Most meaty and FUN Kindy math

[Esse Quam Videri]

So excited to post on this board :hurray:

 

I'm trying to decide on K math for DD. We love SIngapore and I am looking for something just as conceptually sound, but perhaps a little more fun? Also, it needs to have manipulatives or clearly explain how to use C-Rods, money, and other things we would have around. SM Essentials does have directions and is easy to use... but DD just isn't finding it fun. I have seen and really like the Education Unboxed videos, I and know I could come up with my own games/hands on activities, but with everything else going on I'd really like something that lays it all out for me. It needs to be something that would transition well into SM as we will switch eventually. And I'm not too concerned about the price. I posted about this before but I wanted to post it here and add the poll.

 

If you've done different K math programs, which was the most meaty AND fun?

[ByGrace3]

Dd used Saxon 1for K and then switched to MM. Ds is finishing up RSA and it really has been great. A lot of fun and conceptually so sound. Or plan is to move onto MM from here but I wouldn't hesitate to go onto RS B if MM didn't work as well for him.

 

ETA: I would never use Saxon for K again. Took way too long each day and onceptually taught nothing. My dd memorized. I felt like we started math over when we switched to MM. I know Saxon irks for many, it just didn't for dd.

[newbieoftwo]

We have only used RightStart for a week but we are loving it. My DS did not like Singapore K or Miquon and I felt like I felt like I was spending more time planning games than playing them. DS would get frustrated with any worksheet even if he could do the problems with manipulatives. DS has asked for math everyday since we started RS A and I haven't planned anything :hurray:

[Esse Quam Videri]

ETA: I would never use Saxon for K again. Took way too long each day and onceptually taught nothing. My dd memorized. I felt like we started math over when we switched to MM. I know Saxon irks for many, it just didn't for dd.

 

 

Good to know! I don't think this is really an option anymore.

 

My DS did not like Singapore K or Miquon and I felt like I felt like I was spending more time planning games than playing them... DS has asked for math everyday since we started RS A and I haven't planned anything :hurray:

 

 

This is exactly what I am hoping for!

[2squared]

All my Kers start with RightStart A, and all three had a lot of fun with it. The older two still ask to play the K games when I'm working with my current Ker. The first time through Level A can seem a little disjointed, but about mid-way into Level B you can see where it's all headed.

 

My oldest will be finishing Level E this year, and I'm so sad to be moving on to something else.

[FromA2Z]

So far my 4.5 year old is enjoying it. I like that it is easy to follow and yet it is very flexible on how much time we spend on certain areas. I like how it uses different methodologies (visual, kinesthetic, and auditory) so that kids get a good sense of numbers. Then you can really tailor it to what suits your child best.

[LilBearsMama]

I'm trying to decide this same thing! DS adores math and he's surprising the daylights out of me with the way he's figuring out numbers. It seems he needs something challenging that reviews, ya know? But I need something that is easy to teach, not a lot of planning or a ton of figuring out on my end. Hands on is also great.

 

But it also needs to be something that's going to be friendly on my pocket book too. Right now we're mostly playing with C-rods and such.

 

I've been kicking around SM Essentials, Ray's Arithmetic, MM, MEP (which he doesn't seem to fond of at all and it's annoying me a little bit) and McRuffy Math. So far McRuffy is edging out ahead.

[lattedrinker]

I do RightStart with DS3, who is always begging to "do school." When I feel like he's not getting it, I go back and review until I think we're ready to move to the next lesson. I got it with the extra appendix package which has all the copies you'd otherwise need to make yourself (an extra $10 for Levels A and B), so there's not much prep. Each lesson has a list of the things you need, and I just keep all the math stuff in one box.

[Nart]

My son really liked Japanese Math 1A and1B textbook an workbook. I think they do a much better job of presenting concepts pictorially. You can get a Math Kit that goes along with the program for 35 dollars. It is filled with cute manipulatives packaged in adorable boxes. He just finished and now he is completing SM1b. There is a 35 page guide that has activities to do with the manipulatives that go long with the lessons. I didn't really like Essentials 1b so after a few weeks we dropped it and went to Japanese Math 1a.

