Choosing a Math Program

[Guest Janipearson]

I'm wondering your opinion about the math program you're using and why you chose it. The programs that seem to be popular are Math-u-see, Singapore, and Rightstart, but without access to the actual curriculum, it's difficult to choose.

 

My daughter is six in August and we will be beginning first grade this year. Last year we used Saxon K.

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Jani

[Karen in VA]

:bigear:

 

While my kids are slightly older (7 and 9) I'm a new homeschooler, so I'm also eager to hear replies!

[Susan in KY]

Hi, Jani,

 

I chose Singapore because it has produced the top students in the world year after year. I stuck with it because it is very similar to the way my husband was taught mathematics growing up in India, and he has a very strong math background.

 

That being said, if I had it to do over again, I would start with RightStart and switch over to Singapore in 2nd or 3rd grade. RightStart is more hands-on and more appropriate for the under-7 crowd since in Singapore they start first grade at age 7. In 2nd, I would switch to Singapore 1A and continue from there, as if I were teaching it in that country to a 7 year-old—OR, I may stick with RightStart a while longer and add in Challenging Word Problems from Singapore, and then transition over to 3A when appropriate.

 

FWIW, I don't think it's appropriate to transition later than 3A, because there is a LOT of foundational work they do in 3A/3B. Students need that year to really cement the Singapore methods.

 

Hope that helps you!

Susan

[TracyP]

I chose Math Mammoth after trying Singapore, MUS and CLE. None of the others were a good fit. I'm too tired to write all the reasons I love it but check out this thread. What I want to do but can't afford is Rightstart. It seems ideal for K and 1st. After RS B I would switch to MM 2. I would like to do that sequence next time through.

[H_Household]

We love Bob Jones.....colorful, hands on, chapter focus on one topic and with review throughout. This is our 3rd year using it and we love it.

[Corraleno]

I chose Math Mammoth after trying Singapore, MUS and CLE. None of the others were a good fit. I'm too tired to write all the reasons I love it but check out this thread. What I want to do but can't afford is Rightstart. It seems ideal for K and 1st. After RS B I would switch to MM 2. I would like to do that sequence next time through.

:iagree:

Math Mammoth is "Asian style" math like Singapore, but designed specifically for homeschoolers, so it's super easy to use. It's all-in-one, with the "teaching" part and the practice problems on the same page — no separate textbook, workbook, teacher's guide, supplements, etc. The emphasis is on conceptual understanding and mental math, but it breaks down the concepts into small steps and teaches them incrementally, with very clear explanations and illustrations. It has lots of really good, varied practice problems, including challenging word problems. And it's cheap! Currently on sale through the Homeschool Buyer's Coop. I tried a lot of different math programs (including Singapore) before I found MM, and MM is truly my "dream curriculum." It works just as well for my non-mathy, remedial-math-in-PS kid as it does for my loves-math-&-gets-it-easily kid.

 

Jackie

[Sunshine State Sue]

I'm wondering your opinion about the math program you're using and why you chose it. The programs that seem to be popular are Math-u-see, Singapore, and Rightstart, but without access to the actual curriculum, it's difficult to choose.

I used Cathy Duffy's books to help me choose curriculum in the beginning. She helps you to determine your child's learning style and then tells which curriculums are better/worse for each learning style. Using her book, I was able to narrow it down to 3 programs. Then, I went to a hs fair and was able to see them in person.

 

Years later, I realized that if I had chosen one of the other programs I was considering, it would have worked out just fine. The 3 you have listed are all great programs. We used MUS. You may read my review here.

[Satori]

Yes, I highly suggest taking into consideration your child's learning style. I have a "Wiggly Willy" and "Sociable Sue" (I think that's the names of them, it's been over a year since I read Cathy Duffy's book.) I tried a workbooky style like MUS, but failed. I didn't really get Singapore. Miquon was too abstract for us. After a few other tries, I found RightStart and just fell in love. Love the way it teaches math (I learned a lot too), and the interaction is great for a mom-daughter pair like us. MEP is pretty fun too when we do it.

 

I still would love to have a daughter that enjoys independent math workbook work, so we're going to try to supplement with Math Mammoth just once a week. Right now I'm not too optimistic, but it would be awesome if we could take advantage of the worksheets now and then.

