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Tell me about math-u-see.


Coco_Clark
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Love it? Hate it? I had nearly decided on Singapore when someone suggested Math U See to me. Buying their blocks would drive me a bit nuts as I already own a basic base 10 set..but I wouldn't stay up at night over it. I like Singapore for its mastery, and conceptual focus but MUS seems like that too...and maybe more "fun."

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We tried a variety of math programs for K and finally settled on Singapore. I gave it a good 3 years try, but my DD just wasn't getting it. We switched to MUS and she's been *almost* enjoying her math (by enjoying I mean not bursting in tears at the sight of the book). I have noticed her using some of the addition/subtraction methods from Singapore, so I think some of it did sink in, but we are very happy with MUS. I love that we can watch the video together (very little teaching time on my part) and they love being able to skip worksheets if they do a good job with the first ones. With Singapore, I spent so much time reading the lessons ahead of time and trying to figure it out so that I could teach her the next day. I think SM is a more challenging program and I love how it gets them thinking, but I think MUS makes things simple and practical.

 

I do think both programs are excellent choices!

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We love MUS. I'm terrible with math myself and MUS teaches the concepts in a way that makes it click for me and allows me to teach it to my kids properly. A bonus for us was that my accountant aunt who had a full ride to college uses MUS with her children and one is now in the best tech college in the state.

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If you want fun for younger kid, I will suggest miquon. It is very cute, great with number sense. And easily transfer unto SM when kid gets older. We did orange/red (1st grade) and went into 2nd grade SM. we will use miquon again (blue/green) as summer fun activity.

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We started with Saxon, and then tried Singapore, Miquon, Math Mammoth... I finally learned about MUS here on the board, and I am so glad we switched. Both my girls are doing so well with it. They really enjoy it, and we don't have tears with math anymore. :)

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I use MUS with both my kids this year (DD 1st and DS kinder)....this was my first year using it though. Last year I used Horizions for dd and she HATED math. There were no tears, but she just dreaded it and found it so boring and repeitive. She would then give me a very hard time about doing it. After some research, I settled on trying MUS. My DS is very hands on, so I thought the program would be great for him as well. We are almost done with the school year, and there hasn't been a single day when either of my kids moaned or groaned about math. There has been no complaining or grumbling about doing math at all...in fact it's quite the opposite. Math is now my dd's favorite subject to do and the one subject she begs me to do first. Those reasons alone, as for now I'm staying with MUS. I read threads on here about others talking about other math programs they use and LOVE and I've been tempted to try some, but if the kids are doing fine with the content, and they love the program, I keep reminding my self to LEAVE it alone and don't touch it lol.

 

I know every child and family is different, so you may get others who have had a complete opposite experience....but just wanted to share what our experience has been with the program (for now anyways) :)

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If you want fun for younger kid, I will suggest miquon. It is very cute, great with number sense. And easily transfer unto SM when kid gets older. We did orange/red (1st grade) and went into 2nd grade SM. we will use miquon again (blue/green) as summer fun activity.

 

 

I'm worried Miquon wouldn't be rigorous enough for him. He's very young (5) and not developed in writing skills at all- but he tested into Singapores 1b book and math-u-see gamma. I want it to be fun and game-like enough to not overtax him but also challenging enough to well, challenge him. Miquon seems better suited as supplement, or am I off base?

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Love Love Love MUS! It saved our homeschooling. Math was making the day miserable, the girls felt defeated and cried Switched to MUS and it was like the sun came out again. They are all doing very very very well in math now. My girls all love it (and they have very different learning styles) and have begged me to never change our math curriculum. It's good for both my math whiz, who is way ahead of grade level - and my math struggler, who is now on track. It just speaks her language. I already had base ten blocks as well, but have never regretted buying the mus blocks. Totally worth it!

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ODS tried so many different math curricula (Prentice Hall, Singapore, Life of Fred) and it wasn't until he did Epsilon for fractions that he FINALLY got it! MUS is perfect for this dyscalculic child. My middle son did really well with learning long division with MUS and DD doesn't cry when it's time for math. DD in particular loves the math blocks. We will definitely be sticking with MUS for the long haul!!

