shinyhappypeople Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Anyone using living math as their main approach to teaching math? I'm defining "living math" as using games, manipulatives, real life situations (e.g. baking) and picture books to learn math concepts. We're using Miquon as a supplement, but the bulk of what I plan to do is the stuff I just mentioned (games, etc.). I think this is going to be the best approach for the DDs (esp. older DD who strongly dislikes workbooks). I'd like to hear how others are doing it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 (bumping to keep this post from disappearing into the abyss) Anyone NOT using textbooks as the main means of teaching math (esp. K-3 level math)? We're supplementing with an official math program (Miquon). Maybe I really am an oddball.... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Right now we are using Right Start as our main program but we are also doing some fun math that goes along with our FIAR topic of the week. I'm still working on some other subjects, but once these are squared away I hope to get Math on the Level up and running. It is much like you are describing, but has lesson ideas and accountability to make things easier on mom. I'll also look at the living math website for ideas and we might do math journals. My oldest dd isn't a big fan of workbooks either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Have you checked out http://www.livingmath.net and the Livingmath yahoogroup? I use Rightstart but also use a lot of picture books, and other books, games, etc for teaching math as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osaubi Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Have you checked out www.livingmath.net and the Livingmath yahoogroup? I use Rightstart but also use a lot of picture books, and other books, games, etc for teaching math as well. We do this also. I like Rightstart because it is not a bunch of worksheets (my ds hates), and uses games to help solidify the concepts. We also read math related books, and play other kinds of math games. My kids favorite is the Time Life math book series. They also watch Cyberchase, and the Leapfrog math videos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 Have you checked out www.livingmath.net and the Livingmath yahoogroup? I use Rightstart but also use a lot of picture books, and other books, games, etc for teaching math as well. Yes, I've seen the living math site, which is what gave me the idea to include picture books. I need to explore it a little more in depth, though. I'm sure there are lots of good things I've missed. Is the yahoo group related to the specific living math curriculum or a general living math approach? I'm going to look more into Right Start math. Sounds like something that might be a good fit for DD1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 We did not use math books for DD(now 8) until last year. She learned it all from living math on a day-to-day basis. Baking, games, and listening to older siblings do their homework. She is good at math and sucked it all up like a sponge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 I do not use curriculum with my youngest. We started this last year for her K year and it went so well that we are continuing on for Gr. 1. I do use RS as a guide, so I know where we should approximately be, but we use alot of games, books and hands-on activities to flesh it all out. I am going to continue doing math with her in this way until it doesn't work for her anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 I forgot to say that the yahoo group is for living math in general, not just Julie's lesson plans. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 (edited) I don't think I take a living math approach, but the fourth grader and I definitely aren't focused on our textbook (Life of Fred). We only use it one day a week. The rest of the week we do drill (using pen and paper, flashcards and a website, and worksheets -- not games, but all made up by me or pulled piecemeal from various places) and we review or preview concepts. We have used living books in the past. We're not right now. We may go back to it. Okay, I guess with the concepts we're pretty alive. I plan to use Geometry for Every Kid, a project book, and The Mean and Vulgar Bits, a Horrible Histories -esque book, this year. I've done this at other times too. My focus is always on the scope and sequence in my head, and never on getting through the program. I aim for place value first, then the four processes with up to four numbers, then fractions/decimals/percents. Ever since my K'er flunked a standardized test because he didn't know what was on one side of the dime (could make change, but just knew them by size), I also try to make sure the kids do what's going to be on the standardized tests. Some years that means plowing through a whole level of Singapore Math. Other years it looks like what I describe above. In the past I've used a pattern blocks book, a Cuisenaire Rods book, a word problems book, Family Math, Miquon, the lesson plans at LivingMath.net, the games in Math-It, and various test prep books, as well as traditional programs like Singapore, Key to..., and Developmental Math. It sounds pretty crazy, but there was a method