Singapore, Math Mammouth, Miquon, Cuisinaire Rods...HELP!

[Guest TeachingTwo]

This is my first post. I am so excited to start homeschooling my two girls ages 4 and 5 (almost 6) but I must admit I'm finding choosing a curriculum a bit daunting. While trying not to make it more complicated than it should be, I'd love to get some input from you all and your experiences (good and bad please).

Also should I focus on phonics first and then introduce math? What have you found to be the most effective way of teaching math to this age group.

Thank you so much!

[Eagle]

I would start by buying c-rods and playing the activities/games in this booklet: http://www.nurturedbylove.ca/resources/cuisenairebook.pdf

 

I would get the Peggy Kaye book "Games for Math" and play the games together. ("Family Math" is another great book)

 

I would get a bag of different types of dice, several decks of cards, and a couple "hundreds charts" and have everyone make up their own games.

 

I would get a couple sets of tangrams and the book "Grandfather Tang's Story".

 

Only after you have spent a lot of time allowing the girls to play with numbers would I consider a math curriculum. Math is so much more than writing answers on worksheets. It should be introduced in a fun, exploratory way. Read living math stories, play games, and let them see math as a playful subject.

[IHaveNoIdeawhatIAmDoing]

For math, the first thing I did was decide whether I wanted to do a spiral program or mastery. That should narrow down your options a bit. My daughter is 5 (almost 6) too and we've been doing Math Mammoth Grade 1. We take it slowly and use blocks for almost everything. We also play a lot of games (Sum Swamp is amazing- thank you to whoever on this board convinced me to buy it). 

[lorisuewho]

There are a lot of great math programs.  The key is to know this and to know that you are unlikely to make a wrong decision.  There might be programs that click with you and your children more than other programs, but you won't know that until you try.  So, what I did was research it to death, buy something and give it a try.   And that wasn't a good fit at all for us, so I sold it and tried again.  It will be impossible to know what is going to work best just by researching.  Make an educated best guess and give it a try.  LOTS of good choices.

 

Many people love the c-rods. (Miquon)

 

Others really like the abacus (Rightstart).

 

Some people swear by Singapore or Math Mammoth.

 

Some children do best with a traditional math program like Rod and Staff or Christian Light.

 

Some people like the more natural approach that Kitchen Table Math offers.

 

Another poster mentioned that some programs are spiral and some are mastery.  That is definitely something to consider.

 

I don't think it is too much to introduce phonics and math to a child that is ready to go. 

[Farrar]

I would do phonics and math at the same time.  There's no reason to do one at a time.

 

I love Miquon and would advocate for that.  Have you seen the videos at Education Unboxed yet about how to use the rods?  They're great.

 

That said, there's no one program that's right for everyone.  Take a breath and just try something.  My general advice is to start with something less expensive if you're unsure, so MEP Math is free, Miquon and Math Mammoth are pretty cheap.  Start with one of those.  For phonics, Ordinary Parents Guide and Reading Reflex are cheap as basic guides.  Progressive Phonics is a good free program.  Start with those and maybe the BOB books or the Nora Gaydos readers.

 

Then, if you need to shake it up, you can look at more expensive programs like All About Reading for phonics or Right Start for math.  But wait until you have an idea of what might work and what won't.

 

For non-core subjects, may I toss out the possibility of Five in a Row?  Or possibly Peak with Books?

 

I second the idea of the Peggy Kaye books.  They're great for this age and inexpensive.  I also second getting games, pattern tiles, and other fun resources, but don't feel like you should buy the whole catalog of stuff.  Get a couple of things and build up.  And use your library heavily.  We loved living math books at this age. 

[Guest TeachingTwo]

Wow thank you so much for ALL of these wonderful suggestions! So very helpful. Being 4 months pregnant and starting this new venture is a lot at once but I'm so looking forward to starting this journey.

[Guest TeachingTwo]

I would do phonics and math at the same time. There's no reason to do one at a time.

 

I love Miquon and would advocate for that. Have you seen the videos at Education Unboxed yet about how to use the rods? They're great.

 

That said, there's no one program that's right for everyone. Take a breath and just try something. My general advice is to start with something less expensive if you're unsure, so MEP Math is free, Miquon and Math Mammoth are pretty cheap. Start with one of those. For phonics, Ordinary Parents Guide and Reading Reflex are cheap as basic guides. Progressive Phonics is a good free program. Start with those and maybe the BOB books or the Nora Gaydos readers.

 

Then, if you need to shake it up, you can look at more expensive programs like All About Reading for phonics or Right Start for math. But wait until you have an idea of what might work and what won't.

 

For non-core subjects, may I toss out the possibility of Five in a Row? Or possibly Peak with Books?

 

I second the idea of the Peggy Kaye books. They're great for this age and inexpensive. I also second getting games, pattern tiles, and other fun resources, but don't feel like you should buy the whole catalog of stuff. Get a couple of things and build up. And use your library heavily. We loved living math books at this age.

Yes I've heard of FIAR and will be buying the first book. Looks like great fun!

I was actually thinking of getting AAR (although it seems from forums that mostly autistic children use it?).

I will check out those videos for sure.

You didn't mention Singapore...have you used it? Any good or bad experiences? I realize it's all very individual but feedback can be helpful.

Thanks again!

[AmandaVT]

I would start by buying c-rods and playing the activities/games in this booklet: http://www.nurturedbylove.ca/resources/cuisenairebook.pdf

 

I would get the Peggy Kaye book "Games for Math" and play the games together. ("Family Math" is another great book)

 

I would get a bag of different types of dice, several decks of cards, and a couple "hundreds charts" and have everyone make up their own games.

