of the game.


Then they painted bags to hold their FIAR supplies at our meetings.



The kids had a blast playing, eating, and exchanging gifts with their FIAR friends.


Even though we're weird and unsocialized homeschoolers(two of the three year olds in this photo still nurse), it was good fun.