karly1 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I cannot make up my mind on a math program to get for my DS. He is 5, and he loves numbers and math. He already knows single digit addition and subtraction and grasps the idea of multiplying (he's figured out some on his own). The other day, he asked me to give him some math problems...so I guess he's ready for a more formal approach than we've done so far! So far, I like the idea of Singapore, but I'm also considering Math Mammoth and MEP (I haven't had time to look that one over closely yet). If I started with Math Mammoth, would it be easy to transition into Singapore? Should I just start with Singapore and supplement with the others, or maybe use the others but supplement with Singapore? Is there anything else fabulous out there that I haven't considered? I really want to keep his love of math going and keep him (appropriately) challenged. I have figured out other areas of curriculum that I want, but I am just stuck on math...any suggestions would be much appreciated!! Thanks in advance!! Karly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcara Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 My 4.5yo ds is REALLY enjoying MEP!! It has great thinking problems that he thinks are fun. I really encourage you to look into it more closely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azdad Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Hi Karly, I'm new to homeschooling, working with my 6 year old 1st grader. I'm in the same boat as you. We started with Saxon and after 3 days of it I realized it was not for us. Since then we've been doing 2 worksheet pages per day from math mammoth and supplementing with literature, online math games, cooking projects, etc. We're having much more fun now, but I'm not sure how much I like Math Mammoth. I just ordered the first book of Singapore on the recommendation of a math teacher friend, and it should arrive today. I'm thinking I will use that and/or mammoth. But the other activities have really been the best. Today we're reading a book called "The Doorbell Rang" by Pat Hutchins and having a cookie party with her stuffed animals where she'll divide cookies among them. Best of luck, Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth Angel_79 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Good advice Rich. I'm considering math mammoth and singapore too... so interested in other responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ummto4 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 (edited) I also have a 5 year old kindergarten daughter who is at ease with math. I got advice from this board to work with her using MEP. She has done MEP up to just before the math fact page (the end of the file 1first file). I was planning to go on with MEP, but after deliberation, before we move to the math fact pages of MEP, I decided to do Math Mammoth 1A first (like what I did with her brother who wasn't at ease with math) and card games to get her math facts solid. Once we get through chapter 1 and 2, and onto the math fact chapter (i.e. chapter 3), we will switch to MEP 1A which is basically reinforcing the math facts (under 10) with challenging problems. (NOTE: I plan to only do select problems with MEP 1A). After MEP math fact sections, I'm planning to review the big number with her and teach her money, clock and big number mental math using MAth Mammoth. I cannot imagine just doing MEP or MEP first because Math Mammoth gives the basic better. I mean, MAth Mammoth is pretty painless for me to teach and is so incremental it works wonder to my kid's understanding. I'm sure MEP teaches the basic well too, but I'm just not used to teaching it and I've got spoiled by the ease of using Math Mammoth. I've done the math mammoth route with my son and then enrich his understanding with MEP. IT works very well for us, and it's been pretty trouble free for us. I'm doing it with my daughter, only this time, we move pretty fast and only do select problems with Math Mammoth because she understands quickly. HTH Edited August 31, 2009 by mom2moon2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Check out Mathematics Made Meaningful. Children love the rods, and the task cards teach amazingly comprehensive concepts. From that you could go to Miquon Math if you wanted to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Check out Mathematics Made Meaningful. Children love the rods, and the task cards teach amazingly comprehensive concepts. From that you could go to Miquon Math if you wanted to.:iagree:I like to have some hands-on for the younger years. I might switch to Math Mammoth later, but not before 3rd grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Have you considered something more along the lines of what azdad said with the meaningful handson activities? Ruth Beechick's books are excellent for this. I have a VERY math at-ease 5yo and he can solve multi-step, mixed operation word problems for fun. RIght now, you want to strive to keep math as a fun, love-to-learn subject...be sure not to cloud your dc's mind with the work of math and ruin what I'm sure you want to keep. Games, real life, conceptual math lessons with concrete touchable objects, living math books, etc....and a loving parent to share it with are all that's really needed at this age, for a math advanced or a math phobic child. My ds5 is excelling using this method. I just read the Beechick book, made my S&S, listed my game and activity ideas, and started after it. Last week, we worked on ID'ing and writing numbers 1-5, and making sure he isn't just counting by rote memory but realizing the number he says represents an object (Hi Ho Cherry O and Chutes and Ladders here we come!) and patterning (we used different kinds/colors of