Planning for Before Five in a Row

Using a literature-based curriculum is so much easier if you get everything organized first. These are my tips for planning Before Five in a Row.
planning before five in a row
I knew that I wanted to use Before Five in a Row with my youngest this year.  But I also knew that I was already very busy with teaching my other children (not to mention homemaking and other activities!).
So, in an attempt to make the experience as stress-free and enjoyable as possible, I decided to organize everything in advance.

Planning Before Five in a Row

First, I ordered books, including the Before Five in a Row guide.

Then I ordered the other books we would need.  We have a very small library system in our town, and they don’t even have most classic children’s books.

I knew I could use inter-library loan, but I didn’t want to rely on that for all of the books, as it would just be too much to ask of our librarian, and it would also be a huge hassle for me. Also, the book selections are what I consider to be classic children’s books that I wanted to own.

So, I sold some books and other things that I no longer needed with the hope of making some money to cover this year’s school book expenses.

It’s nice owning the books, as these are classics that we’ll enjoy for years to come, and it saves so much time and effort that I would have expended in just finding books.  I did decide to get a few of the more expensive (out of print) books through inter-library loan, though.

Before Five in a Row Books

Here are the books we’ll be enjoying together this year:

Printables

The next step was to print off all the printables I decided to use.  I went to Homeschool Share, Homeschool Creations, and Confessions of a Homeschooler for most of these.  And Michelle at Delightful Learning has been a huge inspiration!

I already had this plastic bin that will accommodate hanging file folders, and I had all the folders too, so this seemed like a great place to store all the BFIAR stuff I was accumulating.
After printing off lap book pages and other printables, I made a labeled file folder for each book and filled it with the materials we would need.  I also made a list of the order I hope to focus on each book, as some of them seemed more suited to a specific season.

Now, when I’m ready to do a new book, I simply pull that file, and I’m ready to go!

I’m also planning to do a Letter of the Week type of thing (although I’ll probably spread each letter over more than one week), so I made a folder for the letter of the week book pages, and also these fun playdough mats.
And I laminated everything!  I love laminating things.  Ever since I was in kindergarten and my teacher put a laminated turtle on my desk with my name on it—I thought it was the most amazing thing that you could encase something in plastic like that!—I’ve loved laminated things. I know it sounds weird, but I just love it. 🙂
Anyway, for years I longed to be able to laminate things. And now I have my very own laminator! Thanks to my mom for giving me my first one, and to my husband for replacing it with this one after my original one (a different brand) broke.  🙂 It really helped as I was planning Before Five in a Row activities.

Letter of the Week

These ABC Bible verses go great with our letter of the week study (we’re using the pre-reading program).

I love these do-a-dot pages from Confessions of a Homeschooler:

And we really like the free ABC snack plan you can find here:

All About Reading Pre-Reading

We also decided to add the All About Reading Pre-reading Program to our BFIAR studies, and it is excellent!

Lap Journal

I loved Michelle’s idea to create a lap journal instead of lap books.  I’ve done lap books before, and this idea of a lap journal is totally superior, in my opinion.  So, I got a binder, page protectors, cardstock, and glue, and now we have a lap journal started for Before Five in a Row.

I’m looking forward to watching this journal fill up with memories of all the lovely learning times we’ll have together.

Resources

For Before Five in a Row inspiration, I highly recommend these sites:

I also started a Pinterest board just for Before Five in a Row ideas, and you can find that here.  I’m sure I’ll be adding to it as the year progresses. For homeschool and preschool planning, I’m using this weekly homeschool planner, which you can use year after year.  It’s a pdf document that you can type your information into and then print and file in a 3-ring-binder.