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I'm worried Miquon wouldn't be rigorous enough for him. He's very young (5) and not developed in writing skills at all- but he tested into Singapores 1b book and math-u-see gamma. I want it to be fun and game-like enough to not overtax him but also challenging enough to well, challenge him. Miquon seems better suited as supplement, or am I off base?

 

Miquon is pretty solid.

Be sure to get the Lab Annotations with the workbooks. The workbooks also are a good jumping off point for creating your own worksheets. The First Grade Diary talks about how the worksheets were used with a class. It's impressive.

 

I used Sinapore along with Miquon. I much prefer how Miquon does division.

Don't limit your son to a certain workbook or think that a certain workbook corresponds to a certain grade & Miquon goes really well.

 

I haven't used MUS, but if you're concerned that Miquon isn't rigorous enough, MUS will really not be a good fit.

There have been a number of threads (you can search for them) that indicate that MUS is a "lighter" program overall.

 

If you're looking for rigorous math, there are a number of programs that may be a good fit. Miquon is absolutely one of them. SIngapore another. Beast Academy from Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) is another, although they only have 3 out right now. But I would strongly recommend reading some of the threads from people who have used MUS and found it not rigorous before picking it over Miquon.

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We tried Singapore (for 3 years) and Teaching Textbooks (1 year) before finding MUS. MUS has been a GREAT fit for us! I love that they can watch the video without me if need be and get started on their lessons. It saves me lots of time! And they are "getting" it too.

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I've used MUS with two kids. Both are gifted and I found MUS was extremely easy to pace correctly to the child - we could speed through what they understood easily and spend more time when they didn't. That was very helpful with math maturity and math intellect weren't at the exact same place. It would also be a good curriculum for a while who struggles with math too. I was very impressed with how Steve Demme explained math. I'm a former math teacher and it even impressed me! My oldest used it from Alpha until partway through Alg I. We stopped then since the Alg I was not nearly involved enough. We switched to Art of Problem Solving Intro to Alg then - which is the most challenging math curriculum I've ever seen. So, the fact that MUS was able to provide the foundation he needed for AoPS is a huge plus!

 

My middle child started in Alpha as well. She's on Delta right now. She's also gifted but struggles with always having to be perfect. Near the end of Gamma, math was causing her stress and tears. She was doing well but it took a tiny bit of work on her part and she struggled with it not being too-easy anymore. So, we took a break and did some Life of Fred. That made math fun for her again, but she insisted to stay with MUS since her older brother had. So we're now doing MUS three days a week and LoF scheduled one day and also whenever else she wants to add it in. The plan is to do both LoF and MUS with her until Pre-Algebra. Then I'm hoping she'll let me switch her to just LoF. (Due to her personality, I don't see AoPS working for her. If her personality changes a lot though, then we'll switch to AoPS instead of LoF).

 

*MUS doesn't have to be a lighter program. You don't have to move slowly through it. I do agree it's too light once you get to Alg I. But it makes for an excellent foundation. The lighter Pre-Algebra wasn't an issue for my oldest, but had I known about AoPS, I would have thought abut switching him out of MUS for Pre-Algebra. (I'm not sure if he would have had the maturity needed at that age for AoPS though, hence the thought about it).

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We are using both and we like both (1rst grade). I intended to do Singapore only, but I happened upon a fantastic deal in used MUS books and MUS blocks so I started using that also. I find they go together very well -- complement each other.

 

MUS is easy to teach (because of the videos). Singapore takes more time to prepare. So that works well for me--while I'm tangling my brain prepping for Singapore, we can do MUS. When I get my 'Singapore-approach" ducks in a row, we can roll on Singapore. I usually don't do both the same day or even week. I do both in order and switch over to the other program at logical points. For instance, after mastering all the addition facts in MUS, switching over to Singapore to start subtraction. We didn't start addition facts in MUS until we got the idea of number bonds down and could churn out number bonds for combinations that make 10.

 

MUS is very, very clear and orderly and has plenty of repetition in the exercises if one of my kiddos needs it (good for memorizing and practicing, and building confidence). MUS also reviews past lessons in the exercises every week. Singapore seems to 'jump around' sometimes (though there is a method to the madness).

