mamamindy Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I am part-way into my son's K year (he's a bit over 5yrs) and I just haven't been pleased with what we've done for math. Since I use Singapore Primary math with DDs, I tried SM Essentials with him. It's not terrible. It's just not quite what I want for him. Then I remembered that I'd used (and enjoyed) MEP Reception with DD2. Although we liked it, I started it mid-year for her as well, and she was somewhat beyond that level... We dabbled a bit in level 1 before I moved her into SM1a kinda early and she did great. It's just that K year.... Seems like it's hard to find something that's developmentally appropriate. (For my kids anyway.) And, for my oldest, she used Saxon at first, and we didn't like it either and just went straight into SM1. So, my initial plans were to play games with c-rods (and I have the Right Start games book) and use the SM Ess book when he wanted a "workbook". And all that sounds great, but it's been more difficult for me to be intentional with all the other children I have. It's just not as easy as it was with my first - making sure we were including daily math, kwim? Any suggestions for me? For the basics, like counting, number sense to 10, shapes - he's got that. I want to challenge him (or help him progress) in a developmentally appropriate way. So not so much writing, reading instructions, etc. We're working on that, but he's not there yet. ETA: I have Miquon on my shelf. I'd like to figure it out. We've pulled some worksheets in when my girls were stuck in early levels of SM. Could this work for K? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Wrong thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I think we're in the same boat. I'm waiting on an order from Rainbow for that book you used...essentials? I've already forgotten the name because it's been on back order. But I know what you mean totally about going beyond counting but not yet full fledged 1st grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I just finished up Essentials B with my K'er who will be six in February. We started in last spring after finishing Essentials A, but had to take a break for a while because the leap was too big. This fall at 5.5 it was a better fit - but I still did a lot of the writing and we mixed it up with a lot of RS games and Education Unboxed activities. If he liked the Right Start abacus I would have just jumped into RS B at this point and taken it slowly - RS doesn't have a lot of writing. But, my K'er really dislikes the abacus, so I am trying out Miquon with him - we just started yesterday. I don't think I would get it at all if it weren't for having watched many of the Education Unboxed videos though! I feel like I have only the most minimal understanding of how to do Miquon...but I figure that as long as we are doing "something" he should be fine since already finished a K curriculum. 😄 I do think that even having not done another K curriculum Miquon is doable...but I would pair it with a lot of games/activities from Education Unboxed and not just do the lab sheets. I read in one of the Miquon books ("notes to teachers" maybe?) that the lab sheets shouldn't take up most of the math time anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Since he has the basics down, can you do mental math with him while you help your other kids? Perhaps lay out some c-rods and ask him what's 10 + 7 etc.? He can do it with or without the rods. Have him watch the appropriate education unboxed videos. I think by the end of K, he needs to know how to count to 100, simple addition/subtract, some concept of the clock and what types of coins there are. It seems like he's picking up fast, so I wouldn't worry too much. He knows a lot already for a 5 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 We're sort of flailing with kindergarten math over here too. Right Start's too expensive, but I would like some good solid understanding of addition, subtraction, place value and relationships between numbers (skip counting and the like). She's ready for it, and I feel like all of the time, seasons, money etc, is just needless filler with stuff they pick up along the way anyway. Shrug. I'm not really stressing. I just wish I could have found what I needed/wanted the first time. Hahaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I used Early bird with my first, Essentials with my second, but I knew my third wouldn't go for that. We have been winging it, but he's ready for more. We just started MEP reception. It's PERFECT for us. There's a lot of thought involved beyond just numbers. Tallest, shortest, widest, more and less, oldest, youngest. He has speech delays, so the words are important for us. lots of following instructions. Definitely something my little defiant one needs. It's coloring-heavy, but he hasn't written anything yet. My older two would have HATED the coloring, but this one loves it. It's totally face-to-face. Absolute necessity for this kid. Where my other two were happy to fill in a workbook on their own, this one needs direct instruction. No manipulatives yet, though it looks like there may be some in the future. It doesn't appear to be a super hands-on type of curricula like