Supplementing with BA - How to Implement?

[ljpisme]

DD (8) is just finishing MM 3A and is doing very well with it.  We're at a point where I would like to supplement to add some new math challenges for her. I like the looks of Beast Academy, but it looks like it could be used as a full curriculum as well. For those who supplement with BA, how do you add it into your schedule?  Do you choose one or two days a week and just start from the beginning of BA 3A and proceed through every lesson, or do you pick and choose lessons based on the needs of your dc? The logistics of using two full programs side-by-side are baffling me a bit.  Thanks :)

[Dory]

We supplement for breaks with BA with my youngest. The oldest two just read through the textbooks because they like them. With my youngest, I'm not hugely concerned if we get through all the problems or not. We usually do it for a few weeks break here and there. He LOVES having a different math he can bounce to for a bit. We also do LoF on Fridays.

[OneStepAtATime]

Do Beast on Fridays maybe.  Call it Fun Math Friday or something.  If they like it and want to do it more often, then you could still do the rest of the math material as usual but add in a BA lesson two or three times a week.  We just do it once or twice a week, honestly, but they enjoy it most of the time.  It does mean we are moving through pretty slowly but since it has a lot of depth to it and is very different from the other materials we use, it is actually just fine for us.  Love BA.

[SarahW]

I would suggest doing the Geometry chapter in MM 3B before starting BA 3A, if you're using it as a supplement. You can probably skip ahead to the Geometry chapter if you're anxious about starting BA, I think there's just a bit of multiplication used.

[Chrysalis Academy]

My dd is very big on having choices.  So each morning for math I say "Are we doing MM or BA?" and she picks.  She does a pretty good job of picking BA only on the days when she is feeling focused, fresh, and like tackling a challenge.  Not every day is like that, KWIM? and there is always safe, comfy MM to do on those days.  

 

Some days she will do a page or two of each.  I never let her continue with BA once it has gone past challenging into frustrating - I like to keep it fun.  Sometimes that is 2 or 3 pages, sometimes 2 or 3 problems.  But because of the challenge factor, I can't imagine trying to schedule BA in a rigid way - she does it when she feels like a challenge.  I'm fine if we lag behind on it a little bit, too - so I am not committed to finishing BA3 in 3rd grade (while we will absolutely finish MM3 this year).

 

I've found that the Multiplication sections in the two programs are very complementary.  We did the MM Multiplication Concept and Multiplication Table chapters, and now we're doing the BA chapter a little bit each day as we move into Time & Money in MM.  It's great - adds challenge and variety.  We may skip the MM geometry & measurement chapters, as BA covers that thoroughly and it's more fun, but this kid likes geometry, so we may do both.

 

Just be flexible!  Some days are BA days, some days are not.  Even in Australia.

[sweetpea3829]

I used Beast as a summer bridge last summer.  We completed 3A, most of 3B, and the fractions chapter of 3D (DS wanted to do that one first).  Then, when we started up schooling full time in September, I added Beast here and there to his daily schedule.  He'd read the next section of the student guide, and then over the next few days, I'd add one Beast Workbook page a day, to his independent work folder.  

 

Currently, he's on a hiatus from Beast (and Singapore) because he finished Singapore 3A last month and I didn't want him to start 3B this early in the school year, or this close to the holidays.  He'll pick back up with Singapore in January, when we return from Christmas break.  What I'll probably do is cover the topic in Singapore first, and then cover it in Beast a bit later.  Or...I'll just continue with Beast the way we were doing it earlier this semester, with him reading the next section and working through the guide, a page at a time.  

 

Or...maybe I'll save 3C and the rest of 3D for this coming Summer's bridge.  I don't know yet...I might just give him the choice and see what he wants to do.  

[bluedarling]

When I was using BA, I assigned it along with MUS work most days (because the MUS only took her 5 minutes.)  The BA then stretched her thinking, but I felt she needed MUS to master the basics.  We are on a break from BA now because a) MUS got harder further into the book, and b) BA got way ahead of MUS...I prefer BA behind MUS not ahead of it.  I plan to pick it back up soon, though.  I really like the combination.