Do you use different curriculum for different kids?

[Marie131]

My oldest ds is a very hands on learner, workbook loather. We use RightStart math for him and it is a perfect fit. My next oldest ds is a workbook lover. We are using RightStart and it's going fine, but I think he would prefer something where he had to work out of a book daily. I was planning on using RightStart for him again next year since I already have all the materials, but am wondering if we should switch to something more workbook-ish. Would you use different curriculum for these 2 different kids?

[happypamama]

I use different math curricula with my older two children, as they have very different math needs.

[Farrar]

I use different math for my twins. I think using different history and science would make me crazy (and be pointless), but for math, reading and writing, you have to meet a kid where they are and if you have the ability to use something that works better, that you should.

[TheApprentice]

For the 3 R's, I have no problem meeting each child's individual needs. I've combined history, science, music, Latin, art without a thought.

[rdolphingirl]

I say use whatever works best, for the child, and for you.

 

I have 3 boys, between them they are using 4 different programs for maths (special needs middle boy has 2)

 

My middle boy does best with mastery, my oldest did good with mastery for 1st grade, and has done great with spiral since. My little one has gotten bored with mastery 1/2 way through 1st , so he got switched to spiral.

 

I love being able to throw out what doesn't work, or even replace stuff that is working ok, and change it up when I feel it will help :D

[Crimson Wife]

The thing I would be most concerned about is the parent-intensive nature of RS. One reason why I switched my oldest to Singapore after RS C is because I knew that DS was coming along and I wanted something more independent.

[SilverMoon]

Yes, I have. Particularly for math. My oldest two are polar opposites. :p The method one learns best with is hard for the other to learn with.

 

Composition too. They've all use the same series for grammar and spelling though.

[craftyerin]

Yep, mine just finished K (so YOUNG) and we are already using different handwriting and reading curricula. And in other things, like ETC, I've got kids in different volumes, but same curricula. Some are just farther ahead than others.

[HeatherDanae]

I use 2 different math curriculums for my boys. My oldest LOVES Math-U-See. It really clicked with him and when I tried to switch him to other programs, he just asks to go back to MUS. So MUS it is! My second son hates MUS. He just thinks it's boring and not visually stimulating enough for him. I switched him to Math Mammoth and he is thriving. It's really hard for me to have different sets of curriculum to teach for the same subject...I like simplicity...but if it is helping my children love math and understand it better, then I'm all for it! :)

[triadofchaos]

Yes-- I started out hopeful that I could have everyone using Singapore, but their minds just all approach maths differently. My eldest will stay with Singapore probably through 6A/B. But I've had to switch my twins at this point. The struggling one to Miquon-- for some reason it clicks for her in a way nothing else was even though I find it cumbersome to teach. And the accelerated one to Beast Academy-- Singapore bores him. Kids approach different subjects in different ways. It would be lovely if I could just use one for all three, but it would be a disservice to them. So, we've made the adjustment and I've figured out how to balance it all as the facilitator. The reward is that they are all making great strides now that we've found what clicks for each of them. It makes the extra teacher work worth it.

[m0mmaBuck]

I combine the kids for things like science, art, history, and music because it is easier on me. I just tweak them to make them age/level appropriate. However, I use the same math for both only because it works for both. I use different LA for the kids because the kids have different needs. For DS, we have gone through 4 different LA programs (FLL/WWE, CLE, Rod and Staf) before finding one he could tolerate (LLATL). For DD, she has done fine with CLE (although it bores her) and I'm considering switching to FLL/WWE/Spelling Power for a change of pace.

[Blessed Mommy]

Yes, absolutely, you should be willing to switch curriculums if one isn't working for a certain child. I use two different math programs for my daughters. It takes a little extra time on my part, but the sacrifice is well worth it!

[bluemongoose]

Yes, I do. I use MM for my DD and will for DS #2. DS #1 is doing Singapore. Mastery works for all of them, but my two sons are very competitive and close in age. The younger is more academic than the older one. DS#1 is very good with anything mechanical, science, and math related. My younger is very good with anything pertaining to schoolish work. So to make it harder to compare themselves I have them in two different math programs. Also DS#1 really struggles in writing, so he uses HWT. The other children have no issues with handwriting (in fact younger DS has the best by age of all of my kids). They are using A Reason for Handwriting.

 

We combine Science, Spanish, Art, History, Bible, Geography, and Read Aloud. Each child has their own level in Phonics and Lit and Writing, but we use the same programs for them.

[Wheres Toto]

Mine use different things for Math and Reading/Phonics, and I'm sure they will end up using different things for Spelling. I actually need to remember to update my signature to reflect how things have changed recently.

 

Dd needs a lot more deliberate instruction in things like phonics, whereas ds picked up a lot on his own.

Ds loves workbooks, math puzzles, and doesn't mind lots of problems on a page - Math Mammoth is perfect for him.

Dd seems to want more color and less busy for her math, more hands-on and less writing. So, I'm dropping MM for her (at least for now) and looking around for something to use with the Evan Moor she's doing.

