Sahamamama Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 We were talking numbers and one of our just-turned five year old twins answered random questions (from an overheard conversation), so I asked more. It went like this: Â Me: What's half of 14? Ha: Seven. Me: What's half of 20? Ha: Ten. Me: What's half of 16? Ha: Eight. Me: What's half of 50? Ha: Twenty-five. Me: What's half of 70? Ha: Thirty-five. Â [No hesitation, no pauses...] :001_huh: Â Me: What's half of 7? Ha: Three and a half. Me: What's half of 15? Ha: Seven and a half. Me: What's half of 3? Ha: One and a half. Â :001_huh: Â Me: What's one-third of 9? Ha: Three. Me: What's one-third of 15? Ha: Five. Me: What's one-third of 18? Ha: Six. Me: How do you know this? Ha: :rolleyes: I just know. Â [Right about now I am experiencing shock. My husband is speechless.] Â Me: What is one-third of 21? Ha: Seven. Me: What is one-third of 27? Ha: Nine. Â Me: What is six times three? Ha: Eighteen. Me: What is four times nine? Ha: Thirty-six. Â [The thought flashes through my mind, "Perhaps Horizons Math K won't be a good fit for her when we start Kindergarten in July."] Â Me: What's one-third of 40? Ha: Thirteen and one-third. Â No pauses, just answers. We have never done more than abacus and bean counting with this child. She turned five last month. Help. I am out of my league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Maybe you should start w/ algebra! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [The thought flashes through my mind, "Perhaps Horizons Math K won't be a good fit for her when we start Kindergarten in July."] Â That's the understatement of the year! Have that child take the Singapore math placement test. :D Â My middle dd wasthe same way. She had picked up so much math from us and her older sis, and then I put her in K math. :lol: She hated it; dh gave her the WJ test and we realized she needed to skip a few grades in math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalmama Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I'd start with the k12 math placement test - see if she has gaps in knowledge. If there isn't any gaps, it will give you an idea how high she can go now in math. Test her twin too - she may surprise you as well. Â I'd say you have just become the proud parent of a math prodigy - enjoy the ride. :auto::D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Good luck!  I have a ds that is intuitive with numbers, but not quite to the extent that yours seems to be. One thing I've noticed─when he gets it, he gets it. No explanation necessary. But when it is *not* intuitively obvious, it takes a great deal of repetition to master a nonintuitive concept. YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 You will have lots of fun in finding the right materials for her, it seems. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 My son did that with reading when he was just a wee squirt. Played with alphabet fridge magnets for a while and then suddenly started reading big long books, followed by demands to go to the library for books on human anatomy. Math's a whole other story, so no advice there, but I sympathize with the jaw-dropping realization aspect of it. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Holy crow, what a smarty pants you have there. Definitely do a placement test because obviously horizons K is not going to be appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Good luck! I have a ds that is intuitive with numbers, but not quite to the extent that yours seems to be. One thing I've noticed─when he gets it, he gets it. No explanation necessary. But when it is *not* intuitively obvious, it takes a great deal of repetition to master a nonintuitive concept. YMMV.  :iagree:  Ditto. DS2 was like that. Teaching focus, whole concepts, and other ways to get places is a little more challenging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 We had one like that. We put him in K in ps. The teacher called me to tell me the child could do multiplication in his head and was reading on a 3rd grade level. :001_smile:He's the reason we began homeschooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I wouldn't go with a book. My 4yo loves the MUS blocks and Cuisenaire rods. Let you child explore with those. Spend some time just playing with them. You can gently play some games with adding some, taking some away, multiplying, exponents and negative numbers. Those seem to be very intuitive and easy for young kids to get with blocks. If she already is enjoying math, keep it a fun game rather than a chore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 No advice, but that is very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 :lol::lol::lol: Yeah... I'm thinking Kindergarten math is a no-go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 So on a whim I asked my dd4 the first 2 questions on your list. The first she answered "I don't know", the second she answered "Mom I am still little I am only learning about numbers" complete with an eye roll. Hmm I do not have a math prodigy like you do, I have a 4 yr old teenager ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Wow, how fun! Enjoy the ride :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I have a ds that is intuitive with numbers, but not quite to the extent that yours seems to be. One thing I've noticed─when he gets it, he gets it. No explanation necessary. But when it is *not* intuitively obvious, it takes a great deal of repetition to master a nonintuitive concept. YMMV.  