:iagree:

:lol::lol::lol:

We used it this year and I am looking at my copy right now. It starts with review of strokes, ovals, understrokes, etc. Then it goes into tricky connections....kinda goes over all the letters and how they connect or don't connect. That's the first 30 pages. Then the rest of the book is copywork - one page practicing the tricky words found in the verse/poem and then one page actually doing the verse/poem/whatever. There are 90 or so pages in all. Hope this helps.

"Also, reconsider Math Mammoth for him until he's reading better. I've tried quite a bit of it with my ds8, and it is a big-fat-flop mainly b/c of the page lay-out...it's small and dense and works well for my little precocious reader/notsomuch for my *mathy* ds8." Arghh, I hate reconsidering something once I finally, finally decide on something. But you might be right. I already bought MM, so I am going to try it with him and then go from there. Maybe he will miraculously learn to read over the summer. :tongue_smilie:

Oh, FWIW, he is going to be doing Mammoth Math. Not sure what level yet. I am going to buy grades 1-6 and just start him off where he fits in.

O don't really expect him to be able to read...but progress would be nice. ;) He just has such a hard time even remembering the sounds letters make that I feel like he will never get it. He's got most of them down, but really struggles with the usual culprits (d,p,b,q, g,w,v) I actually think it is mostly a matter of letter recognition. If I tell him what the letters are in a word and then remind him of the vowel sounds he can then figure it out from there. He can read sentences like "A crane can lift a big log" once I give him a few clues...(the long a in crane, the b is a b, the g's are g's) Occasionally the thought of dyslexia has crossed my mind. When he first started writing he would right "right to left" instead of "left to right". He would even write his words mirror image (spelled backwards and the letters themselves formed backwards.) He has largely gotten over this so I think it was just a phase he was going through. :001_smile:

:iagree::iagree: About the respect and the photobook.

Thanks for all the responses. I have 2 older dc who were early readers and very independent in their math work. They actually preferred to figure out the new work on their own, asking for help only when they got stuck. So I guess that's what I am used to. I love "teaching" math but have found that my oldest especially works better when she can just try it on her own first. Okay, so I will sit him. :D Also, thanks for the reassurances about his reading. Him being so different from his two older siblings has made it kinda tricky. I am trying not to freak out to much. "If blending hasn't clicked, attack reading by spelling (SWR/WRTR do this)." I have never heard of either of these resources but they sound like something I should look into. I just keep hoping it will click using the way I did things with the other two, but maybe it's time to try something new. ~Jen

He's going to be 6 in May. We did kinder this year...really tried to work on his reading. He went through Beginning Steps to Reading and some Hooked on Phonics. He is just not getting it. (But I guess that would be another thread). He is really good at math...loves numbers and I really think that he could do math at a second grade level. But since he doesn't read yet, I have to sit next to him and explain what to do for each set of problems. Should I just do this and let him move ahead with his math as quickly as he wants or should I kind of hold back until his reading catches up? :confused:

:iagree::iagree::iagree: Especially about point number 4.

Boy, do I ever. I just missed the sale for Math Mammoth and was told that there might be one later on (maybe Aug or Sept). But I just don't want to wait for it. I want my new stuff now. I keep telling myself that patience is a virtue but I have a hard time hearing myself :001_smile:

I didn't read the whole thread but this post just jumped out at me. I am a Christian, very much looking forward to being in heaven and seeing my Jesus. But while I am here on this earth, I feel like God has a purpose for me. Once I have accomplished that purpose, then he will take me home. In HIS time, not mine. But my prayer every day is "Even so come, Lord Jesus". I cannot wait. :001_smile:

Can't decide between 2 that I have been listening to all day. These are the days of Elijah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s4hkcZhfqQ&feature=feedlik Glorious Impossible by the Gaithers Both very worshipful.