 

Both DH and I were very good in math, so we hope our dd grows up to be good in math. I am really looking forward to teaching math at home now and in the future, so far it's actually been quite fun!

 

EDIT: I really hope to use Singapore after we're done with RightStart.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Satori

[BatmansWife]

My dd is also 6 and will be starting first grade in a few months. We are using McRuffy Color Math. She loves it. I'm intrigued....a little....with Math Mammoth. Mostly because people seem to rave about it....but, I'm not quite sold on it by looking at the samples. I might buy a little of it just to try along with McRuffy. If you haven't already looked at it, I'd suggest at least looking at the McRuffy samples and requesting a free catalog.

 

http://mcruffy.com/1st-grade-math-lessons.htm

[mrs.m]

I'm wondering your opinion about the math program you're using and why you chose it. The programs that seem to be popular are Math-u-see, Singapore, and Rightstart, but without access to the actual curriculum, it's difficult to choose.

 

My daughter is six in August and we will be beginning first grade this year. Last year we used Saxon K.

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Jani

 

But there's so many more that are popular. It depends on which threads you read!

 

BJU Math

Christian Light Education

Math Mammoth

Abeka

 

I'm certain I'm leaving some out! I've come to the conclusion that they are all good programs. The approach is different and will depend on what you like as a teacher AND your child's learning style.

 

I equally like BJU and CLE. BJU is a great fit for my youngest (and CLE doesn't offer Kindergarten math). But BJU was too easy for my middle child. He flew through the 1st grade book. We have found a great pace with CLE.

[KrissiK]

I started both boys with A Beka. DS1 completed A Beka's 1st grade math program last year and I felt he had a good foundation in math, but he just didn't really like it. After a lengthy thread re: Singapore, I bought the 1B book for him and at the end of last year, after he'd finished A Beka I started Singapore with him and he loved it. So, we're doing Singapore with him this year and I'm supplementing with A Beka. I am not a mathy person at all, so Singapore has been a real challenge to me, but this is what I see:

1) A Beka's lessons cover probably 2-3 different topics a day and keep covering them daily.

2) A Beka is really big on memorization, which my son hated!

3) A Beka is big on algorhythms and my son was bored.

4) Since we started Singapore, I've really seen his mind engage. He actually has to think. Today, instead of covering 2-3 different things, we spent the whole time "making tens and ones" with Unifix cubes. It's an absolutely fascinating way of adding. Of course, my engineer husband says, "Oh, that's the way I do it all the time". Not me. But, I do now.

 

In some ways I look at it and it doesn't seem nearly as comprehensive as A Beka. But, it's really rich conceptually.

DS2 is doing A Beka 1st grade math. I may switch him over to Singapore next year, I may not. He does not think at all like DS1 and may not "get" Singapore.

[mystika1]

Hi,

I have used tried a ton of math curricula over the past several years.(RS, MM, MUS,Ray's, Cheap Workbooks, CLE, SM) It was very hard to find the right fit for my daughter.(7) It was very strange but the curricula recommended for her learning style didn't fit! She is a tactile learner and (I also suspect a mild dyslexia) but RS bombed badly. She won't touch the MUS blocks unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary. She would cry every time I pulled out the MM books and yell out how she hates math. CLE was tolerated better but although she got mostly 100's on her tests and LU's she didn't have conceptual understanding of the material.(When faced with the same material outside of the workbooks she would draw a blank.) I was so releaved when she really took to Singapore Math. Everyone says how SM is Advanced and kinda professed as the math for gifted children. All that time I stayed away thinking my daughter would hate it. I think the cute pictures keep her interested. I am using the Word Problems along with it and MUS worksheets for extra practice.

 

All of the above choices are excellent but the best choice is the one that causes no tears and frustration. It really doesn't matter how award winning the material is. :001_smile:

 

When it comes to math I think your going to have to try a few curricula out and see what works. Yes, I tried a ton of curricula in a short amount of time but I did what I had to do to get the right fit. I would print out samples and put them in front of the child. Observe what draws their attention. If one sample causes excitement then you know you have something that the child will look forward to.

 

 

 

HTH,

 

Penny

[mymonkeybug]

I have a crier with Math. My children were pulled from public school and this is our second year hs'ing. My son, grade 6 and soon to be 11, is very behind in math. Or should I say very behind if you talk to the public school system. DD however is advanced in mostly everything.

