Well, we like MM1. I was shopping around for other math curricula this week because my girls aren't getting some concepts. BUT I don't think it has to do with the curricula but my girls themselves. None of my kids are mathy kids and they are all immature when it comes to timelines and schedules of learning when compared to other children. That being said, I did not find another program that grabs my eyes better than MM and you can't beat the price. You do have to be reminded to use manipulatives, since the use of manipulatives is not built in to the curriculum; atleast not in 1a but I think that is for families without manipulatives to still be able to use it. I purchased base ten blocks, a clock and some foam dice to assist us with our studies. We also use dried beans and toys to assist in the problems. IF I remember to use manipulatives, the curriculum works well for us. IF if ever forget and don't pull out the manipulatives, it can be aggravating for my girls because they don't quite get it without manipulatives quite yet. Overall, I think it is a great curriculum. My boys used the second grade curriculum to fill in some blanks and get caught up so that they could start TT3 and they have transitioned to TT3 flawlessly with all A's. I find it very similar to the McRuffy Color Math samples I have seen..minus the color ;) (well, we had it printed black and white) and it doesn't instruct you to pull out a specific manipulative. But if you have manipulatives already, it is great.

we continued this morning where we were with the base ten blocks out. I put the units in front of them and had them work each individual problem out with the units. They definitely made less mistakes. I will continue on this path I suppose. I also may just purchase some games that are simple to play that would reinforce math fact skills. Today only took 20 minutes for two pages worth of math. Not to mention the last page was 9 word problems which, when worked out orally with manipulatives they flew threw with no error!

We are definitely considering just letting them start over. We have looked over McRuffy, MUS, R&S but we still just like how MM looks and I think I am going to make a "math basket" and automatically pull out our manipulatives for every lesson and work it through with them even if they don't seem to struggle with that lesson. The problems they are doing currently they can do just fine with manipulatives or word problems.. so perhaps we just keep going forward where they are with manipulatives?

Thank you everyone! I am definitely researching all the recommendations to shared. I do know that I need a book to go through even for "playing with manipulatives." I know me and know it would be so easy for math to just fall off in the midst of everything else with the kids if I have to just remember to play and I don't want to do nothing but I want to gently progress forward.

since you are teaching twins like I am, are you able to teach both together or are you splitting them up individually?

I thought so :) are you using the colored edition or the original black and white

Thank you all for the replies. I think we will take a break from the workbooks; play with some manipulatives while I contemplate our next step. I spent an hour in the teacher store today and found nothing I was interested in :/

Mind you we are only on day 2 of MCT but my kids that HATED English are LOVING Grammar Island. I am sure you would probably want to start at a higher level but the format of the program is what is intriguing and has my ADHD son paying attention and labeling nouns and pronouns on day 2...

I am considering separating them from each other because I get impatient going back and forth between both of them. I tried them separated yesterday and the last child didn't get the best of me emotionally. I even got up earlier and tackled math first thing full swing instead of phonics thinking that would help but it was worse than yesterday, lol I think I will do math with one, then move on to another topic entirely and come back and teach math to the other one later.

One thing I have noticed with how my girls function with MM has me thinking. The method of MM is they "introduce" a new topic by having them work through the problems immediately without any scripted lesson teaching them first. Perhaps, a method that teaches first the new concept and then instructs to work it out would work? currently, they jump full force into, say sums of number 7... they count how many marbles are on the left of the line and write it down, the count how many marbles are on the right of the line and write it down. They count and add them together and write the sum as 7. They have yet to realize that the "groups of marbles" they are adding up each time each add up to seven. They aren't learning it as a fact family. SO when they go to the problems with no photos to compare and I instruct them to draw out "bubbles" or etc.. they still aren't seeing the correlation of the lesson as all being about sums of 7.... perhaps I am just assuming there would be a huge "ah ha" with each lesson similar to phonics is going with them.. it just isn't there. I feel like we progress through the pages with nothing mastered but number writing and counting.