[Ecclecticmum]

Yep. We most probably will in the future too. My daughter (DD7) likes to get to the point with Math, playing games is a fun extra. So doing an independant workbook for her works out, then she can do "Extra" games and things (and this helps review concepts etc) on the computer (independant, allows me to focus on other kids) and with her siblings (thus reviewing all their skills). (So right now she uses Spunky/School Aid Math + plus various bits & pieces to cover gaps (Schoolaid is mostly arithmetic) + Dreambox)

 

DS works better with little to no workbooks, music & games. He doesn't have the attention span for bigger stories yet (I am tentatively going to try mathstart books with him, but I basically got them for my youngest). So he works best with something like Rightstart, which is what I am currently using for him.

 

DD4 likes stories and discovery math. I may end up using something like miquon for a bit with her later on. She's going to be using Mathstart & MOTL (although I will be using MOTL in various ways with all my children).

 

LA is pretty much the opposite. DS works well with the IPAD, songs, and one on one, I am hoping later on that a marathon of leapfrog will help him with phonics, as for the rest of LA, a TV teacher would work, or when his fine motor skills work better, something on the computer like Time4Learning. He loves the TV Teacher for handwriting, and will use a workbook for that, but does not like workbooks elsewise.

 

DD7 requires lots of flash,band,boom,sparkle to keep her interested in LA. Math she's fine with black and white, simple old schoolhouse style, LA she requires games, not much worksheets and lots of interesting bits and pieces. So I have her on a big mixture of stuff right now. She *just* tolerates Dancing Bears (Bearing Away), as long as I allow her to do stupid things to the pictures on the page after we have finished that page (like moustaches on cats, hats and dresses on the pigs etc), but it works so I am keeping with it. So she is going to be using a huge mixture for LA (like llatl, mcguffey's IEW, and my own bits and pieces for using silly short stories for stuff like grammar, letting her make her own stories up for handwriting, plus a combination of stuff I collected & made up so she can do something like Language Arts through Art (she's an arts gal).

 

DD4 likes pictures & workbooks for LA. So something like Abeka, lots of colour, shiny, pictures and workbook based.

 

For everything apart from 3R's they are combined, and I use stuff they all would like, like KONOS, Lentil Science, Maryann Kohl etc.

 

Its a real PITA, its a lot easier to combine them and just teach the one thing, but you do what you have to do :p

[texasmama]

Next year I will be using two markedly different pre-Algebra programs with my two boys because their needs are different. And both programs are new to me.

[Murphy101]

Yes.

 

To some degree.

 

I always try to choose what works best for both them and I.

[fourcatmom]

My two are 14 months apart and older but they have separate programs for almost everything. We have done some science together, Geography and grammar but other then that, they each have very different needs. 1 just finished Ancients and 1 is still in AH and taking longer to work through it. 1 needs spiral math and the other needs mastery, we use CLE and MUS. Spelling needs are completely different and so we use different programs as well and writing they are pretty far apart as well and I just find it works better for them to put them in what they need. We tried IEW for 1 and she was bored. She is moving onto something else next year. 1 wants Latin and Greek and the other wants French. I don't think I could have had two kids who were more opposite and so close together! :lol:

[Lizzie in Ma]

My girls are 4 years apart. I was horrified when I realized the youngest had a completely different learning style than our oldest. I had to change everything!

[NightOwl]

Yes, I think it's important to find something that works for each of them even if it isn't the same thing.

[Professormom]

From your original post, it sounds like there isn't a problem with the math you are using... But you are thinking your ds might like something else? Did I understand that right? If that is the case, I am going to go out on a limb here:-) and say you may want to just stick with what you have.

 

Most people who use different programs for different kids tend to do so because something isn't working in the approach. The child is either not comprehending the material or really needs a program that teaches differently than what they have or moves at a different pace (slower or more quickly). They do so because there is a pretty significant problem going on with their current program.

 

Also, what you want factors in as well. You are the teacher, and it does get more challenging to teach out of 2 different programs as time goes by. That being said, using a main program and a program to supplement is not uncommon around the hive. I do this with Horizons and Singapore, because I want to add in some of the Asian math philosophy (especially mental math and more challenging word problems) to a good US program. Others do it because they want to add some fun (like adding Life of Fred to Saxon) or because their child has some organic issues that require a more customized approach (like the woman above). You could find some workbooks to give that workbooky child as a supplement to RightStart if he wants.

 

If your ds is learning the material well, then I wouldn't make a switch based primarily on the fact that he likes workbooks better. (Kids who enjoy that workbook-type format often enjoy them because they find them easy... Many bright kids love workbooks because they can whiz through them... :-). He is also quite young.

 

Obviously, if there are other reasons, those are worth taking into consideration. You might want to consider keeping an eye on his learning as you move through the program. If it seems like he is struggling to understand the material, then you could switch knowing that buying an additional math curriculum was a worthwhile investment. I have seen a lot of moms on these boards switch programs based solely on a child's likes and dislikes. Bouncing around a lot (especially in math) can create some big holes, since each program covers different concepts in its own time and way. Switching once isn't bouncing, of course, but I just thought I would put it out there as a pitfall;-)

 

Whichever direction you go, I am sure it will work out fine because you know your ds best:-). I just thought I would offer up some food for thought with a slightly different perspective.

 

 

[Walking-Iris]

If you like RS and want to keep doing it, then do it. If you think your ds might like a hands-on workbook then add one. I don't think it has to be an either-or situation. Plenty of people add in math peripherals or supplements. You could do RS along with Miquon, for example.

 

You do have to meet a kid where they are at, but I don't buy a whole bunch of new curricula until I'm positive that what I have isn't going to work.