 

For math, I have decided to go with Math On The Level. It is a series of books that takes you from pre-k through highschool. You can purchase the books as a set or individually base don your budget. There are no work books or manipuatives however you can add what you like and use those things however they suit your situation. The MOTL books are great guide books for the parent that truly do explain the concept and method to every math application. It is full of answers to the why's, how's and when's.

 

It may not be for everyone, but I have found with a struggler, it has taken away ALL the drama and trauma associated with math. They do have a 5 a day problem series which is nice too because it doesn't stress the child with 20 or 30 repetitious(sp?)problems; if they are mastering a concept then why over burden them with so many written problems?

 

Hope this helps in some way. www.mathonthelevel.com and they also have a very good supportive yahoo group.

 

Also, books by Keith Kressin and Mark Wahl are fabulous for math. You can make a curriculum yourself just by using their books.

www.markwahl.com

www.understandingmath.info

[waa510]

I'll agree with the pps who noted that you need to consider your teaching style as well as the child's learning style before moving forward. Another good point is whether or not you consider yourself to be strong in math, which I, for one, am not! So I knew when choosing, I'd need something mostly scripted, non-colorful text as that tends to distract dd, very non-mathy-mom proof and strong in teaching a conceptual understanding of math. I chose MUS at first, as I thought the blocks would work perfectly for dd. It bombed. I struggled to teach it as I didn't always understand where Mr. Demme was going with his concepts and dd wasn't into the blocks at all..she kept trying to build with the blocks like legos! We used MEP which went OK, until our local hs conference a week later. I saw a few different math booths, and ultimately went with Rightstart as it just made sense to me. I love the order in which concepts are taught and I don't need to put blocks on decimal street while DD looks at me like I'm crazy :lol:. My dd is a strong auditory learner, if that helps, and RS seems like a great fit for her.

[truebluexf]

I chose Math Mammoth after trying Singapore, MUS and CLE. None of the others were a good fit. I'm too tired to write all the reasons I love it but check out this thread. What I want to do but can't afford is Rightstart. It seems ideal for K and 1st. After RS B I would switch to MM 2. I would like to do that sequence next time through.

 

Yes, this is my plan now too. I LOVE love love RS B, but not C as much. I'm switching DS to MM3 for this year, but still doing RS B with DD1. I don't think any program can beat the foundation and teaching style. It's the perfect fit for the age, IMO!

[Karen in CO]

I chose Miquon because I thought a relaxed, open way of doing math would be fun and she would get it because she seemed intuitive about it. I didn't get the teacher supports so when it came to sheets that weren't obvious, I didn't know what to do.

 

I chose Singapore because I thought it was the best way to teach math by helping my ds understand how it worked. She HATED it because it told her how to do the problems.

 

I chose PightStart becaues I thought the games would be a great fit and het her over her hatred of math that Singapore left. It took her a couple of weeks to catch on that the games were disguising telling her how to solve problems. She Hated it.

 

I chose Math-U-See because I was fed up and decided I needed to learn from the video guy how to teach math. She cried everytime she saw it.

 

I chose R&S because I thought she needed more review of her facts. It was pretty close to the worst punishment I could inflict on her.

 

I chose Rays because we had to do something. She actually liked this but I there are no teacher notes and by this time I was freaked out.

 

I chose Miquon because I thought a different approach would help and I bought the teacher supports.

 

I chose BJU because I hadn't tried it yet and had heard that it was similar to RS in its variety of teaching but easier to implement since it wasn't scripted. She spent almost a year here and made some progress then started crying over math again which freaked me out.

 

I chose Math Mammoth because I like their website and how they explain differences in math programs. That lasted a day or two. I had become really good at changing math programs.

 

I read Knowing and Teaching Elementary Math which opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong. I talked to my math teacher brother. I chose Saxon, because I've learned a lot about teaching elementary math. My dd loves that the instruction is in the book so she doesn't need me. If she gets stuck I know enough to help her know. If she really doesn't understand, myds is terrific at explaining things to her. Saxon isn't my success story, Laping Ma was. Now Saxon is my consistent scope and sequence with plenty of practice. The teacher is more important than the book.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Karen in CO

[EKS]

I am using Singapore for my youngest and love it. However, I don't think the 1A/B level is as good as the rest of the series. RightStart B is an excellent substitute for that level.

