Using 2 math programs at the same time

[momma2three]

It seems like so many people here supplement math programs, or even full out use two at once, and I'd like to know how you do it. The various different ways I can think of are:

 

- Concentrate on one curriculum and pull out pertinent worksheets from the other. This seems like a lot of extra work for me, because I will always have to be reading through the 2nd curriculum to see what looks similar.

 

- Concentrate on one curriculum and pull out pertinent lessons and worksheets if there's something DD isn't quite grasping. But which curriculum? And is picking and choosing from a well-planned curriculum which is presumably designed to lead somewhere going to bite us later when we didn't follow the proper path?

 

- Alternate days/weeks/units? Would this interrupt the flow? Presumably one concept runs into the next in a math curriculum, so if suddenly you're presenting something totally different, would it through a kindergartener off?

 

- Go all the way through the grade level in one curriculum, and then all the way through the grade level in the other? Seems like taking a big step backwards would be disheartening for a kid.

 

- Do both lessons every day? Seems like a lot, but really it takes us about 15 minutes max (sometimes less) to do an entire MEP lesson, so it's not like doubling that is going to be working her to death.

 

Something else?

 

I guess everyone else has figured this out for themselves, but I'm a planner and so I'd like to know if something works well for you, or something decidedly didn't work.

 

FWIW, we've been using MEP, and overall it's going well, but I don't think that it explains things as clearly as I'd like. I also wanted to try a mastery program, and MEP spirals like crazy. So I bought MM and I'm just waiting for it to come.

[anmom]

We do a lesson from each Curr everyday and then also use dreambox learning too. Might seem like overkill but we are a mathy family :lol:

[HiddenJewel]

- Do both lessons every day? Seems like a lot, but really it takes us about 15 minutes max (sometimes less) to do an entire MEP lesson, so it's not like doubling that is going to be working her to death.

 

 

What level of MEP are you using? Using just the worksheets in Level 2 took about 15 minutes but when I added the teacher guide back in it was definitely longer. (But I am very glad I added the TG back in as it does make a big difference.)

[momma2three]

We do a lesson from each Curr everyday and then also use dreambox learning too. Might seem like overkill but we are a mathy family :lol:

 

We are actually doing DreamBox too, but I wasn't really counting that because she can use that as she wishes. We only just got it, but I assume it will be like her Reading Eggs subscription where she goes a month without touching it, and then leaps forward and does a ton of stuff all at once.

 

Can I ask which curricula you're using?

[momma2three]

What level of MEP are you using? Using just the worksheets in Level 2 took about 15 minutes but when I added the teacher guide back in it was definitely longer. (But I am very glad I added the TG back in as it does make a big difference.)

 

We are still on Year 1. We started doing Reception this year, and she whipped through it a lot quicker than I had planned. So I figured we may as well start Year 1. We're about 1/3 of the way through it. Level 1 has a lot of looking at the posters and counting the bunny rabbits... and it's obviously designed so that every student in the class can count something so the teacher can make sure all the students grasp that. I know that she can count to 4, so we whip through the script pretty quickly.

 

I definitely assume that it will pick up as we get into the curriculum... but we're only on 4 and I assume we have at least 6 more numbers to go at this speed!

[Chrysalis Academy]

I had to pick obligatory other, because I use one main math program, all of it (MM), and a second program, all of it (Life of Fred), and we do both of them 4 days a week, but I can't say I give them equal weight - Fred is definitely a fun, interesting, conceptual supplement, while MM is our main program. I use TT on the 5th day, for extra practice and when I'm not available to teach. I don't do every lesson in TT, but we do those where I think she'd benefit from seeing things a second way, or think she needs practice. But TT is so spiral, it's really just a way of reviewing everything that has every been covered - the lesson doesn't really matter that much, it's just a fun way to do computation practice.

 

And no, in retrospect, I don't think it was worth the price for that!! I should have saved my pennies and just used Khan or something else for practice. But I bought it, so I'm using it, gosh darn it!!

[boscopup]

I'm mainly using other math programs to put off algebra a little bit (teeny tiny bit), giving my son enough maturity to be ready to tackle harder problems, write from a textbook, etc. We're using Singapore 4B and Beast Academy 3A. I do Singapore 3 days a week (usually 2 lessons at a time right now because it's an easy topic) and Beast Academy 2 days a week. We also throw in Life of Fred now and then for fun.

