Math for K - I'm overwhelmed.

[vester]

Ok - so we homeschooled her last year, and she can probably do some K math already (she just turned 4) so....here we go.

 

Im overwhelmed. Saxon, Singapore, MUS, Miquon, R&S, Making Math Meaningful, Horizons.....deep breath.

 

I have no idea. I can't really *see* any of these except the cover of the books, so I have no idea which one to get, and/or why. I've read the reviews, but just like anything what will work for one person wont for another. So, I just cant afford to "try" everything to "see" if it will work.

 

Any advice??!?! (please please. I need opinions/advice/anything!) :confused1:

 

Thanks in advance! :)

 

Vester

[IdahoHomeschooler]

Ok - so we homeschooled her last year, and she can probably do some K math already (she just turned 4) so....here we go.

 

Im overwhelmed. Saxon, Singapore, MUS, Miquon, R&S, Making Math Meaningful, Horizons.....deep breath.

 

I have no idea. I can't really *see* any of these except the cover of the books, so I have no idea which one to get, and/or why. I've read the reviews, but just like anything what will work for one person wont for another. So, I just cant afford to "try" everything to "see" if it will work.

 

Any advice??!?! (please please. I need opinions/advice/anything!) :confused1:

 

Thanks in advance! :)

 

Vester

 

 

Have you looked at MEP math? It's free, except to print. You could certainly try it out. Math Mammoth also has free lessons that you can try out. Singapore Essential Math is for K-ers, and pretty inexpensive. It will also re-sell pretty easily if you don't like it. These are all great programs, and inexpensive.

[vester]

Sorry but what is MEP? :)

 

Vester

[Mommee & Baba]

I'm gonna second MEP.

 

When we first started out homeschooling we simply had a VERY skinny budget and it only was large enough to cover simple school supplies. I had to get creative and search the internet high and low and found MEP. That was nearly 3 years ago. We STILL use it with are fairly large homeschool budget now. We used it before because it was FREE. Now we continue to use it because it WORKS and our children LOVE it and we enjoy teaching it. I'd pay for MEP if they started charging.

 

Here is the link.

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm

 

My middler was 4.5yrs old last year and FLEW through MEP YR. She'll continue to be a K'er this year but up a level from what she was doing last year...she did alot of preschool things...now as a K5er and just turning 5 this past April she'll begin on MEP Y1. However my DD7 will only begin doing MEP Y2 this year as she's not as hungry for math as my middler is :p

[Crimson Wife]

Most of the programs have samples available:

 

Right Start Level A

Singapore Earlybird

Math Mammoth 1 (they don't offer K)

Saxon 1 (be aware that Saxon's levels are typically a grade below other programs in the primary grades)

Horizons K

Rod & Staff 1 (they don't offer K)

MUS Primer

McRuffy K

MCP K

CLE 1 (they don't offer K)

Abeka K4

 

Am I missing any of the popular programs? :confused:

[Crimson Wife]

Must've been a Freudian slip (since the program scares the heck out of my non-mathy self ;))

 

Miquon

Edited June 30, 2010 by Crimson Wife
fixed link

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Must've been a Freudian slip (since the program scares the heck out of my non-mathy self ;))

 

Miquon

 

 

I was wondering where it was .. although you linked it to a MM sample page .. another slip :lol:

 

 

We're liking MEP Reception year. We're just experimenting with Miquon so I don't have any input on it yet and DS has done some of Horizons K before .. I'm not sure on it. I'm reserving judgment until we've done more. I will say though that although DS could do the first quarter of it before he was 4 I do find that it progresses just too fast for him to really be getting the most of it at 4. It is considered a relatively advanced K program. My experiences is limited though, obviously, so take it for the little it's worth. :tongue_smilie:

[Crimson Wife]

I was wondering where it was .. although you linked it to a MM sample page .. another slip :lol:

 

No, that was my oh-so-amazing technical skills ;) It's fixed now.

