TOS Crew Review - Before Five in a Row

Five in a Row is a curriculum that is thoroughly literature-based and whose authors have a heart for helping children love books and love learning.

First, a basic explanation of what the "Five in a Row" concept is all about -  good, quality, age-appropriate literature is used as a base for unit studies.  One book is read for five days (hence the "Five in a Row" name!) and used for discussions and teaching about everything from art, to geography, to math, science, social studies, and more! While FIAR's main curriculum is for grade school on up, they also have a curriculum just for preschoolers (ages 2-4), called Before Five-in-a-Row.

The vision statement for Before Five in a Row is this:

"Dedicated to protecting and nurturing the early years of childhood, Before Five in a Row opens up the world of learning through great books and creative play, and builds a solid foundation for more formal education to come."

Before Five in a Row is divided into two parts.  Part One contains 24 "lessons" - each lesson for one story.  Each lesson gives a basic summary of the story, includes Bible verses that can go along with the story, and many different suggestions for light activities or discussion topics for each story.  Part Two is the "Parent's Treasury of Creative Ideas for Learning Readiness" and is a plethora of suggestions and resources for gentle things to enjoy with your child throughout their everyday living.

The activities are very light, easy to do, and natural - occasionally there were suggestions that needed materials to prepare for, but usually the activities had to do with the book itself, or having the child think creatively about the story.

There is a small amount of prep work I felt necessary for each lesson - first and foremost, locating the book!  Many are classic stories that we already had in our personal library (13 to be exact), and most others were found easily at the public library (our library had 7 that I didn't own).  There were a few titles listed (4) that are actually out of print, so I was not able to find them - most were available on amazon, but prices varied.  After gathering the books together, I did a brief run-through of the suggested activities and made note of which ones I wanted to do, and what supplies might be needed.  That took all of 5-10 minutes, so prep time was really very low!

My reviewers for Before Five in a Row were Judah (age 2), Nathan (age 4), and even Joel (age 6).  They all loved Before Five in a Row!  I don't know any child that doesn't want their favorite book read again and again and again, so each day when I pulled out the book of the week, they were very happy!  (Admittedly, Joel, being the "big kid", tended to object on the second day, but by the third or fourth day, he would ask for the book, too!)

I'll go ahead and be very blunt about my impression of Before Five in a Row (and if you've read my blog very long, this won't surprise you!) - I LOVE it.  Love, love, love it.  From their philosophy of childhood learning, to the beautiful books they've chosen, to the gentle, age-appropriate lessons they've pieced together, I feel that Before Five in a Row is a wonderful way to introduce a young child to the love of literature!  As well as a beautiful way to make memories together - snuggling up, reading stories and having delightful conversation.

Here's a quote from the introduction of the Before Five in a Row guide (which sums up my opinion of early childhood learning to a "T"!):

"Above all, the time between ages two and four should be a time of sharing, hugging, reading, singing, dancing, puzzles, blocks, outdoor excursions, swinging high, playing in the sand box and enjoying fascinating introductions to the wonderful world of life.

The ideas presented in Before Five in a Row are not meant to teach in depth, but only to enhance your child's awareness of the world around him and create memorable times of interaction between you. ..."

There are, however, two things I wish were a little bit different - one, I wish the parent's guide was spiral bound - I tend to feel that most teacher's guides are easier to handle when spiral-bound and this one is no different.  Second, I wish that the book guide and activities were updated so that the books that are out of print were replaced with easier to find books.  Both of these "complaints" are very small in my mind and would not deter me from using Before Five in a Row!

Also, I wanted to add - the book is very age-appropriate for the recommended 2-4 year old range.  I consider that a good thing, but could present a difficulty in trying to combine an older student K or 1st grade child (such as my Joel, for example).  Thankfully, it is very easy to find additional resources around the web designed to use with Before Five in a Row to help it cover an even broader age-range.  The stories themselves are timeless so that any age can enjoy them - so, with the help of a few supplemental activities, Before Five in a Row can easily be used for early elementary years, as well.

The parent's guide is priced at $35, and the books are sold separately or available at your local library.  Many you probably own already! 

As you can see, I would recommend Before Five in a Row in a heartbeat to anyone looking for a nice, gentle way to spend some structured "learning" time with their preschooler.

See what other TOS Crew members thought of Before Five in a Row at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog!

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the  purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of TOS Homeschool  Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.