HappyGrace Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I love the look of MPH for my analytical 8yo boy (who loves Singapore Math). BUT I've read that the Homework and Higher Order Thinking Skills sometimes require more knowledge than the text/activity books give-they make a conceptual leap that the child is not give enough info for, in other words. PLUS it is pricey-ds is interested in magnets, and to get the text/activity/homewk/Higher Order Thinking Skills, JUST to learn about magnets, it is $48, not including shipping! Is there anything else out there like MPH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 :bigear: I've been looking for this too. We use BFSU, and I've been thinking about getting the HOTS from Singapore and just using it as we can. (I'm not sure how well it would work, however, using HOTS apart from the rest of the MPH.) I've also been eyeing Developing Critical Thinking Skills Through Science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 I don't know, Stacey-I have read that HOTS is even hard to use WITH the text, etc.-doesn't give enough info. I have BFSU here-I like it but it's not getting done so I need something else. I actually considered the Crit Thinking one you mentioned, but for older dd11. I think it's too old for ds8. It does look good! I thought it would cover some of the "school" terminology too that we never get to but that always show up on tests, like food chains and food webs, etc. Hopefully someone will chime in and help us-lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I think HOTS is appropriate to use with the text. We're using 3/4. It's definitely a step up from the activity questions and the homework questions. Stacey - my initial thought was simply, "No, don't use HOTS without the rest of the program." Looking closer at it, I think it could be possible, but I think it meshes much better with the whole program. One of the things HOTS does is give an experiment in writing, then has the students interpret results. For instance, with cycles they have a recording of observations of seed germination. Questions include just analysis (which seeds took longest) and interpretation (why did some seeds not germinate? student writes something, is he correct?). There's one book for HOTS that goes through all 5 MPH 3/4 books. The difficulty of the questions seems to ramp up as you progress through the HOTS book. At the front of each book section in HOTS, they have one page that illustrates some of the topics that are from the text. It wouldn't be useful in teaching, but it could be useful in helping you map out topics to cover before using the HOTS. You can see samples of one HOTS section at singapore's site here. It gives a good illustration of how the book is set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Thank you, Dana! That helps a lot. I'm not sure whether we will attempt to do the HOTS as a supplement or not. It seems tricky, but I think there would be benefits if it's workable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 If you just want magnets, I'd try Blinkers and Buzzers (Boston Children's Museum Activity Book) by Bernard Zubrowski and Roy Doty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Thanks, stripe! For now I just want magnets, but I do like the whole curric of MPH and would like something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I have Blinkers & Buzzers, by the way, and it's pretty cool. I am interested what others suggest. I don't understand why people always say MPH is cheap, when there's a million components @ $4 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Blinkers and Buzzers looks like it would be right up ds's alley-thank you for recommending. I know-it looks $$ to me. And the text/activity books aren't actually that meaty; the HOTS and hmwk are really the type of thing I'm looking for anyway. (This is the ds that would rather do the IP's of Singapore Math than the wkbks.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I found out about it from FarrarWilliams' blog, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 (edited) :svengo: I have never seen that blog before!!! Awesome! and timely---I was just on here asking for living books the other day-that blog has them AND activities to go with-LOVE it, thanks! ETA: the way she has the things on the first page set up is the way I was hoping BFSU would be for us, and wasn't :( I am going to steal her ideas! so simple but so good, and DOABLE! Have you done any of her ideas? Edited June 20, 2011 by HappyGrace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Ooh, I'm all flattered, you guys. Thanks for spreading the awesomeness that is the Boston Children's Museum Activity Books, Stripe. I love those and I want people to discover them. And now I'm reminded that I never got around to finishing by posting about magnets... Sigh. Summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 You might want to try the Usborne magnets book just for fun. I have it as part of the Knowhow Omnibus vol 2. There's a lot of fun stuff in these books. Not so theoretical as Zubrowski but fun activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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