 

Here are the links:

http://www.globaledresources.com/products/other/mathkitA.html

http://www.globaledresources.com/products/books/mathematics-international/index.html

http://www.globaledresources.com/products/books/dojinsha-files/KD-Take-a-Peak-Inside.pdf

[North Coast School]

We did Rightstart with DD last year (she was first grade, but is a bit delayed) and she enjoyed it to a point. When we made the switch to Singapore, she "turned on" to math.

 

So DS is getting Singapore's Early Bird Kindergarten. Love, love, love Singapore and will never use another curriculum again.

[Esse Quam Videri]

My son really liked Japanese Math 1A and1B textbook an workbook. I think they do a much better job of presenting concepts pictorially.

 

Here are the links:

http://www.globaledr...r/mathkitA.html

http://www.globaledr...onal/index.html

http://www.globaledr...Peak-Inside.pdf

 

This looks awesome, even for the older grades! I love the "If you don't understand, go back to..." prompts at the bottom of the page, and the concrete pictoral concepts. Why did you end up switching to SM?

Also, would you consider 1A Kindy?

[Nart]

I skipped most of SM Essentials kinder B and went right to 1A in both Japanese Math and SIngapore Math. I also sometimes do Miquon Orange and Red. We alternate for extra practice learning number bonds and math facts. Japanese first grade Math covers 2/3 of first grade of Singapore Math. If your kinder child can write numbers 1-10 I would just skip Essentials and go right to Japanese Math 1A. Here is a link to the Teacher Manual for the Math Kit. It is fun, the manipulatives are fantastic, and the drawing in the Japanese textbook and workbook are hilarious. My son loved to study them. For example, in a picture of a children holding up a number cards for a math problem, some kids are smiling and one kid who is holding the wrong number is sweating. And most importantly the concrete pictorial pictures truly are much better in the Japanese book.

 

http://www.globaledresources.com/resources/teachermanuals/MathToolKitManualv5S.pdf

[Esse Quam Videri]

This honestly looks really good... I think I may go for it. Do you know if there is any way to get the workbook in PDF as well?

[Esse Quam Videri]

LOL, so although it doesn't really fit the description of what I was looking for in the OP, I went ahead and ordered only the workbooks for Level 1. I found some fairly comprehensive reviews on old threads, and the Scope and Sequence of 1A looks perfect for where she is at right now. I think I will make my own manipulatives for this program, and keep using C-rods and Education Unboxed videos. But the color pages, the large, bold font, and the heavy emphasis on pictoral concepts is just what I was missing in Essentials. Thanks again for the rec!

[Staceyshoe]

We are using a combination of Singapore and Education Unboxed (see link in siggy). Education Unboxed is free, learning through play (using C-rods), and is wonderful if you have a visual learner.

[Nart]

It might be too late if you already ordered the workbooks, but I strongly suggest buying the manipulative kit that goes along with the Japanese math program. It was, and continues to be, really, really useful. We also use C-rods and a ten frame, but the magnetic yellow/white squares in the ten frame make it really easy to demonstrate making a ten, when you get to the chapter that involves addition and subtraction over 10. I didn't like the way SM uses random pictorial examples. So for example, there is a picture of 10 flowers in a bunch and 5 lose flowers. The student should see that it is 15. My son would count the bunch of flowers even when I said it is a group of 10. The skeptic in him said, "how do you know there isn't 9 or 11, why are there 10?" Where in the magnetic yellow/white squares, they fit in a tray of 10, so if it is filled it is always 10 - if two spaces are available, there must be 8 in the tray. It matches the most of the pictures in the book where the idea is to look and instantly see when there is a group of 10.

 

ETA: I found this other link of a paper on developing number sense. The last half has many pictures of the 1st grade math book. You can see that the examples of making a 10 to add or subtract to 20 involves using the yellow magnets and the 10 frame holder. This is the hardest concept for many kids (including mine) in first grade SM math (it is unit 6 in 1A) and many kids get stuck/ need extra practice.

 

http://globaledresources.com/resources/assets/042310-NCTM-Leer-and-Yoshida.pdf

[Esse Quam Videri]

Do you think this, this, or this would be similar? Global Ed Resources calculates shipping as 10% of the purchase price, so if I do order the manipulative kit I won't lose out on the extra shipping.