 

By doing this, we're going deeper into 3rd grade topics than we've gone in other math programs, we're getting more challenge (from BA) while still having some easy days (Singapore). On the days we do Singapore, I also do IP or CWP, so those require a little more thinking, but I think BA is harder.

 

If my son were working at grade level in math, I'd likely pick a program I believe to be complete and just do that through grade 6. My top picks would be Singapore, Math Mammoth, and CLE - depending on what my child did best with.

[anmom]

We are actually doing DreamBox too, but I wasn't really counting that because she can use that as she wishes. We only just got it, but I assume it will be like her Reading Eggs subscription where she goes a month without touching it, and then leaps forward and does a ton of stuff all at once.

 

Can I ask which curricula you're using?

 

 

We use horizons and mm

[MeganW]

We are doing RightStart & Miquon. I began by trying to align them perfectly, and it was a complete nightmare.

 

Now, if we are at home, we do a RightStart lesson, and if we are schooling in a therapy office, we do Miquon. (The C-rods are significantly easier to take along than all the RS manipulatives.)

 

In my ideal world, we would see everything first in Miquon, then in RS, but that just hasn't worked out. At times we are further in RS, and at times further in Miquon, and I try not to worry about it. It's OK to learn something from a different angle!

 

My kids LOVE it when they "trick me" and notice that I am "re-teaching" something that they already saw in the other program.

 

One of my kids NEVER gets it on the first exposure. She is just NOT mathy. She has to marinate on it. Inevitably, she is totally confused by Miquon, then a repeat exposure a week later either via Miquon or RS will make sense. If she only did one program, she would be annoyed with the rework. This way, I can have her hit the material the number of times she needs, and several different ways so something will stick, without her recognizing that she is doing the same thing over and over.

[MeganW]

PS - I don't know about your kids, but if my kids took 3 months off from math in the summer, I would probably have to start over. Given that we plan to do at least reading, handwriting, and math through the summer, it is easy to finish more than one program in a year even if you only do one lesson a day. We even started over several months in (just b/c I felt like we were getting lost) and will still finish both in a year.

[serendipitous journey]

We're living in Primordial Math Chaos right now, evidently! MEP, MathUSee, LoF, some Singapore, Can You Count in Greek? and other general supplements, &c. I keep coming back to MUS as our spine: it has been quite doable to adapt it to Button, who is accelerated and requires me to adapt things to a young child. MEP I really like for the depth/intuition-building, but Button's skills seem to stall and it's hard for me to accelerate it so I end up interjecting it into other things. We tried Singapore; it isn't the best fit for us -- too visually complex, among other things -- but I really like their rapid math speed drill book and may keep incorporating that. And Button's just gotten really happy with LoF but definitely needs more teaching for skills.

Edited April 6, 2012 by serendipitous journey

[zarabellesmom]

I'm mainly using other math programs to put off algebra a little bit (teeny tiny bit), giving my son enough maturity to be ready to tackle harder problems, write from a textbook, etc. We're using Singapore 4B and Beast Academy 3A. I do Singapore 3 days a week (usually 2 lessons at a time right now because it's an easy topic) and Beast Academy 2 days a week. We also throw in Life of Fred now and then for fun.

 

By doing this, we're going deeper into 3rd grade topics than we've gone in other math programs, we're getting more challenge (from BA) while still having some easy days (Singapore). On the days we do Singapore, I also do IP or CWP, so those require a little more thinking, but I think BA is harder.

 

If my son were working at grade level in math, I'd likely pick a program I believe to be complete and just do that through grade 6. My top picks would be Singapore, Math Mammoth, and CLE - depending on what my child did best with.

 

I am stunned... I can't believe I am the only one using just the one curriculum.... We use Singapore. DD (6) just finished 2B and I just ordered Beast Academy in an attempt to find a challenge that would slow her down. But wait... We aren't really using just one... You have reminded me that we play with Life of Fred. I guess that counts too. See there, I have more than one as well.

[Mommy_of_4]

I use Horizons, Singapore and Math Mammoth with DS. Partly I do it to slow him down some. He does Horizons everyday and one lesson from either Singapore or Math Mammoth. Sometimes he does all 3!