This is how it was with one of mine also.  My daughter is very advanced, but in a completely linearly kind of way. We just played with things as she showed us she knew them. And when she was 3, I was tutoring a 16yo who was on about a 4th grade level. My daughter easily gained that knowledge; but in a way, she WAS taught.  The amazing part we noticed was that my SON (2Ă‚Â½ years younger) picked up stuff. He was non-verbal, so we didn't catch how much he *was* learning; but he was quite intuitive also. At 4, he could easily to pre-algebra blaster with my daughter (who was really at that level). However, though that was the case, in 5th grade, we still had plenty of tears in Lial's BCM. The things he could just "see" or figure in his own way, he did BEAUTIFULLY with. However, he is NOT a math prodigy. In fact, it is quite challenging for him when it doesn't just come. He has a love-hate relationship with it because he has some cool skills and tricks, but then he can't seem to progress well either. Stinks.  It'd be neat to see which kind of situation you have. The kind where they just pick it up from exposure and having a math mind is really neat. The kind where they still struggle despite having some things that are pretty neat is more challenging than just being ahead or behind, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 You will have lots of fun in finding the right materials for her, it seems. :D Â :lol::lol: Â I don't want to scare you, OP, but searching for the right materials for my DS8 has brought me nothing but misery. I distinctly remember my :001_huh: moment with him. He was five also and asked me when Christmas was. I said it was three and a half months away and he shot back immediately, "So 105 days." Geez. We hadn't even done any formal math up to that point. :lol: He is hard to teach in that he already seems to know everything intuitively and is bored with a typical sequence. It makes me feel very insecure. I do agree with the suggestion of Singapore, as only the IP and CWP have proved interesting enough to him to hold his attention (aside from some extras we do). Do also look into MEP. Good luck to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 So on a whim I asked my dd4 the first 2 questions on your list. The first she answered "I don't know", the second she answered "Mom I am still little I am only learning about numbers" complete with an eye roll. Hmm I do not have a math prodigy like you do, I have a 4 yr old teenager ;) Â This sounds just like my DD. I know she knows things, like her letters and counting to 10.....but she will not tell you. She says I don't know to everything! Â We were talking numbers and one of our just-turned five year old twins answered random questions (from an overheard conversation), so I asked more. It went like this:Â Me: What's half of 14? Ha: Seven. Me: What's half of 20? Ha: Ten. Me: What's half of 16? Ha: Eight. Me: Wh at's half of 50? Ha: Twenty-five. Me: What's half of 70? Ha: Thirty-five. Â [No hesitation, no pauses...] :001_huh: Â Me: What's half of 7? Ha: Three and a half. Me: What's half of 15? Ha: Seven and a half. Me: What's half of 3? Ha: One and a half. Â :001_huh: Â Me: What's one-third of 9? Ha: Three. Me: What's one-third of 15? Ha: Five. Me: What's one-third of 18? Ha: Six. Me: How do you know this? Ha: :rolleyes: I just know. Â [Right about now I am experiencing shock. My husband is speechless.] Â Me: What is one-third of 21? Ha: Seven. Me: What is one-third of 27? Ha: Nine. Â Me: What is six times three? Ha: Eighteen. Me: What is four times nine? Ha: Thirty-six. Â [The thought flashes through my mind, "Perhaps Horizons Math K won't be a good fit for her when we start Kindergarten in July."] Â Me: What's one-third of 40? Ha: Thirteen and one-third. Â No pauses, just answers. We have never done more than abacus and bean counting with this child. She turned five last month. Help. I am out of my league. Â My son was like that. He would be in kindergarten this year, but we have just finished SM 2a and he has flown through he 2b workbook, in two weeks he is half way through. We could have started with level 3 based on placement tests, but I wanted to start with multiplication tables. We do the IP and CWP after the main books. This has proven a good combo so far. I would test both of your kids. Â Test their spelling too. My mathy kid does really well with spelling too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Wow, very amazing! I'd love to hear how she progresses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Test their spelling too. My mathy kid does really well with spelling too. Â Yes! Although DS LOVES spelling and dislikes math (unless it's unrelated to curriculum). :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 This sounds just like my DD. I know she knows things, like her letters and counting to 10.....but she will not tell you. She says I don't know to everything! . Â Exactly. I know she knows even some basic addition because I hear here reciting facts with ds8 and I