Ruby Rose Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 My son is currently working through a Kindergarten math book a PS teacher gave me. So far it's mostly counting, what's different, writing numbers, etc. He seems to really get math concepts. He can do some addition and subtraction. I was looking at various math programs for K and they all seem a little under his ability. I saw CLE 1 and was thinking it might be a good fit even if he did it at a slower pace. I'm researching all this for late summer for our new school year. He turns 5 in 2 months and officially starts K after that. Any recs that don't break the bank? Any thoughts on CLE for him? Just to add, this he my child that wants to build robots, is into Legos, looks at a picture of a bear for phonics, and tells me what kind of bear it is. K-K-koala b-b-bear. LOL! He seems to have engineering tendencies as do many of his relatives. He's a awesome little handful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I don't know CLE at all, so I can't comment on its suitability. But given your description of him ... have you looked at Miquon at all? It might be a good fit. To get a feel for it, watch the videos at Education Unboxed -- they're free and are based on Miquon. (And if you want to keep it super-cheap and light, you could just get some cuisenaire rods do the activities from Education Unboxed.) Another option is Singapore Essential Mathematics A & B, along with cuisenaire rods. Very inexpensive and very effective. The A books start out very, very easy, but it ramps up quite nicely partway through A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhaddon Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Singapore 1? Or look at McGruffy math, I'm thinking about it for my daughter this coming year. I can't decide between McGruffy and Right start. I'm not much help, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 I hear people talk about Miquon but I don't get it. Is it a book, website? What about MUS? I used Alpha with dd but she is so artsy that she just wanted to play with the blocks and not actually do the work. Currently using MM 2 with her. Thinking about Primer for him since I have the blocks. ETA R&S looks good too. Thanks for the recs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 We are using RightStart, which is wonderful for all kids, but definitely allows young "mathy" kids to move forward without being limited by writing endurance. It is a pricier curriculum though, so it may not fit with what you are looking for. Don't under-estimate what a "mathy" kid can do even at a young age -- my recently-turned-six K'er has learned things this year that his typical-at-math older sister wasn't learning until 2nd grade! Be ready to take it at his pace and not be held back by what K'ers "should" be doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 I hear people talk about Miquon but I don't get it. Is it a book, website? What about MUS? I used Alpha with dd but she is so artsy that she just wanted to play with the blocks and not actually do the work. Currently using MM 2 with her. Thinking about Primer for him since I have the blocks. ETA R&S looks good too. Thanks for the recs. Miquon is a math program that introduces material typically associated with Gr. 1 - 3. I have found that can be introduced in K or pre-K because of the way it approaches math. This seems especially so for young children who are intuiting math concepts and who enjoy tinkering and building. Miquon encourages children to explore and discover mathematics. The primary hands-on tool that they use for exploring math are Cusienaire rods. The program has 6 workbooks that are deliberately ungraded (Orange, Red, etc.). Each workbook contains a whole range of topics. One way to move through the workbooks is as a typical workbook: progress through the orange workbook, then move to the red workbook, and so on. Another way that is particularly interesting for kids with an early math love is to follow the threads as a student becomes interested in them. So a student suddenly develops a passion for multiplication? They can start the multiplication thread in the orange book, and then follow it in the red book, and so on. There was a recent thread about using Miquon with a young student where Bill (Spy Car) gives a great explanation of how to dip into the program. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 Hmmm! So much to think about. Now that I know where to find the workbooks for Miquon I may try those. Wonder if they would bring back the fun factor of math for my 2nd grader? Right now math for her is hard and boring, which makes it so not enjoyable for either of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Hmmm! So much to think about. Now that I know where to find the workbooks for Miquon I may try those. Wonder if they would bring back the fun factor of math for my 2nd grader? Right now math for her is hard and boring, which makes it so not enjoyable for either of us. If you are leaning Miquon, I really recommend getting the First Year Diary and the Lab Sheet Annotations. The First Year Diary gives you a sense of what Miquon could look like over a year and what your role as an instructor/facilitator can be. The Lab Sheet Annotations help explain some of the pages -- especially helpful when you're faced with those initial pages of blobs and squiggles and wondering what on earth they're doing in a math book! :001_smile: Watching Rosie use Miquon methods at Education Unboxed is another way to see how you as a parent can use these tools. It's fun, but I believe it does require a couple of hours of time investment on the parent's part to read through and understand the approach. Plus a willingness to be playful with math. But did I mention that it's fun? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 One thing I need to learn to do is let them figure it out even if it takes awhile. I was watching Rosie's videos and I would have *rescued* mine sooner. Just be quiet Mom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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