Serious? That would be so great. I was planning on doing some remedial work through the summer so maybe I will buy just what I need now and wait for later to get the whole package. Thanks for the info. That makes me feel better. :001_smile:

I missed the group buy for Math Mammoth. I didn't even find out about it until today. I have spent the last week or so going back and forth between Singapore and MM, finally decided on MM, went to their website and saw the announcement. Rats. So bummed out. :angry: Do they do it again later on in the year? ~Jen

I guess I would be in the extreme minority on this. I feel it is very important to know the lives of the authors that are influencing my children. I read through some of the other reviews on the site and I would have to say that I agree with much of what is written. I don't consider ourselves ultra conservative, but I definitely want my girl growing up knowing that there is no greater honor for a woman than to be raising the next generation of godly children. It is for that very reason that I am discouraging my dd (who is an avid reader) from reading "Little Women" or "Anne of Green Gables". (Books that were favorites of mine as a young girl. And, yes, Jo was my favorite.) :001_smile: If she really wants to read them, I would let her but I would be sure to discuss those negative aspects with her and try to steer her to other books. Just my opinion but I feel like there is value in a site like "Keepers of the Faith." But obviously not for everyone. :001_huh: Hopefully, I don't come across as judgemental. Every family has their own standards. The other day I had a family over for supper (one I had never met, new to the neighborhood and to our church). She was going over my bookshelf, saw the book "Black Beauty" and wondered whether I should be letting my kiddos read it. I have no idea what she saw wrong with it, but I am certainly not going to think less of her for it. Jen

;) I remember this exact same thing happening with my oldest who is a girl.... I am using Abeka with her and not planning on switching.....or at least I don't think so....:001_smile: Math is a real struggle for her and I think it would just throw her off to switch to anything than what she is used.

Both my son and I have a good grasp at conceptual math. I love teaching him 'cause he just "gets" math like I do. We think much the same. So I guess my question - which I think has already been answered - was: Once you are done with either one or the other - and if you really understood the concepts being taught - will you be at the same place? From what I understand: Yes. Just two very different ways of getting there.

Thanks for that link. It was very interesting reading...very helpful too. I especially liked the comments along the line of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". We are really enjoying Abeka. I think I will stick with it. I have a younger ds5 coming along.....maybe I'll do Singapore with him. Although, now that I think of it, I have all the Abeka teacher manuals, so maybe not.

Maybe I should start another post entitled: "What's so special about Singapore?" (although it has probably already been done) I feel left out of the math revolution.......stuck with boring old Abeka while the whole rest of the world goes on to a new, better way of doing things......

In one way I would just love to stick with Abeka. But Marcus is so good with math and I keep hearing what an excellent program Singapore is that I feel like I am depriving him somehow by not switching. If I stayed with Abeka I would always have this sneaking feeling like I am missing out on something.:001_huh:

Money is kind of an issue so I didn't want to buy something he wasn't going to use. Yes, I looked at the placement tests and from what I can see 2b would be too easy for him, but has skills that he hasn't covered yet. Maybe I could just print out the test for him though and make sure that he knows everything on the test. Maybe that would work. I want him to be challenged, but I don't want to push him. Thanks for your thoughts.:001_smile:

:bigear: Just bumping this.....

FWIW, we are going to be using HOD next year and all my kiddos are really looking forward to it. My oldest is going to be in RtR with the others joining in. Everyone is going to have their own math and la. That's not really the way she recommends using the program, but I am going to try it for a year and see how we like it. Others have done it that way and it worked for them. I love the wide selection of books that she has chosen incl. Diana Waring's CD's.

For a quick background. I have a ds8 who is in 2nd grade. His birthday is halfway through the school year, he was a very slow reader and writer so he started kinder as a 6 year old. He is now very good at reading...still struggling with writing. But my question is about math. He loves it and is very good at it. We did Abeka grade 2 this year and it was just way too easy. Switched to Abeka 3 just in the last few weeks, and he is just breezing through that. I think we should be done with it by the end of our school year which is end of May. My plan was for him to be in 4th grade Abeka math next year and 3rd grade every thing else. But now I am thinking of possibly switching to Singapore math. I want to switch back to Abeka for high school though (mainly because I love Abeka for the higher grades...that's what I used when I was high school and those textbooks feel like old friends). So basically I am wondering what level to put him in. I looked over the placement tests and I don't think he would have a problem with 2B, maybe even 3A. And the problems would only be because we haven't covered some of the stuff, not necessarily the skill required. So how much review is there in 3A of things covered in level 2? And is it stupid of me to think of switching to Abeka for the high school years? He is kind of excited at the thought of being in 4th grade math next year, so Singapore 3 would be kind of a disappointment. But maybe using a different program would be make up for that. :001_smile: Long rambling post here. But I guess I am just wanting input from someone who is familiar with Singapore. I never heard of it before a few months ago.