Math for Kindy & beyond

[Shelsi]

I need a new math curriculum for dd, 5. My 8 yr old has been using, and loving, MUS since kindy but I can see that it's not the right fit for dd. She also did not like Life of Fred - she had no interest in it at all.

 

She's more of a top-down thinker. She needs to see the big picture and then work backward from there. What kind of math curriculum is like that?

 

I also think she's likely to get bored with a mastery type program so I'm thinking a spiral program would be better for her. I know she's young right now but I don't like switching around math curriculum so I'd like to nail down what works for her now so that we can use that over the long haul.

 

Generally we try to stay secular but I'm ok with religious content in math. Also she doesn't seem to love nor hate the MUS blocks. I think she could be totally without manipulatives and that would be fine with her.

[serendipitous journey]

Have you looked at MEP? It's free and terrific, and progresses more-or-less spirally ... you could try her in Reception (designed for age 5) or Year 1 (often for 6yo). I understand that year 1A is terrific, year 1B is a bit bleh and you might want to hustle through it; the other years are very very good. MEP is certainly _not_ MUS! and I say that with great affection for both programs ...

 

If you want help or ideas for getting MEP going, post or you could PM me.

 

Another excellent option for that age is RightStart.

 

I think you are wise to try and find materials that fit; though mine changed a lot btw. 5 (when we used MUS) and 7 (now Singapore and various others -- he despised Singapore at 6, likes it okay now).

Edited October 28, 2012 by serendipitous journey

[kristinannie]

We use Miquon and Right Start math and LOVE them. They do rely on manipulatives though. Both programs are spiral.

 

She might really like McRuffy Color Math. It uses some manipulatives, but you do a lot of different things. I really liked it, except that it didn't teach math the asian way. That is the only reason that I changed.

[Shelsi]

What is the asian way of math?

 

I have never really researched math at all since MUS works so well for ds. I think it was our first curriculum pick when we first started HSing and the only one we still do today.

 

MEP definitely looks like something that might work for dd. Maybe since it's free I'll start there - esp since I'm particularly low on funds at the moment (moving in 1 week to a new state, sold our house at a loss, etc).

[Shelsi]

Also are there some good threads on here for MEP? I did a search and got ZERO results...I'm thinking the search function must be screwed up right now especially since, at the very least, this thread should have showed up.

[serendipitous journey]

Also are there some good threads on here for MEP? I did a search and got ZERO results...I'm thinking the search function must be screwed up right now especially since, at the very least, this thread should have showed up.

 

You are right, Search is funky right now. Hope the search for MEP isn't a victim of the board re-working; I did get results by doing a "mep math" Advanced Search, but none of the MEP threads I know about came up -- that is to say, MEP-specific threads, of which there are several!

 

I have only a moment, but will jot a few ideas. First: if you are low on funds, please do try this first! It is a phenomenal math program. I myself am dealing with a very accelerated, young child and have had some problems compacting MEP for him; but we do keep coming back to it. It is the only program I've seen that teaches, quite early on, the elements of math that mathematicians like! (they do not, for the record, love doing the basic operations -- they like thinking about patterns & how numbers behave)

 

Each lesson has three parts, and exists in 3 places on the MEP site: the lesson plans (for the teacher to work from), the practice book (for the child), and the copy masters. For young children it is often nice to have them work from the copy masters where possible, since it's much easier to write on than the smaller practice books.

 

You can print all of these out -- I would suggest finding a level you want to try, and printing not more than 1 week of materials at a time. Probably 1 day at first.

 

If you don't want to print, you can read over the lesson plan and the practice book/copy masters ahead of time. Then draw for the child whatever you need written or drawn for that lesson, on either big art paper or just normal paper. You can do one problem/page this way which sometimes helps them focus. When you present the lesson, have the lesson plan up on your computer and have the child work orally, with manipulatives, and with the sheets you made her.

 

If you are okay printing a moderate amount, I'd print the lesson plans (maybe double-sided, though I find single-sided easier to use) and you can wing the rest.

 

Some folks just don't like MEP. One boardie thinks it is over-"hyped" (her words -- she's quite insistent that MEP enthusiasm is hype!) and doesn't see what it is accomplishing. And at AmblesideOnline forum a member simply doesn't like working with it. So it may not suit. But if you are interested in seeing how it progresses, a look at the Year 6 problems should reassure you that it is VERY rigorous.

 

warnings:

1. I guess they have different printing standards/paper sizes in the UK, if you print out lines to measure they will be off. I think they're short. There's a way to fudge your printer setting to fix this but b/c of the search glitch I can't find it right now. So you'd be better off just drawing anything meant to be measured, IMHO.

2. Also sometimes there are a set of problems meant to be given to a whole class, not just one child: I often take turns with Button for those, or just give him a subset of them.

3. The full plans are a bit long for little children, though the activities are varied. We often run around between problems or just do another subject, then come back.

Edited October 28, 2012 by serendipitous journey

[serendipitous journey]

... do "Well Trained Mind MEP" from Google. Here are a few hits:

MEP Math Confusion

MEP Math

MEP Math Questions

MEP: I Just Don't Get It

MEP After Miquon

MEP or Math Mammoth

Has Anyone Used MEP for High School?

MEP to Supplement Singapore

MEP and Russian Math: How Similar?

If You Use MEP as Your Main Curriculum ...

Singapore US edition, standards, or MEP?

MEP Instead of Singapore?

MEP Year 7 as Logic? Year 8 as PreAlgebra?

[dereksurfs]

We did the same thing starting out with MUS with all three kids. While ds11 thrived with it our dds did not like it as much. Mastery was just too much of the same thing.

 

I then began looking for a good spiral program. After reading quite a few reviews we found CLE which was rated highly. So we gave it a try and both dds really liked it. We really like how it teaches the same concept using different approaches and provides plenty of variety unlike MUS. Although it is not secular we have not noticed a lot of religious content, though there is some. I have read from others who use it who typically use secular products. I think it just depends on the family.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Another plug for Right Start and Miquon. :-) Go look at videos on educationunboxed.com to get a feel for what miquon is.

[Shelsi]

Based on her reaction to the MUS blocks I think she'd be just as unenthused about the cuisenairre rods.

 

I printed out the first few lessons of MEP (level 1a, I think she's got reception stuff down) and we'll see how it goes this week.

 

I told her I had something different for math today and she got excited which I take as another sign that MUS is definitely not working for her.