We've just begun to use cuisenaire rods, and unexpectedly ended up with 3 sets. (I ordered set #2 and then discovered a friend was gifting me with set #3) They are all the small group sets of 155. Is that a crazy amount to have? I don't yet have a feel for what quantity is helpful and what quantity is over the top and would sit gathering dust on the shelf. Unfortunately I can't "wait and see" because if a return is going to be made I have to do it right away. The kids will be 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and K in the fall, and we're using Math In Focus and as much Miquon as I can get my head around. What says the hive? Keep or return set #3?

Any academic advantage either way? I'm a C-rod newbie, and trying to set things up for next school year.... How do you store yours??

Yes, I know they are polar opposites. But after looking through zillions of math programs for my rising 2nd grader, I keep coming back to Saxon. He thrives on sameness. He loves knowing exactly what to do. When faced with a new concept his understanding comes very slowly and gradually, but once it comes it is solid. This is an incremental kiddo, and I think an incremental approach would fit him like a glove. At the same time, though, I'm concerned about conceptual understanding. So I thought some low-key, non-pressure Miquon exploration would be a plus. Would Saxon + Miquon be a terrible combo for this fellow? Any other suggestions? Other things we've used....for first grade we used CLE 100. He did great the first half of the year. The second half he became bogged down & dreaded math. He didn't know about number bonds, and wasn't given any strategies for figuring out the upper addition facts. (17-8, 13-6...this type of problem stood in his path like Mt. Everest.) So, he did quite poorly on the math computation section of his IOWA. Through the summer we're using Math In Focus - the idea was to improve conceptual understanding. The number bond concept has been terrific & helpful. However, the mastery approach brings tears. New concept + several pages of new concept practice is a deadly combination for him. Each successive page is worse than the page before, and this little guy is not thriving with the system... . . . ..

My son did a sample Teaching Textbook lesson the other day. (I'm thinking about using TT as our spiral review for the year.) He figured out that if he'd type in any old answer, the computer would say it was wrong, then offer him two choices. Choice A: re-do the problem. Choice B: see the answer. Of course, being a math-reluctant 8yo, he chose Choice B. Does the program consistently have the options set up like this, or did we run into a fluke? I love the independence of TT for review. However, if the program has the consistent 'easy-out', this kiddo will take that route every time....

We have four kids, and I'm trying to come up with a math plan that fits each of them: DD, K, 4.5yo - Essentials Math, Miquon Orange (for as far as is comfortable for her; no cracking the whip at this age) DS, 1st, 6.5 - Math In Focus, Miquon Orange & Red DS, 2nd, 8yo - This youngster used CLE this year. It went great for half the year, then once we got into bigger sums/differences (i.e. 13-6 etc.) he began to really struggle & dread math. IOWA scores were terrible. Right now we're going through MIF 1B, trying to improve conceptual understanding. The concept of number bonds has been helpful, but the mastery approach brings tears. For him I'm thinking Miquon, the first four levels, with Saxon 2 for non-traumatic spiral review. DS, 3rd, 9yo - We're in the midst of neuro-psyche testing for this son. He's extremely smart and grasps new material easily, yet if we leave the data for a few weeks it disappears. He also did CLE this year, and did well for half the year, whereupon lessons began to drag out for huge lengths of time. IOWA scores were poor. We're currently going through MIF, which really works nicely for him. I can see his conceptual understanding growing by leaps and bounds (we started in 1A, and we're whizzing through the levels, planning to start 3A in the fall). So, Math in Focus for this boy next year. Maybe [i]Miquon [/i]too to continue to develop the lacking conceptual aspect? I'm troubled by the lack of spiral review with this plan, though, given how he loses data so easily. I'm considering doing Saxon worksheets, even just one side of the worksheet daily so concepts aren't lost?? Any and all suggestions are welcome!!!

What kind of eraser are ya'll marking with a sharpie? The sharpie rubs off ours within several days or a week. There must be something different about the texture/absorption of the eraser we use...

Have any of you found the answer to labeling erasers? We try to have our kids keep track of their own pencils, markers, erasers & such, and generally keep everything labeled - everybody has what they need, and it gets put away. But I haven't found anything that works for erasers. We use the Mars Staedtler style usually - sharpie marks rub off, tape leaves goo everywhere. Has anyone found a brilliant solution??

My rising 2nd grader did CLE learn to read last year. He's reading chapter books independently now, but he could use more work on understanding phonics rules to reinforce good spelling. My rising 1st grader (6yo) is going to try CLE learn to read this year, but I suspect we may need to slow down some of it for him. He is beginning to read long vowels now, but his reading fluency is still very poor, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. What Plaid Phonics levels would you recommend for each of these boys??

I prefer our spelling curriculum to be separate from other language arts, so I vote for R&S. I like the rhythm of getting new words on Monday, practicing them through the week, and testing on Thursday/Friday. I agree with the randomness of the CLE lists.