[Mommyfaithe]

We use <GASP> 3 math programs right now...but NOT together...oh, maybe 4.....ummmm. My kids need lots of variety and repitition.

 

I use one program until we get stuck....then pull out a different one and review....then when we get sick of that we either go back to the first...or pull out the 3rd depending where we are at. Then on Fridays, we do Life of Fred for an hour or so.....

 

Right now we are using

CLE Math for all 3 younger kids ( both boys are on break from this until September

 

Abeka Math for ds8

BJU for ds 9

LOF for all 3

Some Singapore

Some Miquon

Lots of manipulative

EMC Daily word problems

Lots of Math games on the iPad and PC

[stripe]

I am stunned... I can't believe I am the only one using just the one curriculum....

 

You're not the only one. There are likely dozens of active members on here who use only one. They might not post in this thread, though.

 

I have different strategies. Usually I do different things (whatever is an extensio or new topics, not just a repeat) after finishing say, one term or one year's work. Also I try another approach for problem concepts.

 

I also have lots of recreational math books ; my son reads a lot of these independently, so I don't consider them a curriculum.

[MeganW]

I am stunned... I can't believe I am the only one using just the one curriculum.... We use Singapore. DD (6) just finished 2B and I just ordered Beast Academy in an attempt to find a challenge that would slow her down. But wait... We aren't really using just one... You have reminded me that we play with Life of Fred. I guess that counts too. See there, I have more than one as well.

 

I would venture to say that the VAST majority of homeschoolers are only using one program! I intended to use several after reading on here about people seeing the benefits of their kids looking at problems from different angles due to using several programs.

 

I thought I would create these little math wizards who didn't just "plug and chug" like I did in school. I have one little math wizard, 2 who are fine in math but not whizzes by any stretch, and one who needs exposure several different times several different ways to even begin to grasp the concept. :)

[Jess4879]

Choice #3 made me giggle! I had to choose other though. Aside from using some MM units to help us with a couple tough-to-grasp topics, we have only really focused on one curriculum. Next year will be our first full year of using MM and Jump. I will be paying attention to see how others make their combos work!!

[HiddenJewel]

And no, in retrospect, I don't think it was worth the price for that!! I should have saved my pennies and just used Khan or something else for practice. But I bought it, so I'm using it, gosh darn it!!

 

The nice thing about TT is that is has a great resale policy.

[Chrysalis Academy]

The nice thing about TT is that is has a great resale policy.

 

true dat. I keep trying to decide if I will actually use it with dd5, some day . . . but now that Beast Academy will be out ahead of her time, I sort of doubt it.

[SebastianCat]

We use Horizons. My math-y DS loves it and is doing very well with it by itself. I've contemplated buying LOF for him, and if I can get the Fractions book used, I'll give it to him just for fun.

 

My non-math-y DD began struggling with anxiety over math this year, so we started supplementing with a much lower level of MUS. She's flying through the MUS Alpha, and will move on to beta in the next couple of weeks, which we'll continue through the summer. I will probably switch her permanently to MUS.

 

I've considered using MM to supplement, and might need to do that in the future for DD, but I don't *think* we'll need to do more than one math curriculum long term.

[Woodhaven]

I haven't read the other replies.

 

We use Singapore as our "main" math. For the K - 3rd years I suppliment with Miquon. Then around 4th or 5th my kids do the "Key to..." books along with Singapore. My oldest is using Singapore DM and sometimes uses Khan academy for further explination.

 

We like math around here too! :)

[fraidycat]

I didn't answer the poll because I'm not doing any of the answers you've provided...yet. I will TRY to use two, giving equal weight. We'll see how it goes. However, I won't even try to line them up - I don't think it'll be possible. I'll work through each as an independent curriculum and let each one do what it does best.

 

They will be MM and BA.

 

Oh, and we do a third one...kind of. LOF as bedtime stories.

[KirstenH]

We just use Singapore. We do add the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems. Maybe that makes a difference in feeling like it's "enough."

