JaneGrey
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Posts posted by JaneGrey
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Which one am I supposed to get? I must have looked at the Math Counts book sample before. Could I do that first and then do the Intro to Algebra book?
Thanks again!
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Wow! Thanks for the quick responses. :grouphug: It's very nice when you feel needy.
For more background (sorry; posted in a different thread I started), here are some things I've used:
- Living Math readers
- LOF (fractions and some of decimals)
- Hands on Equations DVD
- MUS alpha-zeta DVDs
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Calculus by and for Young People. When he did the first problem, he manipulated things in his head. I had to have him explain to me what he was doing. It's like what he did with the Singapore CWP. Not looking good when he's only 8. I'm a roadblock.
Kid doesn't need a ton of repetition. I know Saxon isn't the best thing for us. When I gave him some Saxon worksheets when he was 5, he said he hated math. Away they went.
Further questions:
- I already know about AOPS and Russian Math. AOPS looked great but kind of intimidating. I was hoping to give it to him to do alone someday. Hehe. Can I really do this with him?
- There's not much of a sample on the Russian Math page. How is it different from a standard text? Is it that the problems are challenging? Or is the lesson text special?
Thanks again! Muah.
- Living Math readers
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I need help.
I got all As in math, taking up through calculus in high school. Then, I went on my merry liberal arts way. I don't worry about teaching my kids math, but I want to INSPIRE them to think. I've read Liping Ma's book as well as a few inspirational posts by Type H Personalities (recommended by Don Cohen of Calculus by and for Young People). I want my kids to see the beauty in math.
Anyway, I'm wondering where to go from here. I haven't used a spine with kid #1. From a very young age, he seemed to have a penchant for thinking mathematically. He'd double numbers just for fun at the grocery store. He did lots of Singapore CWP 3 (not the challenging problems sections) two years ago when he was 6. Now that I know you're supposed to use the bar method, I showed him the challenging problems sections and he did them...without even drawing anything. I still don't get quite how he got the right answers. I had to use algebra to figure it out. He used mental math strategies before I taught them to him.
Well, I've gotten to the point that I'm low on inspiration. I can procedurally teach him all the topics through 6th grade math without using a book. What I want to do is EXPLORE math with him. I don't necessarily want to rush algebra. He just tested at Saxon 76/87 borderline. (I just used the placement test as an idea for where he is.)
So, two questions:
(1) Is there a favorite math program you have? Can I start in one midway? I'm getting old and tired and I have #2 who is in 1st grade now. It would be nice to have a program that would provide the inspiration.
(2) If it won't come in a program, what should I do to foster his math exploration? Just get him a tutor?
(3) What do you do to work on speed on facts? Flashcards? I know that we need work on this, but I'm not sure where to start.
Thanks.
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Can anyone compare any of these?!
I thought I'd do Singapore with my younger, because I'm too tired to do it the way I did with my older (Living Math, MUS alpha-zeta videos, Hands on Equations videos, some LOF, a little Singapore CWP 3 before I knew you were supposed to use the bar method, inspiration from Liping Ma's book, Calculus by and for young people, example from Type H Personalities blog, Saxon placement test, Singapore placement tests, etc.). I was basically "spineless." :tongue_smilie:
Then, I thought I should try MEP instead or at least supplement with it -- if I could figure out how to manage all the information. (We did some last year, and I was impressed with some of the exercises, but I need PAPER in my hands and while this stuff is free, it is expensive to print out.)
However, a resurrected thread reminded me that Math Mammoth exists. Oh, Maria. Long ago, I watched some of her youtube videos, which I liked. I am also on her email list and have all the newsletters saved in a folder. :lol:
School starts soon. What to do....
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Call your local OfficeMax for an email address.
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I really enjoyed the series, which I previewed for my kids. However, even I got chills. (Ok, I'm a big chicken. Grew up on too many mystery series.) I particularly remember the oracle in the attic, which appears pretty consistently. Yikes. I think the other creepy thing was Kronos. Plus you have a possessed/crazy mom. It didn't help that I was reading these at night while I was sleep-deprived.
