Miquon Orange or Math Mammoth 1 for 5 year old??

[Agamemnonsmom]

I have a 5 year old son. He can count to 100, count backwards from 10, can tell time on the hour and knows the 1 to 1 relationship while counting. I wanted to start something slowly with him. He doesn't understand that 25 is larger than 20. He also doesn't know odd and even numbers or understand the ones place, tens, place etc.

 

Which would be a good one to start with, Miquon Orange or Math Mammoth 1? or would you recommend doing both?

 

What would you recommend to buy for Miquon Orange? (First Grade Diary, annotations, etc)? What would I need for Math Mammoth?

 

I plan to buy an abacus and I have cuisenaire rods

 

Thank you!

[lisabees]

I use both, along with MEP. So many great programs for that age, it's hard to choose. :D

 

eta: I reread your post and considered your ds's age and skill level. And the fact you want to move slowly.

 

I would go with Miquon. MM has a lot of adding, subtracting, greater than, less than. I use MM1 for my almost 7 year old.

 

You would want First Grade Diary, annotations and Teacher's Notes. Rainbow Resource usually has great prices and sometimes bargain prices for those items.

Edited December 27, 2009 by lisabees

[FO4UR]

I vote for Miquon, and get the annotations and First Grade Diary. So much of Miquon is in the style & presentation...you get that from the Diary.

[Ellie]

You should know that Miquon assumes that the student is already familiar with the rods before beginning Orange. My recommendation would be to do something else first, then start Miquon. I like Mathematics Made Meaningful.

[staceyobu]

You should know that Miquon assumes that the student is already familiar with the rods before beginning Orange. My recommendation would be to do something else first, then start Miquon. I like Mathematics Made Meaningful.

 

I didn't know this about Miquon! We were also planning on using Miquon for kindergarten. Does Mathematics Made Meaningful familiarize them with the rods?

 

EDIT: Okay... after following the link it looks like that does use rods. So, I need to start with that pre-miquon? Does it take a full year to do that? Or could we do it for a month or so before jumping into Miquon?

Edited December 28, 2009 by staceyobu

[Spy Car]

You should know that Miquon assumes that the student is already familiar with the rods before beginning Orange. My recommendation would be to do something else first, then start Miquon. I like Mathematics Made Meaningful.

 

I didn't know this about Miquon! We were also planning on using Miquon for kindergarten. Does Mathematics Made Meaningful familiarize them with the rods?

 

EDIT: Okay... after following the link it looks like that does use rods. So, I need to start with that pre-miquon? Does it take a full year to do that? Or could we do it for a month or so before jumping into Miquon?

 

It's simply not correct that a child has to use another program before using Miquon. The introductory C Rod suggestions are in the "Notes To Teachers" book, and children pick up rods super quickly just using the regular Miquon materials.

 

To my mind the best thing about Miquon is starting with it. It is a wonderful introduction to mathematics.

 

Bill

[Lovedtodeath]

I would do Miquon with a 5 year old. If you want to add to it, then that can wait until first or second grade. JMHO

[Aurelia]

I have used both for my 5 year old, and I prefer Miquon. It's more experiential, and unless your child really loves worksheets, it's more fun.

[FO4UR]

It does help for the child to have familiarity with the rods before beginning the lab sheets, however----I think simply playing with them is the best way to gain that familiarity. In fact, I would avoid letting the rods "feel like math" before beginning the Orange book. jm.02

 

My advice would be to buy the Lab Sheet Annotations, First Grade Diary, Teacher's Notes and the Orange book. Let your dc play with the rods at the table while you are fixing lunch or folding laundry...it's perfectly fine if there is no "math" going on for a while. Meanwhile, read the teacher's materials and then try an activity or two. I did a lot in terms of whatever he wanted to play...if he was building a house I would ask how to make this wall the same size as that wall if we have no more orange rods, and he would see that 2 yellows=1 orange. From there, it was merely taking what he knew into the world of numbers.

 

Miquon is great for introducing topics in our home!

[Ellie]

It's simply not correct that a child has to use another program before using Miquon. The introductory C Rod suggestions are in the "Notes To Teachers" book, and children pick up rods super quickly just using the regular Miquon materials.

 

To my mind the best thing about Miquon is starting with it. It is a wonderful introduction to mathematics.

 

Bill

I didn't say that it was "necessary" to use "another program" before using Miquon. I said that Miquon assumes that the dc are already familiar with the rods, i.e., that Miquon is not their first introduction to them. If I still had my Lab Notations I'd find the exact quote for you. :-)

 

And I recommended Mathematics Made Meaningful because it's very good, and the OP's dc is just 5 (Miquon technically starts at the first grade), not because it is necessary.

[Spy Car]

I didn't say that it was "necessary" to use "another program" before using Miquon. I said that Miquon assumes that the dc are already familiar with the rods, i.e., that Miquon is not their first introduction to them. If I still had my Lab Notations I'd find the exact quote for you. :-)

 

And I recommended Mathematics Made Meaningful because it's very good, and the OP's dc is just 5 (Miquon technically starts at the first grade), not because it is necessary.

 

Being "familiar" with the rods means spending a little time "playing" with the rods as outlined in the Miquon materials (as Paula has described).

 

I'm sorry but the Lab Annotations book doesn't say anything about children needing to be "familiar" with Cuisenaire Rods. The First Grade Diary mentions that children in the Miquon school are familiar with C rods because they have played with them in kindergarten at the Miquon school.