To see what we’re using this year with our older children, click here!
Delightful Learning

Related Posts:

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47 Comments

  1. I was wondering if you could share the order in which you studied the books, especially which books worked well for which season?
    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Angela! We did this program almost ten years ago, so I don’t remember the order exactly. I do remember we used My Blue Boat, Yellow Ball, Jenny’s Surprise Summer, and Blueberries for Sal at the beginning of the school year (August) because it was still summer, and those books worked well for summer. I think we used The Carrot Seed in September when we planted a fall garden, because it worked to plant the carrot seeds then. I have blog posts for all of those books (and what we did) here on the blog. After that, I got too busy to document each one, so I’m not sure when we did them. I will say that I loved using BFIAR with my son (who is now 13), when he was little, and have such happy memories of that time together!

      Reply

  2. Thanks for the article on BFIAR. I have it bookmarked. You inspire me. I homeschooled my oldest from2ndl -8th grade. She is now 29. I homeschooled my youngest and blind daughter part-time with a Braille teacher for 3rd-4th grade. She now is married (he is blind)and has an almost 3 year old girl. They want to homeschool but lack funds and not making any effort to learn and research homeschooling. They said they needed help so I am willing to do it but struggling to be organized with going between 2 homes. Any advise is welcomed! I almost feel to old to do this(52). Any suggestions on where to purschase BFIAR books cheaply? I also was curious as to what you put in the folders for each book. I have the blue book, BFIAR. I want to start that soon. I have an old cassette program Sing, Spell, Read and Write that I partly used with my first then loaned out. I have considered All About Reading or Spell to Read and Write program. I am currently reading, UNCOVERING THE LOGIC OF ENGLISH. My daughter is really weak in math so I’m was considering Right Start Math since it is hands on and both could learn from it but do you have any suggestions? I Will not start that yet ( not purchased yet). I want to focus on fun, things, reading, pre-k skills. I also enjoyed your post why we homeschool. Thanks for any help! May the Lord bless you and make his face to shine upon thee.

    Reply

    1. Glad it was helpful, Joyce! With a child as young as 3, I would keep everything very simple. I would get the BFIAR books and focus on reading and enjoying the books together and maybe doing some fun things like a simple craft or making a recipe together. Those are the things that my children remember the most from their younger years. You can check on Amazon’s used book section for cheaper prices, and also look on eBay. In the folders for each book, I just put whatever printables or ideas I wanted to use with that book. So, for example, if I had a recipe that went along with the book, I would print off the recipe and add it to the folder for that book, so I would have everything together.

      I generally wait until my children were a bit older before starting reading instruction, but we did enjoy the All About Reading Pre-Reading program (I used it with my youngest when he was 4). You can read my review of that program here.

      We have loved Right Start Math (which I’m using this year with my youngest (8-year-old). I really wish I had found this program sooner. The one downside is that it isn’t cheap, and it does come with a lot of manipulatives you’ll have to store and keep organized. There is also a little bit of teacher prep in level B, which is what we’re currently on (I’m not sure about Level A, since we didn’t use that one). I still think it’s worth it, though! I wish I could have used it with all of my children. For a 3-year-old, I wouldn’t worry about a formal math program, but instead I would focus on hands-on math with lots of manipulatives. Things like wooden pattern blocks and cards to go with them, Montessori math ideas, etc.

      I hope this is helpful! Enjoy the wonderful preschool years!

      Reply

  3. Is there anyway you could pretty please scan me the first few pages of Five in a Row Volume 1 or all of it and email it to me? I want to read it soo bad, lol. My email is … IF by some chance you can send it

    Reply

    1. Hi Brandy! I’m sorry, but I don’t own any of the Five in a Row books. I only had Before Five in a Row when I used it with my youngest 4 years ago, but I sold it after we were done with it. Have you looked for a used copy? You might try eBay or Homeschool Classifieds. Often you can find a good deal through one of those places. Another option would be to ask your public library to do an inter-library loan for you.

      Reply

  4. I got a kick out of your love for laminating. I have a similar love for perforating!
    Thank you for the concise and yet very thorough post, I have bookmarked it for when I am ready to start our BFIAR journey in a few months.