some of the others. You could add that, of course, but this doesn't seem like a good fit for a heavily visual-spatial learner. It is written for classroom presentation. We have to adapt the script just a bit. The lessons are broken down into multiple small activities. Each one hits a different skill set. Gem is fine with the whole thing, but for Aries, in third grade, we have broken up the lessons into shorter chunks. If your child has a short attention span, the lesson plans can easy be broken down and spread out over the course of a day, or over several days, as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I used CSMP with my youngest. We used the K level in pre-k. With two older children I needed a stack of printed lesson plans to keep us on track. I didn't feel like I had to do all the lessons, but that way I had a plan. Even less pressure since it was free (but for the printing). For K with her we are alternating Miquon and MM, mostly because I had then both and to try to keep it feeling "new". Most of Miquon is in the worksheets. I read the Annotations if something looks unusual or when we get to a new section. Both Miquon and MM have games sprinkled in, thank goodness. They have helped keep dd interested and I can usually play then with half my brain while providing math help to others with the other half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplemom Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 We skipped MEP reception and started MEP year 1a after the Christmas break of her K year. We didn't do it daily for K, but it helped us get a head start on how MEP works before we stepped the 3Rs up a notch for 1st grade this year. She didn't like spending an entire 1-2 weeks on each number less than 5 like MEP does at the start. I skipped some of the simplest worksheet problems those 1st few weeks of MEP, but did all the problems that were new concepts like greater than/less than, charts, word problems, balance, etc... We did all the hands on and oral word problems in the lesson plans from the start of MEP 1 though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Have you looked at CSMP? It's got a nice bit of variety I think suits small kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I guess I don't understand why anyone who's unsure what to do for kindy math doesn't try MEP first. It's a great program. It's short and gentle. If it doesn't work, you're not out ANY money whatsoever since it's free. So, yeah, do that and then if it doesn't work or you fly though it do something else. That would be my vote. I'm a huge Miquon fan. If you have it already... just start watching some Education Unboxed videos to get inspired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamindy Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Have you looked at CSMP? It's got a nice bit of variety I think suits small kids. I don't know what this is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamindy Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 I guess I don't understand why anyone who's unsure what to do for kindy math doesn't try MEP first. It's a great program. It's short and gentle. If it doesn't work, you're not out ANY money whatsoever since it's free. So, yeah, do that and then if it doesn't work or you fly though it do something else. That would be my vote. I'm a huge Miquon fan. If you have it already... just start watching some Education Unboxed videos to get inspired. I have printed and bound MEP Reception. Seems like it may be way easy, but we can give it a try. It's not totally free for me since I have to print the color pages elsewhere. That can add up. I hope to have an ipad for Christmas though.... ;) I REALLY want to figure out Miquon this time around. Today for math, I pre-watched an ed unboxed video and we just did that. It was fun. I like all of that, I just want to make sure he gets some attention in math and that it's thorough. I'm juggling a lot and things could get missed that otherwise weren't with my first two. (And I'm not math-y at all.) Thanks for the suggestions! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I don't know what this is. http://ceure.buffalostate.edu/~csmp/csmpprogram/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Have you read the First Grade Diary for Miquon? I have twins. Miquon resonated with one and not the other. It's hard to say how much of it is having one be more "mathy" than the other or what, but sometimes now I wish that I had just made the one who wasn't into Miquon use it anyway because the Miquon kid is SO much more of a natural with math and I really credit a huge part of that to Miquon. It's worth the effort to try and "get it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamindy Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 Have you read the First Grade Diary for Miquon? I have it on the shelf. I need to reread it - I've had a couple babies since I read it last. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamindy Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 http://ceure.buffalostate.edu/~csmp/csmpprogram/ Thanks for the link - I"ll check it out. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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