 

Somebody needs to write "Miquon for Dummies" because the lab annotations just ain't cuttin' it for this math dummy :tongue_smilie:

[Homeschooling6]

Most of the programs have samples available:

 

Right Start Level A

Singapore Earlybird

Math Mammoth 1 (they don't offer K)

Saxon 1 (be aware that Saxon's levels are typically a grade below other programs in the primary grades)

Horizons K

Rod & Staff 1 (they don't offer K)

MUS Primer

McRuffy K

MCP K

CLE 1 (they don't offer K)

Abeka K4

 

Am I missing any of the popular programs? :confused:

I'm not in need of a math curriculum :hurray:but wanted to say it was really nice of you to take the time to post all those links:)

[southwind]

At four, we did no workbooks, just fun math. Whatever I could dream up, we did. Used plastic silverware to make addition problems on the floor -- always fun to make those big giant "equal" signs with the knives. Cooked and discussed fractions as we measured. Added and subtracted with toys. Counted. Played with numbers. We had a "shapes" party and learned all about different shapes. Kept my eyes open for anything that looked fun that would help us do math together. Making collages of shapes cut from magazines. Finding shapes in the house or outside. Counting how many pieces of mail are in the mailbox. Anything is fair game.

 

Is it possible that it's too early to be overwhelmed about math? She's only four. At that age, learning opportunities are absolutely everywhere. Taking walks, going to the library, drawing what you see. No formal curriculum is needed for that age. Just read a million books and have fun.

[JudoMom]

Ok - so we homeschooled her last year, and she can probably do some K math already (she just turned 4) so....here we go.

 

Im overwhelmed. Saxon, Singapore, MUS, Miquon, R&S, Making Math Meaningful, Horizons.....deep breath.

 

I have no idea. I can't really *see* any of these except the cover of the books, so I have no idea which one to get, and/or why. I've read the reviews, but just like anything what will work for one person wont for another. So, I just cant afford to "try" everything to "see" if it will work.

 

Any advice??!?! (please please. I need opinions/advice/anything!) :confused1:

 

Thanks in advance! :)

 

Vester

 

At that age, I just bought an abacus and workbooks from the school store. We start with Saxon 1 about the time they turn 5.

[MissKNG]

Another way to 'see' math programs in action is to check out people's blogs with kiddos near K age. Often pictures are posted of the material.

[twoxcell]

For my ds when he was 5 we did Horizons K. It worked fine for him. He is fairly mathy and it was challenging enough for him. It does move pretty fast and is not very hands on unless you work to make it so. Horizons can be verry overwhelming for some kids, because it moves quickly, and covers many topics. My sister tried to use Horizons withher kids after removing them from PS, and the grade levels were too advanced from where they were at. She has just recently changed to MUS and they love it so far. Her kids especially her ds are not particularly mathy, and the MUS approach works for them. My ds completed Horizons 1 last year, but we are now switching to Singapore. My dd is 4.5 and will be doing MEP Y1(dd loves MEP), and Singapore earlybird 2b. I will transition her to Singapore 1a/1b possibly part way through the year or next year not sure. Dd is very bright and loves hands on stuff. I felt like Horizons didn't really fit her as well as ds. He will be doing SM 2a/2b and MEP Y2. We just discovered MEP like a month ago, and I love it.

[runmiarun]

I was in the same boat you are earlier this year. The math overwhelmed me. After talking to some of the ladies in my homeschool group, friends who homeschool, and even some public school K teachers, I realized I can hold off on a formal math curriculum until ds is closer to 6. He loves math so I take advantage of the household items and daily life goings-on to teach it, as suggested by southwind. I also bought a bunch of the math workbooks from the dollar zone at Target for those days when my brain and body are exhausted but he is not. We can work on them while resting on the bed. They have stickers in the back so ds gets very excited when he gets a page finished and can put a sticker on it.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Somebody needs to write "Miquon for Dummies" because the lab annotations just ain't cuttin' it for this math dummy :tongue_smilie:

 

I've been spending time this evening trying to figure out a plan for using the Orange book this year. It didn't help that they give 8 suggestions for using the first few sheets ... the choice seemed a little overwhelming. lol The next pages appear more straight forward so I'm feeling a little better ... for now. :tongue_smilie:

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

For my ds when he was 5 we did Horizons K. It worked fine for him.

 

Yeah .. I'm thinking 5 is a better age for Horizons K. My DS enjoys the worksheets but he was just not keeping up with the pace of the number recognition (you know, where it instructs you in the TM to review recognition of numbers up to *suchandsuch* and counting up to *somethingorother*). He just kept getting confused switching between teens and twenties ... really it's the teens that kept throwing him off. So, really, that might have been just my lack of teaching know how. :tongue_smilie:

[MelanieM]

At four, we did no workbooks, just fun math. Whatever I could dream up, we did. Used plastic silverware to make addition problems on the floor -- always fun to make those big giant "equal" signs with the knives. Cooked and discussed fractions as we measured. Added and subtracted with toys. Counted. Played with numbers. We had a "shapes" party and learned all about different shapes. Kept my eyes open for anything that looked fun that would help us do math together. Making collages of shapes cut from magazines. Finding shapes in the house or outside. Counting how many pieces of mail are in the mailbox. Anything is fair game.