    Reply

  5. Thank you so much for taking the time to post this… it is a huge help to me. I am currently an American teacher in Cambodia on an assignment to bring special education to rescued children with special needs. I will be training a Cambodian to teach the children, and I wasn’t sure where to start, as I have only taught in the public schools (not homeschool curriculum). We will be starting with BFIAR since the children have never had schooling before, even into their teens. Thank you for making a difference, even across the miles!

    Reply

    1. Cathy, I’m so glad this was helpful to you! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some encouragement today! 🙂

      Reply

  6. Your post has been a huge blessing for me! I am on the hunt for a suggested list of books by season and wonder if you don’t mind sharing yours? I have a handful of them at home but the rest are new to me and I have yet to read them so I’m not sure where to add them while I plan this year. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. I’m so glad it has been helpful, Erica! I’m sorry I don’t have an exact list of when to use each book. We used BFIAR 3 years ago, so I can’t remember exactly how I organized them. 🙂 I can tell you that I did “The Snowy Day” in winter. “My Blue Boat,” “Yellow Ball,” “Kittens for Keeps,” and “Blueberries for Sal” are suited for summer. I think we also did “The Carrot Seed,” “The Little Rabbit,” and “Play With Me” in spring. The others are less season-specific. Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply

  7. I followed the link to find out more about lap journals instead of lap books and it took me to her main page and when I clicked on fiar link it took me to a lot of fiar entries by her and others But didn’t find lap journals. Would you mind emailing me the link to a specific post if you know it? Thanks!

    Reply

  8. Thank you for this post. My daughter is almost 2. I have just started planning my own simple preschool ideas for the coming year. A friend had pined some far things on Pinterest, including this article. Your organization tips are so great. While my little one is not quite ready for this yet, I will definitely be coming back to this later. Thanks!

    Reply

  9. I found this post through a google search for Before Five in a Row ideas and just want to say thanks! We have a 2 1/2 year old, a 15 month old, and are expecting our third in just over a month and I've been wanting to put together some preschool ideas to use in the fall with our oldest. I love the way you've organized everything into folders so the ideas are ready to go when you're ready for each new book. Hoping to complete something like this before I'm in the midst of life with a newborn again! Thanks for the ideas and God bless!

    Reply

    1. Hi Stephanie! How nice of you to leave an encouraging comment! 🙂 I'm so glad if this was helpful, and I hope you have a lovely year with your little ones!

      Reply

  10. Thanks for these posts! Did you make the B collage page that is pictured in this post? Is it downloadable or did you find it elsewhere? I am sure I could make one myself, but I am all about simplicity right now! Thanks!

    Reply

  11. Wonderful, just wonderful! Love how you planned, printed, organized, and laminated! I'm getting ready to start over with my youngest and am going through the resources for B4FIAR on the link-up. Thank you so much for linking-up and sharing! And for linking back to me in your post! So appreciate you! ~Michelle @ Delightful Learning

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Michelle! Your blog has been such a wonderful resource for BFIAR inspiration! Thanks so much for all you do, and many blessings on a new BFIAR year with your youngest!

      Reply

  12. Are coordinating the Letter of the Week with the books you are reading? If so what letters with what books? I am also planning on doing both but I was wanting to try and match the letters with the books.

    Reply

  13. I was in the process of doing the same thing when my sister sent me the link to your blog. Great idea to put them in folders in a file storage box! Love it!
    For some reason, when I saw the book titles listed above, I thought I'd be able to click and it'd take me to a blog of your experience with the book but it took me to Amazon instead. Would you be willing to add a link next to the book title to take us to your post on the book? Sorry to be a pain! Thanks for all you do!!!

    Reply

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie! I'm glad if this was helpful to you. I'm not blogging right now, but if I ever come back to it I'll consider linking the book titles with posts about the books.

      Reply

  14. Love the way you have it all organized! Thanks for the ideas and tips. I'm getting ready to start BFIAR with my two-year-old and trying to plan like crazy this weekend. 🙂

    Reply

  15. So, We're starting BFIAR this year and about 5 o the books are out of print currently – do you have any suggestions for how to get around that without paying like $75 for a book?

