Miquon Math?

[quiltymamma]

Has anyone used the Miquon math program and is it similar in style to Math U See?  I have a learner who is very hands on and has a concrete learning style. Hoping to find something like Math U See but a little more affordable as we are on a pretty tight budget these days. Any suggestions would be helpful. She is starting at kindergarten level.

[Farrar]

I've never used MUS, but my impression is that they're both hands on, which is obviously similar, but that most of the similarities end there.  MUS is very mastery based - even more so than most other programs since I think it focuses on only addition and subtraction in the early grades.  Miquon is very spiral and much more open-ended.  It covers many, many topics.

 

We love Miquon and love the rods.  One of my ds went all the way through Miquon as his main program.  I think it gave him a very strong foundation in mathy thinking and problem solving.

 

If you go with Miquon, you'll need the lab books, a set of the rods and the Annotations.  You really also should read through the First Grade Diary and have a look at the videos at Education Unboxed, which help you understand how to teach with the rods.

 

How you use it is a little dependent on the age of your ds.  If he's in K-1st, just start at the beginning with the Orange book.  It's hard to just jump in with Miquon, so even older children should usually start with the second book, the Red Book.  However, older kids will often need to be able to move through several of the books at once, working by the threads instead of going in order of the pages in the lab book.  Don't be afraid in general to jump around with Miquon and to make your own lab sheets.

[quiltymamma]

Thanks!  This has been very helpful. I'm new to this homeschooling life and sometimes feel like I'm stumbling around in the dark.