One of my kiddos thrives on the "known", and tears up with any kind of conceptual jump. He learns well, but is far from quick at understanding a new concept. What math would be slow & steady with no big jumps?? This is for my son who will be 2nd grade, 8yo in the fall.

What writing background does your son have aside from these interest led projects? It sounds like he might already be familiar with the idea of an introductory paragraph, conclusion, etc?

I'm wondering about letting my rising 3rd grader choose some topics for writing next year. He's done WWE 1-3, and I'll still do some formal something with him- maybe WT or WWW. But I think he'd enjoy the end result of a writing project that centered around, say, spiders. Or turtles. How can I guide him in this area?? Is there any curricula that could help shape this somewhat? I'm off to a big book fair in two days - can ya'll give me suggestions of materials to look through??

My older boys are way weak at mental math & not at all adept at handling addition & subtraction facts in the teens. It has gotten somewhat better since I switched them over to Math In Focus (Singapore) a couple months ago. Lots of manipulatives are a plus for them. For next year, though, I want to add in c-rods but I don't really know how to teach math that way. The kids will be in 3rd, 2nd, 1st & K. Would Miquon be best? Or Mathematics Made Meaningful? Or something else?? If Miquon, where would I start the older boys? I planned on using Math In Focus as our spine, and I'd like something that would compliment that. I was going to use Horizons along with (perpetual review) but maybe it would be better to go with a second program that is big on mental math, since they are weak in that area.

We've recently switched to MIF. And so far, I really like it. I had my oldest son start in 1B & we whizzed through it, filling in conceptual gaps left from his previous math instruction. We've now begun 2A, and we're still whizzing. I hope to get him up to grade level (3rd) by the time the new school year rolls around. I like Singapore style math teaching, but when I tried Primary Mathematics I was spending a good deal of time with my nose in the HIG puzzling out the concept of the day, and figuring out how their game suggestions fit into that. Math In Focus is open and go for me, so I'm spending my time actively teaching math, which my boys need. I like how the games & manipulative suggestions are easy to figure out at a glance, which makes all the difference.

I love CLE, but it isn't what I would recommend for a child struggling with place value - or for a child needing remedial instruction of any kind. We used it for both our oldest boys, and I love it. But we're having to switch out of it. IOWA math scores came back really terrible this year, my boys just aren't understanding the concepts behind the math. My oldest tested really high on the CoGAT, which shows me he is very capable, but seriously underacheiving in math. We're spending the rest of this year and the summer going through Singapore math at an accelerated pace, beginning with 1A, using lots of manipulatives. Place value has historically been a struggle for my oldest, and I can see lights going on. We began with Primary Mathematics as our singapore source, and we're continuing with Math In Focus (another Singapore resource) because somehow the layout is easier for me to teach. Lots of hands on, lots of mental math, lots of manipulatives & direct one-on-one teaching. I feel like we're finally making progress! I anticipate MIF as our spine for next year, with Horizons supplying the needed spiral review. Additionally, we're having our oldest do neuro-psych testing, and that should give us more information about the math struggles. Why is it, that when we take a three weeks break we lose half a grade level? Of course, some review is expected after a break. But losing half a year, or more? Something isn't right. Our second son (much more normal developmentally) scored even worse on the math section of his IOWA. So we're switching all the kids to a very conceptual approach to math. So, bottom line...I love the layout of CLE, but I don't recommend it for remedial situations.

I like the idea of having C-rods too. Maybe I'll do both; I'm glad ya'll brought it up.

Still questing for a base ten set...does it matter whether the set is interlocking or not? Which style do you prefer??

I need to order a set, and I'm wondering if there are any sets that are particularly good/bad?????

Veritas Self-Paced History is a huge blessing for us. The ONLY thing I have to do is occasionally help my 7yo log in correctly, or call in to Veritas if the program freezes. The program self-grades, is perfectly engaging, and the kids love it! R&S English is teacher-intensive for us, too.... we'll be doing something else next year...

Any recommendations? This would be a 3rd or 4th grader.

At our house a page that gets 100% earns a sticker on a sticker chart....when the sticker chart is full it is traded in for $10.00...

Oh, I was so hoping I could use TT next year - the perfect review program, so i thought. Then I had my son do a sample lesson. And wouldn't you know it, he figured out right away that he could guess at an answer, the program would tell him he got it wrong, and would then offer him two choices. #1) try it again #2) see the answer. Guess what he chose? :glare: For an unmotivated boy who has a thousand things he'd rather use his brain cells for, TT has an all to convenient way to get out of actually working the problems...

I'm planning Singapore as our spine (either PM or MIF). Horizon will be our spiral review. Should I match the two levels? Or should Horizon be half a grade or so behind??

We also start our kids with Writing With Ease - after that we're eyeing Writing Tales.

Does anyone do this? We're finishing WWE3 this year, and the Day 4 dictations are longer than I want to require, so we've been just doing day 1-3. Not sure what to do for writing next year...