I read somewhere (RR catalog?) that the Standards Edition is being phased out. As in all SM Standards edition materials. Does anyone have any info on this? I could look this up myself probably...

Ahh, the MUS suggestions. I wouldn't mind trying MUS, but IMO it's pretty pricey to use it as a supplement. It intrigues me though. I think for now we'll try out Miquon from the beginning (since I have it here, DS is very familiar already with the rods) and perhaps start SM mid-year or even late into the "school year" - we're year-rounders anyway - since he'll be a very young 1st grader. I've really liked SM at the right time, and hope it continues to be a good fit for us.

:bigear: I'm curious as well...

Thanks for all these suggestions. I will wait until MM is on sale. Its such a good deal, it's worth a try to see how she likes it. Part of what motivates her doing SM, however, are the puzzle-fun-type things that are in the WB. She likes the "reward" or doing the math practice. She's really always needed to be rewarded for math….I need to think about that. Even puzzling through tough stuff in the SM IP books motivates her. I didn't think MM had things like that. I talked to her about what she likes/dislikes the most about math, and part of it was when she felt I took too long to explain a concept to her, using up her time. So we came up with some solutions. 1) Doing math for a set amount of time (using a timer) and that would include my instruction time. She really liked this idea and we've been doing that for a week. 2) If she gets it, she shows me, and we don't have to do any "lesson". We haven't had this come up yet, but I think it will work well. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Now that I'm gearing up to use Singapore Primary math with my 3rd child, I really feel like this program is best when you wait a bit…for my kids at least. So my question is, do you start with something else, before using Singapore? And when (approximately - I know it's so different for each child) do you begin SM? I'm thinking I'd like to use Miquon (I'm currently using some books with my older girls, although we didn't use this as our primary program nor did they start at the beginning) and also use SM (at some point in the future) because I'm most comfortable with it. I'm familiar with it, it provides some security for me as a teacher. So I'm just thinking ahead. Thanks for any suggestions.

Thank you. Not sure why I hadn't thought of that… I don't actually have 3B yet, so I hadn't even looked at it. My DD is a bit intimidated of SM right this very minute, but I'll give a look at the next book. I appreciate the suggestion! :)

A while back we hit a wall in SM3A with long division….and we've been mostly reviewing/waiting for maturity and using Miquon, and some SM IP books in the meantime, and now we're ready to move on...but I'm not sure we want to stay with SM. I really like the idea, but for a long time now I have suspected this isn't the best program for my DD's learning style. She really dislikes the teaching/demonstration portion. She just either wants to figure it out and get on with it, or just a bit of instruction, or even to work through it together if it's something really tough (but without the lengthy "lesson" portion is how she would put it). I briefly considered MUS, but I think she would be frustrated with the manipulatives. She really only rarely wants to use the rods with Miquon. She IS enjoying Miquon, however. I have considered BA, and she enjoyed the assessment. Or Math Mammoth. I thought maybe that would keep us both happy since it would have the scaffolding that gives me comfort, but some small amount of instruction to the student, so she may feel more independent. (No, I don't plan on just handing it to her and letting her have at it.) Any suggestions for me? If we went with MM, which level would we start with? We're on Unit 4 in SM3A, and I would like to just finish the book, but she is very resistant. Since she's math-happy again, I'd hate to go back to where we were.

This. I always feel guilty that I should be planning more activities and crafts that go along with whatever time period or topic we're studying…but when I have, it most often fails. The play that naturally follows whatever we're reading and enjoying is so wonderful to see. And I know that since they initiated it, they're definitely having fun and learning at the same time. Happy homeschool moments!! (One example of what this looks like in our home: (We are studying Medieval Times btw.) One of my kids favorite things to play is Royal Family (used to be House, but now has a Medieval theme). ETA: I think that just letting your children to play quietly (legos, cut/paste, play-doh) may be all they need to enjoy reading aloud good books. They really are listening and the play will come. ;) Have fun!

