I have A and B, and from looking at the samples online 1a and 1b seem to cover the sames topics? I'm wondering because my dd6 doesn't like Essentials so I thought I could just place her in PM 1a. We are in level B of Essentials. If you have used both or know more than I do, would we be missing anything by skipping right into 1a?

We've done WG Basic. I started both my dd14, and ds13 in it when they were 12, and 11 respectively. My dd did well with it, my ds hit a road black at around lesson 7 so I had my dd finish and decided to let my ds wait a year. Now I'm having my ds do it again and so far he is doing better than he did the first time. The main drawback I see with the program is that if you aren't strong in grammar yourself it can be hard to teach. There aren't many teacher helps in it,so there have been times where I've been left struggling to explain a concept my dc didn't understand. Maybe a good grammar resource but would help this? My other big complaint is it doesn't teach diagramming so if that is important to you, you will have to find something that teaches that.

Anyone?

My dc13 is using winston grammer basic and is doing well with it, however I would like him to learn how to diagram sentences. Any suggestions for books that would cover this?

I can't seem to figure it out. I've click the watch button on a few ads, but can't figure out where I go to see them.

I'm using Math Mammoth Blue (the one by topic) with some of my dc and find that they tend to forget concepts once mastered after a few weeks of not reviewing. Are there any good workbooks that we could use alongside MM to help keep things fresh?

Thanks everyone! It's good to hear that the 2nd edition is much better. I'm still on the fence about it; I'm trying to decide between singapore and RS for my dd6. I didn't see a video on the RS website, I'll have to look again.

I used RS C a few years ago with my older dc but they struggled with it. I thought I might try it again with my younger dc. I noticed when I was looking at samples that a second edition is out. If you've used or or now more about it could you share your thoughts?

My ds9 has really enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon audiobooks however our library only has books 1-8. What books would be similar to these?

Thanks for reviving this old thread. It was interesting to go back and see where my ds was at then and how far he has come. I decided not to use High Noon with him because it appeaded that he didn't need it.

No, my 13 and 14 year old are not currently using miquon. I tried it with them a couple of years ago to help build a conceptual understanding of math. They got through the red and blue book then we stopped because that was all we had. Currently they are using MM blue series, (topic one) to help fill in some gaps before we move on to pre-algebra. I really want all my children to understand math and not just be able to plug in numbers into algorithms. Hence, my love and hate affair with Miquon. ;) I do use the c-rods a lot with my older two when I introduce new topics. They just don't like to use them as much as I want them to. They'd rather fill in their works sheets and get math over with. But that's a different thread entirely! My hope was to use Miqoun with my ds9 and dd6. I have the orange book at pdf. I've only looked through it, and I'm not loving what I see. Maybe we'll use it as a supplement to Singapore. There's just too many choices!

I think a big part of my problem is feeling comfortable with not always getting the *correct answers*. Doing math this why is completely different for me. I was taught with the traditional method and that there is always a right and a wrong answer. Also, when you learn the algorithm, you must use it, and use it only the way that it's been taught. Math was always black and white for me. I didn't want to teach my dc math this way, but I've always struggle to break free from it. It's what I know, it's what is comfortable. Stepping out of that comfort zone is very scarey, even though I know my dc will benefit greatly from it. I do have Mathematics Made Meaningful. We used them until we got to card that I had no idea how to teach. Instead of exploring it, and not caring about being right or wrong, I froze and quickly put the cards away. That was over a year ago. I think your right, I need to go through them myself first and get comfortable with them, and then explore them with my dc.

I think my dd14, and my ds13 have a good understanding of place value. What they would get stuck on was borrowing in the traditional algorithim so I tried to show them they way behind it with the c-rods, but it didn't seem to help much. They did get not having enough and needing to regroup if you don't have enough. What seemed to stump them all the time was knowing when they needed to regroup/borrow, what ever you want to call it. ;) So then I start wondering, well do they really understand place value. We did line the rods up for example if we had 124-78 they would get a hundred flat, two tens, and a four and lay them next to each other, than under that they would put 7 ten rods and an 8. It really seemed to confuse my dd14 the most. She can do it on paper with numbers, but the rods went over her head. We haven't used the rod much. I did use them to show some multiplication concepts to my older dc and it seemed to help. As far as using Miquon with them, I haven't tried in a couple of years. I was really wanting to use Miqoun with my ds9, and dd6. They like playing with them, however when I get them out to do math with my ds9 he moans and groans. lol With my dd6 I've used some of the early stuff with her from educationunboxed and crewton ramone, and I'm amazed at what she knows! For example, we played what's in the box. We had a yellow rod out, I put a light green rod under a cup without her looking and asked her what rod was under the cup, she instantly new it was the red rod. She did very well with all the different combos I gave her, and that was after not having played with the rods in months!

