Right. Her sons did the pubic school route, but both are at students at Stanford (one is entering in the fall).

I had a biochemical engineer tell me that BA makes no sense as far as Scope and Sequence. She said a lot of it is useless information. For example, the Perfect Square chapter is lame for making a short problem of simple multiplication into a complicated problem of multiplication plus addition. It's an unnecessary extra step. She then said that the next chapter of Distributive Properties is an odd choice for sequence. She doesn't think it's a good math program. I am not a math wiz by any means and am just along for the ride as my son does this stuff. What do you think about what she said?

Is it necessary for the kids to actually practice?

http://s3.amazonaws.com/mathnasium.com/upload/1/docs/TriMathlon_2014_Practice_Questions_Gr4.pdf

Yeah, I have noticed that it's very hard for him to switch gears. That goes for his sport (learning to change a body movement), and in his studies. Maybe I should be looking at ways to flex his mind in new and different ways as needed.

He is 8. We were using some worksheets his dad printed out from online. Mathnasium Practice 4th grade.

...and other times it's like he doesn't get a darn concept. I don't get it. He seems to be a math whiz. Then today we sat down to do some math, which he normally could do all day playing around with, and he wasn't understand even the most basic concepts. Like mental math rounding up or down to get quick answers. What gives? He was almost in tears when he was getting the wrong answers, and he is such a perfectionist I swear it causes his mind to get rigid with how to proceed.

I just found a program from Starline Press. I am having samples sent my way, but they are totally secular and grades 3-12.

Thanks, I will look into those. We homeschool with a very relaxed approach, so this will be challenging, but the boy loves his math. :)

Unfortunately, my son seems to dislike LoF. I have tried, but he finds it too silly. Still looking at Hands-On Equations. I am thinking more about contest math, and picked up a workbook from Amazon. This one, to start. http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Operations-Competitive-Mathematics-Students/dp/0615834647/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396490052&sr=1-5&keywords=competitive+mathematics

Thank you for the replies. I don't know that I am organized enough to put something together myself, and we absolutely cannot use the county library system here. We live in the country and can't get there often enough to avoid fines, plus their selection is pitiful. The school will purchase materials, however, and they have a decent school library.

Thank you. We have Primary Challenge Math, and I'd forgotten about it. I was also looking at Hands-On Equations. Yes, my kid breezed through TT3, and could have handled his brother's TT5, I'm pretty sure. I can't make excuses except to say we are very busy with 3 kids who need attention, and he enjoyed it, until he was bored. He did finish the entire book though and then told me he thinks he doesn't want to do THAT again for awhile. BA though? He can't get enough.

Does Math U See challenge children with good number sense?

He spends 20 weekday hours in the gym and he has awesome work ethic, but I have to find a way to streamline his schoolwork to fit it in between gym and his other activities.

Those are great suggestions. He loves math on the computer. Kahn Academy is OK for him, but he gets upset because he has to fill every mastery or practice box *immediately* or he melts down. So not so great for him.