Singapore Essential K versus Earlybird

[LittleIzumi]

I have both--Essential just arrived today for younger dd as the Earlybird is only available from HoD. But if this is the new K math... I don't like it. It seems so... fluffy. My Earlybird is fun, but fun MATH. The Essential K seems like every dollar store workbook--match the pictures that are the same, circle the number of pictures with this number, color the shapes that are the same, etc. I haven't worked through it all, just flipped through the entire book A & some of B & started at the beginning today, but I am underwhelmed. :glare: Anyone else or am I just being picky (which has happened before, LOL)?

 

ETA: I am reading through them more thoroughly now. I will reserve judgment until I have read through B!

Edited May 23, 2011 by LittleIzumi

[twoxcell]

I actually really like the essentials books, and was underwhelmed with the old earlybird book. I have the earlybird 2b book that dd uses with LHFHG, but it is so thin that she wanted more math, and that is why I bought the essentials. The first book is pretty basic and more like preschool. My dd flew through it, but she loved it. The second one gets much harder. What impresses me the most about them is how thick they are. Sorry but they are nothing like dollar tree workbooks, believe me I have bought many of those.:lol: I aslo feel like the essentials book are a better introduction to SM 1a/1b. Either way though it is K math and I do not think you can really screw it up.

[Dinsfamily]

I have both--Essential just arrived today for younger dd as the Earlybird is only available from HoD. But if this is the new K math... I don't like it. It seems so... fluffy. My Earlybird is fun, but fun MATH. The Essential K seems like every dollar store workbook--match the pictures that are the same, circle the number of pictures with this number, color the shapes that are the same, etc. I haven't worked through it all, just flipped through the entire book A & some of B & started at the beginning today, but I am underwhelmed. :glare: Anyone else or am I just being picky (which has happened before, LOL)?

 

Funny, I felt the opposite about them. :001_huh:

[boscopup]

I have both--Essential just arrived today for younger dd as the Earlybird is only available from HoD. But if this is the new K math... I don't like it. It seems so... fluffy. My Earlybird is fun, but fun MATH. The Essential K seems like every dollar store workbook--match the pictures that are the same, circle the number of pictures with this number, color the shapes that are the same, etc. I haven't worked through it all, just flipped through the entire book A & some of B & started at the beginning today, but I am underwhelmed. :glare: Anyone else or am I just being picky (which has happened before, LOL)?

 

If you look closely, you'll see that EM is a lot more than the dollar store books. For example, when finding the object that is different from the others, there are often multiple possible answers. Your child has to explain why they chose that one. It's not just an easy circle the object. It's a circle the object and say WHY. I especially saw this on the page with the 3 aliens and a boy. My son picked one of the aliens as being different. When I asked why, it was because that alien had spots - the others didn't! It's a perfectly valid answer, and it was neat to see how he was thinking (and that's totally the type of thing he would notice :tongue_smilie:).

 

Book B gets into addition beyond what my oldest did in private school K (they used Saxon K), so I am impressed by that as well.

 

I've only seen Earlybird samples online, so I can't actually compare the two. From the samples, Earlybird looked more PreK-ish than EM, but it's hard to judge things like that from samples. I also thought the price was outrageous.

 

We're enjoying EM. The bottom of the page has notes to the teacher for extra activities and ways to use manipulatives to demonstrate a lesson. I typically don't do that (I'm not a math manipulative lover, so I only use them if the kids need them, which has been pretty rare so far). Book A is pretty easy for DS, but he is still learning to write his numbers (he's only 4.5), and at his age, easy is good. Book B ramps up. He's mentally ready for B now, but needs to get the number writing down pat.

 

So yeah, at first glance, it looks fluffy, but if you read the teacher notes and actually discuss why the child is selecting certain things, you'll find it has a lot more meat than the dollar store books that have such obvious answers that there's no reason to even ask why.

[LittleIzumi]

I actually really like the essentials books, and was underwhelmed with the old earlybird book. I have the earlybird 2b book that dd uses with LHFHG, but it is so thin that she wanted more math, and that is why I bought the essentials. The first book is pretty basic and more like preschool. My dd flew through it, but she loved it. The second one gets much harder. What impresses me the most about them is how thick they are. Sorry but they are nothing like dollar tree workbooks, believe me I have bought many of those.:lol: I aslo feel like the essentials book are a better introduction to SM 1a/1b. Either way though it is K math and I do not think you can really screw it up.

