Question for Beast Academy users

[specialkmom]

I was thinking of getting Beast Academy as a supplement to Singapore 3 for next year. But, as I was looking through it, I thought maybe it would be fun to do some of it (at least book A) over the summer to keep my son's brain in motion and give him a break from normal worksheets.

 

My question is, do you think BA can be used prior to SM3, or would it be better during or after? My ds works through SM pretty well and we do the IP at the same level as the WB with no problem. We also use a little of MEP for practicing skills/review.

[laf919]

I think you would be fine using it alone - we do - although I have never used Singapore, so I can't comment on the comparison. If you read the guide and then do the practice I think it'd be fine. One word of warning - the first chapter in 3A gets really hard for some kids - they go beyond typical 3rd grade geometry into work that really involves deep thinking and the ability to visualize how shapes fit together. There is lots of good stuff in there - and the explanations in the solutions section are priceless, imo, but be warned that not all of chapter 1 may be a fun summer treat!

[Alte Veste Academy]

In your shoes, I might do 3a at a leisurely pace this summer, then work through SM3 during the school year, saving the rest of BA3 for next summer. The reason I would do this is because BA's publication pace is slooooowww. They are putting out a new BA quarter year only about every 4 months. I'm starting to get strategic with its use for that reason alone. :tongue_smilie:

[Hedgehogs4]

I do BA with my dd7 as a supplement to MUS. I would just go for it. It is an exceptional and fun program, but it is challenging. It is definitely not a thing that I can hand to her and let her do on her own. I have to help her read it, then she solves the problems with me right there to help bump her back onto the path if she should get too stuck. The problems are challenging, but they are fun, and we sort of approach it like a game. Her big brother (age 11) gets involved too. We all love it.

[LMD]

I'd go for it, in fact, I did just that. We jumped in with BA 3A before starting Singapore 3a, simply because the BA books arrived and DD wouldn't let them go... We're up to BA 3B now, and I've mainly had DD work through the singapore IP/CWP and a few workbook exercises & reviews. It seems to be an excellent combination that we're both happy with.

 

She did find some of it difficult, but not in a bad way. It is great to see her challenged. Some of the difficult (starred) problems were quite challenging for me! :blush:

 

The only warning I would give is that singapore 3A is pretty easy afterwards!

 

Another option might be to let him just read through the guides over the summer, and maybe play around with some of the problems from MEP. Then he's had time to read, reread and let it soak in before starting.

[Greenmama2]

I think it would be fine. DD went from SM 2B to BA 3A. She's doing fine. I do agree that the first chapter can be difficult though. We did most of the practice pages and then moved on with the skip-counting chaper, filling in one undone geometry page here & there. It's worked well.

[specialkmom]

Thank you all, I appreciate hearing your experiences. I think we'll give it a try. At least it will be interesting reading even if we slowly work through some of the problems. My son really liked the samples of the guides.

 

I have a question for those who went on to SM3, did you accelerate a bit through 3A or 3B after doing some of BA due to either ease or repetitive material? I noticed BA covers a lot of the same material in 3B. I was wondering if BA goes into more depth on those topics and if going through 3B would be redundant or just good review.