Miquon math?

[PeacefulChaos]

I don't know much about it, and am looking to switch curriculum for both of my boys next year. (Not necessarily to the same one). They just finished Saxon 1 & 2 respectively, and I was planning on moving DS6 to MUS and DS8 to Singapore. Anyway, I was just wondering about Miquon from any who have used it. Thanks! :)

[lorisuewho]

You will get a lot of posts that tell you how wonderful and magical Miquon is for teaching number sense. People will tell you it is the perfect companion to Singapore.

 

Let me just be the first to say I despised Miquon. It was way too open-ended for me. We moved to Rightstart with the abacus and that made much more sense to me.

 

I'm not sure that you need Miquon if you are using MUS.

 

ETA: to add "and magical"

Edited May 18, 2012 by lorisuewho

[Spy Car]

I think Miquon is wonderful for teaching number sense and that it is the perfect companion to Singapore :D

 

In all seriousness starting with Miquon in pre-K was one of the best moves I've ever made. My child was drawn into math in an intriguing and hands-on way, I I got (and continue to receive) great lessons on how to effectively teach math to my child. I know it is different, and that it is not everyones cup of tea.

 

It does take a committed parent who is interested in their own math (re) education. For the right sorts it is magical.

 

Bill

[Dinsfamily]

I think Miquon is wonderful for teaching number sense and that it is the perfect companion to Singapore :D

 

In all seriousness starting with Miquon in pre-K was one of the best moves I've ever made. My child was drawn into math in an intriguing and hands-on way, I I got (and continue to receive) great lessons on how to effectively teach math to my child. I know it is different, and that it is not everyones cup of tea.

 

It does take a committed parent who is interested in their own math (re) education. For the right sorts it is magical.

 

Bill

 

:iagree: My kids refer to it as "fun math." We all enjoy it and they have learned a lot. For my very mathy ds, it has allowed him to explore more advanced concepts and discover things himself before he'd have been exposed to them in a regular curriculum. For my bright but not as mathy ds, it has helped him "see" the concepts. I can see how it isn't everyone's cuppa tea since it is far from traditional, but we give it two big thumb's up!

[lorisuewho]

I think Miquon is wonderful for teaching number sense and that it is the perfect companion to Singapore :D

 

It does take a committed parent who is interested in their own math (re) education. For the right sorts it is magical.

 

Bill

 

I forgot to add the part about it being "magical!" :lol:

[Spy Car]

I forgot to add the part about it being "magical!" :lol:

 

That's why we have an "edit" function :D

 

Bill

[slogan]

We use Miquon with Singapore. For some reason that I can't explain my dd (who is growing to dislike math) loves using Miquon. When she is stuck on something in Singapore we pull out the Miquon and it just makes sense to her.

 

But it is very time consuming to teach. Many of the lessons take a long time to figure out on my end, but they work. Since I can't devote the time and energy to use it as our main math curriculum we've only used it to supplement.

 

About Singapore... ds loves math and tends to think in very literal concrete terms and is doing great using Singapore only. It is presented in a way that is natural to him.

[happypamama]

I forgot to add the part about it being "magical!" :lol:

 

Lori, LOL!

 

My DD didn't like Miquon. She didn't want to play with the rods, didn't want to experiment, didn't want to look at the patterns. The "make up your own" problems didn't appeal to her at all.

 

My oldest son likes Miquon pretty well, and we're going to try it plus Singapore next year. He likes experimenting and stuff like "oh, see, this is really this plus this and if you add this rod, look what you get." He "gets" the patterns, and he does some of the "make up your own." I think Miquon actually encourages him to think outside the box (whereas for DD, she's already thinking so far outside the box that the box isn't even in the same room). I'm thinking of trying some of the early Miquon stuff, or at least just experimenting with the rods, with my little guy who will be four in the fall, as I think he'll like making staircases and stuff like that with them.

[LittleIzumi]

I'm using Miquon with my oldest. It doesn't really click with my younger girl ATM. But for my oldest (very visual & intuitive), it's perfect. I use it with MEP, because they have very different strengths. I had taken a little Miquon break once we finished the within-ten and early multiplication sections, and then pulled it out again today for the place value section, which is already teaching dd to think about it in ways she hadn't yet. (And then later she asked for work in "The Red Book." I had to tell her she's already done some today, only from the Green Book, since I have the pdfs from CurrClick and just printed it.)

[KristenR]

I have posted a few posts on my blog about our experience with Miquon. They might help you "see" the program.

[Violet Crown]

We're on our third go through Miquon with entirely satisfactory results. We're not Miquon cultists like *ahem* Some Chaps, and the first two times didn't even use the Sacred Rods. (We finally bought them for Wee Girl, who found them entertaining at first but soon refused to use them.) But we have abstract-minded children who dislike manipulatives and visual aids in general.

 

We did find it necessary to find other sources (currently SM workbooks) for practice problems, and we play plenty of math games. Think of Miquon as your introduction to finding math concepts everywhere.