Considering switching all my kids to MUS...

[PeacefulChaos]

I have one in MUS already and he's doing great.

I'm planning on putting Pink in MUS, also.

The only one using something different is Link - he's doing Singapore. He seems to do fine with it, and is learning well, but I'm not sure that the Singapore style (mental math involved) best suits him. Honestly, though, this is the kid that I think could probably learn any way we tried, so it doesn't really matter - he does get it done, just not the way I would do it or as fast as I would like.

I'm debating switching him to MUS as well, for a couple of reasons:

1. all 3 kids would be in the same thing, saving a little on cost (though Singapore is pretty cheap, so that's not a huge deal)

2. maybe MUS is a little more 'fun' than Singapore? Idk...it just seems a little less dry, since with Singapore we currently just do textbook, workbook, textbook, workbook, etc, with some mental math thrown in.

 

I've already bought some of the Singapore books for next year, but I'm not too concerned if I decide not to go with it - I bought them used and I can just resell them. I was also planning on starting some Life of Fred with him next year, just to give it a try.

 

Note: We switched from Saxon last year to Singapore (for Link) and MUS (for Astro) this year. I also don't want to be a curriculum-hopper, and I'm not 100% sold on switching.

I guess I'm just looking for some opinions. Thanks! :)

[Stellalarella]

MUS is not "more fun" IMO. And i don't see it as less expensive, either. it's going to be $65 per grade, right? The MUS blocks are also an investment, plus fraction overlays and decimal inserts.

 

However, i do like using MUS to teach math. I have 4 children using it right now. They enjoy doing math, so math is fun for them; MUS does not feel overwhelming or impossible to them.

 

We enjoy using LOF for enjoyment. They enjoy the story, discovering new things about the world, and doing the math.

 

Singapore has such a good approach and it has fabulous story problems. We actually use Math Mammoth (which is similar to Singapore) to supplement our MUS experience because MM has extra mental math practice and it has good story problems.

 

i think I would be tempted to keep one kid in Singapore so that I had the benefits of that curriculum on hand and use MUS for the other kiddos--also for its benefits (super clear teaching, uncluttered pages, concrete manipulatives, and helpful emphasis on mastering facts.

[PeacefulChaos]

$65 per grade but once we're reusing books it will be much less - like $20-25 per grade. That's where I'm thinking less expensive.

Idk, I just don't want Singapore to seem monotonous. textbook, workbook, textbook, workbook, etc, etc, until the 45 minutes of math is done.

Idk. Sigh... :tongue_smilie:

[Stellalarella]

Well, learning and doing math is work, which at times can be monotonous There isn't a way around that. i do see kids enjoying the work, though, as they learn, but that seems to come mostly at the end of a lesson and rarely during the lesson. :) For example, my oldest ds often has strong emotional reactions to his traditional style Foerster algebra 1 textbook--oh, my, and the complaints about math "taking forever," but then when he's done, out he comes with a big smile and swagger about he conquered it.

 

Singpore has such beautifully colored workbooks and textbooks. They are actulaly pretty neat-o. Oddly, though, I ended up being attracted to MUS because the pages were nice and boring and the layout was simple :)

 

I'm a MUS fan, so i don't think you can go wrong with it, i just like to add in more mental math type practice. :)

 

And as far as cost goes, we don't have the first couple of kiddos write in the workbook, but honestly, it is a pain. It would be so nice to have a workbook for each kiddo to use.

[PeacefulChaos]

Oh yeah, we'd do separate workbooks. There are some things I'm just not doing, kwim? Copying workbook pages every day is one of them. ;) :D

[Another Lynn]

I know MUS is great for some folks, but just wanted to throw out a couple thoughts to help you know if you're sure.....

 

Actually I think MUS can be monotonous because you're doing so many of the same kind of problems a lot of the time. Also, when you get to Gamma and Delta, the end of both books can be really daunting. Gamma with long multiplication problems and Delta, especially, with long division problems.... a whole page of long division without other kinds of problems to break up the page was enough to break whatever math fortitude my oldest had left by that point (4 years ago).

 

Also, I think sometimes emphasizing the conceptual before the application can bring greater confusion. Even my mathy 2nd born, did not appreciate the confusing lessons on double digit multiplication. I think he might enjoy it now that he's been multiplying double digits for a long time, but in the beginning it just made it harder to understand what to do. For some kids, learning the process, the "how," first can be more beneficial to understanding the concept, the "why," afterwards.

 

Just another .02. :-)

[Mom22ns]

Also, I think sometimes emphasizing the conceptual before the application can bring greater confusion. Even my mathy 2nd born, did not appreciate the confusing lessons on double digit multiplication. I think he might enjoy it now that he's been multiplying double digits for a long time, but in the beginning it just made it harder to understand what to do. For some kids, learning the process, the "how," first can be more beneficial to understanding the concept, the "why," afterwards.

 

 

We love MUS here and have used it for years. However, the above was a big problem for dd. I taught the lessons to her instead of using the videos becuase she found the focus on why not how very frustrating. She'd get done watching a lesson with me and get the why, but not be able to make the leap to get it to how. We'd have to work extra samples for her to get it. Me teaching so we did enough practice problems with the explanations made it effective.

 

Ds is finishing Geometry today and will start Algebra 2 Monday. Dd went half way through Algebra and switched to Lial's. She needed more problems and more challenging problems. She was just cruising by with MUS Algebra putting no thought or effort in and acing every test. It wasn't like that for ds though.