I was a sensitive kid and I have a sensitive kid. I err on the side of delaying. I figure: Hubby balances me out. (He let them watch the old Star Wars movies. I made 'em cover their eyes at one point.) Plus, there's enough in the real world that can be frightening that they need to deal with. They don't need stress from their leisure reading.
I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books.
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I thought of getting just the Voyage level, because he includes review every time. I'm glad I didn't. It depends, though, on what your kids already know and how old they are. (Mine are little.) You might try purchasing Town (teacher's manual) and stopping after the parts of speech review to work through Practice Island exercises (there are 100 and he suggests one a day or something like that). If it's failing, go back and purchase Island. It's probably cheaper to purchase Town and Island and resell anything you don't want.
To trim down costs, I suggest choosing just the teacher's manual or student book for the grammar level you're interested in. (I got just the teacher's manual after seeing a teacher's manual and student book side by side. Notice that I have a very nice and well-endowed friend. Is she reading this?)
As for Practice Island, you can also purchase just the teacher's manual and get away with it. Write the sentences on the board and have them take turns figuring out parts of speech. If you want a workbook to rip up :tongue_smilie:, you could get the PI workbook, but you should still get the teacher's manual, because he has good tidbits in there.
I also borrowed the same friend's Building Language and Sentence Island, and I own the poetry book. There are basically ten Latin prefixes in Building Language. Of course, he writes about them eloquently, but you don't really need this. MCT is brilliant in his approach to grammar, so I would almost say you "need" his grammar. However, you can study roots/vocabulary another way.
Sentence Island is written as a long story in six or so chapters. My kids liked reading the story, taking turns voicing the characters. Some kids hate the story aspect. It's a silly story covering one common sentence problem per chapter (like writing fragments and failing to create agreement between subject and verb). At the end of each chapter, he has multiple choice review. At the end of the book, he has suggested writing exercises. (I must have been looking at just the teacher's manual.) You'll find one page of exercises (maybe 4-6 or something like that) per chapter. We didn't do all of these.
The exercises are creative, but I don't think think of this as a complete writing program. First, it doesn't teach different types of composition. Second, he doesn't provide step-by-step instruction on how to write well. (He might inspire you and perhaps your child, but you need to follow through.) Keep in mind that the beauty of his work is how he simplifies the topic so you can see the big picture. He's not trying to be thorough in his coverage. (Note that even with his grammar instruction, it's nice to have something to fill in the details. I used Rod & Staff.)
Finally: the poetry book. It was inspirational and lots of fun to read. I love poetry, so I appreciate his passion for it. However, I'm still going to try Poetry Primer and Grammar of Poetry, because I think those books cover similar ground more efficiently. So, I wouldn't say that you "need" his poetry book. You can read a poem every day and read about poetry analysis online. It would be much less lively, but it would get the job done. (Also, his exercises in the poetry book would have been a lot more fun with more kids, since it's written for a classroom.)
I hope that helps. I always appreciate details in reviews.
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Don't worry; we share your excitement and don't think you were just tooting your own horn.
We have to continue to acknowledge your contribution so this will bump up for others who might have missed it. Thank you! I'm so glad I caught this...and just in time. I recently purchased my file box, hanging folders, and folders (180 three-tabbed ones sorted) and was about to create little strips of paper to drop meticulously into said folders because I don't have a lot of workbooks to rip up. Then, I was going to input the information into Homeschool Tracker. It's very tiring being me sometimes. :001_smile:
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Can't you just read the 1st page post by catholicmommy and run with it?
I saw this pop up some time ago (maybe last month) and clicked on it. I just got to catholicmommy's part, felt the light bulb go off, and scurried off to purchase basic supplies. I don't remember it having so many posts in it then! That's probably a good thing.
Was there some other important revelation in there? If so, is someone kind enough to share? I thought it was just: crate, hanging file folders, file folders, and lots of time ripping and sorting. This is for the hands-on folks (because I even have Homeschool Tracker).
By the way, Aubrey, your desire for appreciation is so funny because we can relate!