 

I chose Singapore because it is rigorous, coherent, and focused on what is important. I like the simplicity of the presentation and that the program is easy to modify for various special needs. It can easily be compacted for a gifted learner and the Challenging Word Problems and Intensive Practice books can add challenge. It can also be slowed down for a child who needs that, by adding the Extra Practice book. Also, I've never seen better word problems in any other program.

 

Singapore works well with my teaching style and my son's learning style. If it did not, I wouldn't hesitate to switch to something that worked better.

[sbgrace]

I believe it was this thread about Liping Ma's book that convinced me that conceptual math was the best approach for math education and what I wanted for my kids. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178544&highlight=liping

 

So that narrows the choices down to (I may be missing some....but this was my list from that thread): RightStart, Math Mammoth, MEP, Singapore and derivatives, and perhaps Miquon. Some might argue that Math-U-See has some conceptual basis as well. I don't believe it is Asian math though and I've seen debate on the conceptual part.

 

I'm not math oriented myself and neither is at least one of my kids. Therefore, I felt I needed hand holding in teaching and the lesson structure needed to be explicit (without conceptual leaps) for my "not mathy" kid and myself. So those needs for me knocked out Miquon and Singapore. I don't think workbook style was the best approach at this age for either of my kids. So that meant Math Mammoth wasn't what I wanted for early grades though at this point I plan to try this when we're past the early grades (RightStart B and maybe C). I'm not sure MUS is as conceptual as either RightStart or MEP but at any rate when I looked over it I felt it's too worksheet and not enough variety for us. So that left me with RightStart or MEP.

 

I'm using RightStart A and recently added MEP reception for K for no real reason other than it looked fun and different and was free.

 

Rightstart is wonderful for one of my kids. He loves the games and gets it. I get math in a way I never did before as well and find that so cool! I like Rightstart's short lessons because I find that particularly appropriate for this age and especially for my short attention span child. I also love the variety of activities in each lesson and the manipulatives used. For me I love that it's scripted. RightStart tells me exactly what to do and requires no pre-planning on my part. So it's easy to teach. I feel MEP (so far anyway with Reception year) has similar strengths (conceptual, short lessons, variety of activities, easy to teach/scripted) though it's a very different program.

 

One of my kids has learning disabilities in math areas I believe. He hates games of all sorts so RightStart using games to teach isn't a great fit for him though I would expect games are a good fit for most kids of this age. I don't know if or when I'll find the "right" math for him. RightStart isn't perfect for him. But I feel I'm giving him the best basis I can by using RightStart right now.

Edited August 19, 2010 by sbgrace

[Closeacademy]

I use math stories from places like A Little Garden Flower/other Waldorf resources because they are fun, engage the child, we act them out and solve the problems. Things are hands-on and visual and they get excited about math and start to learn.

 

I used to use Singapore because it is very visual and to the point. But there isn't enough review work in the program for most kids to really get the concepts grounded.

 

I use Rod and Staff because the directions are so clear and I can make notebook pages from the examples so my dd has a page that has clear steps on how to solve the problems. There is also a ton of review/practice so concepts get not only grounded but cemented in with reinforced bars. There is no forgetting how to do something with all the review in Rod and Staff.:001_smile:

[siloam]

Jani,

 

Do you have an idea of what learning styles you are dealing with. Sometimes you can find lists online that will help. For example a auditory learner usually likes to talk. Visual learners are usually really into computer learning. Hands on learners would rather do.

 

My kids are hands on learners, so RS was an excellent fit. It does have some visual elements and auditory work. It doesn't have a lot of worksheets. By level E you are doing a couple a day, one on facts and one on the new material, but the games are supposed to take up the slack of needed all the worksheets. My kids play the games daily.

 

Singapore is my first love in math programs, so we do both. But I do consider us math heavy or math focused. Other things have to give in order to carry off both. I also don't do Singapore at grade level but start 1A in 2nd grade, so that concepts are first introduced in RS.