[Nart]

Do you think this, this, or this would be similar? Global Ed Resources calculates shipping as 10% of the purchase price, so if I do order the manipulative kit I won't lose out on the extra shipping.

 

 

Umm, really no, no, and no. The 20 magnetic yellow and white squares fit into the two sets of ten frames that are provided. Then there are 8 strips of a paper cut out with yellow ten strips so you can make 100 and then they have groups of 100. There are at least a couple of reasons it works so well. One is learning the number bonds of 10 are huge in Asian math. With the plastic ten frame that is included in the kit and the yellow/white magnetic squares you can any combination of 10 yellow and white magnetic squares in the plastic frame makes 10, 1 and 9; 2 and 8, 3 and 7, etc. So if you are working on the problem 28 + 5 = , then the child can build 28 with two strips of the 10's and 8 squares placed in the ten frame. At one glance you can see you need two more to make thirty, so you decompose the five into 2 +3 and turn it into 30 + 5. We also practice it with C-rods but then build two oranges and a brown. It is harder to see you need a red and then you switch the brown and red into an orange and the five has to be converted into a magenta and red. It is easier to see pictorially as well.

 

Then other great thing about the math kit is that it is really adorable. Think Hello Kitty cute in the little plastic boxes. One box has half hidden so you can play a game with the magnetic flowers to work on number bonds. Ex. if you have five total and you can see only two how many are hidden. There are also number cards, a magnetic board that has a 10 by 10 grid. Additionally, there are little flash cards with every combination of addition and subtraction grouped in four rings (add to 10, add to 18, sub from 10, sub from 18). I think it is worth the 35 dollars especially because of the free math tool kit manual.

[Esse Quam Videri]

Alright, I think I'm sold :p. Seriously, thank you for the thorough responses. I'm really excited to get started on this!

[LilBearsMama]

Oh, gee, thanks a lot! :p (No, seriously, thanks, lol)

 

Now I've got something else to to try and decide about! Here I was all set on McRuffy pretty much...

[marylandhsmom]

 

Umm, really no, no, and no. The 20 magnetic yellow and white squares fit into the two sets of ten frames that are provided. Then there are 8 strips of a paper cut out with yellow ten strips so you can make 100 and then they have groups of 100. There are at least a couple of reasons it works so well. One is learning the number bonds of 10 are huge in Asian math. With the plastic ten frame that is included in the kit and the yellow/white magnetic squares you can any combination of 10 yellow and white magnetic squares in the plastic frame makes 10, 1 and 9; 2 and 8, 3 and 7, etc. So if you are working on the problem 28 + 5 = , then the child can build 28 with two strips of the 10's and 8 squares placed in the ten frame. At one glance you can see you need two more to make thirty, so you decompose the five into 2 +3 and turn it into 30 + 5. We also practice it with C-rods but then build two oranges and a brown. It is harder to see you need a red and then you switch the brown and red into an orange and the five has to be converted into a magenta and red. It is easier to see pictorially as well.

 

Then other great thing about the math kit is that it is really adorable. Think Hello Kitty cute in the little plastic boxes. One box has half hidden so you can play a game with the magnetic flowers to work on number bonds. Ex. if you have five total and you can see only two how many are hidden. There are also number cards, a magnetic board that has a 10 by 10 grid. Additionally, there are little flash cards with every combination of addition and subtraction grouped in four rings (add to 10, add to 18, sub from 10, sub from 18). I think it is worth the 35 dollars especially because of the free math tool kit manual.

 

Nart, wow, I've never heard of this and am so glad I found this thread!

If I can ask, what are the cons to this program? And are you still using it now?

Thanks in advance!!!!

[AimeeM]

Son of a beaver.

I need to stay away from the forums.

Darn you all.

:p

[Okeychowie]

Do you know if the Japanese math program is sold anywhere else. I went to the website and everything is sold out.

[ErinE]

There are PDF files...

 

http://www.globaledresources.com/products.html#math-elementary

 

Runs away from the thread because I'm content with our current math...

[Wabi Sabi]

I just bought Mathematical Reasoning for my dd to use for kindergarten with the plan of moving into Math Mammoth for first:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-ReasoningTM-Level-Doug-Brumbaugh/dp/0894558846/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370528165&sr=8-1&keywords=mathematical+reasoning+a