Before Five In a Row

by Robin
(Florida)

Product: Before Five in a Row
Dates Used: 2007/2008 & 2008/2009

Likes: Before Five in a Row is a wonderful, literature based program that develops a love for reading and learning in your children. The program's premise is to read specific literature books to your children and then do suggested activities along with the readings. The books chosen are classic pieces of literature that appeal to this age group.

For example, in "Angus Lost" the dog hides in a cave. BFIAR suggests that you create a cave from a blanket to supplement the reading. Using the suggestions from the book, I created a cave with a salamander in a bowl of water, clay stalactites and clay stalagmites, a bat hanging from the ceiling, ... Such a simple activity, but what fun we had!!! A year later when my boys visited a cave for real, it was amazing what they had gleaned from that activity.

Besides the literature activities, there is also a section that presents preschool activities to be doing with your child on a regular basis. The activities were a wonderful reminder of rich developmental things to do with my children and reminded me of the way preschool and kindergarten used to be!!!

This is a wonderful, memory making curriculum that allows preschoolers to gently learn as opposed to the skills-based, rat-race that many preschoolers are being drug through!

Dislikes: I have to really reach for a complaint about this program as I am wholly in support of the philosophy!!! I would say perhaps there needs to be a BFIAR part 2 available before some children move into Five in a Row. My kindergarten son doesn't seem quite ready for FIAR but he has thoroughly explored the BFIAR literature.