Espresso Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I am homeschooling DS (6.5), and I'm having a hard time finding his sweet spot in math. We are using Singapore math 2A and spending some time memorizing multiplication and division facts and making sure he doesn't forget how to do addition and subtraction and word problems. Still, he wants to talk about functions and limits and continuity and other things and I can't seem to find a way to tie it in and help him organize his insights with what we are learning. I thought Life of Fred might give him the free-reign math he needs, but he absolutely hated Apples (he found the stories boring and lacking actual math). I remember, growing up, set theory was in vogue for primary schools and I loved it as an introduction that took me away from the busy work of arithmetic and into actual ideas. Our book started with open and closed sets (drawn as animal pens), then into relationships and functions and from there to equations. I can't seem to find anything like that for DS. Any ideas of a set theory intro for kids, or any other paths into math good for his age? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I know AOPS recommended Dr Wright's Kitchen Table Maths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I got some great advice recently when I asked about a young kid into big concepts. Here's the link to the thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/534003-please-suggest-math-concepts-my-ds-might-enjoy/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Maybe he'd really click with CSMP or SMSG... these are the old 60's New Math programs that used to be online for free but now I can't see to find them. Anyone? Another resource that might be useful for you guys is the Murderous Maths books, which go from arithmetic to some really high level math like calculus, but are written for upper elementary/middle school and are very silly and light. They might introduce new topics for your ds to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamppost Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 The later LOF books actually have quite a bit of set theory. I can see how Apples would bore him. We just finished Kidneys and it also included arithmetic sequences and series, which is something that was new for DD7. EPGY does as well, which is now found at giftedandtalented.com (A lot pricer than LOF though!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Just a few ideas to add to the thread: As a deeper math curriculum generally, I prefer MEP. And Galore Park's Junior Maths might be a nice addition/base (but would prob. require some systematic review added). But I don't think those speak to the more immediate question RE special topics: ... I remember, growing up, set theory was in vogue for primary schools and I loved it as an introduction that took me away from the busy work of arithmetic and into actual ideas. Our book started with open and closed sets (drawn as animal pens), then into relationships and functions and from there to equations. I can't seem to find anything like that for DS. Any ideas of a set theory intro for kids, or any other paths into math good for his age? Thanks! The website mathisfun has a sets section. And other cool topics, too. I've also found some of the lists in the curricula from living math to be helpful, but the site isn't well maintained and not all links are functional. It can be a useful springboard but takes some investment of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 If I were starting out, I would seriously consider MEP instead of SM. It is deep, but so age appropriate at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 My DD in first grade did SM 2a, 2b and 3a as well as LOF - Apples was very easy and we covered from Apples to the end of Ice Cream over the year. MEP like someone suggested is a very good program - however for my child I had to cut up the problems in the worksheets, remove the very basic ones while still leaving a few less challenging ones and then let her pick 8 problems a day to do - we only used this when we got to the end of an SM book and needed a break. At the same time I found some Math olympiads that had past papers on their sites and we could work through a few of those which provided more challenge. Finally we used Penrose the Mathematical Cat for a few extra topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Espresso Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 The later LOF books actually have quite a bit of set theory. I can see how Apples would bore him. We just finished Kidneys and it also included arithmetic sequences and series, which is something that was new for DD7. EPGY does as well, which is now found at giftedandtalented.com (A lot pricer than LOF though!) Thank you! I gave Life of Fred another chance, got Kidneys instead of trying to start from Apples, and DS is enthralled! He's responding really well to the format of the book now, and I think it might be enough of a platform to open up interesting math discussions before bedtime without having to change the rest of the curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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