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Side note regarding your first question: Previewed FLL (now known as FLL 1/2) years ago and hated it. I just posted in another thread that I loved studying grammar, and I didn't want the kids to experience the opposite.
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I agree with an earlier poster that kids don't need much formal grammar instruction (read: textbook) during the early years. However, they should know how to speak and write with correct grammar. I think SWB even recommends informal grammar instruction: teaching as the need arises.
At the same time, I do know that teaching grammar informally may not be comfortable. So, I highly recommend Michael Clay Thompson's Grammar Island. I just get the teacher's manual (which includes brief commentary along with the student text). You should get the accompanying Practice Island teacher's manual. The workbook for Practice Island would have been nice. At first, I dictated the sentences to the kids, but it made the work take too long. It was better to do the work at the whiteboard.
MCT provides the big picture. I supplemented with Rod & Staff (Level 3) for details and diagramming. We did most of the work orally. I am going to go back and do the writing exercises. I just purchased WWE and plan to begin that for copywork and dictation practice. However, I wouldn't rely on that alone for writing.
My oldest is going into 3rd grade as well.
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I second learninearnin's earlier post. When I borrowed a friend's FLL, I knew right away that I couldn't use it. (Thank the Lord for friends.:001_smile:) I loved the study of grammar and didn't want to kill it for my kids. Instead, when #1 was about 4 or 5 (because he was an early reader and a motivated learner), we went through English for the Thoughtful Child orally. I may not have done all the exercises, but I enjoyed the gentle approach. I will begin that with #2 this year at age 6. (N.B. I think they have a second volume out now to stretch the work out longer, but perhaps that means the content has changed.)
Then, I deliberately took a break from the formal study of grammar. :eek: #1 got some more grammar in with the study of Latin.
I followed up in 2nd grade with a combined year of (1) Michael Clay Thompson's Grammar Island -- along with his Practice Island exercises -- and (2) R&S 3 (grammar done primarily orally). MCT's grammar is wonderful at providing the big picture. R&S has the writing exercises and provides "cleanup" for the grammar and punctuation. I highly recommend MCT's material. #2 listened along for the MCT grammar, and he picked up a good deal. I watched the kids figure out parts of speech together at the whiteboard. It was precious. This is the road I intend to continue with #1 and will keep up with #2 after we do EftTC.
ETA: In case it helps you, I thought I should explain the break from the formal study of grammar. I surveyed the end goal and thought of how we could enjoy the ride there. If I had known about MCT earlier, I might have jumped into it right away with #1, but we enjoyed those years "off" formal grammar doing other things. We'll see if I go directly into the MCT-R&S combo right away with #2; it depends on whether I think he's ready and whether it fits with the whole school (of 2 students). In a similar vein, this year, I did hold off on MCT's next book, which is Grammar Town, because it was definitely more detail than I thought #2 could handle, and I wanted to include #2 as much as possible. I wouldn't worry about the "grade" labels in curricula so much. There's a lot of review in those grammar books.
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I started BTS Level 1 with a 6yo and had no problem without the teacher's manual. I really don't think you need one for the primary level. [ETA: I mention the age to point out that you shouldn't be limited to the age recommendation offered by the publisher.]
I liked Level 1 and plan to continue with Level 2. I haven't assigned all the exercises, but there are certain ones that I really like. In fact, I wish they had more of my favorite types in there. However, there's enough in the 200+ page book to my liking that I feel like I got my (used) money's worth.
Rainbow offers a number of Level 1 in their bargain section (50% off). Here's the link: http://www.rainbowresource.com/dbprodlist.php?sid=1255127819-1989661&subject=12&category=3404
You'll have to read the disclaimer about their bargain section books (like they can't be returned).
I'm kind of stingy about buying things, but I like the books because they're very easy to use, I find value in the exercises, and we actually DO use them. At the Rainbow bargain price, I'd pick up another.
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How many books do you want? Are you looking to purchase books or to borrow from the library? You said "gems," but here's an "overkill" list that's better than nothing. I wouldn't necessarily recommend purchasing all the ones listed below.
