If you've used Singapore and Miquon, can you check in here plz?

[HappyGrace]

I'm using Singapore Standard Ed. 1B with ds6.5 (he flew through 1A.) It's going well, but I want to do some more with single digits and tens before we move on, just to nail down math facts. We are also doing MEP 2, which he loves. He is very into math.

 

I thought he might enjoy some Miquon, so I pulled it out and it does look good as another way to play with numbers to nail down some facts. But he is very bright with math, and can do problems in his head the "Singapore way"-such as in 8+7, taking two from the seven to make the ten-and I've never even taught him that!! He comes up with answers in his head even with double digits up to 100, just instinctively, using techniques like he would be taught from Singapore.

 

So I'm wondering if doing Miquon, which is so manipulative-based, will screw him up because he can already "see" the numbers in his head and work well with them in a way similar to Singapore would have him do it.

 

I don't think we really "need" the Miquon but I think he would enjoy it! Just not sure if that would be a bad move pedagogically.

[Shelly in the Country]

I use both Miquon and Singapore. I always taught my kids to visualize with the Cuisenaire Rods first, then we'd move into Singapore. My kids could use the rods, my kids could make ten, my kids also memorized math facts on flash cards. I think it's great to look at more than one way of coming to a solution. Miquon is a very rich program. It's more than just rods.

[merylvdm]

I use both too ... and my dd has stopped using the rods long ago. I agree that there is much more to Miquon than manipulatives. They do math from a different perspective, and I think the more ways of 'seeing' math the better a kid understands and can really get to the heart of math.

I introduced Life Of Fred as well this year (my dd is doing Singapore 4B and Miquon yellow and LOF Fractions)

Meryl

[brownie]

We started the year using Miquon to go over some multiplication and fractions with ds 8 and ds6. Then we dove into Singapore 3A and 2A respectively. Now I use Miquon when we need to slow down a bit or if there is confusion, hoping that a different approach will help it click. We don't really touch the rods! It presents things in an unusual way. Brownie

[In the Rain]

Your son sounds like a natural with math. I don't think you could mess him up. ;) There is a lot more than computation in Miquon. My dd finds it to be fun.

[Earth Yarn]

I just ordered all the miquon books so i will be watching this thread! For some reason it won't let me click the smilies or I'd add some popcorn :P

[HappyGrace]

Thanks so much-I think I will use some Miquon-I do think he'd enjoy it!

[knit247]

My DD sounds much like your son. She can add, subtract, multiply, and divide most everything in her head - and has been able to add and subtract even before we formally introduced math.

 

From the start we used a SM/Miquon combo and it has worked really well. DD refused to use the cuisenaire rods once the novelty wore off (a week at most), but Miquon has still been very beneficial to her and I am just starting the process all over again with DD#2.

 

Good luck in whatever you decide!