hear him quizzing her and she always gets it right, but she will refuse to admit any of it if asked. Same with her letters, sciences etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 So on a whim I asked my dd4 the first 2 questions on your list. The first she answered "I don't know", the second she answered "Mom I am still little I am only learning about numbers" complete with an eye roll. Hmm I do not have a math prodigy like you do, I have a 4 yr old teenager ;) :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 :svengo: Well, I'm feeling really dumb right now! How awesome for your dd! Â No advice here. A math whiz I am not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 We had one like that. We put him in K in ps. The teacher called me to tell me the child could do multiplication in his head and was reading on a 3rd grade level. :001_smile:He's the reason we began homeschooling. Â Yes, she reads, too. In fact, both of the twins read just about anything, with lovely expression and evident understanding, but we were used to that with the firstborn. They all started reading around three years of age and have been enjoying chapter books before age five. Perfectly normal. Â But the thing with the Math... Why does that scare me? [I will not be math-phobic. I will not be math-phobic. I will not be....] Â Whoa. It was like something out of Little Man Tate, or... something. Â Back to your son. When you took him out of PS, what did you DO with him? :bigear: And isn't it a bit exasperating that, in this nation that so needs to do more with these kids, the system is designed to fail them? Â Okay, I'll get on my soapbox and say it: Two years ago, when oldest was just-turned five, I called the PS main office to ask about registering her for Kindergarten. After discussing Kindergarten Round-Up, we talked about how this five year old was a strong reader, had tested at about a 3rd/4th grade level, and still had seven more months to go before she'd even begin Kindergarten. I was told, "Kindergarten starts at the very beginning. We don't accelerate anyone in Kindergarten, no exceptions. In October, if the teacher feels there is a need, she will recommend for the student to be evaluated in April, and then a decision will be made by June about what to do for the following year. The enrichment pull-out program starts in Third Grade." Â I hadn't even asked about any of that, actually. :001_huh: But then I did ask, "What will she learn?" "Oh, she'll learn LOTS of things! All the usual Kindergarten stuff, like how to put away her things in her cubbie, how to be with the group, how to pay attention to the teacher, how to stand in line...." I am not making this up. Â We felt forced to homeschool. Not saying we regret this AT ALL, but it felt as though there was no choice in the matter. :rant: Â I'm going to be very transparent here and say that sometimes I feel a bit shaky about what I'm doing with this venture of educating these children. So much lately, I have felt the responsibility of the stewardship of these children, as though for a time I have been given this trust, to do my absolute best with them. What do you do when you know your children are far, far, FAR ;) brighter than you are? Â How does this little five year old squirt know what she knows? I don't understand how this happens. I was always so mathematically dense. Literally, I was 14 years old when I one day realized what my parents meant when they said, "Six of one, half dozen of another." :lol: That actually was what started the discussion tonight. I told my oldest, "You will know this before you are fourteen!" LOL. Â I asked, "What is half of a dozen?" Hannah answered, "Six!" And then I asked, "What's two dozen?" Hannah answered, "Twenty-four!" before anyone else could answer, and it went on from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 As far as curriculum, I'd get the Math Mammoth download. That way you can skip ahead and jump around with minimal cost. You'll have it all available without needing to purchase and wait for more materials or feeling like your wasting books & money. Have fun. She's going to keep you on your toes. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Ha! That's awesome. I was that kid, according to mom (so, probably not quite that talented, but anyhow). I was in PS. BAD move. My experience was that PS + math talent + girl = really bad news. I was pretty miserable until college when I realized this talent of mine was actually useful. It was an engineering school and comfort with math was well respected. Â No advice on homeschooling, though. My oldest isn't 4 yet. And she's smart little kid but I don't think she knows the answer to any of those questions. :-D Â Have fun, I think those kids are going to take you on quite a ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I'm speechless!! Such a mathematical mind...Super cool:thumbup1: Enjoy the ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I was told, "Kindergarten starts at the very beginning. We don't accelerate anyone in Kindergarten, no exceptions. In October, if the teacher feels there is a need, she will recommend for the student to be evaluated in April, and then a decision will be made by June about what to do for the following year. The enrichment pull-out