Thanks, everyone. I bought it. :) I am looking forward to having more fun with DS. He's a real serious type…who gets easily frustrated, but loves doing things with me -play games and such, and THAT is what I want "school" to look like in our house. He easily reads short vowel words, and the easier long vowels (silent e, ee), so perhaps the review stuff will help build his confidence to keep going. Plus, his little sister (will be 4 in August) is precocious…and I think this would be fun for her to join in with us! I do have a friend with teens…who have just begun their summer break. I may ask her if they'd help me….

I want to make sure my son isn't already too far along to make use of Happy Phonics before I buy and cut ;) He's at lesson 93 in OPG. (Although I do have 2 more after him to teach to read.) Or perhaps I should try some other ways to make phonics more fun (but not too hard on me - I'm busy with lots of kids)? He really does want to learn to read, so I'm not really wanting to drop it...

Wayfarers Modern - a classical/Charlotte Mason curriculum guide I'm sorry, I'm on my iPad, but check out barefootmeandering.com and there will be a link with a sample and booklist that goes along with it. ETA: Here is the link for Wayfarers. Maybe it would be something you're interested in. I totally get the perfectionist problems and the AG. I have overwhelmed myself trying to "do History" right. KWIM? Wayfarers uses SOTW as the spine (and Diana Waring in later stages I'm pretty sure - my kids are grammar stage) with literature lists that go along with that time period. There are other things included, but due to the ages of my children, we aren't using them all. It has really been a nice fit for us. HTH!

maybe you ought to sell it to me? ;)

for a child who can read short vowel, most long vowel (silent e) words and then some digraphs (th/sh/ch)? He's just bored and is always asking for more games. So, that leads me to ask about Happy Phonics. ;) Also, the ei/ie and other long vowel spellings are frustrating for him. I want us to be more motivated for phonics lessons! He's 5.5yo :) (Ps. We've been using OPG, don't necessarily want to drop it...he's not writing yet.)

:bigear: curious myself

Singapore here. (But NOT the K books.) We had a very brief stint with Saxon at the very beginning and it just wasn't for us. I have also done some MEP (free and excellent) but it's pretty time consuming if you have lots of small children/babies like I do. I really want to be able to implement Miquon. Looks brilliant. It's a goal of mine and I have DS working on some pre-Miquon type books for fun. Just my opinion, but I wouldn't buy a curriculum for K-math. We do lots of play with manipulatives and real life math…as suggested in TWTM book. Until I joined this forum, I didn't think anyone used a curriculum for Kindergarten. Have fun! There are so many great options!

For my two oldest, we stopped when it just wasn't necessary anymore and spent more time reading real books. However, I have found it beneficial to utilize a phonics-based spelling program. For some reason, this is way more appealing to them than reading out of the phonics book, and I'm satisfied that the phonics rules stay fresh, helping them to read new words when they encounter them.

Thank you so much for that great explanation of how the math facts are incorporated for your kids. I appreciate it!! Really, it lines up with a lot of my own ideas about how math should be taught…this is just my first go-through and I'm still learning. I really like how Miquon has the kids make their own tables. My DD really liked doing that (though she's not using Miquon) and having her keep it in her school box when we pick back up in 3A is a great idea. I want to look into Beast Academy…. I guess I thought it was a bit more advanced than Singapore… I will have to check it out more. Would you mind sharing what games (not "math") you're referring to? I have tried math games here with little success because they were viewed as math, work, or a chore. It would be nice if they were games even I wanted to play. :-) Again, I really appreciate the time you've taken to help me out.

I am SO SORRY to keep picking on you! I'm just a newbie, really. I haven't really heard of anyone who doesn't require memorization of the math facts. (Albeit my homeschooling 'friends' are mostly the wonderful ladies on this board.) And when I looked into Math Mammoth, that is the whole second half of the multiplication book -- memorization of the times table. I never memorized them myself, but I'm also not great at math and trying to memorize them now, to help myself. Just wondering your thoughts on this. Again, I have really appreciated the advice.

I DO have Miquon on my shelf…I have been terrible at implementing it. AND, I'm just really not sure where to begin with DD… I will give it another look tonight. And Beast Academy looks awesome. I have considered giving her a placement test. She's resistant to change, and likes the rhythm we had going with Singapore when we had it (although would much prefer skip any instruction part on my end…which really isn't an option). I appreciate your comments and suggestions. Thank you!