 

Singapore is highly visual, but you can add hands on with the HIG (Home Instructor Guides). It does make more logical leaps than Right Start, so I would say Singapore works better for a math oriented child. My kids do well with it after doing RS, but before we found RS it was hard for them. Ok it is still hard for them, just not painfully hard. ;)

 

Heather

[Crimson Wife]

I chose Singapore because it has produced the top students in the world year after year. I stuck with it because it is very similar to the way my husband was taught mathematics growing up in India, and he has a very strong math background.

 

That being said, if I had it to do over again, I would start with RightStart and switch over to Singapore in 2nd or 3rd grade. RightStart is more hands-on and more appropriate for the under-7 crowd since in Singapore they start first grade at age 7. In 2nd, I would switch to Singapore 1A and continue from there, as if I were teaching it in that country to a 7 year-old—OR, I may stick with RightStart a while longer and add in Challenging Word Problems from Singapore, and then transition over to 3A when appropriate.

 

FWIW, I don't think it's appropriate to transition later than 3A, because there is a LOT of foundational work they do in 3A/3B. Students need that year to really cement the Singapore methods.

 

:iagree:

I feel strongly about using a program based on the Asian way of teaching math. These include Singapore Primary Math, Math in Focus (new syllabus Singapore), Right Start, Math Mammoth, and Tokyo Shoseki (Japanese). Read Liping Ma's excellent book Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics for why the Asian approach is superior to the traditional Western one.

 

I previewed MIF and TS but didn't feel these met my family's needs. MIF seemed a bit "dumbed down" from Singapore Primary Math. TS lacks a teacher's manual for each level (there's just one slim volume for grades 1-6).

 

I start my kids out with Right Start and then transition them over to Singapore supplemented with some of the single-topic "blue" Math Mammoth worktexts. I love RS A & B as it provides an excellent foundation in math.

 

The higher levels of RS I don't care for as much. They are harder than Singapore to accelerate and/or up the challenge level for a bright child than Singapore. Also, I feel there is too much review and not enough new material given their high cost. RS D & E in particular struck me as having about one year's worth of material spread out over the 2 levels.

[txhomemom]

We have used so many math programs I cannot even remember the name of all of them.

 

I feel the same way about Rightstart Math. We got stuck somewhere in level C and by that time my dd was tired of using the abacus. I would still consider using it in the future for my other daughter especially in younger years. If Rightstart had continued on into Algebra, etc. then I definitely would have stuck around throughout the program.

 

Singapore was too hard for me to implement with all the different books and the fact that my dd had skipped around in math made it difficult to change over to Singapore later in the game.

 

Math Mammoth - we may use a few of the books as supplements this year and wish I had used this one earlier on. I would strongly consider using this for my next dd. I think the only thing lacking for the younger years is the use of manipulatives and games within the program, however, that could be done separately just as well using any kind of math games, cards, etc.

 

Mastering Mathematics - we used in the past for addition, subtraction, and multiplication which worked really well. We still go back to these books from time to time when we need to practice a certain math skill.

 

Key to Math books - we are currently using and love these. I would love these even more if they add elementary topics like addition and multiplication. I am just not sure where we want to go next in math because these do not go all the way through high school level math.

 

K12 math - we used a little and it was not too bad of a choice, but I had a hard time teaching it and my hubby had to end up teaching math. I liked the online component, but it just seemed a little hard to coordinate with the worksheets and textbook, somewhat overkill with the math problems.

 

MathUSee - we never used and I did consider it for a while, however, my dd hates any kind of video taught math program. The worksheets also seemed kind of dry and boring compared to other programs we have used.

 

In the future, I am going to have a tough time finding a high school level math curriculum that works for my dd since she really would rather do more of a workbook style rather than textbooks with hundreds of problems or videos. I wish Math Mammoth would create high school level books!

[melmichigan]

We use Singapore math for all the reasons mentioned here, although we start with Essential Math instead of Earlybird. I added in CLE last year because one of my twins has APD, so this became our drill, we do it behind the SM.

[AngieW in Texas]

My favorite math sequence is:

Miquon Math

Singapore Math

Kinetic Books Algebra I or Jacobs Algebra

Kinetic Books Geometry (brand new, haven't used it yet) or Jacobs Geometry

Kinetic Books Algebra II

 

My oldest used Larson's Precalculus. I'm going to order Lial's to compare so I can decide whether to use Larson's or Lial's for my middle dd.

