Rivka Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 (As you see, my son assigned problem 74 an extra star.) I had a dream about Beast Academy, in which Alex was trying to solve a FOUR star problem. I am dreaming about a math book. I wondered if the starred problems would cause motivation problems, but it actually seems to reassure her to know going in that the problem is hard. That way, if she can't see the answer immediately, she doesn't panic. When she gets a starred problem without recourse to the hint, we make a big show out of noting that fact in the practice book. (For example: "no hint! easy peasy!") This is apparently quite an incentive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 I was mildly concerned that DD wasn't running around pointing out angles until she announced that her bicycle tires were full of triangles (formed by the spokes, although she called them pokey thingies) and that's why they don't go flat like Stanley. :D Today we tackle quadrilaterals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Great customer service from these folks! They just emailed me one. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 That's awesome FairProspects! I wonder if they'll put it up as a printable? We had our first Beast Academy lesson yesterday! So much for waiting until July... DD just could not wait. So we jumped in. It was really good, great level of challenge - I'm so pleased. DD tried to rush her way through but got herself stuck in the tracing acute paths, so she had to go back and really think her way through them - can't say how happy this makes me! :D She did a very typical nearly wanting to give up whinge because it wasn't immediately easy. Of course the starred one (#11) was the one she found easiest, she went straight for the little triangles in the corner without missing a beat. She announced her new angle skills to DH when he got home - retention? *tick* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabelneri Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I had a dream about Beast Academy, in which Alex was trying to solve a FOUR star problem. I am dreaming about a math book. BA is in my dreams too, but in my case I had triangles and quadrilaterals floating around, looking for their partners. The triangles were all female and the quadrilaterals were male. Definitely an odd occurance. Finding the shapes in the dots was tough! The tetronimos only threw Sweetie off for a little while. It's fun to see what their brains find easy and not-so-easy. Anyone else playing extended versions of the name-that-shape card game? Our cards (printed from the website) are on the kitchen table, and Sweetie likes to play them over meals. Dh suggested yesterday that we need to start noting on the cards what we're saying each time, so that we can't use the same descriptions in the future. Though honestly it changes most times... I think we've described the goalpost at least 8 different ways by now. It's even been a good use for our foreign language... Sweetie decided one day that she could say the forbidden words if she said them in French. We got a lot of French practice that day. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onaclairadeluna Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 When BA asked "What are some of your favorite images" the first thing that came to my mind is this image of Grogg on top of square dissections going on to infinity. But when I looked in the book, I can't find it. Am I losing my mind? Was it all a dream? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 When BA asked "What are some of your favorite images" the first thing that came to my mind is this image of Grogg on top of square dissections going on to infinity. But when I looked in the book, I can't find it. Am I losing my mind? Was it all a dream? Did I miss this? When/where did they ask about favorite images? I hope not Facebook. Please don't say Facebook. Don't wanna join Facebook... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poetic license Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Did I miss this? When/where did they ask about favorite images? I hope not Facebook. Please don't say Facebook. Don't wanna join Facebook... Yep, it's on Facebook.... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Yep, it's on Facebook.... :D Aw, come on! Well, DH is on there. I'll have to tell him to friend BA so we can get what we want on a t-shirt. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onaclairadeluna Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 http://www.beastacademy.com/resources/background.php?i=BG-GroggFall-1366x768.png And here it is. I didn't dream it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 My baby started saying "monomino." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Tee hee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onaclairadeluna Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 How's it going, folks? DD has gotten to the part in 3b where you really need to know big numbers. She has hit a wall and slowed down a bunch. It's taken her 3 days to do page 55 of the guide but it's really quite fantastic to watch. She had some number sense issues to work out. She wasn't even quite sure what 1000 was called. "a billion?" Anyhow she is still singing a happy song and has figured out how to do 81,000,000-1 (took her a minute). I still kind of wish I had gotten 3a. Maybe over the summer... How are all of your little beasts doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 So far, so good. We're going through slowly since DD is still finishing up SM2B. We're halfway through the polygons chapter in te practice book, pg. 20-21. So far, the terminology has been our biggest stumbling block. DD now knows poly=many, uni=1, bi=2, tri=3, quad=4 and lateral=side. We'll be working on pent, hex, sept, oct, non and dec this week. We haven't begun any formal latin study but she really needed to understand the roots for them to stick in her mind. Has anyone else's DC found the starred problems easier than some of the non-starred problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabelneri Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 We're stuck in the land of toothpicks. Everything else has been Ok, but dd can only handle 1 or 2 toothpick problems each day. Sometimes the starred problems have been easier. Sweetie had commented on it before we hit the toothpicks. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 (edited) We are moving rather briskly as BA has sparked an enthusiasm, and I've let other math drop for the moment. We are in the big block of Practice problems that follows the "Math Meet" section (about page 71 in the Practice book). This section on Area and Perimeter essentially replicates material we did in the Sample Chapter AoPS sent out for review. The good news is my son is still enjoying it the second time around. I think it is quite possible that the Guides will be something we may return to semi-periodically just to keep things fresh. One thing that made my heart leap this week was waking up very early to find my son sitting with his mother, with him teaching her how to find the greatest weight that can't be balanced by mutltiples of any two unit values of gram weights. It was very cute and he did a great job explaining the methodology of using the number chart for problem solving. I dig this, as (to my mind) nothing shows you've understood something quite so well as being able to teach someone else. And the fact that he is interested enough to share what he is learning is a very positive sign. Loving BA! Bill Edited April 6, 2012 by Spy Car Typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garddwr Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 One thing that made my heart leap this week was waking up very early to find my son sitting with this mother with him teacher her how to find the greatest weight that can't be balanced by mutltiples of any two unit values of gram weights. It was very cute and he did a great job explaining the methodology of using the number chart for problem solving. I dig this, as (to my mind) nothing shows you've understood something quite so well as being able to teach someone else. and the fact that he is interested enough to share what he is learning is a very positive sign. Loving BA! Bill That's a great testimonial! We haven't officially started yet--we've had the books for about a week but I'm trying to push through and finish another book we are working on so we don't have more than two programs going at a time. 6 and 8 year olds have been found arguing over whose turn it is to read the guide books, though, so that aspect at least is popular here. I'm planning to start working systematically through the program with dd8 as soon as we finish up with the other text. I may do portions with DS6--I think he's actually the more math intuitive of the two, but he doesn't yet have the prerequisite experience to pass the pre-test. I haven't actually done a formal math program with him at all yet (I prefer more informal exploration of concepts for young kids), but he sometimes chimes in when I am working oral problems with dd8--and frequently gets the answers faster than she does. Dd8 is generally more verbal than mathematical in her thinking, so she may be a good test case for how well BA works for a not-so-mathy child. --Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 We are going slowly, we just did pg. 20-21 today in the practice book. It was very nice to see DD triumph today when she figured out the pattern in the starred question before I even had a chance to blink. A slight glimmer of hope that my math loving DD of old is coming back. :001_smile: Honestly, it probably would have taken me a full minute or two to figure it out because I am *not* mathy. And she had it in seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 (edited) . Edited April 6, 2012 by Rivka sorry, double post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 We wrapped up chapter 2 of 3a today. The method for finding the largest weight that can't be balanced by two specified weights is fascinating. Alex really enjoyed it. Is it silly to say that something "deepened your understanding of a hundred chart?" I know hundred charts seem so simple, but making charts in different configuration really, really gave Alex a deeper understanding of what a hundred chart is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Wow, you all are moving much faster than us. We are doing BA exclusively along with fact practice, but I've discovered that ds does great with the AoPs philosophy of fewer, harder problems (ds is a slow, deep thinker so I probably should have figured this out before now). We may spend an hour a day on math, and only cover 3-5 problems, but I still think he is gaining so much. I guess the bonus is that at this rate, I don't think we will have any issue with the next book being ready in time! As far as retention and application, I've never seen anything like BA with math. Ds told his piano teacher that his piano piece was an obtuse angle (the notes went down and then up in angular fashion) and the boys spent some significant time building Rosencrantz and Guildenstern out of legos. Ds also took all the triangle pages and passed several hours folding the triangles into different shapes. BA has really been a breakthrough in the way I teach math, and I suddenly understand what I should have been doing all along in terms of teaching concepts and not the next page in the math book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Wow, you all are moving much faster than us. We are doing BA exclusively along with fact practice, but I've discovered that ds does great with the AoPs philosophy of fewer, harder