Who here teaches kindergarten math WITHOUT a curriculum?

[AimeeM]

I can't seem to search it. I'm pretty sure some of you have stated that you have taught kindergarten math without a curriculum. This is appealing to me right now, because my middle child is all over the board with interests and "ability to sit down for long lengths of time".

I have the scope and sequence that I want to use (a la What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know). I also have Seton Mathematics K and Miquon (I need C Rods though). I'm kind of wanting to set Miquon and Seton aside right now though.

 

My question is for those who have done so without a formal curriculum, was your child able to make a smooth transition to formal curriculum for 1st grade?

[Arcadia]

My boys technically taught themselves kindergarten and 1st grade math (according to California's state standards) without curriculum. We started with SM2 standards without problems.

[AimeeM]

My boys technically taught themselves kindergarten and 1st grade math (according to California's state standards) without curriculum. We started with SM2 standards without problems.

That is kind of where we are right now, which is another reason I'm feeling pulled to shelve the curriculum. He knows his numbers, he can do simple addition/subtraction with manipulatives, he understands up/down, more/less, etc; he can make pairs, knows his shapes and colors, coins, etc.

What he doesn't know, though, stops me from using a first grade curriculum - he can't write his numbers, he hates coloring, we're working on coin values, and counting by 2's/5's/10's.

I feel like trying to force our way through curriculum is only hindering him.

 

Good to know that you were able to move pretty seamlessly into a formal curriculum after using none!

 

(This is my first time with a young one; my daughter was older when I brought her home, so she already had the basics down)

[Farrar]

We did.  I played a lot of the games from Math Made Meaningful - the thing that comes with the C-rods.  We also played with abacuses and card games.  We read lots of living math books (see livingmath.net).  We occasionally did some worksheets or the like.  We did a couple of art/math projects, like one with symmetry.

 

First grade we started MEP.  It was a bomb.  Not because they were incapable, but we did all of 1a and it was just not right.  So we switched to MM and occasion Miquon and by the end of the year, one of my boys was right on grade level.  The other one didn't take to MM.  He took some time off.  Then he ended up being my Miquon boy.  We're going into fourth grade now.  He's actually my stronger math student.

 

If I could go back in time, I probably would have done Miquon Orange and I would have bought the RS card games (I got them in late 1st grade), but overall, I feel like what we did was fine.  I don't really regret it.

[LMV]

Our three year old (who will turn four in December) and five year old have mastered most of the kindergarten math content just by being children in our family.  We cook as a family so they both have a rough understanding of fractions from that.  There is lots of counting, grouping, (and adding and subtracting) that happen as part of every day life.  They both have good number recognition and are working on writing numbers.  The five year old has made some major strides even just in the past month in this area.  I have been working with her a little but more in a let's avail ourselves of another good teaching moment here way not in seatwork from a set curriculum way. I will admit that how well this has come together for her tempts me to try to homeschool them both in kindergarten this year but she seems to think that kindergarten looks fun so I think we will be sending her.

[kiwik]

If they like numbers and maths but not writing you could try "the verbal math lesson" it is cheap if you have a kindle or kindle app.

[AimeeM]

If they like numbers and maths but not writing you could try "the verbal math lesson" it is cheap if you have a kindle or kindle app.

I'll have to check that out. Nobody has a Kindle... can I get the app on my laptop?

[Soror]

I didn't do k math w/ ds at all, he started right in w/ RSB. I didn't do anything formal with him prior to that he just absorbed from life. I used bits of things for dd, a handful of RSA lessons and a handful of other things throughout the year. Mostly though I focused on reading her k year. I did some MEP and a few other things this summer for a few weeks but mostly she absorbed as well. I am finding that as I gain experience it is easier to naturally include topics into our day. I started her w/ RSB a few weeks ago and I am finding that she has a better grounding than ds did when he started, I attribute that more to the fact that I am more math aware than any curriculum that she did. Even now we are using RSB but I am making it work for me in a relaxed manner, expanding and condensing as I like and using lessons as more of a jumping off point to play to her strengths and weaknesses. I think the Kitchen TAble Math series is great to develop a framework of studies w/out following a formal curriculum. Mathematical concepts are laid out in progression with lots of ideas of how to incorporate math studies into your day.

[2_girls_mommy]

I did with one of mine.  Over preK she had done the Rod and Staff ABC counting workbook and the later G workbook that was all sequencing and numbers.  Since they don't have a K curric, we started the 1st grade math slowly for K.  It had worked just fine for my older dd for K.  But it didn't for this one.  By Christmas she was in tears everyday.  So I put it away.  Instead I used a Walmart K workbook's math section for some occasional written work.  Then I did math units using literature from What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know.  These were a big hit, btw, so have fun w/them.  I used the units from the BCP website.

 

She jumped into the rest of the 1st grade math curriculum the next year for 1st grade just fine.  She just needed some fun, hands on, game playing K math when she was 5.

[~Amanda~]

We did.  I played a lot of the games from Math Made Meaningful - the thing that comes with the C-rods.  We also played with abacuses and card games.  We read lots of living math books (see livingmath.net).  We occasionally did some worksheets or the like.  We did a couple of art/math projects, like one with symmetry.

 

First grade we started MEP.  It was a bomb.  Not because they were incapable, but we did all of 1a and it was just not right.  So we switched to MM and occasion Miquon and by the end of the year, one of my boys was right on grade level.  The other one didn't take to MM.  He took some time off.  Then he ended up being my Miquon boy.  We're going into fourth grade now.  He's actually my stronger math student.

 

If I could go back in time, I probably would have done Miquon Orange and I would have bought the RS card games (I got them in late 1st grade), but overall, I feel like what we did was fine.  I don't really regret it.

 

Sorry if this is already answered; what is the RS card game?

[Soror]

RS- Right Start Card games- excellent resource imo. I finally bought the separate book this year, after using RS through 3 levels, and it is well worth it.

[Amy Jo]

I didn't really teach math in Kindergarten. We counted things, we measured things, sometimes we cooked. We compared things and noticed what day or date it was ... Kids seem to be doing fine in math. We use MEP it starts in 1st grade, even though there is a reception year if desired. (Which is a lot of comparing and counting and everything you probably do anyway.)

[Mrs. A]

I'll have to check that out. Nobody has a Kindle... can I get the app on my laptop?

 

 

It's also available here: http://www.amazon.com/Verbal-Lesson-Level-Step---Step/dp/0913063096/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376528785&sr=1-1&keywords=the+verbal+math+lesson

[daisies72]

I taught public school Kindergarten for 7 years and we didn't follow a "curriculum", there really wasn't "one", there were "Kindergarten" Math books, yes, but to form understanding of concepts, kids this age need experience self directed & also teacher directed experiences with blocks, clocks, building, puzzles, counting, etc.

 

We mostly followed our state "standards" for Math, check out your state's department of education website, their kindergarten standards should be listed there, I know mine, in Colorado, state many goals for kindergarten Math :) They can be a good guideline, and they are directly related to the First Grade Math goals, and so on.