 

All the introductory ideas a parent needs are in the teachers materials. It is advised to let them play with the rods while the parent/teacher familiarizes themselves with the program. But it is no big deal. It's just play and discovery, and not something a parent (or a child) should feel anxiety about.

 

On the issue of what "grade" to use these, it's true that in 1964 Miquon was designed as a "first grade" program. In those days children didn't begin to read until first grade either. Some people may wish to stick with that time frame.

 

That said, many of us (myself included) have found Miquon especially valuable at the pre-k and kindergarten levels because there is very little writing involved (and it can be done with no writing) and the child has the "concrete" tools to learn and have fun at the same time. I'm certainly glad we didn't miss the "window" where C rods allowed my son to compare values, make combinations of rods of equal value with assorted sizes, and all the other activities the rods and Miquon provided.

 

I can't imagine having had a better start with math than using Miquon as an introductory math experience for a pre-k of kindergartner. I feel like it's a truly amazing way to build a mathematically inclined mind in a happy and joyous way. And with materials that boost both the child's and the parent's confidence.

 

Bill

[jonnia]

I used Miquon with my DS when he was 5, and he absolutely begged to do math! All through the year, he never tired of what he called "the fun math."

I feel that the Miquon approach really gave him a foundation in understanding concepts and confidence in problem-solving. The rods were quite easy for him to understand pretty quickly. Definitely use the Lab Annotations book.

[Ellie]

Being "familiar" with the rods means spending a little time "playing" with the rods as outlined in the Miquon materials (as Paula has described).

 

I'm sorry but the Lab Annotations book doesn't say anything about children needing to be "familiar" with Cuisenaire Rods. The First Grade Diary mentions that children in the Miquon school are familiar with C rods because they have played with them in kindergarten at the Miquon school.

 

All the introductory ideas a parent needs are in the teachers materials. It is advised to let them play with the rods while the parent/teacher familiarizes themselves with the program. But it is no big deal. It's just play and discovery, and not something a parent (or a child) should feel anxiety about.

 

On the issue of what "grade" to use these, it's true that in 1964 Miquon was designed as a "first grade" program. In those days children didn't begin to read until first grade either. Some people may wish to stick with that time frame.

 

That said, many of us (myself included) have found Miquon especially valuable at the pre-k and kindergarten levels because there is very little writing involved (and it can be done with no writing) and the child has the "concrete" tools to learn and have fun at the same time. I'm certainly glad we didn't miss the "window" where C rods allowed my son to compare values, make combinations of rods of equal value with assorted sizes, and all the other activities the rods and Miquon provided.

 

I can't imagine having had a better start with math than using Miquon as an introductory math experience for a pre-k of kindergartner. I feel like it's a truly amazing way to build a mathematically inclined mind in a happy and joyous way. And with materials that boost both the child's and the parent's confidence.

 

Bill

Huh.:001_huh:

 

Well, 'scuse me fer livin'.:tongue_smilie:

[...................]

You are going to hate my idea but I'm going to say it anyway, Miquon was written for 6 and 7 year olds. And it's SUCH an awesome program I don't want you to ruin it.

 

It's best to cover all basic counting, skip counting, money, and adding before using Miquon in first grade. So what I'm doing is using Abeka math K (colorful, cheap, easy) and we use the rods.

 

When my dd is DONE that we will move to miquon full time. Then she will know the rods, and already know how to write numbers and count so nothing will get in the way of discovering math.

 

Instead of Abeka you could also use Kumon books but that will cost you 5x as much.

 

Buy the rods. My dd used them for 2 weeks and knew their values. Use them with something else for K and then your son will soar with Miquon.

[Lovedtodeath]

You should know that Miquon assumes that the student is already familiar with the rods before beginning Orange. My recommendation would be to do something else first, then start Miquon. I like Mathematics Made Meaningful.

 

You are going to hate my idea but I'm going to say it anyway, Miquon was written for 6 and 7 year olds. And it's SUCH an awesome program I don't want you to ruin it.

 

It's best to cover all basic counting, skip counting, money, and adding before using Miquon in first grade. So what I'm doing is using Abeka math K (colorful, cheap, easy) and we use the rods.

 

When my dd is DONE that we will move to miquon full time. Then she will know the rods, and already know how to write numbers and count so nothing will get in the way of discovering math.

 

Instead of Abeka you could also use Kumon books but that will cost you 5x as much.

 

Buy the rods. My dd used them for 2 weeks and knew their values. Use them with something else for K and then your son will soar with Miquon.

 

http://www.timberdoodle.com/Cuisenaire_Alphabet_Book_p/170-030.htm

 

There you are. A Kindergarten introduction to cuisenaire rods. We used it and loved it. It does precisely what was described in a previous post. Build this picture with all blue rods, now build it with white. Use black and brown, how many white did you use? How many green rods did you use? yada yada...

[Momling]

I like both Miquon and Math Mammoth.

 

I used Miquon with my older daughter in Kindergarten and I thought it was very good. At the end of the red book, she told me she didn't like it, though I'm not sure why. She now uses Math Mammoth and I think it's the right choice for her as she doesn't really need the constant manipulatives.

 

My younger daughter, however, is a quirky kind of kindergartner. I tried Miquon with her earlier this fall and it failed. She wanted to do one and only one kind of problem at a time and wanted to move on only when *she* was ready. For instance, there was a page with addition and subtraction on the same page, so she changed all the subtraction to addition. Anyway, I changed to Math Mammoth blue and she's as happy as a clam doing only one topic for an extended period of time.