Anyone else have a DC that HATES Math Mammoth but YOU love it?

[Mama2Many4]

I was using MM with my 7yo DS and going slowly with the grade 1B to start him at a slower pace since he had never used it before. Well at first he seemed to like it and was doing well, even though he doesn't really "see" it the way the program intends. Well today we made it to the word problems and he totally bugged out! He has requested to go back to Saxon and wants never to see MM again. The problem is that I love MM and it was actually helping me to sharpen my own math skills so I know it would have helped him in the long run.

 

Anyone here have a DC who just hated it, and then came to like it again, or you didn't bother trying again? :confused:

[FO4UR]

The page layout is too busy/too much for my ds7.

 

If I put the problems on the board, or do things orally he zips right through it. His is a reading/writing (and visual) issue. I *really* would like *one* of my dc to do math more independently...sigh...but I think I'm going to have to stick it out a bit longer. He's a "mathy" kid, but MM just isn't the best fit for him.

[Mama2Many4]

The page layout is too busy/too much for my ds7.

 

If I put the problems on the board, or do things orally he zips right through it. His is a reading/writing (and visual) issue. I *really* would like *one* of my dc to do math more independently...sigh...but I think I'm going to have to stick it out a bit longer. He's a "mathy" kid, but MM just isn't the best fit for him.

 

 

To the bolded, I work with him on math and his eyes just glazed over when I read the questions to him. I even game him a 100 chart to use and basically count on, but he still couldn't grasp what the concept was. I just had such high hopes for MM with him. This is probably the 7th math curriculum I've tried with him. After his fit, I took out every book I had bought and told him he was going to pick ONE math program to stick with. It's confusing me to keep jumping around from one to the other. So he chose to go back to Saxon. It just drives me crazy when I really thought MM was the keeper, but alas it's not.:tongue_smilie:

[Joyofsixreboot]

We used MM when my ds was in 2nd grade. I loved the concepts he hated it. We switched to RS which he still found frustrating though he liked the games. We're now using CLE. I would never pick have picked this but I had to go with what worked for him.

[FO4UR]

To the bolded, I work with him on math and his eyes just glazed over when I read the questions to him. I even game him a 100 chart to use and basically count on, but he still couldn't grasp what the concept was. I just had such high hopes for MM with him. This is probably the 7th math curriculum I've tried with him. After his fit, I took out every book I had bought and told him he was going to pick ONE math program to stick with. It's confusing me to keep jumping around from one to the other. So he chose to go back to Saxon. It just drives me crazy when I really thought MM was the keeper, but alas it's not.:tongue_smilie:

 

I'm confused. If you are confused, he's definitely confused!

 

Pick the curric that he seems to "get it" with and use it. It's no biggie if MM doesn't work with him unless *he* feels like a math failure b/c of it. kwim.

 

100's charts and counting on may not be the best way to "see" math for him. If he doesn't get the concept, then counting on won't help out anyway... If he's stuck at adding/subtracting over the 10 (guessing at what's in MM 1B), then Cuisenaire Rods are my #1 pick for math manipulative. You could drop all currics for a few weeks and just give him rods to make + and - sentences to match some word problems you make up from real life. Not sure if that's the issue or not, but the idea is to isolate exactly what he's not getting...set the pressure of the curric aside...and gain some confidence before diving back in.

[MerryAtHope]

I'm confused. If you are confused, he's definitely confused!

 

 

LOL, *I* was confused--I looked at your names too quickly & thought the same mom was posting replies to her conversation!

 

I haven't used MM, but I have had this happen with other curriculum. I've tried both ways--trying to make something work that wasn't my child's style, and switching to something that worked for them but wasn't my style--the latter definitely worked better here! Easier for mom to adjust maybe? (Sometimes I even come to like and appreciate those curricula that I thought were not my style, LOL!).

 

Hope you find a way to make things work more smoothly for your son!

 

Merry :-)

[swainsonshawk]

You may not be able to resist changing to something else. But I think the truth is that we all end up tweaking any curriculum that we buy. And in the end it matters less to me if my kids like the curriculum than if I like the curriculum.

 

If you think it's good, find a way to work with your son in the curriculum. Help him more, reduce problem # expectations, slow down, take a break and come back to it later, do something else for a while and come back to it later.

 

I started with Singapore (which I loved) hopped to Rod and Staff, Right Start, Horizons and back to Singapore. And here I will stay. Some of my kids have more challenges and dislikes about this math than others, but I like it, and I have to teach it and be accountable for the results, so here we stay!

 

You Math Mammoth people tempt me to switch, but I'm done switching. Even if there is something better, what I have and know is good enough for me. I do like the option to print out one topic at a time from Math Mammoth, though, should we need to park on a topic for a while.

[Beth in SW WA]

Well today we made it to the word problems and he totally bugged out! He has requested to go back to Saxon and wants never to see MM again.

 

Is that common for kids to determine what materials are used? I decide for my dc and there is no discussion. Mom knows best.

[HollyB]

We both loved Saxon last year, but we switched to MM because it looked like that would be a better fit. My daughter was begging to go back to Saxon, and resisting doing any math work, but I could see that MM was much better for her. With Saxon, she could easily see what was expected of her without giving the problems much thought (that was why we switched). MM maked her stop and think, and she wasn't too happy about that. She is finally used to the MM approach and needs little help. As soon as I let her use erasable colored pencils for math, she suddenly *loved* MM. So simple! After a few months of whining and throwing fits over her "new" math, it is now her favorite subject. :D

[Mama2Many4]

Thanks for the support. I've sat down and had a talk with DS and told him that we're going to stick with MM because I believe it will develop a solid understanding of math in the long run. It's true that Saxon is so easy for him that, that is why he wanted to go back to it. Thanks again for the pep talk.;)

[Joyofsixreboot]

Is that common for kids to determine what materials are used? I decide for my dc and there is no discussion. Mom knows best.