 

Is it possible that it's too early to be overwhelmed about math? She's only four. At that age, learning opportunities are absolutely everywhere. Taking walks, going to the library, drawing what you see. No formal curriculum is needed for that age. Just read a million books and have fun.

 

This. Unless you have a child that is begging for math workbooks (I had one of those) I think preschool/K math can be accomplished entirely through living life. (Well, I think all of elementary math can be accomplished that way actually, but that's another story...)

 

Don't stress yourself out. Math is a part of life! It's fun and magical and beautiful! Explore, have fun, enjoy! You truly won't miss out on a thing by not using a formal math curriculum with your four year old.

 

ETA: Living Math is a great site to check out for lots of wonderful math resources.

[Aoife]

My DS is one of those begging for math kind of kids. :D We use MUS and SM together and he LOVES them. We are just working our way through primer and EM K A at his pace. We sometimes still pull out the EB but the pages are a little too busy and distracting for my DS right now and it makes it hard for him to focus.

[mom24boys]

I loaned out my Cathy Duffy book (100 Top Picks), but I'm pretty sure she agrees with previous posters in saying that a formal math curriculum is not really necessary for Kindergarten. She said, however, if you did want one, Math U See was the one to go with.

 

What type of learner is your child, maybe that could help you make the decision? We have started Math U See Primer with our soon to be Kindergartner (turning 5 in 2 weeks). He is a hands-on learner and it is going well, but he really needs the manipulatives to understand.

 

HTH :001_smile:

[Sunshine State Sue]

I loaned out my Cathy Duffy book (100 Top Picks), but I'm pretty sure she agrees with previous posters in saying that a formal math curriculum is not really necessary for Kindergarten. She said, however, if you did want one, Math U See was the one to go with.

 

What type of learner is your child, maybe that could help you make the decision? We have started Math U See Primer with our soon to be Kindergartner (turning 5 in 2 weeks). He is a hands-on learner and it is going well, but he really needs the manipulatives to understand.

 

HTH :001_smile:

 

Have you ever taken a look at Cathy Duffy's books? She helps you determine your child's learning style, then tells which programs are better/worse for the different learning styles. I found it very helpful, and it helped me to narrow down what might work for my student.

[Alicia64]

Math U See. LOVE it and have never loved math. My experience w/ math as a child was not good.

 

A teacher friend recommended Math U See and bless her!!!!

 

One key: do math every day. It's not something to pick up 2 or 3 times a week. The kids "get it" when they do it every day. Even for 10 min. That was the other advice she gave me.

 

Bless her again!!!

 

Alley

[Homeschooling6]

We are using McRuffy Math. You can read about it on my blog [link is in my siggy line]. In the search area type in "McRuffy" and all my post about McRuffy will show up. I posted many pages.

[ALB]

My dd is also 4 and we're enjoying MEP Reception year. We started Saxon K, and while I did find lots of helpful suggestions for using our manipulatives, it just wasn't the greatest fit for us. My dd tired quickly of the Meeting part of the lesson, and I just don't prefer how scripted it is. We're having fun with MEP. I also like to just be creative and think of fun ways to use toys and manips we already have to practice counting and basic addition, etc. We do math for about 10-15 a day.

[Devotional Soul]

Some questions to ask that will help decide:

 

Spiral or mastery? Does she like to stay on one subject for a while or needs to change it up a lot to stay interested?

 

Workbook based or manipulative based? I think 4 year old math should use manipulatives/toys. Which ones do you think she'll like best? Abacus, c-rods, counter bears, legos?

 

Scripted or not scripted? Do you want to be able to read what to say or would you rather read the concept and then come up with your own words?

 

Color or black and white? Does she like lots of color, or is that distracting?

 

 

When my ds was 4, we did MFW K. The math aspect was as simple as adding a straw to a cup everyday and bundling them with a rubber band every ten days and putting it it the tens cup until we celebrated 100. Everyday we drew a shape on the day on the calendar and made patterns. We made numbers with play-doh and practiced writing them and matching them with the quantity they symbolize.