to my madness. I have always kept that ideal sequence of skills in my head and evaluated the kids against it, taking from these various programs in order to meet their current needs. Edited August 30, 2009 by dragons in the flower bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 I don't use a textbook anymore with my PK-3rd graders. I'm teaching the Ruth Beechick method and have a very organized Scope and Sequence that lists general grade mastery goals to each concept, ideas for games and activities to teach them, and directions for all "home made" activities. If you'd like a copy, PM me your email address and I'll send it to you. I've also just finished one for ALL areas of language arts (including phonics) based on her methods as well. We won't be using any texts for any subject PK through 2nd and most likely 3rd as well. The only text my 3rd grader is using this year is PLL. She does 1 lesson per week in Teaching Textbooks simply because we have it, she loves computers, and I want it to be a learning time! She occasionally watches some of the most basic lessons on DVD from Cozy Grammar, but I don't assign the work for her this year. We'll wait for that til next year. Any subject can be done in a living way in elementary, and most subjects can be in the higher grades. I hope you enjoy this method b/c I am already seeing the benefits of it in my children hope you see the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 Wow, thank you hmschooling. I'll pm you. A month or so ago I read The 3 R's and liked it, but dismissed it as being "not for us". I *wanted* to go a traditional way, because I though it would be easier for me. But my DD1 had different plans :) It's turning out really well, though. We're having fun :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth Angel_79 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I was doing this approach...started thinking I needed some worksheets and then rounded on myself again! I think my kids are just too young to pin down with worksheets. We did some stuff in the sand outside today and it was great! I think if I want them to do anything constructive with pencil and paper, I'd rather it be nature notebooking and nice handwriting practice. Those 2 things along are going to be taxing. I have bought several spatial thinking games (I got incredible deals on Serpentiles, Top This, Cover Your Tracks at a store in Columbus Ohio called the Andersons...I don't know if it is regional or you can buy online). I plan on playing games at least every other day, counting just about any and every object in picture books we read, measuring trees, charting their growth on a wall since birth (I've been meaning to do this forever, but it was afraid it would really make me never want to leave our house, lol -- thankfully my mom has every year and so I have the measurements), cooking together, etc. I have waffled between Math Mammoth and Singapore for a month, but now I'm reevaluating Miquon since I just don't think we will do that much in the way of wksheets and it is much cheaper. Oh...and hschooling -- I wanted to thank you for sending the s&s. I actually haven't looked at it, because we have a mac puter and something was lost in the translation (I don't know the correct computer jargon), but I will look at it when I get around a pc. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I wanna order Julie's living math lesson plans that correspond to SOTW I. We like Greg Tang's books and Sir Cumference books. Cindy Neuschwander (who writes the Sir... books..) also writes other good math books, too! Have fun! Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I don't use a textbook anymore with my PK-3rd graders. I'm teaching the Ruth Beechick method and have a very organized Scope and Sequence that lists general grade mastery goals to each concept, ideas for games and activities to teach them, and directions for all "home made" activities. If you'd like a copy, PM me your email address and I'll send it to you. I've also just finished one for ALL areas of language arts (including phonics) based on her methods as well. We won't be using any texts for any subject PK through 2nd and most likely 3rd as well. The only text my 3rd grader is using this year is PLL. She does 1 lesson per week in Teaching Textbooks simply because we have it, she loves computers, and I want it to be a learning time! She occasionally watches some of the most basic lessons on DVD from Cozy Grammar, but I don't assign the work for her this year. We'll wait for that til next year. Any subject can be done in a living way in elementary, and most subjects can be in the higher grades. I hope you enjoy this method b/c I am already seeing the benefits of it in my children hope you see the same! I've now got one up for 4th grade as well! See the posts here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakmom Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 My 10 year old son has learned more from Murderous Maths books than from any math curriculum he has used. He reads these books over and over and it is surprising how much he understands. We just had an in depth conversation about sine and cosine. I highly recommend them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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