Jump to content

Menu

What are you doing for summer math?


ondreeuh
 Share

Recommended Posts

DS is set to finish his math curriculum in mid-May. He is doing well with CLE because of all the reinforcement. No matter what, he will still need reinforcement over the summer. Besides math, we will also be doing literature, writing, spelling, and science over the summer.

 

We use CLE, and as the first worktext of each level is review, I was planning to move right into 502 and keep going year-round. This would basically accelerate DS so that he finishes fifth-grade math in about December-January of his 5th grade year (allowing some time off for vacations). I don't necessarily want him to rush ahead in math.And really, he could easily be considered 4th grade because of his summer birthday and his skill level in other areas, so being dramatically ahead in math could get dicey later.

 

So I have some options ... here's what I've considered

 

a) Keep going through CLE year-round and just take time to work through any concepts DS has a hard time with, and let him work all the way through CLE 800s before worrying about algebra

 

b) Finish this year's CLE 400s in May and do something lighter over the summer, like the options below, and then resume CLE 500s in the fall

 

-Life of Fred. I already have LOF Fractions and Decimals & Percents.

 

-Saxon worksheets to review skills and "fun math" like "Real Life" math activities, Hands-on Equations, and Math Playground (already have all of this)

 

What are your plans for the summer? Will you continue your regular math year-round, switch to something lighter to maintain skills but not move ahead, or drop it completely until fall?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For ds, he'll keep proceeding through Right Start & Miquon. I simply feel like he'll be too young (6) to take time off from math. We similarly kept going through our regular curriculum when dd was younger. He'll also do a review workbook designed for a grade level or two below his (Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners).

 

Dd will be doing alternate stuff & review, as she's into "higher math" at this point. She'll use one of the Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners as well, and will do various enrichment activities (trying to hold off on LoF Geometry until the autumn).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would probably go with the lighter option to maintain skills. My DD is younger, but over summer she'll probably just play board games, take some flashcards to practice her math facts, and maybe a bridge activity workbook to Grandma's when she goes for her summer stay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We do LoF over the summer and a few lessons from our regular curriculum (Saxon) to get a jump on the school year. We also watch some math videos and play games. We might do a MUS video as well. I try to get them to do math 3x/week. But we often fall short of that. However, we usually finish Saxon early and start LOF b4 summer. we

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd also lean towards the lighter fare.

 

Often my dd's greatest strides in math depth seem to occur when we are doing the least (or easiest) math. Then I pull out a page I expect to be difficult (perhaps it was before when we worked on that idea last 2 months ago) and now it's a breeze. I think sometimes we need to give the mind a chance to play with new ideas and grow, see relationships with new things. I don't think that happens when we take time totally "off" (flabby brain, :lol:), but it can happen thru games/review/ gentle stretching. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CLE takes us about 45 min, so a lighter activity sounds very nice.

 

More suggestions for "light" math review that is mixed practice? I'm looking at McGraw-Hills "Mixed Skills in Math" which seem to run below grade level. The Grade 7-8 book starts out with what we've been doing in 4th grade, but it might get harder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got some Fairy Tale math, Math pattern books where you color and build 3D figures, and math puzzle books from Scholastic's $1 sale, and I also have Primarily Logic that we haven't done much with, so I'm thinking those will be good Summer math, just because they'll be different. I'm a little nervous about diving into 3A with a child who really struggles with writing because of the bar diagrams, and I think DD will enjoy the variety.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We will continue to the next level of MEP. I am going to get SCM's Business Math as well as LoF Fractions for my eldest for next year, but we might wait until the school year to start. SCM's Business Math seems like it will be better for a once a week subject than all at once.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We'll be going year round this year with math. In the past I've done Life of Fred & Math Mammoth for review during the summer. This year, though, we're behind, so we'll keep with Saxon until it's done, and I don't know if we'll end up with time for anything fun and/or light.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you used the Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners books before? From the samples on RR, they look topical. I want something with mixed practice.

 

Hmm. We've used one level, and I wouldn't say it was topical. Then again, we also tend not to do books like that in order, especially over the summer, so it may be that we simply avoided the topical nature by bouncing all over the place. I'll have to see if dd can dig it up out of her room for me to check.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We school year round, but I will probably take a good 8 weeks during the summer and have some "math" down time. I have to figure out what I'm going to do with the younger kids (probably more math games), but with my older ds I will have him do Fred... I have Fractions and Decimals and percents....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...