 

When he was 5, he liked McRuffy K, it was pretty gentile and hands on. I think a 4 year old could do it, maybe splitting up lessons if needed. McRuffy is very spiral, uses manipulatives with every lesson, has 1 workbook page per lesson, the tm is scripted, and the workbook is color but not busy. HTH!

Edited July 1, 2010 by Devotional Soul

[vester]

First off, I want to specifically thank Crimson wife for taking time out to link all of these - how cool is she??

 

Thank you for that.

 

 

Most of the programs have samples available:

 

Right Start Level A

Singapore Earlybird

Math Mammoth 1 (they don't offer K)

Saxon 1 (be aware that Saxon's levels are typically a grade below other programs in the primary grades)

Horizons K

Rod & Staff 1 (they don't offer K)

MUS Primer

McRuffy K

MCP K

CLE 1 (they don't offer K)

Abeka K4

 

Am I missing any of the popular programs? :confused:

[vester]

Next, I want to thank everyone of you who took time out to write - this is really appreciated. I think I will check out that book about 100 best, etc. that will probably help...

 

But to answer Devotional Souls questions:

 

She is probably a change it up kindof girl :)

She loves workbooks, but would love manipulatives too!

Scripted might be better, and then have something to deviate from instead of coming up on it on my own.

She likes color if she had a preference, but I dont know that it matters to be honest... :)

 

We are seriously looking at Saxon K, but also Math U See, Singapre and Horizons or Mcruffy.....sigh.....any more advice?? :)

 

Oh, and what is MFW? :)

 

Oh - and finally, she basically is almost done with kindergarten from last year, she is quite advanced and can add and subtract simple math in her head already.

 

She is much better with English type stuff (she just learned about alliteration this week, yes, I know....but its true.) And she is reading, etc. So thats been pretty easy.

 

We are looking for a good phonics program so I guess if anyone has any suggestions about that we would take that too haha! :)

 

Vester

[Karen in CO]

I've been spending time this evening trying to figure out a plan for using the Orange book this year. It didn't help that they give 8 suggestions for using the first few sheets ... the choice seemed a little overwhelming. lol The next pages appear more straight forward so I'm feeling a little better ... for now. :tongue_smilie:

Do you have the first grade diary? It is terrific to help walk you through how to use the sheets and other things to do besides the book - like how to use a geoboard and play little math games.

[KrissiK]

I understand your problem. It can be very overwhelming because you want to do it right. Finally, I just looked at the recommendations of TWTM and picked one. We chose A Beka because I've had experience with A Beka curriculum having taught at a Christian school. They have a good K4 and K5 program. We just finished the first grade program with my oldest son and I've been happy with his progress. Now, all that to say we are going to supplement with Singapore next year, just because I feel like A Beka is a little lacking in the conceptual side of things, but it's still a good program. I"m supplementing because I can and because I want to give my boys a little "extra", but if I couldn't, if that's all they were learning in a Christian school that would be fine. It's very easy to be overwhelmed by all the choices. THat's why I prefer to eat at In 'n Out Burger. The only choice is, "Do you want cheese on that?" Looking at all the choices in homeschooling curriculum is like going to McDonald's - they all look good, how do I decide? (that's only if you like McDonald's, that is...;))

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Do you have the first grade diary? It is terrific to help walk you through how to use the sheets and other things to do besides the book - like how to use a geoboard and play little math games.

 

Yes, I have it. I have only read the very beginning of it. I'll pull it back out and keep it close by. I could use some ideas on how to use a geoboard .. those things have always baffled me. :D

[Crimson Wife]

We are seriously looking at Saxon K, but also Math U See, Singapore and Horizons or Mcruffy.....sigh.....any more advice?? :)

 

she basically is almost done with kindergarten from last year, she is quite advanced and can add and subtract simple math in her head already.

 

I would say you probably want to stay away from Saxon with an advanced/gifted student. All that repetition often drives them bonkers! I haven't seen the primary levels but I did preview a friend's copy of Saxon 5/4 and no way would it work for my DD (and she's not even intuitively "mathy", just quick to pick things up).

 

The programs that seem to work best for advanced students from what I have heard are Singapore, Math Mammoth, Horizons, and Miquon. If you're interested in an online program, Stanford's EPGY is available through open enrollment for I believe something like $140/year for both math & Language Arts.