 

I like MUS because I'm a base-ten fantatic (comes from being a computer programmer and having worked with different base systems: base 2, 8, 16), and MUS starts right in with base 10 with an awesome explanation. I like Singapore for the different approaches to things, plus the textbook has fun pictures, and I love number bonds (now that I've figured them out;-)

 

MUS and Singapore have some unexpected syncronicities (the way Steve Demme teaches the 9 addition facts for instance-- that '9 wants to be a 10').

 

When we were 'making ten" (in Singapore), we used the MUS blocks (it was just natural to use them and they were perfect). Later, in MUS, Mr. Demme used the blocks just that way to build a '10 wall.'

 

The MUS blocks are really great for explaining and Steve Demme is ultra clear. The videos are a big help. Singapore (US version) has a proven track record of improving a nation's math scores (Singapore).

 

Both my 2 (boy and a girl) like math following this approach. No tears here,no confusion. I plan to use both MUS and Singapore next year. At this point, IF I was going to only do one I would lean toward MUS. However, I'm so happy with the way things are going, that I've already purchased BOTH for next year.

 

(obviously I'm a mastery type of personality ;-)

 

I know that using both wasn't your original question, but I thought my observations on using both might be helpful.

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I do something similar with Math Mammoth. My daughter learns from the Math U See... She enjoys Mr. Demme's teaching much more than my own, so when she has trouble with a concept she handles it much better with Math U See. When she has a concept down in Math U See we get out the Math Mammoth workbooks for a week or two and really hammer it down. We got the whole Math Mammoth series a few years back from the Homeschool Buyers Co Op, so it all works out really well. MUS does wonders for her confidence and comprehension, and she says she loves math now. When we used Math Mammoth by itself she did anything she could to get out of math- now she does both programs and is much happier with the combination.

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We have used MUS from Primer all the way now into Pre-A. I was concerned that the Pre-A would not be tough enough for my son, but with the honors section in each chapter it is fine. We have also supplemented with Life of Fred, AoPs, and Khan at various times, but overall, we have been very happy with MUS. My ds does not need to use the blocks most of the time, my dd is helped by using them, but overall, Mr. Demme's demonstration with them is enough for him.

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We have used both MUS and Singapore. Both are great for entirely different reasons!

 

MUS explains things so well. My eldest does not enjoy math. But she does very well at it when I can get her to apply herself! My younger dd is 1st grade and is very good at math, currently working a grade ahead and calling it "easy peasy". They have both done well with each program. I've recently decided to switch them back to MUS because I have not had the time to spend teaching the new concepts and my odd is struggling a bit with division. When 'Teacher Steve' explains things, she just gets it. So we're going back. MUS works so well for her! My YDD we shall see... she does well with pretty much any program and would probably be fine with Singapore still. However, my thought with MUS is that with the teaching videos, she can work independently a little more and progress at her own pace rather than wait on me to teach the next thing. I don't know... still torn a little for her. I may purchase the "challenging word problems" from Singapore to add to the MUS to give them some variety and challenge. We shall see...

 

I know a family who does both Singapore and MUS simultaneously. They mostly use the MUS for the skills teaching and do very few worksheets. I'm not sure I could get my kids to go for that though! Maybe my YDD.

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I do something similar with Math Mammoth. My daughter learns from the Math U See... She enjoys Mr. Demme's teaching much more than my own, so when she has trouble with a concept she handles it much better with Math U See. When she has a concept down in Math U See we get out the Math Mammoth workbooks for a week or two and really hammer it down. We got the whole Math Mammoth series a few years back from the Homeschool Buyers Co Op, so it all works out really well. MUS does wonders for her confidence and comprehension, and she says she loves math now. When we used Math Mammoth by itself she did anything she could to get out of math- now she does both programs and is much happier with the combination.

 

 

 

 

This combination works really well for us! I do like MUS but I found that my son (very good in math) was not adequately prepared for Algebra after using MUS alone from Gamma-Pre-Algebra. For my next 2 I started making some changes. MUS/Math Mammoth duo is one of the changes that has worked well.

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