Thank you for your suggestions!! I LOVE the videos on education unboxed for my own education, and for a couple of my other children, but the daughter in question is very resistant to trying anything "new" or different…makes things difficult. I often just work out the problems, using the rods like in the videos, for my own benefit while I know she's watching out of the corner of her eye, only to see her try it later on her own. I guess you could call her issues pride…it's hard to "teach" this one. Things work best when she feels like she's figured it out all on her own. Very competitive girl by nature. I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time explaining our dynamic... All that to say, we've taken a break of 3A and have been working through a SM IP book. I am wondering, how best to work on different ways of seeing multiplication? I look forward to checking out the other website. Thank you!

Wow, thank you for all the great advice. We had some computer failure, and then a houseful of family for the weekend, so I am only just getting to read them all. I appreciate it!

I'm using both with my 2nd and 3rd graders. We love it! My girls do their copy work independently, and then I will a lesson with one while the other listens to their reading for the day via librivox, and then I'll alternate. On the days we don't do ELTL, I just dictate a spelling list. Right now I'm just having my girls review their phonograms using the LOE phonogram app. Love this combination!

"Language Arts" encompass so much and are overwhelming to think of all at once. Personally, I don't think you need to have every component in your curriculum every semester/year. We've moved towards simpler is better in this home. :) I have a child that age/level. We are really enjoying English Lessons Through Literature. It combines writing and grammar instruction using whole classic books. I recommend to go the bookstore on that site and download a free 3week sample to see if you'd like it. We're using level 2 for my 3rd grader. At that level, the writing is solely through narration, and the grammar is mostly memory work and naming parts of speech in sentences from the literature. The lessons are meant to be done 3 days/week. For spelling I am using Reading Lessons through Literature by the same author. On the off days from grammar, the other 2 days. we do our spelling lists, so this has kept Language arts simple for us. This is an O-G type program, so you would begin at level 1 no matter how old your child is. It teaches spelling by learning the phonograms and spelling rules. I encourage you to join Barefootmeandering yahoo group to ask more questions if either of these programs sound good to you. Hope this helps! ETA: I am so sorry I didn't read clearly that you are already planning to use Writing and Rhetoric and FLL. Since you already have that, please disregard my suggestions! Sorry! Except for the spelling. We really like what we're using for spelling right now, but I've also liked Rod and Staff spelling by sound and structure (as a non-secular option).

Hello. Everyone else has received such great math advice, I'm going to ask for some. ;-) My 8yo DD was chugging along fine, but we've hit some bumps near the end of Unit 3 in Singapore Primary Math 3A, we're in the review section. (We're using Standards Edition, if that matters.) It seems as though she's having trouble with division of large numbers and sometimes multiplication with large numbers. It seemed to me like we were going along fine with smaller digit multiplication and division, and suddenly we have these huge numbers and algorithms, and it's just overwhelming to her. I know she doesn't completely understand the algorithm yet, and we don't always use it. It's more important to me that she understand what's really going on with the numbers anyway...but the numbers are getting on the larger side to use manipulatives easily, kwim? In my gut, I don't really feel like she's ready to move on in the book until she has a better understanding of multiplication and division. The unit following introduces the math tables for 6,7,8, & 9. I am not looking to change curriculum, as we both like Singapore Math. I am just not sure what to do in the meantime... We've been working through a SM Intensive Practice book that's a year behind, to give her some confidence (she needs some, because this perfectionist girl really loses heart when she can't "get" something and shuts down) but it's pretty easy for her. I've also had her working on her math facts using Wrap-ups. I'm wondering if there's anything out there that may present these concepts a little differently than SM and may have follow up worksheets for practice? (She LOVES her math WB and has missed it...weird, I know.) Then maybe we could return to SM when she's had a chance to gain more understanding and maturity... Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have for me!

I also immediately thought of RLTL as I read your post. She has a (free?) copywork book of the Elson readers as well, that could be used to analyze spelling words like you mentioned. We use RLTL along the LOE phonogram app, so I know firsthand that the phonograms taught are nearly identical. HTH