we have base ten blocks? are these similar?

thank you! They do very well with this method you have suggested. They have two blank boxes and they have dice; they roll the dice and draw the dots in the boxes and then write the number problem below the boxes.. perhaps I just need to give them time before I expect them to "reverse" the manipulative methods.

they had their first lesson on using a numberline yesterday. While I like them learning multiple ways of solving problems, I detest the way the public school systems used number lines as a crutch here in GA and I know my boys took to that crutch very well and took FOREVER to break the habit. I am seeking more of a hands on manipulative and mental math lesson approach! Thank you for the suggestion, all suggestions are welcome :)

thanks, I will check it out! McGruffy or McRuffy?

ha ha ha, thanks!

that is an idea.

Thank you everyone for the replies. They do play a ton with manipulatives from homemade stuff such as dried beans/pet shop toys, dice, etc. I just can't seem to connect the number sentence of 3+3 to the hands on manipulative experience of adding 3 +3. Perhaps, drawing on bubbles is still too abstract for them. They have just been introduced to a number line and while they got it at first by me saying "pretend your pencil is a cricket, the first number 3 in our problem tells us to hop three times, hop three times." plus the second number tells us to hop another three times" "where did your cricket land?" they can tell me the answer correctly but the correlation that me walking them through that exercise to that equalling 3+3 is not there.

I am to the end of my patience/wits ability to cope. They just are not getting addition of basic facts. They have been in MM1a since August and we have made seriously NO progress. :confused: Today, on page 38 I believe while learning about sums of 7, there was an addition problem, simple of 3+3. My replies given were 10 and 1.. they GUESS; they don't think it through. Even when I have them "draw bubbles" to complete a math problem, they will draw those six bubbles total and then guess. I have to remind them to count them through slowly to get the right answer. We have been plugging away at this rate for MONTHS and I feel like we need to be moving at this rate. Suggestions? I am thinking its time to hang up this curriculum and move to something else. My older boys were in PS when they learned this level of math so its truly my first time learning to teach math from the beginning. I do know both of my boys are visual/kinesthetic learners and do GREAT beyond belief with TT3 but that isn't an option right now.. Perhaps a more hands on approach for the girls? I have considered MUS but I feel like they would just get confused at this rate in the game....

christianbook.com has fairly large samples online of their products.

I am interested myself. So far, I have just read ahead and blacked out with a sharpie the parts I don't want them to read. I hate to write in books but its what I have had to do thus far!

I plan on letting them use the letter tiles to spell out the word families they are learning in their ETC workbooks for extra practice. Its just a tactile reinforcement to learning.

this looks perfect, too! Thank you!

HA! I just realized I could order AAS and AAR tiles separately. So, that is the plan. I like ETC and the other curricula I am using so I will just add on these tiles and follow through LOL

I am seeking a product similar to how AAS uses their letter tiles. I am currently looking at this : http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/240+Cut-Up+Letter+Chunks+for+Wrkng+w-+Wrd+Fam/011668/8bf178cb3b3693d3d174c8ff?subject=5 I would love to hear what others have used and enjoyed. If all else fails, I may just end up making my own with index cards, but for 7 bucks, it would be easier to just cut them out and go. eta: baahhhh, of course these aren't available right now :/

Have you considered The Weaver curriculum? It is a multi-aged curriculum that gives you the history/science subjects that tie in with the Bible lesson of the day. It includes your Language Arts, History, Science, Writing and Vocabulary and Reading. You are expected to provide phonics and math into the mix. We tried it as a family but I didn't feel like I was good at following through in my preparations it would be a great curriculum if you are good with details. It works best if you go to the library and check out tons of books to go along with the subjects. It gives you a detailed list of items needed for each unit and recommended books, etc. ETA: it mainly gives you the lesson plans and the recommended activities similar to SOTW but you are expected to actually teach the material from books you purchase against the recommended list or books from the library/encyclopedias, etc.