 

I would get a couple sets of tangrams and the book "Grandfather Tang's Story".

 

Only after you have spent a lot of time allowing the girls to play with numbers would I consider a math curriculum. Math is so much more than writing answers on worksheets. It should be introduced in a fun, exploratory way. Read living math stories, play games, and let them see math as a playful subject.

 

Love these suggestions and it's essentially what I did with my DS until this year. We still play with the cuisinaire rods regularly and play games like Zeus on the Loose. He has a Melissa and Doug clock with shape blocks:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Wooden-Shape-Sorting/dp/B000GKATU0/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1380226303&sr=1-1&keywords=melissa+and+doug+clock

 

Playing with it over the past couple of years has taught him shapes and made him a time telling expert. He got a cash register as a christmas present a couple of years ago and now he can add and subtract money easily. 

 

We started Math Mammoth this year and love it - when you're ready for a curriculum. :-)

[Farrar]

Yes I've heard of FIAR and will be buying the first book. Looks like great fun!

I was actually thinking of getting AAR (although it seems from forums that mostly autistic children use it?).

I will check out those videos for sure.

You didn't mention Singapore...have you used it? Any good or bad experiences? I realize it's all very individual but feedback can be helpful.

Thanks again!

 

Singapore Primary Math is a great program.  We've used the Challenging Word Problems and I've seen the books.  But others can give better feedback on it.  It's never really been quite the right program for us.

 

I don't think AAR is being used by special needs kids primarily.  I've never used it - it started coming out when my boys were already reading - but we use All About Spelling.  Both AAR and LOE are multisensory, which I suppose is appealing for special needs students.  You can also look at Spalding, which is based on the same sounds to spelling method, but is a little more DIY and less scripted (and less expensive).

[Ellie]

For math, the first thing I did was decide whether I wanted to do a spiral program or mastery. That should narrow down your options a bit. My daughter is 5 (almost 6) too and we've been doing Math Mammoth Grade 1. We take it slowly and use blocks for almost everything. We also play a lot of games (Sum Swamp is amazing- thank you to whoever on this board convinced me to buy it). 

 

See, and I'm not convinced that spiral vs mastery is the first consideration. Process math vs traditional math seems more important to me. Does your dc need manipulatives (c-rods, base 10 blocks, etc.)? Then you're looking at process math such as MUS, Miquon, Making Math Meaningful. And if he doesn't? Then you're looking at traditional math like ABeka, R&S, BJUP, Strayer Upton, and so on.

 

Most baby homeschoolers have no clue whether their dc need mastery or spiral. I don't believe it's possible to know when they're that young (not that I'm even convinced that it's that important, because either one can be well written or poorly written).

[Spy Car]

I would suggest that the question of "spiral vs mastery" is a minor point that ranks far behind the critical question, which is: does the potential math program teach math in a way that promotes "deep understanding" (or not) and do the methods used look like they will appeal to you and your children?

 

For us, we loved starting the exploration with Miquon. The hands on use of manipulatives like Cuisenaire Rods and base-10 "flats" made math operations, the relative value of numbers, and place value, really easy for my child to grasp. Being able to solve problems himself (with the aid of manipulatives) early on promoted autonomy and competence. The C rod play and lessons cemented the sort of understanding of math that Singapore calls "number bonds." And the Miquon teachers materials were a boon for me.

 

We led with Miquon and added elements of MEP, RightStart, and Singapore Primary Mathematics (which was always the intended "spine." In later years we've added Beast Academy, added Zaccaro books, finished Miquon, and largely (and sadly) dropped most of MEP only due to time constraints (it is a fantastic program).

 

You need to establish your goals. First. If you have not read the oft-touted Liping Ma book, I will give you the standard advice to do so. it lays out the differences between teaching for understanding (with procedural competence) vs teaching for procedural competence (only)quite well.

 

The good news is that there are many good options that will appeal to different people for good reasons. try to get a feel for what you think would appeal (after you set your goals) and then make an educated guess.

 

Bill

[happypamama]

I use Singapore and Miquon with one child, and they're a really good fit for him, but I don't think they are quite right, at least not right now, for my almost 5yo.  I just started MEP with him (we're on about lesson 8), and he loves it so far; it seems to be a good fit.  Of course, we'll have to see what he thinks as we get more into it, and we are only on the Reception level, but it's also free to download, so that's always a plus.

 

ETA: I also have a couple of books that use the c-rods for figuring out things, so we may go through that after MEP Reception (which will only last us a couple of months). 

[jessj]

We are using Singapore and really like it quite a lot.  It works for both of my children.  I tried Math-U-See, twice.  (That darn teaching video just makes it look like it would be more time efficient, but it just didn't work for us.)  We have done a bit of Math Mammoth.  I like it, but don't love it.  Mainly because we are a very visual family, and it's just not visually appealing.  For us, that's a bit of a distraction. 

 

So, where we've landed is using Singapore (Primary Mathematics) for our main curriculum.  And I have the Math Mammoth Blue series (digital) that I can pull from to add in extra practice on topics we might be struggling with.  They have a similar approach, but are a little bit different.  Sometimes that helps with understanding a concept. 

 

Another thing that's nice with Primary Mathematics is that it's been around a long time.  Used versions of HIG's, and textbooks are easy to find for great prices.  While it's not the first thing I consider, it is important that something be both high quality and affordable for us.