Check out:
Famous Men of Rome (listen to it read aloud for free at http://librivox.org/famous-men-of-rome-by-john-h-haaren-and-a-b-poland/)
A Triumph for Flavius (easy reading)
Pompeii, Buried Alive (easiest one on this list)
Usborne Time Travelers series (one on ancient Rome)
chapters in Hillyer's Child's History of the World
Make it Work series (crafts and little tidbits with great color photos)
Kaleidoscope Kids Ancient Rome or Carlson series Classical Kids (crafts and tidbits; Carlson is easier)
Romans in Usborne beginners series
Dance of Darkness by Brouwer (some romance)
If you like the Magic Tree House books, there's sure to be one in that series that would fit the bill. Same for The Time Warp Trio series (more "boy" humor than the Magic Tree House).
Veritas Press also recommends the The Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence. (I haven't checked those out yet.) Their other Greece/Rome listings are here: http://www.veritaspress.com/products.asp?dept=1029&pagenumber=5&sort_on=&sort_by= (some are listed above, but not all)
Also, check out Paula's Archives: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/history.htm#WGRR
(also combines Greece and Rome but gives some indication of reading level)
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Hannah: No, it's not the same thing. However, free is good! Thanks for the link.
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I don't see where the regular prices are, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with the bundles.
There are 3 tracks and 3 levels available for each track. You're probably seeing the price for one track and one level. The bundles at the co-op are for either 3 tracks (years) of the same level or the same track for 3 levels.
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That's why I'm even looking at it. Nothing like a deadline to get you motivated to make a decision. :001_smile:
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I think it's interesting that several of you think that TOG's switch to DE doesn't bode well for their business. I know someone who was really excited about the switch and was getting others to jump on board with her.
I hate the idea because I want a hard copy of everything, so that's one reason I'm pulling out of TOG.
Hope things work well for them at Lampstand. I will definitely miss the TOG community. I've been very impressed with the friendliness of TOG users, which is part of what won me over.
On another note, I'm glad that I only intended to use Unit 1 and 2 of Year 2 this year (based on the advice of others). Their situation this year made me think for the first time about showing mercy to a business. Also, I've never thought of a profitable business as a ministry before. Good food for thought.
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This is discussed in another thread I checked out a while ago:
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37401
I am still working on my master memory plan for K-12 (and on recording it). On my tests, the sound quality wasn't good. I'll have to look into the itunes thing.
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I was disappointed in these. I thought they were not well written (lots of colloquialisms). The concept is great, though.
There's another series about Christian heroes (short chapters on lots of them in each book) that I also didn't like.
Keep in mind that hubby calls me "malcontent." I'm working on it. :001_smile: Hope the details help you out some, though.
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Thank you both! What levels have you used and for what ages?
Academy of Jedi Arts: Please keep me posted on what you guys decide! I'm looking into art lessons here as well. Atelier is much cheaper than the highly recommended art classes downtown, though. (Plus, no driving.)
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I'll also throw a vote in for Boyhood and Beyond. I prefer this to Plants Grown Up for several reasons: 1) Plants provides a list of suggestions for studying each character trait. I prefer the chapter/story and discussion method provided in Boyhood. I just think it works better (at least until about junior high). 2) Price! 3) Realistically (related to #1), it will just be more likely to get done with Boyhood because it's not an intense Bible study on a trait. You can sit and read an anecdote and discuss the few questions at the end of the chapter. It's a lot smaller to tote around out on a "let's talk manhood" date. (It's nice to make this a special treat.)
For a workbook style (or for kids older than mine), I prefer Maldaner's Christian Manhood. I haven't done an in-depth comparison of CM and Plants (I just bought CM), but I made the decision looking at both samples online and comparing the Table of Contents for each (and price). I think CM is more useful to me than Plants because I think it's easier for me to come up with something like Plants than something like CM, I think CM's method is more effective, and CM is much cheaper. (Plants also refers you to other sources that you'd have to buy, including their own For Instruction in Righteousness and Maldaner's Christian Character.)