 

But I do have to agree with Cadam about not starting a formal math program with a just-turned-4 y.o. I would strongly encourage you to wait until at least next spring if not next fall. There's a big difference in readiness between a 4 and a 5 y.o.

[mammaofbean]

depends on what you like and your child likes.

 

my dd LOVED saxon K. we did it when she was 3.5 and we whipped through it in 5 months. we then started saxon 1 and it was too much writing for her. she LOVES the meeting. she is just that kind of kid. we are doing miquon a little now at 5 and she enjoys it but not as much, and i have have a hard time staying on a schedule. we do best on days when i make up some math activities for her to do. i really think i am going to bring back the saxon meeting in january when my son is three, and they can do it together.

[3lilreds in NC]

This. Unless you have a child that is begging for math workbooks (I had one of those) I think preschool/K math can be accomplished entirely through living life. (Well, I think all of elementary math can be accomplished that way actually, but that's another story...)

 

Don't stress yourself out. Math is a part of life! It's fun and magical and beautiful! Explore, have fun, enjoy! You truly won't miss out on a thing by not using a formal math curriculum with your four year old.

 

ETA: Living Math is a great site to check out for lots of wonderful math resources.

 

I second the real life/living math plan for a child that young. No reason to get too excited with math programs yet. There is a really fun "Gnomes and Gnumbers" series of lessons here.

 

I will tell you that now that my girls are getting over, I wish I'd taken a more relaxed approach with math. Here is an article about teaching math without a curriculum, and the author's website with lots of info. A couple of book recommendations are Games for Math by Peggy Kaye, and Family Math by Jean Kerr Stenmark. There is also Family Math for Young Children, but I haven't seen that and don't know the differences between the two (they are by the same author).

 

There you have my soapbox! I'd forgo all the curriculum worries right now and play math. It's not as hard as it sounds (this is from a math-phobic mom).

 

MFW K really is a wonderful program if you need a full K program. It's easy enough for a 4 year old, but I will tell you that MFW 1st grade kicks it up MORE than a few notches.

[H_Household]

I throw in what we do. We LOVE Bob Jones Math. It's mastery with lots of review. You might take a look at it.

http://www.bjupress.com/category/Math+for+Homeschool+HS?path=1060

[Chris in VA]

We used Saxon K when dd was a preschooler (4 turning 5 in the spring). She was already reading, but at a low level. You could say we did K--but we really just did preschool at her level. The difference is in the intensity and intentionality.

 

Even if your child is advanced, don't miss the opportunity for natural learning. Keeping the base of their learning nice and broad, not limiting it to books and workbooks--I believe this is a key to avoiding burnout. There will come a time when learning is primarily thru books. I want dd to arrive at that time NOT burned out from doing too much book work.

 

And Saxon is one of those programs that causes a lot of split opinions. I believe dd does so well in math BECAUSE of Saxon, so I can't say gifted kids shouldn't use it.

 

Anyway, try hard not to rush.:001_smile:

[nukeswife]

I have to throw out another vote for McRuffy math. I've used it, horizons and Saxon over the years with a few side steps into MUS.

MUS has cool blocks, but the worksheets are very boring.

Saxon K is ok, but if you have an advanced student I wouldn't bother a lot of days are "Take out bear manipulatives, play with them, after x minutes tell students it's time to put them away" We used to do 3 lessons in a day easily with that when my dd was 4.

Horizons is colorful but can move a bit fast even for an advanced Ker and the TM can be frustrating to one who's not quite sure how to teach something.

 

I call McRuffy our "goldilocks" curriculum. It's not to hard, not to easy, it's JUST RIGHT. The workbook pages are colorful, but don't have an overwhelming number of problems. They use many different types of manipulatives to keep it fun and exciting. The TM is scripted but not overly scripted (like I think Saxon's is) so I don't have trouble getting the point across to my kids. There are games to help reinforce things which are fun and a nice break from always having to do a workpage. Their customer service is above all. Brian, the author, is amazing at answering questions. If I email him I usually have an answer within 20 minutes. I have an example of when I was teaching Science K from McRuffy to my dd. We were all set to do a lesson when I realized that I was missing a page of certain pictures from the resource packet. It was almost the end of the day so I emailed Brian and told her we'd just do the lesson the in a few days instead and went off to make lunch. By the time I was done making lunch (about 5 minutes later) I had an email from Brian with the missing page as a PDF I could print so that we could do the lesson after lunch instead of having to push it to another day. Like I said I can't say enough good things about him and his curriculum. My dd is set to use their 2nd grade things this year and is so excited, my son will be 5 in a few weeks and keeps asking when he gets to do the "Ruff dog" (this is a character in the books) books.