problems (ds is a slow, deep thinker so I probably should have figured this out before now). We may spend an hour a day on math, and only cover 3-5 problems, but I still think he is gaining so much. I guess the bonus is that at this rate, I don't think we will have any issue with the next book being ready in time! We're right there with you! Today, I didn't get to sit down with DS to work on BA, but he wanted to do it, so I told him to knock himself out. Well, he did the skip counting section, which is easy for him, but he skipped the tooth pick part of the previous chapter, and he got some of the polyonimo stuff wrong before that (did well, but missed some that we need to go over). So technically, we're still in chapter 1, though he's done parts of chapter 2. :tongue_smilie: We're working on it officially 2 days a week, and doing Singapore the other 3 days. That way he gets "hard math" 2 days and "easy math" the other 3 days. We should have no problem stretching out 3A and 3B long enough to get the other books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onaclairadeluna Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 We're working on it officially 2 days a week, and doing Singapore the other 3 days. That way he gets "hard math" 2 days and "easy math" the other 3 days. We should have no problem stretching out 3A and 3B long enough to get the other books. DD also likes to alternate between "hard math" and "easy math" however she tends to devour the hard all in one gulp. She will be happy to take a break when she finishes and do some easy math while waiting for the next books to come out. So far, the terminology has been our biggest stumbling block. DD now knows poly=many, uni=1, bi=2, tri=3, quad=4 and lateral=side. We'll be working on pent, hex, sept, oct, non and dec this week. We haven't begun any formal latin study but she really needed to understand the roots for them to stick in her mind. Has anyone else's DC found the starred problems easier than some of the non-starred problems? :iagree: The terminology has consistently been the hardest part for DD. That and number sense with big numbers. She just said to me that many of the starred problems are easier than the ones without stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Is my kid the only one not interested.... I thought my older will love it and also bought for my younger when she get older. my older just look at few questions, roll his eyes and totally not intrigued... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 Wow, you all are moving much faster than us. We are doing BA exclusively along with fact practice, but I've discovered that ds does great with the AoPs philosophy of fewer, harder problems (ds is a slow, deep thinker so I probably should have figured this out before now). We may spend an hour a day on math, and only cover 3-5 problems, but I still think he is gaining so much. I guess the bonus is that at this rate, I don't think we will have any issue with the next book being ready in time! I can't remember - what were you doing before BA? And how old is your son - "third grade age" or somewhere outside that? (Just curious.) We really flew through at the beginning because Alex wanted to do two lessons a day (morning and evening) and lessons on the weekend. That hasn't continued. :lol: In the skip counting chapter we've settled down to a nice rhythm of two practice book pages a day, but the geometry chapter was much, much more variable. Trying to do all five tetromino puzzles in one day would have sent me reeling, much less my kid! In that chapter we did a lot more skipping around, to spread the harder questions out over more days. As far as retention and application, I've never seen anything like BA with math. Ds told his piano teacher that his piano piece was an obtuse angle (the notes went down and then up in angular fashion) and the boys spent some significant time building Rosencrantz and Guildenstern out of legos. Ds also took all the triangle pages and passed several hours folding the triangles into different shapes. Yes, I know just what you mean! Alex has been really delighted to learn the names of many-sided shapes, like nonagons and decagons, and she applies those whenever she can. We have also seen some pretty amazing toothpick structures. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 We just started BA this week and my DD actually looks forward to math! She has to stop every few minutes to tell me something funny Grog did. The practice book is amazing, it makes her think. I love that it's not just a bunch of problems to be quickly done then forgotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I can't remember - what were you doing before BA? And how old is your son - "third grade age" or somewhere outside that? (Just curious.) We really flew through at the beginning because Alex wanted to do two lessons a day (morning and evening) and lessons on the weekend. That hasn't continued. :lol: In the skip counting chapter we've settled down to a nice rhythm of two practice book pages a day, but the geometry chapter was much, much more variable. Trying to do all five tetromino puzzles in one day would have sent me reeling, much less my kid! In that chapter we did a lot more skipping around, to spread the harder questions out over more days. Ds is 7.5, but BA came out at a good time right after we had our neuropsych testing where we learned he needed to be jumped in math problem solving difficulty. We were using MM previously. We are kind of on a different trajectory though because ds is dyslexic (aka my backwards kid). He would happily do tetromino puzzles all day as long as it is spatial, but will freak when we hit skip counting by rote as it runs smack into the LD. My guess is we may even out in the end, but I don't think we are a good judge of what is easy/hard for most users. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 We're using Beast Academy pretty slowly too. My second grader just finished SM2b and it seems about right for her... but it goes a bit faster than she's used to. Since we're in no hurry, I've been supplementing with other materials too (and finishing up CWP 2) and just taking our time with it... but so far she does enjoy it and wants to pretend she's a beast at the beast academy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 My son found errata in the 3A Practice book this morning (yes we do math on Easter :D). Page 79, Problem #57. There are Three regular hexagons, not (as the problem states) Four. My son hasn't been so happy since he found a couple of errors in MCTs Practice Island :tongue_smilie: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Un-freakin-believable. Ds just gave his 5 y.o. brother an entire lesson on monominoes, dominoes, triominoes, and tetrominoes using a Blokus game. I had no idea he grasped the vocabulary so well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) I had previously tried to stay out of this thread, since I wasn't sure what I was going to do with BA, but since I gave it, rather unwillingly, to a 5 year old, who has never seen these concepts, I thought I would chime in. DS is 5, and we finished up SM 1A a few weeks ago. I had ordered BA with the intention on starting it next winter, around the time we would have gotten to 3A in SM. Of course, I opened it the day it came, and while I was cooking, DS took it upon himself to get started. I asked him what he was doing, and he answered, "im counting the obtuse angles on this stop sign." :lol: He reads the guide and understands the concepts, mostly. However, the practice book is very challenging for him. He is sort of crazy in that he likes making himself miserable trying to figure things out, so I'm finding a balance of helping him enough for him to get through the pages, and letting him discover things on his own. What I have decided to do is skip to SM 2A and do BA concurrently. Edited April 11, 2012 by Runningmom80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Even after a week of spring break, we are nearing the end of 3a. Today we started the last chapter (area and perimeter), and sped through three pages of problems really quickly. I am concerned that it's likely to only take us 6 weeks to finish a book. At that rate, a whole year of Beast Academy would be only 24 weeks of math. How's your rate of progress, especially if you're doing BA exclusively rather than as a supplement? I will say that the level of engagement in BA is like nothing I've seen in my child before. The other day, my three-year-old announced that he cut his cinnamon toast into an obtuse triangle. My actual BA student has been making and classifying angles like there's no tomorrow. She brought me a bunch of wire lengths from her Snap Circuits set and quizzed me on whether various combinations of three lengths could be used to make a triangle. And we haven't even covered the triangle inequality yet! I guess I'd say that I am both thrilled and concerned with how BA is going here. How about you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 How's your rate of progress, especially if you're doing BA exclusively rather than as a supplement? Well, I schedule it like AAS, so we do about an hour of math, and get however far we get in that time. We are nearly at the end of Chapter 1, but we started a bit late, so it took us about 3 weeks for this chapter. At that rate, we would be right about average for scheduling, and assuming the other chapters go at the same pace (and they might go faster) we would be at 9 weeks per book or 36 weeks worth of math. The difference to me between BA and a "regular" math program is how long the problems take; we did 5 problems in a little under an hour today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 We are extremely eclectic unscheduled learners here. I never know what we are going to do until we do it. For math, I rotate among Right Start, Math in Focus, BA, Hands on Equations, and goofy/fun math like Times Tales and all the other supplements.. so we are 1/3 through BA 3A and I am happy with our pace. DD actually seems to have an easier time on the star problems which intrigues me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 How's your rate of progress, especially if you're doing BA exclusively rather than as a supplement? We have the last three problems on the last page of the 3A Practice book left to compete and we will be done. BA has pretty much crowded out all the other elements out of the "after-schooling" rotation, but we are just enjoying it too much! I will say that the level of engagement in BA is like nothing I've seen in my child before. The other day, my three-year-old announced that he cut his cinnamon toast into an obtuse triangle. My actual BA student has been making and classifying angles like there's no tomorrow. She brought me a bunch of wire lengths from her Snap Circuits set and quizzed me on whether various combinations of three lengths could be used to make a triangle. And we haven't even covered the triangle inequality yet! I guess I'd say that I am both thrilled and concerned with how BA is going here. How about you? I'm thrilled about how much my son enjoys the program. Instead of me asking him to go do a little work together, he is coming to me asking if we can do a little Beast Academy. He's also asking to do Singapore (for which he had lost some enthusiasm pre-BA. So for reingiting the spark of enthusiasm this is just what the doctor ordered! I would say without reservation that I'm thrilled. My only concern is that I'm unable to "ration" the use and knowing we will run out at some point. But until then, I'm as happy as a clam. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I am embarrassed to admit that we have only finished the first chapter in BA and then went on prolonged vacation. It took us about two weeks to get through the first chapter (at a rather relaxed pace). We are going to pick it back up today if I can bring my mind back to earth. BA is certainly a hit with my son. He was begging to take it with us on a ski trip. :confused: He doesn't even want to look at SM since it's so "boring" in comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 We are using it as an unscheduled supplement - ie, when we feel like it! :D We've only gone through the first 30 or so questions in the practice book and I'm thrilled - this program makes my DD STOP and THINK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Its great to hear how its going for everyone! I promised my younger that when he finished his latest LOF book, and MM2B (only 7 pages left!!!) i would order this for him. He's working double time! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 We have just started Chapter 2 this week. I think the geometry chapter was sort of difficult for my 8yo because, with many of the problems, she was just supposed to TRY things and see if they worked or mentally rotate/move things in her mind - totally different from the number manipulation she's used to doing in Singapore math. My 6yo is actually much more visual/spatial than my 8yo so she had an easier time than her older sister - but she is done with BA now until she finishes more of Singapore and Miquon. My 8yo is much more comfortable with the skip counting chapter! I noticed, though, that she was COUNTING instead of adding when marking multiples on the hundred chart. Ugh! Or she'd look at the visual pattern and just continue that instead of thinking about the numbers - taking the easy way out. It did make me realize once again how glad I am that we homeschool because things like that would not be noticed (or even worried about) in a public school setting. She'd get by just fine, doing the least amount possible, getting straight A's, but not truly understanding the material. For now we are using BA exclusively. I think it will be approximately a full year's worth for us, but I have plenty to fill in if it's not. I'm very happy with it so far. The comic book is still adorable and the problems are still at just the right depth and difficulty for my dd (who is more language-y than mathy and doesn't like to think hard if she doesn't have to). I read the comic book out loud to her (and don't let her read ahead) and I use voices for each character to make it more interesting. Lizzie has a stutter, Professor Grok sounds like Einstein, I'm working on improving my pirate (Irish?) accent for Capt. Kraken, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are British. It makes it more fun! I don't think my dd is as excited about BA as many of your children, but she does seem to enjoy it a lot. I'm working through AoPS PreAlgebra right now and I can see how BA is preparing kids for that. I don't think the PraAlgebra will be too much of a leap at all once we get there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefragile7393 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Will BA do any curricula for K or 1st grade some day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Will BA do any curricula for K or 1st grade some day? They're only planning grades 2-5. I assume K and 1st would be considered unnecessary by them? The contents of those levels can easily be done via discussing what you're doing at home, since it's basically just counting, adding single digits, subtracting single digits. They also sell those Kitchen Table Math books, which I'm sure more than cover those topics. If you think about their usual audience (math geeks), students likely to use the course probably figure out K and 1st grade math on their own anyway. I know my oldest son did, and my youngest is on his way. My middle son did not, though he's starting to figure things out on his own now that he has some basics down (counting and place value). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Late to the Party. Before Lent, I had never even heard of Beast Academy. Now I just checked the tracking note and mine is arriving TODAY:party: I can't believe I am this excited about MORE math. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 RunningMom or someone else, I saw that RunningMom's five yo was doing this. I *thought* I had a year before we were ready, but it looks like maybe not if a child can do it almost independently after finishing the first half of a 1st grade math program. Can someone please tell me what math they think it necessary that a child have down before picking up these materials? We'll probably use it as a slower going supplement rather than as the main math program since my kids are so young for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 RunningMom or someone else, I saw that RunningMom's five yo was doing this. I *thought* I had a year before we were ready, but it looks like maybe not if a child can do it almost independently after finishing the first half of a 1st grade math program. Can someone please tell me what math they think it necessary that a child have down before picking up these materials? We'll probably use it as a slower going supplement rather than as the main math program since my kids are so young for it. There's a placement test for 3A. FWIW, my understanding is different, that most kids are not doing most of the practice book independently, not younger kids anyway. Still, there are parts that may be fun for younger kids, especially if you are available to sit with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nov05mama Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 There's a placement test for 3A. FWIW, my understanding is different, that most kids are not doing most of the practice book independently, not younger kids anyway. Still, there are parts that may be fun for younger kids, especially if you are available to sit with them. :iagree: My DS (6.5) and I read the guide together and figure out the 'stop signs' together. With the practice book (we are just hitting the balance section at the end of the skip-counting chapter) so far, he can do about half of it on his own. I usually help him with the first problem in the set to make sure he got the concept and then he will complete the rest on his own. They definitely need to be good at adding/subtracting and have at least some exposure to multiplication/division (not necessarily know all their times tables, but at least have the general concept down). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 I saw that RunningMom's five yo was doing this. I *thought* I had a year before we were ready, but it looks like maybe not if a child can do it almost independently after finishing the first half of a 1st grade math program. Can someone please tell me what math they think it necessary that a child have down before picking up these materials? We'll probably use it as a slower going supplement rather than as the main math program since my kids are so young for it. The guide (i.e., comic book) is really appealing and really well-explained, and I think would be of interest to a bright and math-interested 5- or 6-year-old. (Heck, my 3-year-old loves to look at the BA guide and is fascinated by the characters.) The math in the practice book seems pitched about right for third grade level or higher. I'm not in the "Beast Academy is harder than anything!!" camp - it seems easier than MEP to me - but the problems are an appropriate level of challenge for my child who finished MEP 2b and part of 3a. The level of math reasoning required is particularly notable. RunningMom will need to give her own thoughts on this, but I would be astonished if a 5-year-old who had only completed something like Singapore 1a could make reasonable progress through the BA practice book without a whole ton of parental scaffolding. IMO, the comic book format can make the curriculum seem deceptively light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 RunningMom or someone else, I saw that RunningMom's five yo was doing this. I *thought* I had a year before we were ready, but it looks like maybe not if a child can do it almost independently after finishing the first half of a 1st grade math program. Can someone please tell me what math they think it necessary that a child have down before picking up these materials? We'll probably use it as a slower going supplement rather than as the main math program since my kids are so young for it. My first grader is doing it but he has finished through SM 3A. Still, I need to be present during practice questions. We are early in the books, but I tell you SM sounds like a piece of cake after some of the problems you see in BA. It's not so much what they teach, but how they teach it. I think it requires certain type of maturity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 (edited) RunningMom or someone else, I saw that RunningMom's five yo was doing this. I *thought* I had a year before we were ready, but it looks like maybe not if a child can do it almost independently after finishing the first half of a 1st grade math program. Can someone please tell me what math they think it necessary that a child have down before picking up these materials? We'll probably use it as a slower going supplement rather than as the main math program since my kids are so young for it. My DS is not doing the practice on his own, just reading the guide on his own. We do the practice together. Sorry if my previous post was misleading. :) ETA: I re read my previous post and realize that I made it sound like I was letting him figure out the practice guide on his own. That is not the case. I was talking about math in general. He likes to try to figure It out himself, but with BA, he needs guidance. Edited April 20, 2012 by Runningmom80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 They definitely need to be good at adding/subtracting and have at least some exposure to multiplication/division (not necessarily know all their times tables, but at least have the general concept down). Actually the books do not assume any knowledge of multiplication. Skip counting is how they introduce the concept. It may make it easier if the kid already knows it, but I daresay that is true for the book as a whole, or any other. I think the first chapter of 3A is the hardest because it's so unlike what most math programs have done. That being said, there are other supplementary books (Burns, Pappas, the CIMT website's puzzle section) that contain the same type of material, but not most elementary math programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 My first grader is doing it but he has finished through SM 3A. Still, I need to be present during practice questions. We are early in the books, but I tell you SM sounds like a piece of cake after some of the problems you see in BA. It's not so much what they teach, but how they teach it. I think it requires certain type of maturity. The more I see posts like this, the more I appreciate MEP. :D I don't know if BA is technically easier than MEP, but it certainly seems easier to my daughter - maybe because she's more motivated to do it. Or maybe because, by the time she sits down to do a given practice book section, she's already read the related comic book section a dozen times. MEP requires similar reasoning and conceptual skills, so if you are planning to do BA, I recommend MEP in preparation. Multiplication is covered in MEP 2b and BA 3b, so you could skip most of MEP 2b if you were planning to go on to BA, but you'd want to add in multidigit addition and subtraction from MEP 3a/b instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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