Thanks everyone for the encouragement, and giving me permission to use something else. ;) I do have the first grade diary, lab sheet annotations, and notes to the teacher. I've been using the lab sheet annotations the most but they still aren't that helpful. I'm going to re-read the other two. We tried RightStart math a few years ago and my dc hated it, I also had trouble teaching it as well. I've been using a lot of the videos at EducationUnboxed. I try to take notes so I know what I'm doing when I sit down with my dc, I don't always have time for this (with 6 kids there isn't a lot of time for anything). My older dc don't like using the rods, but I do see a difference in their understanding sometimes when we use them. There are some concepts, thought, that the rods just seem to confuse them even more i.e. borrowing with subtraction. Math Mammoth seems to work but there are just so many problems on a page. I finally gave myself permission to not make them do every single problem. Still, having that many problems on a page can be very intimidating.

Thanks for the reviews. I've been considering this but I'm stuck on the price. Off to read the reviews!

but I just cant wrap my brain around it. I tried when my older 2 were younger and it flopped. I want to try it with my dd6 but it scares me. The lab sheet annotations are no help. I need something with more detail and scripted. I've poured over Rosie's videos at EducationUnboxed but when I try the activities with my older dc I stutter because I guess I'm not understanding it enough myself to teach it. ugh I love the idea of it and want it ti work but it just doesnt.

What is OUP World in Ancient Times?

Yes, I was referring to Singapore Primary Mathematics in my original post. I haven't had time to come back and add anything further. My brain has been stretched pretty thin this week so I don't have much space left for an intellectual. conversation. ;)

It is also available at cbd http://www.christianbook.com/singapore-elementary-mathematics-for-teachers/9780974814001/pd/814008?item_code=WW&netp_id=514614&event=ESRCG&view=details

I just started reading Knowing and TEaching Elementary Mathematics and I'm trying to decide which curriculum to use. I'm really torn between Math in Focus and Primary Mathematics. At first I thought MIF would work better for us, but my concern is that it seems to have become more Americanized than perhaps PM. My only experience with PM was a couple of years ago I tried using it with my older children and we just didn't get it. We started in 3a. Neither my children or myself had learned math that way so it was a real struggle and we dropped it. Since then I've learned a lot more about math and how to teach it so I feel more comfortable teaching my younder dc. I'm just really stumped on which one to use. Thoughts? Can anyone compare the two with Liping Ma's philosophy for me?

Thanks for your reply. I didn't consider the Teacher Guide having suggestions for a classroom setting. The sample I saw on RR didn't show much. I'll have to look into this a little further.

Which did you use and why? If you've used both which do you prefer and why? Thanks!

My ds13 just finished listening to Where the Red Fern Grows. I have trouble finding good books for him. He really likes How to Train Your Dragon and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He seemed to enjoy Where the Red Fern Grows however, I let him listen to it on audio while following along in the book. Any recommendations?

Elizabeth, you are right, we do need a routine. I can write out a rountine on paper but actually doing it is the hard part, especially with an unpredictable baby. Since my baby isn't on a schedule, I never know when he is going to nap. I try to do as much school work as I can with my older kids when the baby naps. He will usually take a nap in the morning and one in the afternoon but never at the same time. I really like your idea of focusing on my 3 year first thing in the morning. I'm gonna start doing that. He also can't sit still when eating. He is constantly getting up. It's hard to discpline a 3 year old when you have a 20lb baby you're lugging around! I also like your idea of strapping him to a booster sit and slowly buildling up the time he sits in it. Thanks!

Could you tell me what brand your rebounder is? I found a kid trampoline at One Step Ahead's website but it's $99. I'm curious how much more a rebounder is. I can't afford to put out a lot of money on something like this.