"Before Five in a Row"

I want to share a resource that I recently discovered (thanks to another blog that I follow) called "Before Five in a Row". The book is based on the "Five in a Row" home school curriculum in which you read a book on their literature list (which you can purchase or check out at your local library) every day for 5 days and reinforce the lessons within each story with fun activities throughout the week. "Before Five in a Row is geared toward children 2-4 years old. As I've mentioned in previous posts, Cy LOVES to read so I feel confident that these lessons/activities will be right up his alley. Here's a tidbit about "Before Five in a Row":

Not to leave out the eager younger children, this volume provides mini Five in a Row-style lessons for youngsters. This book; however, is divided into two parts, the first being similar to the other curriculum guides. Just as in the original series, each unit is built around a simple, classic children’s storybook. This book differs from the older volumes in that it is not structured around a week. The purpose is simply to provide an array of activities for each book that engage children and lay the foundation for further learning. Some of the activities are subject related, such as Bible, science, math, language arts, and art; others are various skills such as learning shapes, sequencing, colors or problem solving, and the rest are centered on specific topics, like relationships, contentment, birthdays or another book-related idea. The second part of this book focuses on arming parents with creative ideas to build learning readiness. This section is a treasure trove of activities that help develop reading readiness and motor skills or focus on the arts. Additional activities also capitalize on teachable moments that arise during bath time, in the kitchen, or during a trip to the store.
Those few brief years of early childhood can never be reclaimed later and many parents discover too late that they pushed too hard and too early for advanced academic achievement. You can’t go back and swing at the park, float paper boats in the rain and do the myriad of play activities with your young children that help build the foundation for learning in a way that also encourages a flood of warm, young-childhood memories.

"Before Five in a Row" vision statement: 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.

I've placed it on my wish list for Christmas and wanted to share this resource with all of you interested mommies out there. Here's the link for anyone interested:
http://fiarhq.com/fiveinarow.info/beforefiveinarow.html

Another book that she recommends is called "My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts" (which can be purchased at amazon.com).