    Reply

    1. Inter-Library Loan. That's the best way to get them. We have a seriously tiny library system, and they were still able to obtain the books for me.

      Other than that, you can just keep waiting, and sometimes you can find them cheaper than the outrageous prices people are asking for them. I waited and waited and was able to get "My Blue Boat" for like $4 on Half.com. There's a way to put it on your wishlist or something, and then they'll notify you when it's available. When we saw that amazing price (for a hardback book in excellent condition!), we jumped on it (even though I had already checked out the book through ILL, we wanted to own the book).

      Also, for "Jenny's Surprise Summer," look for "Kittens for Keeps," which can usually be obtained cheaply, and it's based on the same story. We found one used for cheap.

      Hope that helps!

      Reply

    2. I know I already replied to your comment, but I just want to encourage you again that you can find these out-of-print books if you wait patiently! The one book I hadn't been able to get a copy of was "The Quiet Way Home." My husband put it on his wishlist on Half.com, and he was able to find one just a couple of days ago for 1 cent! So, even though most of the copies out there are listed at ridiculous prices, sometimes someone will list one for a really cheap (and reasonable) price!

      Reply

  16. we have just started BFIAR with our 2 year old and love it! I also decided to go with the lapjournal – what a great idea! thank you for linking to some wonderful resources.

    Reply

  18. I'm so glad to see this and this looks like something I would like to do. 🙂 I have another preschooler coming up and this looks like something I really need to look into. 🙂 Thanks for sharing and I will need to get planning now! 🙂

    Reply

  19. You had me at file folders and laminators and that beautiful stack of books! 🙂 I am really enjoying these posts of yours, they are filled with so much great information and encouragement. In fact I sat down today with the material I am planning on using for my 4 year old and started to get things organized. You are so right that a little preparation now can really help later on. I know myself, and if things get too hectic I tend to stop all non-essential schooling. I love the preschool age and really want to enjoy it with my son. Hopefully by being prepared I can make it a great experience for both of us! I have been able to find quite a few books I want on paperback swap which has helped. It's nice to trade in books you no longer want for some that you do. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and insight!

    Angela

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Angela! I really love preschool, too. It's such a fun age. That's great that you've been able to use paperback swap. I've found so many books there, too, and I love getting rid of some we no longer need! I hope you have a great year with your preschooler! 🙂

      Reply

  20. I found this post through Raising Arrows and all I can say is WOW! I too have the Before Five in a Row book for my 3 year old and love what I'm seeing. I'm highly impressed with all the work you've put in for the school year. I'm very organized so I loved seeing how you organized each book and activities! I also love your binder idea so you can look back and see what you did. That is such a great idea and one I may be using in our home. 🙂
    I'm so overwhelmed by all that I'm seeing online for preschool and homeschool in general but you made it look so easy. I loved seeing everything broken down like you did. I will be investigating all your links and seeing what I can come up with for us in our homeschool adventures. Thanks a million!

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Ginny, for leaving such an encouraging comment! I'm thankful if it helps someone else. We started BFIAR in June, so I've already got a few book posts to share, which I'm looking forward to. 🙂

      I hope you have a great year with Before Five in a Row!

      Reply

    1. How fun, Keri, that we'll both be doing BFIAR! I'm so glad if it was helpful. I've gleaned so much from other BFIAR bloggers, especially Michelle at Delightful Learning. She's amazing!

      Thanks for sharing, too! 🙂

      Reply

  23. I MISS HAVING PRESCHOOLERS!

    🙁

    They do grow up much too quickly. Mine are 22, 15, 13, and 11. I thought I had all the time in the world.

    Blessings,
    Laura
    Harvest Lane Cottage

    Reply

    1. Laura, your comment brought tears to my eyes! I LOVE preschoolers. Your words, "I thought I had all the time in the world," were such a reminder to me that I won't always have a preschooler. My oldest just turned 14, and I'm already feeling like it all went too fast. Many blessings to you. ♥ Joy

      Reply

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