Katerine234 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 HI! I am new to the world of homeschooling. My 4 year old is going to a preschool program at our church. He does not meet the cut-off date for starting kindergarten here which means he will have another year at home (turns 5 in october). I am very happy about this because I hate the idea of sending him to school anyways, but academically he is ready to start learning! We have been doing the 100 easy lessons book for reading, we have a bible time together. I was considering adding in Math and this is where I totally confused! There is so much out there! I was leaning towards Horizons Math K and then heard of Singapore. I have found that singapore EB seems really easy and Horizons math k is on the more advanced side? Also would like to incorporate manipulatives into the mix. I love workbook style because it gives me a clear focus of what we are getting done but would like to incorporate some manipulatives. I have heard good things about Miquon, would that be a good supplement to either horizons or singapore? and it says on the website that it is meant for a 1st grader, has anyone ever used it for a 4/5 year old? HELP! feeling very overwhelmed! I am hoping that this year goes well so that I can convince myself and husband that I can homeschool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Well, I will be the first to chime in, and ask if you have considered Saxon K. We used it with my dd very successfully. It is quite gentle and easy to implement; uses manipulatives (but not like Right Start or Miquon, where there's a learning curve for you); incorporates things like money, time, calendar (like a circle time at a BM school); and has very little writing. It's only 3 days a week, or you can just go through it and then spend the rest of the year on a different program, such as Miquon. It's quite clear and direct to use, as it's scripted and everything you need is listed right there for you each day. We loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katerine234 Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thank you!! I haven't looked at Saxon yet! I am gonna take a peek at it right now. It sounds like something I was looking for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nature girl Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I'm using Miquon now with my daughter (4 in March) and she loves it. We started last year with the Education Unboxed videos and these worksheets: http://www.nurturedbylove.ca/resources/cuisenairebook.pdf. I'd recommend looking at them before you decide, because it's completely different from most math programs and they'll give you some idea how it might be used. We're now on Miquon Orange, going slowly and just having fun with it. I think it's really helped her with number sense, understanding what addition and number bonds really mean, for example, in a way I don't think regular worksheets do. On the other hand, I think it probably should be supplemented with another math program (we're using MEP 1 now) because there are some concepts either glossed over or not discussed at all, plus it's quite different from the math in PS and I think the transition might be a little harder without supplementation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nature girl Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I should add that one of the other reasons I love Miquon (besides the fact it's very inexpensive) is that it's fun for me! Looking at numbers/operations in a completely different way...For the most part regular math worksheets are pretty tedious, but Miquon feels like play. (MEP is that way too.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katerine234 Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 This is awesome!! I love the introduction it has to the rods...I am def. gonna start this with him. I think he is going to have a lot of fun with this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I'm using Miquon now with my daughter (4 in March) and she loves it. We started last year with the Education Unboxed videos and these worksheets: http://www.nurturedbylove.ca/resources/cuisenairebook.pdf. I'd recommend looking at them before you decide, because it's completely different from most math programs and they'll give you some idea how it might be used. We're now on Miquon Orange, going slowly and just having fun with it. I think it's really helped her with number sense, understanding what addition and number bonds really mean, for example, in a way I don't think regular worksheets do. On the other hand, I think it probably should be supplemented with another math program (we're using MEP 1 now) because there are some concepts either glossed over or not discussed at all, plus it's quite different from the math in PS and I think the transition might be a little harder without supplementation. I use Miquon and MEP! All my kids have thrived with these! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 We started with Singapore Math Earlybird B textbook with my 4.25-yr-old and that was a good fit. We finished it in a couple of months and are working on SM1A now. She loved the colorful EB book. It was straight-forward and fun. She's always enjoyed math and is ahead in most things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 We will be doing Singapore Essential Math and if we finish that early, move on to Miquon to finish out the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 The plan is to do CLE 1 and Mathematical Reasoning (CTC). We also have Miquon and may use it as a supplement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturegirl Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 My son is finishing up his kindergarten year now. When he turned five last March, I started him on Kindergarten work. We began with Singapore Essentials A. I soon realized though that he could have done that book as a 4-year-old. It was pretty basic. Singapore Essentials B is a bit more challenging and more what I would expect for kindergarten level math. Like many others have mentioned, we also started using Miquon, which I highly recommend. My son loves it and it is the first thing he asks to do each day when we sit down for school. We started slowly with it, because it does actually get into multiplication in the orange (first) book. I didn't think that my kindergartner was ready for multiplication. But now that we are there, he is actually handling it really well. I wasn't sure at first what to make of Miquon, because it is quite different from other programs. But now that I am using it, I think the approach is just great. Using the c-rods, my son can figure out all sorts of problems. It's actually our main math program now and we've let Singapore fall to our secondary and occasional program. We started on Singapore 1A a few months ago, but it seemed very repetitive of Singapore K, so we weren't all that excited about it. We also throw in some Life of Fred every once in a while for fun. My son LOVES Life of Fred. I actually use it as motivation to learn some of the subjects addressed in the book. He wants to do the next book, but kept missing the questions about telling time and money. So I told him he can't move on to the next Fred book until he gets a better handle on time and money. So he's diligently working on those two topics now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 My dd enjoyed MEP R even though she was, uh, not so good at it. I think it was the squirrels. She likes squirrels. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I will agree that Essential Math is pretty easy, knowing what I know now, I would have started with Essential Math B, instead of A.. I started it with my 5 year old who turned 6 mid-year, he flew through it. My 4 year old is not officially doing school, but when she asks, I let her do some of the pages in Essential Math A. I think it is appropriate for a 4 year old who enjoys doing schoolwork. If you go Rainbow Resource's website you can look at the table of contents and a few sample pages. It may give you a feel for whether it is appropriate for you son. It took awhile to fall into this pattern, but what is working well for us is Miquon Orange one day a week, one day doing an activity from Education Unboxed, and 3 days of Singapore 1A (starting 1B in the next couple weeks). I did not introduce Miquon until my son had already completed EM A & B. There is no reason you couldn't do just Miquon though. I really liked Miquon once I figured out how different it is from more traditional programs. It's more about letting children explore concepts on their own. The 1st Grade Diary and Notes to the Teacher helped me immensely in understanding how Miquon works. Just looking at the student books was a bit overwhelming as there are minimal instructions. If you need a lot of guidance teaching it may not work for you. If you like the looks of Miquon, there is a free pre-Miquon Cuisenaire activity booklet that a mom made available free for personal use. My kids really enjoyed the activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloha2U Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I'd recommend RightStart Math. That said, Saxon Math K is a good start for both student and parent in PreK/K4, especially prior to RS A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 DS did Singapore Math Essentials B in the second half of pre-K, then SM 1 Standards Edition Extra Practice. Then in K, we started Miquon orange and he is now in red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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