 

Miquon didn't work at all for my youngest and Singapore didn't work for her for very long. She is dyslexic and has visual processing issues.

[kmacnchs]

Haven't read all of the posts but here is what I have found:

Abeka, Singapore, & Horizons are GREAT and are more advanced curricula.

Saxon is really solid in the basics but is a lot to handle (time-wise). It moves a little more slowly than previously mentioned curricula and has A LOT of practice (some say too much).

MEP is really out-of-the-box math thinking.

 

I *think* I have decided we are going to do Saxon (still trying to figure out how to make it bearable for everyone time-wise) and MEP. Saxon takes care of solid basics (great foundation) while MEP teaches TOTALLY different things and teaches her how to come at math from a different angle (and it's free!).

[MissKNG]

I previewed MIF and TS but didn't feel these met my family's needs. MIF seemed a bit "dumbed down" from Singapore Primary Math.

.

 

I also previewed MIF. You will get to the same end point as Primary Math but it just takes a bit longer because it fills in all the conceptual gaps that PM has.

 

Primary Math will kind of take you through Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, then Step 10. MIF takes you through every single step between 1 and 10. Very good for sequential learners imo. It also has a lot of review and recall.

[Crimson Wife]

I also previewed MIF. You will get to the same end point as Primary Math but it just takes a bit longer because it fills in all the conceptual gaps that PM has.

 

Primary Math will kind of take you through Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, then Step 10. MIF takes you through every single step between 1 and 10. Very good for sequential learners imo. It also has a lot of review and recall.

 

Math Mammoth does the step-by-step-by-step thing as well. However, unlike MIF, MM also includes some of the more challenging problems. That's what I meant by MIF being "dumbed down" from Singapore Primary Math. I was particularly disappointed in the MIF Enrichment book, as that's billed as a differentiation tool for bright students. :glare:

[MissKNG]

Math Mammoth does the step-by-step-by-step thing as well. However, unlike MIF, MM also includes some of the more challenging problems. That's what I meant by MIF being "dumbed down" from Singapore Primary Math. I was particularly disappointed in the MIF Enrichment book, as that's billed as a differentiation tool for bright students. :glare:

 

I didn't see the Enrichment book but that's good to know. The main difference I noticed with the textbook was how sequential it was. And the review and recall were plentiful!

 

Where did you read that the Enrichment book is billed for bright kids?

[Crimson Wife]

From the publisher's website:

 

For Advanced Students

Enrichment A and B exercises of varying complexity provide advanced students with opportunities to extend the concepts, skills, and strategies they have learned in the Student Books and Workbooks.

 

What it actually amounts to is (like so often in public school GATE programs): the bright kids get to do more of the same. :001_rolleyes:

[robsiew]

We love Math Mammoth here. My main reasons are it is a solid conceptual program laced with challenging word problems/puzzles. We like the variety of problems as well. Many different kinds of problems that teach the same concept. My kids' one complaint so far is that it's "hard" which translates "I need to actually think to do this!" I'm fine with that! :D When it comes down to it they KNOW how to do it... they just have think a bit of how to put that knowledge together.

[angela in ohio]

I used Cathy Duffy's books to help me choose curriculum in the beginning. She helps you to determine your child's learning style and then tells which curriculums are better/worse for each learning style. Using her book, I was able to narrow it down to 3 programs. Then, I went to a hs fair and was able to see them in person.

 

Years later, I realized that if I had chosen one of the other programs I was considering, it would have worked out just fine. The 3 you have listed are all great programs. We used MUS. You may read my review here.

 

I agree with this. Don't just go by what is listed the most on message boards. That changes weekly. :D There are many solid programs: Singapore, A Beka, Horizons, BJU, etc. They all teach math thoroughly. It's more about what your dc and you prefer.

[MissKNG]

Don't just go by what is listed the most on message boards. That changes weekly. :D .

 

LOL! Yes, there's always a "flavor of the week" being discussed!!

[mom31257]

My son has had a great understanding of number concepts from as early as I can remember. He is very "mathy" by nature, but so am I since I have a math degree.

 

We started Kindergarten with Horizons K which he did in one semester. I chose this because I had read good things about it. I didn't think he would need an extremely hands on curriculum. When we started 1st grade, he was so bored with it and the pages were just so monotonous, that I switched to a public school 1st grade textbook that I had been given.