program starts in Third Grade." Â I hadn't even asked about any of that, actually. :001_huh: But then I did ask, "What will she learn?" "Oh, she'll learn LOTS of things! All the usual Kindergarten stuff, like how to put away her things in her cubbie, how to be with the group, how to pay attention to the teacher, how to stand in line...." I am not making this up. Â That's SO funny b/c the SAME EXACT conversation happened with us (numerous times) when we were "school shopping" K for our oldest. We also felt forced to homeschool. (Oh... we were also told that we could choose to wait another year for K b/c he was a boy and that was common with boys! I was in shock!) Â A neighbor who had a similar experience went ahead and *put* her dd into K anyway. She watched us homeschool K and then pulled her dd out with much ceremony and emotion. The teacher actually TOLD mom that her dd didn't learn anything that year! They are still homeschooling 8 years later. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I let him progress at his own speed. He went through Calculus, Wheelock's Latin, and an extensive Great Books education by the time he was 14. He wrote his first book at 7. He went to college for a couple of years and still didn't know what he wanted to do. He really was a little lost in his teenage years. If I had it to do over again, I would have him continuing to do work at home, delve deeper into areas that interested him, and not let him graduate until 17. Hindsight is 20/20. :001_smile: Â He ended up joining the Marine Corp. He gets out next month and will finish school while taking care of a wife and baby. He is 2nd son in my siggy. At least now he know what he wants to do - international finance. He has continued learning languages. These PG kids present their own difficulties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Yes, she reads, too. In fact, both of the twins read just about anything, with lovely expression and evident understanding, but we were used to that with the firstborn. They all started reading around three years of age and have been enjoying chapter books before age five. Perfectly normal. Â But the thing with the Math... Why does that scare me? [I will not be math-phobic. I will not be math-phobic. I will not be....] Â Whoa. It was like something out of Little Man Tate, or... something. Â Back to your son. When you took him out of PS, what did you DO with him? :bigear: And isn't it a bit exasperating that, in this nation that so needs to do more with these kids, the system is designed to fail them? Â Okay, I'll get on my soapbox and say it: Two years ago, when oldest was just-turned five, I called the PS main office to ask about registering her for Kindergarten. After discussing Kindergarten Round-Up, we talked about how this five year old was a strong reader, had tested at about a 3rd/4th grade level, and still had seven more months to go before she'd even begin Kindergarten. I was told, "Kindergarten starts at the very beginning. We don't accelerate anyone in Kindergarten, no exceptions. In October, if the teacher feels there is a need, she will recommend for the student to be evaluated in April, and then a decision will be made by June about what to do for the following year. The enrichment pull-out program starts in Third Grade." Â I hadn't even asked about any of that, actually. :001_huh: But then I did ask, "What will she learn?" "Oh, she'll learn LOTS of things! All the usual Kindergarten stuff, like how to put away her things in her cubbie, how to be with the group, how to pay attention to the teacher, how to stand in line...." I am not making this up. Â We felt forced to homeschool. Not saying we regret this AT ALL, but it felt as though there was no choice in the matter. :rant: Â I'm going to be very transparent here and say that sometimes I feel a bit shaky about what I'm doing with this venture of educating these children. So much lately, I have felt the responsibility of the stewardship of these children, as though for a time I have been given this trust, to do my absolute best with them. What do you do when you know your children are far, far, FAR ;) brighter than you are? Â How does this little five year old squirt know what she knows? I don't understand how this happens. I was always so mathematically dense. Literally, I was 14 years old when I one day realized what my parents meant when they said, "Six of one, half dozen of another." :lol: That actually was what started the discussion tonight. I told my oldest, "You will know this before you are fourteen!" LOL. Â I asked, "What is half of a dozen?" Hannah answered, "Six!" And then I asked, "What's two dozen?" Hannah answered, "Twenty-four!" before anyone else could answer, and it went on from there. Â Â I had a similar conversation last year. DS missed the cutoff for K by 3 weeks. I wanted to know the options....they don't skip, especially boys. K is mandatory, so no skipping amd going into 1st next year....so I asked "My son reads at a second grade level(at least), can do basic addition, subtraction, fractions, and geometry....what wi he do in k?" The answer I got...."We would hope his teacher could keep him body with work on his level." Not a satisfactory answer....the final decision was made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 They did move my son from K to first grade in ps, then he went to 2nd grade. He was still bored, and was a year younger than his schoolmates. They tested children after 2nd for the gifted program. It was the county school psychologist, after his testing, who told me that they had absolutely nothing to offer him. That's when we pulled he and his older brother out of ps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Maybe she'll be on the someday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Maybe she'll be on the someday! Â Let's hope not, actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Let's hope not, actually. Â Why?