goldfish snacks and then some colored marshmallows), this week is fractions (1/2, 1/4 and how to divide shapes and sets into these fractions in different ways). I cut out some shapes and he started experimenting. Tomorrow, he gets a knife to cut his sandwich and apple into halves and quarters. Not once have I opened a text book and there is no way he'd understand it so well doing it in writing on a math page. I know this is long, but I have just learned so much over these last few months seeing just how far textbooks have really gotten my kids in their true understanding. I knew I had to make a change and I am just passionate about teaching to kids in ways that ensure success through understanding (the kind that doesn't just build from one level to the next but crosses over into life through the years). I have not found a better way to teach math and I have used SO SO SO many different programs over the last several years. Never has one worked so well with 2 totally different types of children. I can share that S&S with the games and such if you'd like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 We haven't used Singapore, but I have Math Mammoth and MEP, and also Right Start and Miquon. If you have a child that likes worksheets, Math Mammoth will go over swimmingly (ditto for Singapore Earlybird, I would think). If he doesn't, find something else, because he will be miserable. Personally, I don't care for the counting way they teach addition in MM, although it is a thorough program and provides lots of practice. I have looked over MEP, but haven't gotten around to it yet. It looks like fun, but it's also rather worksheet heavy, and my child just doesn't do well with loads of worksheets. Based on what you have said, you might want to try Miquon, since it covers all the operations in a series of six inexpensive workbooks (designed for first through third grade), and you aren't required to finish one book before moving on in a certain concept, so if your child is really quick with addition and multiplication, but slower in grasping fractions, for example, he can move on where he is strong and spend a little more time on concepts that need more attention. It also doesn't require a lot of writing (in early lab sheets the child can show his answer in cuisinaire rods before he is asked to write anything) and the sheets can be used multiple times in slightly different ways. We use Miquon to supplement Right Start, which Ariel loves. RS presents concepts in a slightly different way and uses an abacus as the main learning tool. There are also very few worksheets to use with the program, drill is done by games (probably part of the reason she loves it so much), and it is based on the way Japanese children are/were taught. I have found it to be very solid and actually enjoyable (Miquon is fun, too!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Both of my girls are doing MEP this year and they love it! My 1st grader has started in year 1 and is moving along quickly. There are worksheets but if you follow the TE you also have lots of physical activity to support the lessons. She easily does a lesson a day and we will be moving to 2 a day next week. My 4th grader has had to start at the end of yr 2, begininnng of year 3, because she has never memorized her basic addition facts. She knows them only if she unit counts in her head (thank you PS). So we decided to back up for the begininng of this year and catch up on this and multiplications. But I would highly recommend you look at the MEP website and you can join the yahoo group and get tons of advice and ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Sounds exactly like my 5yo. I decided to use Horizons and Singapore. I started him off in Horizons K, but I should have started in Horizons 1. I thought starting really easy would be fun for him, but he just got frustrated because he wasn't learning anything new. He tested into Horizons 2, but I wanted to ease him into a formal math program. Plus I was worried about the things we hadn't talked about yet like skip-counting and telling time. Good idea, just wrong level. He didn't have any trouble with new topics. Now that we're at lesson 110, he's finally getting excited about it. It's still way too easy for him, but he's seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I've also been crossing out a lot of problems. I'm starting Singapore 1A next month and then we'll supplement with Horizons 1. I think this will be a good combo to get the mental math and the drill/review type math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilbean05 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Another vote for Horizons! My 4 year old tested into Horizons 1 and so that is what we started with. She thinks it is fabulous and I can see that she is learning SO much. It is so neat to see their little brains work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Three Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I am one who has dabbled in math programs for my DC. Singapore is our favorite -- I guess you could say it's our spine -- but DD is almost finished with the EB books. Instead of rushing into SM 1a, I'm going to camp out with some other fun math activities. Livingmath.net is a great resource. I would hesitate to recommend Mammoth Math. I liked the review of math facts for my DS, but the space to write the answer was much too small for him. It's an inexpensive option, but it didn't work out as I intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 We aree using Singapore and so far it is working really well. We opted for an additional book of word problems to mix things up a bit as 1a is pretty basic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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