[In2why]

I use TT, but then I supplement with MM. It is easy to do because it is a PDF and cheap. I don't use the all of MM, just certain pages for more review. Next year we will use TT and LOF. Oh and I also have Singapore's CWP's. I only planned on using one math program, but since I already had the materials it was easy to get in the habit of mixing them up.

[kolamum]

I'm not being Cheeky, but I did vote for "other", & here's why:

 

1. We use Saxon {middle years} as our main math, but i did have my eldest using some LOF. I got very angry with a couple of things in the curriculum so we haven't picked it up again in a long while. I should, but I'm still ticked.

 

2. We don't have another curriculum, but we do use other means to learn math in. Games, Books, etc. It's what I dub "Living Math" but I have no set anything for it.

[blondeviolin]

We have used both MEP and SM as our spine. When one seems to not fit as well, we jump to the other. This allows things to sink in and she's still doing other math. We also play around with miquon...she's finished the orange and red, but is not ready for green and blue. And she loves her some LOF elementary (though it is more like a read aloud than a math curric at this level).

[LMD]

I use Singapore, Miquon & Beast Academy. I spend 1 lesson a week with Miquon, 2-3 lessons a week with Singapore, and 1-2 lessons a week with Beast Academy.

 

Singapore is our main curriculum and we mostly go through it completely as written. Miquon I pull bits and pieces from, I don't worry about lining up topics, we just work our way through. Beast Academy we are working through because DD enjoys it, before BA I'd do a living maths lesson. I'm also not worried about lining up grade levels per year, we have no testing or portfolio requirements, my children are ahead & thrive on the challenge, so we just enjoy ourselves.

 

:)

[cactus flower]

Miquon in the morning, and MEP in the afternoon. We do Singapore IP and CWP 2 or 3 times per week. We also do lots of measuring while cooking/baking.

[Joyofsixreboot]

We concentrate on CLE and then just do 2 or 3 pages of MM a week for ds and as much as she wants for dd who likes math.

[SilverMoon]

My kids use more than one. I don't make any attempt to line up concepts or the amount of time/lessons spent in either, unless we're digging out a different one for extra practice of a particular concept. Those moments are spontaneously added as needed.

 

I try to keep their core course appropriately challenging, and that's the only math I enter in my planner. We have "other math" days about once a week, where we pick up the book or load the website and just do what comes next. I like for the little ones to have an extra practice book they can do somewhat independently for those days no math lesson will get taught, and/or we're schooling away from home. Again, we just pick up the book and do what comes next.

 

I resisted adding extra math books for awhile. My really mathy kids pushed me into it. Changing materials around keeps their interest high, and stretches all of them, in a good way. My initial requirement was that it not add even more planning work for me; I have more than enough already. We've been able to pull it off successfully by just doing the next thing. (I do plan and actively teach all lessons from the younger kids' core math, and as needed for the older ones.)

[Tanikit]

We areusing MEP 1, SM 1a and Horizons. I give her a choice of two each day and do whatever she picks - MEP seems to get picked every day and she alternates with the other two often. We usually do one in the morning and one in the afternoon unless we have something else going on.

[Embassy]

I chose other. I use one main program (Singapore) and lots of other resources that I consider to be more supplementary such as:

 

Life of Fred

Hands-On Equations

Living Books

Tangoes puzzles

Xtra Math

Fractal software

Fantasy baseball

Math/Art worksheets

Cyberchase

 

Singapore and Xtra Math are used regularly. We cycle through the other things.

[momto2Cs]

No. I am obviously more decisive than you, and less distracted by shiny things on HSBC.

:lol::lol::lol:

 

I voted for using one mainly, and pulling in stuff from a second.

 

Our main math program is Math Mammoth. My kids like it, I like the clarity of it and the varying approaches used to solving problems. We also use Life of Fred for a differing approach.

 

4 days a week we do Math Mammoth. Once a week, we do LOF. In the fall, I'm looking at three days MM and two days LOF. At that point, I may try to line up lessons a little more, though I don't worry about it right now--we're just reading through the elementary books, and doing the Now It's Your Turn problems out loud. In the fall, ds will be starting Fractions, and then will be using Decimals & Percents, so I will try to pull topics from MM that go with that. Dd will still be in the elementary series, so I'm not sure if I'll worry about lining up topics or not.