[Angie in VA]

We are 2 for 2 in delaying formal math, a la Bluedorn and a la Benezet. We learned skip counting songs, drilled math facts, played tons of math games up to 10 (and after), and once they discover money, you can't keep them from learning math if you wanted to. Pretty much the day (or the day after) mine turned 10, I handed them a math book.

 

DD, at 15, is ahead of most of her peers regarding math and ds, nearly 11, is doing fine too.

 

I realize the parents' educational goals are most important, and you may have state requirements and/or testing to consider, but I still wanted to share what we did.

[BatmansWife]

We have used/tried many math programs over the years (I think that count is at 10 right now, LOL!). By far, my most favorite is McRuffy. My second pick would be Moving with Math for K. But, the color, cuteness, and wonderful customer service of McRuffy can't be beat (doesn't hold a candle to Moving with Math which really is geared more for a classroom). I'm sure you have the link to McRuffy so check out their samples. Maybe even print the K pages and have your little one try them and see what she thinks. I know the decision isn't up to her.....but sometimes her imput on samples helps. When my dd was shown samples of MUS and McRuffy, she just begged and begged to stay with McRuffy (she loves it so much). We are using McRuffy for Phonics and Science too and we are thrilled to have found out about them. You can request a free catalog at their website.

 

Just and fyi: if you search for used McRuffy, remember that there is an older black and white version and the newer color version. I would definitely recommend the color. If they don't advertise it as color, then it probably isn't.

Edited July 8, 2010 by ~AprilMay~

[danmicfred]

Ok - so we homeschooled her last year, and she can probably do some K math already (she just turned 4) so....here we go.

 

Im overwhelmed. Saxon, Singapore, MUS, Miquon, R&S, Making Math Meaningful, Horizons.....deep breath.

 

I have no idea. I can't really *see* any of these except the cover of the books, so I have no idea which one to get, and/or why. I've read the reviews, but just like anything what will work for one person wont for another. So, I just cant afford to "try" everything to "see" if it will work.

 

Any advice??!?! (please please. I need opinions/advice/anything!) :confused1:

 

Thanks in advance! :)

 

Vester

 

Wow, sounds like you and I are in a similar boat here. Thank you all for offering so much advice! Even though this was not my post - it seemed like it could have come right from me judging from the situation I find myself in right now. :001_smile: I appreciate all the links and suggestions. For what it is worth - I am probably going to try Saxon K this year to see how my child likes it. My mom had used it when she taught K, and I believe she said it was very hands-on which I think my daughter will enjoy. Plus the K level can apparently be used a year earlier - which would be about where she is now. The nice thing is, if she doesn't enjoy it or does not want to keep up with it this year - I don't need to stress b/c she is still so young. I can try something different next year. Because Saxon also sounds very structured and scripted, it will also give me the opportunity to see how she handles that type of learning environment.

[jengjohnson]

At 4 we used MCP K, just as much as she felt like. Practiced counting throughout the day, learned to write numbers, etc. For K we'll use Saxon 1. I know Saxon drives some people nuts, but I love how they cover everything -- I can always skip something she knows, I'm more concerned about missing something I didn't think of. It takes a while, but with 2 older kids she often gets less of me than she should.

[Tracy]

Yeah .. I'm thinking 5 is a better age for Horizons K. My DS enjoys the worksheets but he was just not keeping up with the pace of the number recognition (you know, where it instructs you in the TM to review recognition of numbers up to *suchandsuch* and counting up to *somethingorother*). He just kept getting confused switching between teens and twenties ... really it's the teens that kept throwing him off. So, really, that might have been just my lack of teaching know how. :tongue_smilie:

:iagree: We used Horizons K this year, and it is a lot of writing and goes pretty quickly for a 4yo. I would look for something that has more hands-on activities and is not worksheet intensive. We are starting CSMP this year. It is free online. I don't see a lot of people using it. I decided on it because there are lots of games, activities and stories, which my dd really craves. Each lesson starts out with some sort of scenario or story, which really draws the child into the lesson. There are numerous books integrated into the curriculum that you can get from the library. It also teaches ways to do higher math at younger ages. I like how it teaches higher skills at the same time as the basics.