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 My oldest and youngest were both very much like that at that age. And yes, we homeschool because when we talked to the school and asked what they did with the dc who were already reading chapter books and multiplying, etc., we were told that it was a reading kindergarten and he would be expected to learn to read with the rest of the class. The crying shame of the situation is that our neighborhood elementary school had a kindergarten teacher who was very talented, gifted certified, and really got kids like that. But she was given 27 other dc, most of whom came to her not knowing half of their letters or numbers and she was supposed to get them reading and adding by the end of the year, so kids like my ds didn't get much attention. She was frank with me to homeschool him if I could. He did go to a magnet gifted school in that district for third grade, with a great teacher, but the fourth grade teacher was awful, didn't get the kids at all, and was borderline abusive (the cafeteria lady was outright abusive and the district saw no need to correct, so they were back home before the year was out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 My kids are like this. My older is more out there with math than my younger (but much of that is interest level). Singapore and AoPS have been great for our house! I wonder if this is a visual spatial trait? Both my kids seem very VS. Â Good luck! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgo95 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 DD9 and DD5 were like this. They just "get" things very easily in math. They may not be able to explain the why's exactly, but they're able to work out a lot of math in their minds, using reasoning tricks and angles of approaching problems that have to be taught to middle DD7. My middle DD7 is very bright and "advanced" for her age, but not the extent of the other two girls. I wouldn'd say these kids are prodigies, though. Their brains just seem to be wired differently. My 9 and 5 year old were also early readers with little instruction. Â For math, we use both Singapore Math and Miquon (love Cuisenaire rods). If I only chose one math program, my DD's would blast through them too quickly and then came up against concepts that they couldn't quickly internalize and they would get very frustrated with math. Right now, DD9 has finished SM K-6th grade, all of Miquon, and Math Mammoth 4th & 5th grade. She's going to start MM 6th grade and probably finish that in a couple months. DD5 has finished SM K-2 and Miquon 1st year and half the 2nd year. (After she finishes the 2nd year of Miquon I'll probably ask her to take a math hiatus for several months.) Â I started my kids on Miquon and SM 1st grade when they were 4 by sitting down with them for 10-15 minutes and having them do 2-3 pages a day (we do one program at a time). In fact, once I introduced the curriculum to them, they begged me to be able to do more and I actually have to say, "Do only 10 pages a day, please." Â In terms of your ability to handle your responsibility of educating your kids, regardless of their math/reading abilities, in these early years, I feel the most important thing we can provide them is loving guidance in terms of maturing emotionally/socially--self-control, discipline, patience, kindness, compassion, etc--and of course the opportunity just to play and be kids. In other words, developing them into good people (people that I would like to be around 24/7 ;)) was the top priority, not formal academics or trying to promote them into being math whizzes (if that's even possible, LOL). Â On another note, if you feel math-phobic, I think most programs have teacher's guides/editions available, right? I know Singapore Math and Miquon both do. I bet you'll be just fine. We can learn along with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Why?! Â Putting a kid on television (talk shows or the news) is a complicated issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Totally cool!!! Your daughter is very lucky that you homeschool - school would be torture! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Putting a kid on television (talk shows or the news) is a complicated issue. Â Oh okay. I was thinking when she grew up, hence the word "someday"! Â I really like watching Scott. Especially when he says, "That's what I do!