[mamakimberly]

My younger daughter does her regular math (was Singapore, just switched to MM) every day. She also does Reflex Math every day.

 

We are also adding in Beast Academy at a slow pace on top of that. She needs the reinforcement in her math facts from Reflex Math and we can't give that up anytime soon.

 

My older daughter is doing only MM & Beast Academy.

[mama25angels]

We just use Singapore. We do add the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems. Maybe that makes a difference in feeling like it's "enough."

 

 

We just use Singapore also and I use the workbooks from Mastering Mathematics if he gets stuck and needs extra work on a topic.

[Greta]

We've used Life of Fred in addition to our primary curriculum. This worked out great because Fred is so much fun. So we'd read his adventures on Friday after she took her quiz or test in her main program. We were actually learning new ground with Fred, not just reviewing. Those books do a great job of introducing concepts, so we used them "ahead" of our regular work.

 

We haven't been doing that this year, and we both miss it. I think we'll go back to it!

[cloudswinger]

We use RightStart C and MEP level 2. I found them pretty complementary at the beginning, but RS doesn't go into division until D and MEP is starting division in the 3rd quarter. MEP also started with abstraction/algebraic thinking. We generally do one of each lesson, with the MEP as the worksheet of the day.

[Moniksca]

We use Singapore but pull out MM to cement certain topics or for more practice 4 days a week and do LOF on the fifth day.

[Mom22ns]

I'm an other.

 

We use MUS as a main program and use LOF in the summer. I can't say I give them equal weight, but we do complete all of both programs. Since the kids do LOF after the related MUS level, much of it is review and they move quickly. There are things that are taken from a different approach or word problems that they haven't seen before. That is the benefit in my mind, along with not letting them forget everything they have learned!

[Chelli]

We use both Math in Focus (2A) and MEP (1B) as our main programs.

 

We do both every day. It takes about 30-45 minutes.

 

I've heard the MEP gets more time intensive the higher you get, and I'm sure Math in Focus does as well, so we will probably have to choose one or the other at some point.

 

We also use Miquon on Friday for fun, but I consider it more of a supplement.

[bluemongoose]

DD uses Singapore, MM, and Miquon. Singapore and MM I alternate days without lining anything up. Miquon she does 2x a week. I did this to slow her down a touch.

 

DSs use Right Start and Singapore. Older DS needed hands on and younger DS is too young for school but wants to participate. They are working in RS A and will do a page from Earlybird A sometimes. In the future I plan to get older DS on only Singapore or MM with Miquon added in.

[thegirlwhopaintedtrees]

We do SM 2 to 3 times a week and Miquon and RS 2 to 3 times a week, so it is pretty equal, but I consider SM to be our spine. I do not line up topics. She gets Miquon sheets as warm ups sometimes on SM days, but I find the SM lessons of HIG, text, and wb wear her out. So mostly Miquon is done as a separate day. We just follow SM and RS in order, though I skip parts of lessons in RS when I know she has demonstrated mastery of the topic. My DD likes variety so this works for her.

[mommymilkies]

I use many math programs. Shiny is way too tempting to me. :lol:

 

 

We share fairly equally between Saxon and Singapore. We do those together on the whiteboard every day. Then we have TT and MM as a workbox supplement. Then we also pull in some MEP, Zaccaro, and LoF. My 7 yo uses RightStart math as her main program and we also do CLE and Singapore every other day as a supplement and in her workbox. She LOVES math and would only do math if I let her.

[MandJsMama]

I use two programs with my oldest, and will likely do the same when my younger one gets to that level. Right now, we do EPGY for Math, which is online, and the use Singapore Intensive Practice. Sometimes we do both every day and sometimes only one. I think it is easier to do two programs at once if one of them is computer-based. Next year, my oldest will be using ThinkWell online and then Art of Problem Solving. I want him to do both because EPGY and ThinkWell are very good in teaching the basics of math and Singapore Intensive Practice and AoPS are very good in teaching problem solving.

[Angie in VA]

I'm not being Cheeky, but I did vote for "other", & here's why:

 

1. We use Saxon {middle years} as our main math, but i did have my eldest using some LOF. I got very angry with a couple of things in the curriculum so we haven't picked it up again in a long while. I should, but I'm still ticked.

 

What made you angry?