ruthie5573 Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I'm just wondering if it's necessary? If not, what do you integrate into K as far as math games, etc? My son seems to be mathematically inclined so I'd like to challenge him w/o making it too rigorous for a K'r. I've looked at Singapore Earlybird and also MUS Primer, but still not sure if anything is really necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johanna Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Yeah, we do Right Start A in this house for the K year. It is gentle, not a lot of writing. And sets a good foundation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrow Gate Academy Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 We do Singapore Math Primary 1A alternating with Miquon Orange for K. It depends on what your son already knows. At our house in PreK, we learning counting to 100; skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s; basic shapes; recognizing patterns; the names of different coins; etc. All of this is done informally without a curriculum to establish a base before we begin an actual math program. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Right Start Math: http://www.activitiesforlearning.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=17 Singapore Early Bird: http://www.singaporemath.com/Earlybird_Math_Standards_Ed_s/135.htm Abeka Homeschool: https://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/CatalogSearch.aspx Core Knowledge Scope & Sequence: http://coreknowledge.org/CK/about/K-2glance.htm World Book Scope & Sequence (scroll down for math): http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?curriculum/kindergarten Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 We used Abeka K5 math last year and my daughter LOVED it!! She loves math and she loves workbooks, so it was always the subject she wanted to do first (it still is! We're using Abeka Math 1 this year) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeegal Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I'm just wondering if it's necessary? If not, what do you integrate into K as far as math games, etc? My son seems to be mathematically inclined so I'd like to challenge him w/o making it too rigorous for a K'r. I've looked at Singapore Earlybird and also MUS Primer, but still not sure if anything is really necessary. Formal math isn't necessary at K. There's the Family Math Book, lots of games, and livingmath.net. You can find plenty to do that's fun and educational. :party: A friend of mine, whose children do far better at math than my own, does math games the first few years. You certainly won't be cheating your son. :-) That being said, I am doing formal math with my ds since I'm a no-fun Mom and playing endless rounds of Uno, and making certain everything is covered gives me a headache. :banghead: Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I don't feel that it's *necessary at all, but I have kids who absolutely adore worksheets. DD6 flew through Calvert K, and did half of 1st grade last year. I would say that the first 3/4 of Calvert (and some of Saxon 1, I haven't looked very far ahead yet) are things my kids picked up through daily life. My daughter didn't really need any direct instruction until they started to touch on time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in CA Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 We didn't, we used the Cuisenairre Rods and books and fun stuff like that. They still remember it Oh and there is a book called "Family Math" that has some neat ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomesteadMommy Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I don't think you have to do one, but for my oldest we did MUS Primer. She really wanted to do it and loved using the blocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesa Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We do math in Kindy as well. Last yr my son did Abeka K, and MUS Alpha, this year we are working on Saxon and MUS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda...inOwasso Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 My kindergartener is working through RightStart A and Singapore Standards edition 1a. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We didn't do anything formal last year for K, and my ds is now breezing through Singapore 1A and getting his facts down, too. But we did do a lot informally. I think it just depends on if you have the time and inclination to play lots of games and remember to talk about place value and skip counting and word problems in the space of day to day, or whether you need a formal program to remind you to do it. Being my oldest child, I found it easy to do it the organic way. For subsequent children, I may need the program. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We don't do formal math for K. Just talking and playing as we went about our everyday was fine- how many forks, plates, etc, do we need when we set the table? You are the third person in line, daddy is the second person in line, three hops + two hops means you went five hops, and so on. Even in TWTM, SWB mentions that she doesn't do formal K math and her kids transitioned into 1st grade math just fine, with just the conversational and everyday math I mentioned. You can play simple board games and card games, and there are lots of ideas for math picture books at livingmath.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeinfl Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We used Liberty Press Math and my son really enjoyed it. Blessings! Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 my son used MUS Primer. My daughter did all but a few lessons of MUS Primer and then did Horizons K. (we made the switch in March and decided to complete the entire book) MUS was light and fun. Horizons was bright/colorful and had a lot more bite to it. I personally think light and fun is fine for K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StacyinKS Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We used Horizons K for my Son last year. He really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We are doing INformal math in K. We count, play with math manipulatives, practice writing the numerals, etc. After looking through 4 math programs, I decided to start Miquon for 1st grade and keep K informal. If your dc is learning well with what you are doing now, don't change it. Expand it, but don't change it. I have never taught addition/subtraction, but ds has picked it up through real life and play. It's now a matter of giving him a symbol to communicate what he knows. I think many early math programs frustrate kids by giving the symbol first and/or artificially. I tried Horizons K and Saxon K and got "deer in the headlights" looks from him. He was motivated to finish the Horizon's page, but didn't care if he understood the material. When he's dealing with pieces of candy, days until a special event, time until nap is over, how many more bites of veggies....that boy CARES about understanding his math LOL:lol: I do think as his ability to write improves and the symbols become 2nd nature to him, he will love math. Keeping K informal is about not squelching that love before it blooms:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 That being said, I am doing formal math with my ds since I'm a no-fun Mom and playing endless rounds of Uno, and making certain everything is covered gives me a headache. :banghead: We used suggestions from Accelerated Achievement. Basically lots of go fish, monopoly, playing store, etc. School systems expect children not only to add and subtract, but to know the +,-,= signs and all of their coins by the end of K. We did not cover that, so I thought I would let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I have not done formal math in Kindergarten with my 1st 3 children (actually I didn't do formal Kindergarten at all) and they have all done well without it. I am doing math (& Formal kindergarten LHFHG) with my 4th child for K this year because otherwise he would be a loose end. I am using Mastermind math which I picked up for $8 at Ollies (local discount store). My son loves it. It has manipulatives (tanagrams, unicubes, number flashcards, beads & string), activity book (to go with the manipulatives) and workbook & CD-ROM as well as a parents manual. I think it all depends on the child & yourself and how much you want to do. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I do, not so much for the mathematical concepts as for the discipline of learning to sit still for lessons that they will increasingly need each year. I ahve used a curriculum, and I have used just manipulatives and games, but either way, I have them sit down each day for about 15 minutes and "do math." I lays a great foundation for later years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We're doing Horizon K this year. So far, it's a great program! I like the idea of starting off my son's homeschooling with the basics reading, writing, and math, since in 1st grade it seems we'll be adding so much more.... This way, I figure the intro. into first grade won't be so overwhelming. Also, my son has expressed interest in addition and basic mathematical concepts. Yes, we do talk about them informally, but I think a basic K math program is the right step for us this year. Indeed, it's his favorite lesson of the day! Just the other day he said, "Math is so easy and fun!" Is it necessary? No, but we enjoy it! P.S. We're not pushing it. Although I know he could cover several workbook pages a day, we're following the general plan of one lesson per day. I think this contributes to his very positive outlook on math :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We're reading Living Math books, playing a few games, using math in daily life and completing one page a day 4 days a week of MCP Math K. At first I was going to jump head-first into structured math with 2 pages a day and nothing else, but I scaled back as ds is immature, has difficulty sitting still and is still working on attention span and just plain listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Looking back, I can see we didn't need to do formal math in K, but I'm glad we did. I needed the structure of Saxon math in order to get our day started. I was so eager to homeschool! We did Saxon K when dd was 4 and going to preschool twice a week. I believe it was only 3 days a week, but I could be wrong (faded memories here!). We do Saxon a year ahead, so I'd say do Saxon 1 in K, or better yet, start it halfway thru K and spend the first part just playing. Adding a die to any manipulative (buttons, erasers, straws, m&ms, cereal pieces, etc.) can make a game. I like to offer lots of measuring opportunities with non-standard measuring things, like finding out how many "somethings" tall you are (we like to use those plastic links, or, again, pieces of food), or how big around things are in the house and outside. We also cook a lot, which is science and math combined! There's no need to rush. Having the structure was nice for us, tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeannineW Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We use MUS Alpha for K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We do. Originally, we used Horizons K, which my son caught on to quickly, but after some time, it seemed to be leaving large gaps for him. Then we switched and are now using Calvert K math. We had to skip - oh - 40 lessons or so, but now my son is in the perfect place for his skills and he is learning at the right pace. :) We are really enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SABE Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 I'm currently using MUS Primer for my K son. He loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narnian Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 We used Saxon K. It wasn't too taxing for him, but it sure made a lot of busy work for ME cutting out all sorts of stupid shapes. Again. And again. And again. :tongue_smilie: With my next kiddo, I'm not sure if we'll use the MUS Primer or do something more informal, ala Ruth Beechick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qs3 Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 We're using Horizons K, and dd5 is loving it. I'm even considering adding a little Singapore Early Bird into the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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