I pick the curriculum, but when I see something is not producing the results we want, and I've tweaked and persevered, we switch.

[Cindyz]

If he's having problems with the word problems in 1B, I would go back to the word problems in 1A. The problems work their way up in 1A to teach exactly how to do the word problems.

 

We use Singapore as a spine and my son is pretty good in math, but he just couldn't get the "how many more" concept until we did the pages in Math Mammoth. Now he gets the word problems quite easily.

[mystika1]

When my dd would sit at the table and cry and yell out, "I'm just stupid" I knew it is time to switch. Yes, I choose the curriculum....but I will not "force" a child to use a program that is clearly not a good fit. A small complaint here or there...I will ignore that but, I chose to homeschool so that I could provide a better learning environment and customized education. :-) I hated school and I am determined that my dd will have a better experience. MM didn't work for us at the time. Each day I tried to continue with it the tears got worse. I stopped doing math for a month to give her time off to get it out of her system. Tried it again and the tears and frustration began again. I couldn't take listening to her say how "dumb" she was. My husband was getting worried also. I stopped again and picked up SM at our local homeschool cottage. It clicked right away and I havn't looked back. I may be able to add MM in our schedule when she matures a bit more but for now I have to put it on hold.

 

FWIW I thought MM was awesome because it was cheap and Asian style but the cute pictures in SM keep my dd amused/interested while she learns.

 

Sincerely,

Penny

Edited October 26, 2010 by mystika1

[robsiew]

Thanks for the support. I've sat down and had a talk with DS and told him that we're going to stick with MM because I believe it will develop a solid understanding of math in the long run. It's true that Saxon is so easy for him that, that is why he wanted to go back to it. Thanks again for the pep talk.;)

 

I use the snapshot tool in Adobe to highlight portions of the page and then print them bigger. It takes up more paper, but does two things for my younger ds's.... one, it makes for less problems on a page and two, it makes for bigger writing spaces. Now, we use more paper and it takes longer to print out, but it's worth it. I just have to warn my 6 y/o that he will have more sheets, but not more problems than he would have if it were printed as one sheet.

 

Hang in there! I think your best bet is to stick something out. Once your ds sees you won't change he may settle in. :grouphug:

[mystika1]

I use the snapshot tool in Adobe to highlight portions of the page and then print them bigger.

 

I have heard others doing this but....I have brought up my MM material in adobe and the snapshot tool is unavailable for selection. How do I make it availble to choose?

 

Thanks,

 

Penny

[lamamaloca]

I wouldn't say that my kids hate Math Mammoth, but I've definitely had some resistance, especially from my 6 year old. I think that part of this is due to the lay out and the fact that the pages are fairly busy, but I think most of it has to do with his own issues and his unwillingness to do anything that he doesn't want to do. He has cried about the problems being too easy and thus stupid, and cried about them being too difficult. I have chosen to keep pushing him, as I'm also doing with spelling, and to work on his attitude. If I thought it was really a poor fit then I might try something else, but I think it has more to do with his ADHD and low frustration tolerance than with the curriculum. I do think he has improved and is handling it much better.

[Homeschooling6]

My dc didn't hate MM but it just wasn't working for my dc, but I LOVE:001_wub: MM. I'm so disappointed that we are not using it. I still plan on purchasing the rest of the levels anyway, because I like it so much:D

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I use the snapshot tool in Adobe to highlight portions of the page and then print them bigger. It takes up more paper, but does two things for my younger ds's.... one, it makes for less problems on a page and two, it makes for bigger writing spaces. Now, we use more paper and it takes longer to print out, but it's worth it. I just have to warn my 6 y/o that he will have more sheets, but not more problems than he would have if it were printed as one sheet.

 

Hang in there! I think your best bet is to stick something out. Once your ds sees you won't change he may settle in. :grouphug:

My 7 yo is visually impaired so I thought I'd have to do this based on what people have said about there not being enough room/print too small/crowded/etc but she hasn't had any issues at all with the pages printed normally:001_huh::lol:

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I have heard others doing this but....I have brought up my MM material in adobe and the snapshot tool is unavailable for selection. How do I make it availble to choose?

 

Thanks,

 

Penny

What version do you have? I use the most current free version of Adobe Reader and I can use my Snap Shot tool so I know that whether or not you buy the full version has nothing to do with it. I'd try updating it with the most recent version (mine says 9.4.0) if you don't already have it and see if that helps. If you're already using the most recent version I'm clueless as to what the problem could be, sorry.

[mystika1]

What version do you have? I use the most current free version of Adobe Reader and I can use my Snap Shot tool so I know that whether or not you buy the full version has nothing to do with it. I'd try updating it with the most recent version (mine says 9.4.0) if you don't already have it and see if that helps. If you're already using the most recent version I'm clueless as to what the problem could be, sorry.

 

I deleted the version that I had and reinstalled the newest. It works now! I wish I would have done that earlier as it may have made a difference.

 

Thanks,

 

Penny

[Mama2Many4]

I just figured out how to zoom certain parts in Adobe! I think this will make him feel more at ease with this math program. Part of the problem was that he was getting discourage with how little space he had to write on the pages. I kept telling him to "try" to write smaller, but he just can't yet. Thanks for that great tip!