RightStartA with a 3.5 year old--how fast does it move?

[Holiztic]

Okay, so I could just read through it to answer my own question, but I thought I'd ask here first.

 

Oddly enough, we are Waldorfy/Charlotte Mason people and feel very strongly about not doing academic work with a child under 5 or 6. However, we have a very bright little guy and he's got another agenda! I fill his days (well, he fills much of it with self-directed play) with enough that he doesn't general 'need'/request academic work, but he's got the skills of a kindergartner just by virtue of everyday living/conversation and his advanced ability to remember, make connections, etc.

 

So I had RS A unopened on a high shelf and he found it today. I bought it months ago planning to read through it slowly over the next year and start between 4.5 and 5. He begged to do some (already begs for what he calls 'homeschool math', which is me asking him simple addition and subtraction questions). I tried to gently deflect, said it was for when he's bigger, etc. But he really wanted to try, and I did not want to make a big scene about 'school' not being for little kids--cause issues, negative associations, whatever.

 

So we started, we did the first 2 lessons. I know they are pretty simple, but even still he did them straight though--no teaching, he just answered each question, did each task with the same ease he'd answer "what does a cow say?" The two lessons took 15 minutes total.

 

My question is this: how fast does this program move? I packed the box up and put it on the shelf, if he doesn't ask again for a while, there it will sit. But if he wants to do it, we'll do it...but I think we'll reach his skill level pretty soon, and I don't really want to "teach" him at this young age. Practicing and playing at his current skill level or a tiny smidge above (a place he can get on his own with a little thought) is fine, but I don't want to 'work with him' to get him to understand math concepts at this age.

 

So how does RS A move? Is there a point where a bright 3.5 yo (on the level of the average just-turned-5 year old, I'd say) is likely to hit a wall? Will just going to that point and then playing games with the skills he's got make sense to delay our movement forward? Maybe I should just make each lesson really last (days/weeks) in terms of playing games and even coming up with our own ways to use those skills. Maybe I could make lessons 1-? last for a long time?

 

Thoughts?

[2smartones]

For some kids (self included), school IS play. School IS fun. School IS self-directed learning when given the tools and allowed to run with them. We started at age 3.5 and never looked back. I, too, said no way... not for us... you're only 2 or 3 years old ... yada, yada, yada. But when you light paper with a match, sometimes you can blow it out before it gets too far, and sometimes you can't. Ya' know? :lol: Some kids are born with fire.

 

We hear all the time "don't push", but I don't think we hear enough "don't pull". Pulling a child back can be just as detrimental as pushing them before they're ready.

 

Sorry... that's probably not even close to the answer you were looking for. I've looked at RS several times, but I've never bought it, so I can't specifically tell you how fast it moves. I don't think ANYONE can tell you when you'll "hit a wall" with it, because some kids just never do.

[threelilbirds]

We use Right Start with our 5yo, and I agree, the first 5 or 10 lessons are very easy..even for my 3 year old, I was thinking. But then at about lesson 18, it does start to prgress quite quickly. Even and odd numbers, counting by 5's, then 10's, and then 20's..

uyou could try it, up to a certain point, just do 2 lessons a week, and then if he hits a wall, back off for a bit.

[cmarango]

I am doing RS A too...as well as Singapore (just finished EB), MEP Reception, and we will soon be starting Miquon. I have found that this is what is necessary to fulfill her love for math and to also take the concepts slowly enough that she is not getting frustrated.

 

I love that RS includes geometry ideas and my dd loves the abacus, but most of the time she asks to do MEP.

[mmpmelmack]

I started RSA at 3.5 with DS. He has done very well, and will finish up in January it has been great, and he will do 3-5 lessons a week. He loves his math. We also do SM 1 and Miquon, or he would have run through it faster. After lots of great advice here we are switching to SM only and letting him run with it. RSA was a great start to his math, he loved it!

[cmarango]

Melissa,

 

Just curious: why are you switching only to Singapore?

 

Thanks,

[mmpmelmack]

I added in Singapore because he wanted more math, and after using it for a bit, I found that I really really like teaching it better then i like teaching RS. DS really likes both, but it really comes down to me finding Singapore so much easier to teach. It feels more concrete to me, and I feel much more confidant teaching it. and while DS really liked all the stuff in RS, now he is super excited about math, he adds all day long with flash cards and his abacus, he really plays with numbers now, and he seems even more excited about math.