 

I will look through the second one :).

 

If you look closely, you'll see that EM is a lot more than the dollar store books. For example, when finding the object that is different from the others, there are often multiple possible answers. Your child has to explain why they chose that one. It's not just an easy circle the object. It's a circle the object and say WHY. I especially saw this on the page with the 3 aliens and a boy. My son picked one of the aliens as being different. When I asked why, it was because that alien had spots - the others didn't! It's a perfectly valid answer, and it was neat to see how he was thinking (and that's totally the type of thing he would notice :tongue_smilie:).

 

Book B gets into addition beyond what my oldest did in private school K (they used Saxon K), so I am impressed by that as well.

 

I've only seen Earlybird samples online, so I can't actually compare the two. From the samples, Earlybird looked more PreK-ish than EM, but it's hard to judge things like that from samples. I also thought the price was outrageous.

 

We're enjoying EM. The bottom of the page has notes to the teacher for extra activities and ways to use manipulatives to demonstrate a lesson. I typically don't do that (I'm not a math manipulative lover, so I only use them if the kids need them, which has been pretty rare so far). Book A is pretty easy for DS, but he is still learning to write his numbers (he's only 4.5), and at his age, easy is good. Book B ramps up. He's mentally ready for B now, but needs to get the number writing down pat.

 

So yeah, at first glance, it looks fluffy, but if you read the teacher notes and actually discuss why the child is selecting certain things, you'll find it has a lot more meat than the dollar store books that have such obvious answers that there's no reason to even ask why.

 

Earlybird has the parts at the bottom to enhance the lessons as well. You do have a point about the difficulty level of their "circle the object" lessons. There were pentagons next to hexagons for the "are they the same" lessons. Dd got the answers correct but it was a more detailed comparison than the many cheapo workbooks here.

 

I will read over them more carefully before I make any rash decisions. Dd just wants to skip ahead to the dot-to-dot parts :lol:. Thanks!!

[boscopup]

I will read over them more carefully before I make any rash decisions. Dd just wants to skip ahead to the dot-to-dot parts :lol:. Thanks!!

 

If you plan on keeping both, you could use them both, I'm sure. I know EM isn't taking us much time at all. DS did 31 pages in 3 days the first week we got it. We're somewhere in unit 6 now, and we don't work on it everyday and have only had it a few weeks. I don't see these books taking us an entire year. I don't know if the EB books would or not.

[LittleIzumi]

Okay, I looked over them & it's not necessarily too fluffy. It's mostly that it starts at more of a preschool level than a K level, and has lots of extra activities like dot-to-dot and matching that make it a thicker book & are fun but that don't feel as "mathy" to me. I'm not sure how I feel about it still, but it does definitely hit real math in the last third of A and all of B.

[boscopup]

Okay, I looked over them & it's not necessarily too fluffy. It's mostly that it starts at more of a preschool level than a K level, and has lots of extra activities like dot-to-dot and matching that make it a thicker book & are fun but that don't feel as "mathy" to me. I'm not sure how I feel about it still, but it does definitely hit real math in the last third of A and all of B.

 

That really is what "K" starts out as though. K math assumes no prior experience to math. If you sent your child to school, they'd be learning these very basic things, and it stays pretty basic. Real math starts in first grade in a lot of schools.

[Dinsfamily]

Okay, I looked over them & it's not necessarily too fluffy. It's mostly that it starts at more of a preschool level than a K level, and has lots of extra activities like dot-to-dot and matching that make it a thicker book & are fun but that don't feel as "mathy" to me. I'm not sure how I feel about it still, but it does definitely hit real math in the last third of A and all of B.

 

I would definitely consider the frst one preschool level too. I like that it starts out fun and light. However, by the time you get to B, it hits number bonds pretty hard. My new 5yo is about finished with B and I know he'll do great in PM 1A. When I tried EB with my oldest (it was WAY too easy for him at 3yo), I felt that it didn't prepare him for PM 1A. We went with Horizons K instead. I wish I'd known about EM back then. We're still doing Horizons K in between just to give him the gift of time. PM ramps up quickly in 1B and I want him to be ready for that.

[Ecclecticmum]

I don't know on US level, but our SNG version earlybird maths is a two year preschool/kinder level. They are also a year ahead.