For a Bible study on certain traits/habits, you could use Doorposts' For Instruction in Righteousness. I much prefer this to Proverbs for Parenting. That book was a dud for me.
I wouldn't reject Plants if someone gave me a copy free (heh-heh; any offers?) and I'd consider purchasing it much later at a deep sale price.
THANKS to Ruth for letting me know that there's a third book by Schultz! I'll have to check it out.
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I'm looking for input on any of these. I'm excited about Atelier (shout out to those out there on the forum who introduced me to this program), but I have this consuming desire to know about the other two (or anything else you'd recommend). Masterpiece Art is the program that includes Phonics of Drawing.
I'm not afraid to teach art. I've always loved drawing. My brother is an artist and so is my mother-in-law, so I have other resources. My guys are little. I'm too tired to be creative. I would just like something that makes me go "WOW" while covering the elements of art.
I've tried Artistic Pursuits, Discovering Great Artists, and How to Teach Art to Children. The last one just wasn't exciting (for me). I don't need something for art appreciation because we're fine on that. I'm primarily interested in art instruction.
THANK YOU!
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I found this thread while trying to compare art programs. Because I can't find anything on that, I'll just throw in my opinion here. :001_smile:
We've used Color the Classics, Beethoven's Wig, AND Themes to Remember. (I have lots of other music stuff around as well.) I have to agree that I think Themes to Remember wins EASILY for best classical music curriculum for young children. In fact, my kids just taught themselves with it because they devoured the book and played the CD themselves.
An earlier poster already commented about the difference between BW and TtR. I prefer just listening to BW (1 and 2; when one of mine was younger, he didn't like 3 when we previewed it). It does use words like "derriere," which might bother some people. Unlike the other poster, I don't mind listening to Perlmutter sing again and again. There is a big difference in performance quality between BW and TtR (which is why I put off buying TtR for so long -- check out the samples online for both), but I love love love that in TtR, they tell you the title of the composition on the CD. For BW, the composer is pretty clear usually (from the lyrics) but I need help with the titles -- not the composers so much.
For Color the Classics, I was disappointed with the CD. That's the most important part of the music curriculum! Otherwise, I would be making up my own curriculum using the library. I'm no music expert, but I've taken music lessons and I know most of the famous pieces and composers. I felt like CtC had some obscure compositions or could have had better selections. I've also felt that way about other composers CDs.
We've also listened to The Story of Classical Music narrated by Marin Alsop (I could have misspelled the name). It gives a nice run through the history of music. That's something to consider for the future. I have Music Masters, too, but a teacher friend recommended Alsop, so we listened to that instead. I'm not particularly fond of the narrator's voice, but the kids enjoyed the CDs.
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Just heard Mike Byster speak about his program, Brainetics. He really put on a show. You can see clips of the 20/20 show where they watched him work.
What an inspiring talk about what the brain can be trained to do! I have a pretty good memory, but I felt challenged. (By the way, I don't like to memorize to music because I find that I need to sing the song to access the information. That's why I'm trying to avoid this method with my kids. Mike points out that different things work for different people.)
I think the point is to get excited and get started. It doesn't have to be poems or long speeches. Think of this as exercising the brain to keep in good health.
Watch Mike's son recite a string of 200 digits. That was just a memory exercise Mike concocted.
If you can, listen to Mike at a conference near you. That seminar was packed. HTH!
Calling math majors (or other such experts)
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted · Edited by JaneGrey
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Thank you to the tenth power! You guys are awesome!
Also, sorry to matroyshka and regentrude about the "duh" moment. I think my eyes glaze over when reading things online. I see that you suggested AOPS Number Theory even before I asked my follow-up question. Now that I've seen their actual sequence and list of books, that makes sense to me.
So if we hit a road bump in the year, I know where to turn. Again, to all: :grouphug:
Special thanks to matroyshka and chadzwife for their cheerleading. It has been a rollercoaster getting ready for school this year.
Forgot to say: I've got my cart open at AOPS. Feeling inspired again!