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Miquon will allow you to keep things age-appropriate, yet advance conceptually in leaps and bounds....and cover topics in an intuitive way that have not already been intuited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 DD9 and DD5 were like this. They just "get" things very easily in math. They may not be able to explain the why's exactly, but they're able to work out a lot of math in their minds, using reasoning tricks and angles of approaching problems that have to be taught to middle DD7. My middle DD7 is very bright and "advanced" for her age, but not the extent of the other two girls. I wouldn'd say these kids are prodigies, though. Their brains just seem to be wired differently. My 9 and 5 year old were also early readers with little instruction. For math, we use both Singapore Math and Miquon (love Cuisenaire rods). If I only chose one math program, my DD's would blast through them too quickly and then came up against concepts that they couldn't quickly internalize and they would get very frustrated with math. Right now, DD9 has finished SM K-6th grade, all of Miquon, and Math Mammoth 4th & 5th grade. She's going to start MM 6th grade and probably finish that in a couple months. DD5 has finished SM K-2 and Miquon 1st year and half the 2nd year. (After she finishes the 2nd year of Miquon I'll probably ask her to take a math hiatus for several months.)  I started my kids on Miquon and SM 1st grade when they were 4 by sitting down with them for 10-15 minutes and having them do 2-3 pages a day (we do one program at a time). In fact, once I introduced the curriculum to them, they begged me to be able to do more and I actually have to say, "Do only 10 pages a day, please."  In terms of your ability to handle your responsibility of educating your kids, regardless of their math/reading abilities, in these early years, I feel the most important thing we can provide them is loving guidance in terms of maturing emotionally/socially--self-control, discipline, patience, kindness, compassion, etc--and of course the opportunity just to play and be kids. In other words, developing them into good people (people that I would like to be around 24/7 ;)) was the top priority, not formal academics or trying to promote them into being math whizzes (if that's even possible, LOL).  On another note, if you feel math-phobic, I think most programs have teacher's guides/editions available, right? I know Singapore Math and Miquon both do. I bet you'll be just fine. We can learn along with them.  I really appreciate this, all of it. Thank you.  We have Singapore PM & Miquon (we planned to start them for 2nd & K). Thanks for the encouragement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Oh okay. I was thinking when she grew up, hence the word "someday"! I really like watching Scott. Especially when he says, "That's what I do!"  He was so funny. Thanks for the link! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Here's the fun (not) thing: That kid will probably end up in law school. Â Â :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Many4 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 :svengo: Well, I'm feeling really dumb right now! How awesome for your dd! Â No advice here. A math whiz I am not. Â :iagree: I still count on my fingers or need a scrap of paper near me to work a problem. Not mathy here either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Here's the fun (not) thing: That kid will probably end up in law school. Â Â :tongue_smilie: Â :lol::lol::lol: We said that! We said that! She is so..... ASSERTIVE! My mother calls her the Complicated, Deeply-Sensitive, Woe-to-Me Drama Queen. Â This child has NEVER had an unexpressed thought. She must get the mathiness from her Daddy, and the rest from me. :tongue_smilie: LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) :lol::lol::lol: We said that! We said that! She is so..... ASSERTIVE! My mother calls her the Complicated, Deeply-Sensitive, Woe-to-Me Drama Queen. Â This child has NEVER had an unexpressed thought. She must get the mathiness from her Daddy, and the rest from me. :tongue_smilie: LOL. Â Had I played my Tiger Mom cards right, I'd currently have a kid getting a PhD in physics or something. While that might be a fast road to unemployment, it looks his field might be going in a similar direction. Edited February 5, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I wouldn't go with a book. My 4yo loves the MUS blocks and Cuisenaire rods. Let you child explore with those. Spend some time just playing with them. You can gently play some games with adding some, taking some away, multiplying, exponents and negative numbers. Those seem to be very intuitive and easy for young kids to get with blocks. If she already is enjoying math, keep it a fun game rather than a chore. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [The thought flashes through my mind, "Perhaps Horizons Math K won't be a good fit for her when we start Kindergarten in July."] Â :lol: Â I had a similar thought this week when my 4 yo picked up one of his sisters readers and said "Look mum I can read this" and then read it and then read 7 more of them without a bit of help from me :001_huh: Â (I had just been planning in my head to start teaching him his letter sounds this week :lol:) Â Â But seriously, wow, I'm glad I'm not you - I am so not a mathy person :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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