 

And the nice thing is that you can see the entire program before deciding to use it. But because it is so different from everything else, it takes a some time to wrap your brain around it.

[Aconnolley]

It sounds like you have gotten lots of good descriptions of the different math programs. Just keep in mind that K isn't a make or break year for math and you can always switch programs without too much trouble that first year. And with your daughter being only 4 you have even less pressure. So your choice isn't as earthshaking as it feels. :-)

 

I was in a similar situation with my daughter last year as far as trying to pick a math program. She was 4 and wanted to do school. Her two siblings are two and four years older. She was already reading really well. (she faithfully brought me the Abeka phonics stuff and begged me to teach her from the time she was two) She had learned all her numbers and shapes etc. I ended up buying an Abeka K5 book and also was able to get a MUS Primer book that was just partially used. She completed the Abeka book and is almost done with the Primer book. I did not require mastery of math facts (or anything really) to move on and didn't push anything. I did help her and she really learned a lot! I let her use the MUS blocks and she learned place value using them. That is one thing that I like better about MUS. It really gives a better conceptual understanding of place value than Abeka. (At least it did for my kids) This year she will be starting Math Mammoth along with her older sister. I bought the download up through 6th grade and have looked through it and I really like it. I think that it gives a much better conceptual understanding than some math programs. I love how it teaches mental math.

 

I am really glad that I didn't push her last year. She had a very nice overview of K math and will be prepared to take the next steps this year. If I had started MM 1st last year we would have had to have taken it really slow. And with my daughter it is all about doing LOTS of worksheets. Slow would not have been her preferred pace. :-) I think that she is ready for it this year.

 

Whatever you choose just take it easy and let her choose the pace. She will be fine and by the end of the year you will have a much better idea of what kind of math program you are looking for, for the long haul.

 

Angela

[Guest by His strength]

New to this forum, but thot I would add my HO. I would agree to keep it simple and cheap. We used MUS for K-1 (primer and Alpha) then switched to CLE for 2nd because my boys didn't care about the manipulatives and needed more repetition. At age 4 I would make it practical (counting bears,clock, cooking) unless she is asking for worksheets.

 

Good luck!

[Ellie]

With a 4yo, IMHO you don't need to buy anything. A 4yo just needs to learn to count and group things and like that.

 

Here: Read my favorite article on math. :)

[Angie in VA]

With a 4yo, IMHO you don't need to buy anything. A 4yo just needs to learn to count and group things and like that.

 

Here: Read my favorite article on math. :)

 

I linked that article in my post on this thread too. The Bluedorns were my first encounter w/ this idea and w/ that article by Benezet, but you get it. You get *me.* And for that, I thank you!

 

(((Ellie)))

[jewel7123]

This looks interesting....thanks for posting!

 

 

:iagree: We used Horizons K this year, and it is a lot of writing and goes pretty quickly for a 4yo. I would look for something that has more hands-on activities and is not worksheet intensive. We are starting CSMP this year. It is free online. I don't see a lot of people using it. I decided on it because there are lots of games, activities and stories, which my dd really craves. Each lesson starts out with some sort of scenario or story, which really draws the child into the lesson. There are numerous books integrated into the curriculum that you can get from the library. It also teaches ways to do higher math at younger ages. I like how it teaches higher skills at the same time as the basics.

 

And the nice thing is that you can see the entire program before deciding to use it. But because it is so different from everything else, it takes a some time to wrap your brain around it.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

:iagree: We used Horizons K this year, and it is a lot of writing and goes pretty quickly for a 4yo. I would look for something that has more hands-on activities and is not worksheet intensive. We are starting CSMP this year. It is free online. I don't see a lot of people using it. I decided on it because there are lots of games, activities and stories, which my dd really craves. Each lesson starts out with some sort of scenario or story, which really draws the child into the lesson. There are numerous books integrated into the curriculum that you can get from the library. It also teaches ways to do higher math at younger ages. I like how it teaches higher skills at the same time as the basics.

 

And the nice thing is that you can see the entire program before deciding to use it. But because it is so different from everything else, it takes a some time to wrap your brain around it.

 

I'm intending to check out CSMP. Thanks for the link. DS and I both are rather enjoying MEP Reception but you know how it is ... I have to look. :D