 

I had him start 1st grade with 2nd grade BJU. I had read good things about it, too, and I liked that it was colorful and fun. It was a mastery approach with manipulatives, but I found he need more review than it had built in. After researching on here, I went to CLE.

 

It has been great! He has progressed nicely. He tested at 2nd grade level, so he started 2nd grade right after Christmas last year. I love that I can do the beginning of the lesson with him, then he can do all the review part totally independently. He could even do that last year when he was in 1st grade.

 

It is not manipulative driven, although there are suggestions to use some. I just add in some myself. He doesn't usually need that to get something, but I still like showing him the why.

[Susan in KY]

I chose Miquon because I thought a relaxed, open way of doing math would be fun and she would get it because she seemed intuitive about it. I didn't get the teacher supports so when it came to sheets that weren't obvious, I didn't know what to do.

 

I chose Singapore because I thought it was the best way to teach math by helping my ds understand how it worked. She HATED it because it told her how to do the problems.

 

I chose PightStart becaues I thought the games would be a great fit and het her over her hatred of math that Singapore left. It took her a couple of weeks to catch on that the games were disguising telling her how to solve problems. She Hated it.

 

I chose Math-U-See because I was fed up and decided I needed to learn from the video guy how to teach math. She cried everytime she saw it.

 

I chose R&S because I thought she needed more review of her facts. It was pretty close to the worst punishment I could inflict on her.

 

I chose Rays because we had to do something. She actually liked this but I there are no teacher notes and by this time I was freaked out.

 

I chose Miquon because I thought a different approach would help and I bought the teacher supports.

 

I chose BJU because I hadn't tried it yet and had heard that it was similar to RS in its variety of teaching but easier to implement since it wasn't scripted. She spent almost a year here and made some progress then started crying over math again which freaked me out.

 

I chose Math Mammoth because I like their website and how they explain differences in math programs. That lasted a day or two. I had become really good at changing math programs.

 

I read Knowing and Teaching Elementary Math which opened my eyes to what I was doing wrong. I talked to my math teacher brother. I chose Saxon, because I've learned a lot about teaching elementary math. My dd loves that the instruction is in the book so she doesn't need me. If she gets stuck I know enough to help her know. If she really doesn't understand, myds is terrific at explaining things to her. Saxon isn't my success story, Laping Ma was. Now Saxon is my consistent scope and sequence with plenty of practice. The teacher is more important than the book.

 

This post made me laugh outright, Karen. :001_smile: Curriculum selection sure can be a roller coaster, can't it? Thanks for the grin. (ITA about that last bit, btw.)

[Heidi]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but if you choose to go with Math Mammoth, it is currently 40% off at the homeschool buyers co-op until 7 Sept 10.

 

https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1447

[prairiegirl]

When I first started hsing, we used MCP with my oldest. It did not work well for us as MCP is solely a workbook-based program and my dd hated doing worksheets. We switched to RightStart. Perfect fit! The heavy use of manipulatives and games worked very well for us. We moved into Level E but I didn't think it covered the concepts very thoroughly so I decided to change over before we finished that level. We switched to MUS. This was a good choice for the time that we were using it. It is more of a workbook approach, my dd is older now and can handle doing endless worksheets. I don't think I would use MUS for youngers as it is mainly worksheets and limited use of manipulatives.

 

I used RS for my ds as well. I decided to not even do Level E with him. We switched to BJU. My reason for this was that I was told BJU was a rigorous math program. Ds is very good at math so I thought the challenge would do him good. BJU is not any more rigorous than RS. I put ds in the Grade 4 book and I should have put him in the gr. 5 book. BJU does fill in the holes better than RS does.

 

I had every intention of using RS with my youngest but she is a worksheet girl and hates the games. I decided to change her over to BJU as well. BJU is a very good program but I absolutely hate it! It is more teacher intensive than RS and, imo, there is alot of busy work. Even though I hate it, my dd is loving it because there is a balance of worksheets and hands-on activities. I will keep on going with it but I will be gnashing my teeth all the way.

 

I am saying all of this as the long way of agreeing with the previous posters. You have to take into consideration your learning style of your children. They may love doing worksheets so that will flavour your decision. Also, what works for one child may not work for them all. You may have to use different programs for different children.