Does anyone use the Math Mammoth dark blue series as their main math curriculum?

[mo2]

I am considering using the Math Mammoth dark bue series as our main math curriculum. I have a child who does better if she masters one topic before moving onto another, without jumping around. I believe the dark blue series and the light blue series contain the same worksheets, just are organized differently; is that correct? I was just wondering if anyone else chooses to use the dark blue series instead of the light blue (graded) series.

[Rasa]

We create our own curriculum from Math Mammoth Blue series. We like the flexibility of choosing the topics to study as opposed to "doing the next page." My son likes to provide his input to the curriculum design -- "I want to study negative numbers!" "Let's learn about millions and billions next!" It lets us connect math with life and books we happen to be reading. However, you have to realize that the worksheets in the Blue series often span several grade levels in a single book, and occasionally my son finds the last few pages of a book a bit frustrating, if the proposed methods stretch the limits of his intellectual maturity. He then solves the problems in his own way, using manipulatives, if necessary. We do other math activities regularly (Zaccaro's Primary Grade Challenge Math, various Family Math-type activities, Right Start-type math games), but I would consider Mammoth Blue to be our core. It works for us.

[mo2]

Thank you. I was thinking we would work on one topic until it got too difficult, then switch to a different topic for awhile, coming back to the other later. She has a suggested order of study for the blue series on her website, so that helps with planning too.

[Hunter]

bump

[skueppers]

I used to do this. No particular reason we stopped; my daughter asked to change things up and I saw no reason not to.

 

I used the table of contents from the light blue series to figure out a good order of study for her; the section names were the same between the light blue and the dark blue.

[Miss Tick]

I do that for one of mine. It may have been a mistake on my part originally, but it is working out. I sort of shuffle 2 or 3 topics together, but the method you are suggesting for your dd would work well - better, actually, since that us how it is designed. I need to be able to circle back once in a while to remind/reinforce topics like time.

[Hunter]

I think I ended out with the dark blue, because there was a freak mistake sale where all of the books for grades 1-3 were on sale for 99 cents. Then it was SO much cheaper to just pick up the 4-6 package when it was on sale, instead of investing in the entire light blue.

 

Right now I'm thinking I prefer the flexibility of the topic based workbooks, after spending so much time reading through vintage math books this past year. I kinda have a set scope and sequence in my head now.

[dauphin]

I think for your purposes it would be a good fit, then. I didn't have a good idea of math scope/sequence at the time so it frustrated DD a little more than it should have (any one topic included problems too easy or too hard or both and I didn't know where exactly to prune....)

[Hunter]

I think for your purposes it would be a good fit, then. I didn't have a good idea of math scope/sequence at the time so it frustrated DD a little more than it should have (any one topic included problems too easy or too hard or both and I didn't know where exactly to prune....)

 

I know what you mean. Even if we decide that we are going to make 5 or 6th grade the big fraction year, what easier problems do we want to do earlier, and which more difficult ones do we want to save for later years. But often this answer is at the developmental level of the student, and really needs to be decided on a case by case basis, and is actually easier in a topic based curriculum that a spiral one.

 

It gets messy no matter what we choose. Ugh!

[susankhan]

Hunter email me plz.   :)  

 

susan khan  

[silver]

I use the dark blue series. I look at the light blues TOCs for a general order of the arithmetic focused books and to see what sections of things like clock, money, measuring, etc. go with which grade. I don't do the exact same order as the light blue, though. The light blue seems to have a lot of arithmetic in a row--and that would make my kids hate math to not break it up with the non-arithmetic books.

[mamahammer]

I'm so glad to read this! I bought the Blue series on sale and decided to switch to it for all of my kids,but didn't know if I should purchase the light blue now, too. Yea!

[mymomtime]

This made my day. And saves me money. Thanks.