 

1A & 1B - Is preschool. So since this is ahead, this would be classed more as a kindergarten level. We are currently working on 1A. There is notes at the bottom to enhance the lessons, which you use household items to make them understand. There may be in the beginning, buts she flies through, as most kids learn some stuff naturally, this ust helps review and fill in any gaps.

 

2A & 2B - Is there "Kinder" level, but is more on par with Grade 1 here, so we plan to use those next year.

 

There is also a big (and I mean big) preschool activities workbook you can get as an extra, it can help to review similar activities alongside the pre/kinder program with this if you need additional review.

 

Then primary maths 1 we plan to start in grade 2.

 

Also remember that the reason the singapore math works over there, is that they use the teacher guides, which have additional life activities, and the additional workbooks, so its all about adding all the extras to make it a full complete program.

 

HTH xxx

[LittleIzumi]

I don't know on US level, but our SNG version earlybird maths is a two year preschool/kinder level. They are also a year ahead.

 

1A & 1B - Is preschool. So since this is ahead, this would be classed more as a kindergarten level. We are currently working on 1A. There is notes at the bottom to enhance the lessons, which you use household items to make them understand. There may be in the beginning, buts she flies through, as most kids learn some stuff naturally, this ust helps review and fill in any gaps.

 

2A & 2B - Is there "Kinder" level, but is more on par with Grade 1 here, so we plan to use those next year.

 

There is also a big (and I mean big) preschool activities workbook you can get as an extra, it can help to review similar activities alongside the pre/kinder program with this if you need additional review.

 

Then primary maths 1 we plan to start in grade 2.

 

Also remember that the reason the singapore math works over there, is that they use the teacher guides, which have additional life activities, and the additional workbooks, so its all about adding all the extras to make it a full complete program.

 

HTH xxx

 

Ahhhhh, excellent point. I started with 2A/2B directly in Earlybird. If I started at the beginning I would have seen similar preschool problems, I bet.

[Spy Car]

I have both--Essential just arrived today for younger dd as the Earlybird is only available from HoD. But if this is the new K math... I don't like it. It seems so... fluffy. My Earlybird is fun, but fun MATH. The Essential K seems like every dollar store workbook--match the pictures that are the same, circle the number of pictures with this number, color the shapes that are the same, etc. I haven't worked through it all, just flipped through the entire book A & some of B & started at the beginning today, but I am underwhelmed. :glare: Anyone else or am I just being picky (which has happened before, LOL)?

 

ETA: I am reading through them more thoroughly now. I will reserve judgment until I have read through B!

 

Have you looked at the MEP materials and/or Miquon.

 

I really like Primary Mathematics (Singapore) but the Earlybird Stands Edition was pretty ho hum from my point of view. Where Miquon was an awesome (a developmentally appropriate) introduction to whole-parts math.

 

The MEP materials also get the kids thinking.

 

Bill

[LittleIzumi]

Have you looked at the MEP materials and/or Miquon.

 

I really like Primary Mathematics (Singapore) but the Earlybird Stands Edition was pretty ho hum from my point of view. Where Miquon was an awesome (a developmentally appropriate) introduction to whole-parts math.

 

The MEP materials also get the kids thinking.

 

Bill

 

The girls also use MEP to supplement. The Drama (the one starting K work) has been working in MEP Reception for a while. ;) She has trouble using manipulatives because she gets extremely OCD about placement, so Miquon is out.

[texasmama]

It is deceptively simple because it buillds slowly, assuming no math knowledge/background. I am working through Essentials B with my 5 year old right now and we are working on number bonds. It goes into simple addition and subtraction by the end of the book. My dd ran through A but I expect that we might bog down in B and spend a fair amount of time on manipulatives to cement the concepts.

[Spy Car]

The girls also use MEP to supplement. The Drama (the one starting K work) has been working in MEP Reception for a while. ;) She has trouble using manipulatives because she gets extremely OCD about placement, so Miquon is out.

 

Of course I should have remembered you were using MEP already (not to mention it says so in your sig :D). One of those "brain fog" kind of days for me I'm afraid.

 

Bill (who is going back into his hole :tongue_smilie:)

[LittleIzumi]

Of course I should have remembered you were using MEP already (not to mention it says so in your sig :D). One of those "brain fog" kind of days for me I'm afraid.

 

Bill (who is going back into his hole :tongue_smilie:)

 

:lol::lol: I tend to have more brain fog days than not. No worries.