longnightmoon Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hi there, I'm looking for some math suggestions for my almost 6yo dd. We've been doing Rightstart and although I see the genius of it, I really hate teaching it. My dd is very mathy and has done well with the program but I think she favors more workbook style math. She is most excited when we can do a worksheet from RS, which are pretty few and far between. Plus, we just added a baby to the family and I need something for a while that seems a little more familiar, if that makes sense. Even with the scripts of RS, I feel like I have no idea where we're going half the time (not the fault of RS but probably my own non-mathyness) and if I dread it, it's not going to get done. The big caveat is that I'd love some recommendations that are very black and white and not too visually stimulating. We tried Singapore but there was just too much going on each page. My dd has ASD and we've found the plainer the worksheet, the better. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm all ears. Thanks so much in advance. Edie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) . Edited June 2 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Saxon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Math Mammoth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claluck Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I like Math Mammoth. Similar to Singapore but without color/ pictures really. (And you could even lessen it more by just printing in blank and white) There are no flashy pictures or anything really too much. It has all the lesson instruction in a box at the top for the kid to read and then practice problems. Sounds like saxon might work for her too. But Math Mammoth is pretty inexpensive if you just want to try it out and see if it works. Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eloquacious Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I would love Math Mammoth a lot more if it had half the information on any given page. We need more white space, definitely. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnmusic Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 saxon's pretty much frill-free, but you gotta be ok with the spiral format... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longnightmoon Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 Thanks so much for these replies. I've checked out the samples and Math Mammoth looks really good and affordable. Just a quick question about placement. We are almost halfway through RS B. Do you see any problems with starting with the Grade 1 1-B? Thanks again for all the replies. I really appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 no problem starting there. I started MM after half a year of K12 math and just did some review work for a little and then went to 1B. I also use Miquon math workbooks. There is little to a page, large font, and widely spaced. I kind of alternate them at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claluck Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I dont know much about RS but there are some placement tests on the Math Mammoth website and I believe there are scopes and sequence on there as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kagmypts Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Rod & Staff is as frills free as it comes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 MUS fits your description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I would love Math Mammoth a lot more if it had half the information on any given page. We need more white space, definitely. :( :iagree: We just started adding in CLE.... we might be fans... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longnightmoon Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 I will check out the placement tests, thanks! Momtoamiracle, thanks for sharing your experience. 1-B seems like a good starting point. I'll check out Miquon, too. Rod and Staff definitely fits the non-flashy category but I'm not very familiar with it. Would you recommend it for a child who is pretty intuitive in math? I'm not mathy at all and my dd seems to understand concepts in a way I never did. I'd love a program that can develop her intuition for math while being easy to teach and follow. Thanks again for all the helpful replies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Is MEP a possibility? It's free, and its worksheets are not flashy at all. I've only ever used it as a supplement, so I'm not sure how mom-intensive it would be as a spine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 The big caveat is that I'd love some recommendations that are very black and white and not too visually stimulating. We tried Singapore but there was just too much going on each page. My dd has ASD and we've found the plainer the worksheet, the better. I think MEP fits the bill. Some people find it confusing, because it's a bit different, but I think it's a nice combination of containing different ways to think of things with very step-by-step with skills-building. You can use their lesson plans, which have more meat than only the student worksheets. The graphics are extremely plain and low-frills. I mean, seriously. And you can see and use everything for free, so you don't have to pay anything to figure out if it looks promising. http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 For a math intuitive child I would think Math Mammoth or Singapore. MM being the simplest. We love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariston Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I'd love a program that can develop her intuition for math while being easy to teach and follow. Sounds like MEP would really fit the bill here. Its all black and white, and would be great for an intuitive child. I find the lesson plans very easy to follow, although I've always liked math so I can't speak from the perspective of someone who isn't as comfortable with it. I think your daughter would really like it. I find that my son is really engaging with the problems and with math in general, and that I'm just there to guide a bit. Its all free and available as pdf downloads online. Elena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariston Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 By the way I wanted to add that I was in a similar situation. I bought RS-A and was so excited but just could not get into it, never got it done, etc. Recently I just decided to abandon it and do MEP 1A with my 6 year old daughter. I am finding 1A is very easy for her so far, and I'm just going through it at a really quick pace until I find her right place. There are some great puzzles and questions in 1A, and some topics that are dealt with much earlier than in other programs, so if you do decide to go with MEP, I'd recommend starting at the beginning with a 6 year old and just moving at a quick pace until you find her level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longnightmoon Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 I've been gone all day and just read all these kind responses. Thank you so much! We will definitely check out MEP. I appreciate the suggestion and love that it's free, especially after spending so much on RS. Thanks so much to everyone for taking the time to respond. It's nice to know there are some good options out there that fit our needs. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 We love MUS. Don't be in a hurry to sell off your RS manipulatives. I only used it for one year (with my oldest), but we absolutely love the manipulatives and Math Games book. They can be used with any other program! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaquitita Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) Nm Edited December 13, 2015 by vaquitita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longnightmoon Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 I'm glad to know I'm not the only one to give up on RS. Holly, I will definitely hang onto the manipulatives. The place number cards alone have been invaluable and the math games have been a lot of fun. I've been checking out MEP and I really like what I see. I think I might try a Math Mammoth and MEP combination for the next few weeks. Thanks again for all the helpful replies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 CLE is pretty basic and it has worked very well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Another vote for MEP! I do need to use the lesson plans often because I'm not mathy either, but it totally makes senes when I read it, and both my dds love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 As a PP stated, MM has too much going on in each page. My DS was unable to write so much in such small, confined spaces and always complained and found a way to avoid doing MM because of that. I am not sure if this is an issue for your child too. If so, I think that MEP is a better choice for you. As for MEP placement, you can start as low as you are comfortable with (though my almost 6 year old started in level 1A and had no problems). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longnightmoon Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 As a PP stated, MM has too much going on in each page. My DS was unable to write so much in such small, confined spaces and always complained and found a way to avoid doing MM because of that. I am not sure if this is an issue for your child too. If so, I think that MEP is a better choice for you. As for MEP placement, you can start as low as you are comfortable with (though my almost 6 year old started in level 1A and had no problems). Thanks for your response! I appreciate your thoughts. My dd is much more aroused by too many pictures as opposed to the quantity of problems. For example, the Singapore workbook has lots of pictures with activities which were problematic, not to mention the colorful textbook. Worksheets with few illustrations and a linear format are best. You may be right and MM will be too much but I thought I'd try it since I was able to download some free samples. I'll definitely be giving MEP a try, too. I'm really thankful i have some free options to try things out before investing a lot of money again. I may be trying all these suggestions in order to find the right fit (I really hope not, though!). I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thanks for your thoughts! All the best, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 As a PP stated, MM has too much going on in each page. My DS was unable to write so much in such small, confined spaces and always complained and found a way to avoid doing MM because of that. I am not sure if this is an issue for your child too. If so, I think that MEP is a better choice for you. As for MEP placement, you can start as low as you are comfortable with (though my almost 6 year old started in level 1A and had no problems). Mine did too, and Math Mammoth is not the only program with this problem. MEP occasionally does not leave enough space, but there are copymasters with giant versions of most of the problems, so it could be used this way even for students with low vision or otherwise needing very enlarged worksheets. It's good to remember. Or they can be done on a black/white board at whatever size is desired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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