Susie in MS Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I am hoping for a year of change in the direction of joy found in math...or at least tolerance to the point of getting it done. What can I use to encourage my dd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Look at some of the suggestions on this thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/499692-looking-to-do-some-relaxed-math-here-want-to-share-ideas/ Play math games. Do real world application math together. Find a topic that is of interest to her and tie it to math. If she likes history, maybe watch videos that link math to history (such as The Story of One). And consider whether your child is either extremely bored because the material isn't challenging enough, or is starting to struggle because the foundation isn't strong enough (which is what happened to me, and also to my kids), or that the material you are using is a poor fit for her way of learning or your way of teaching. What have you used for math? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Teaching Textbooks worked for my kid! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Well, that could be answered several ways. What are you doing now and what about it isn't working? For one of my kids that was giving him a very plain, "unfun" Rod and Staff textbook. For another it was a colorful spiral textbook. We've used random bits of extras over the years too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Buddy math. http://letsplaymath.net/2009/04/06/buddy-math/ All three of mine like this, but one of my kids needs this, a comrade, discussion, back and forth, play, competition... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Well....without knowing what worked and what is not working......have you seen Beast Academy? Nothing like cartoon like friendly beasts. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianna Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 We switched to teaching textbooks, he doesn't love math, but he's not complaining like before :) he really wants to try Life of Fred again but I told him he has to finish TT5 first :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I recently got a surprise. A curriculum I really thought would be a major miss for one of mine, but bought for the other, was a hit with both. My suggestion? If possible, get samples of various options and try them. Let her have input in the final decision. Also, lots of math haters seem to do well with CLE. This was my surprise success. I never dreamed it would be a fit! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Mine is 4th not 5th. I've tried several things and he still barely tolerates math. So the last thing I bought was one of the Critical Thinking Company's math books. It's called Mathematical Reasoning. So far I've had the best response with this book. It covers all that he needs to work on and then some. The book is very colorful and many of the pages feel more like a game than a straightforward math page. Not sure why he does not hate this book because the concepts aren't different, but maybe it really is the looks of it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I'd second the recommendation for Teaching Textbooks or Beast Academy. For TT, do the placement test. For BA, I'd start with the third grade books and then go on to 4A and whatever else they have now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Thanks everyone! Dd is in 4th now, but I was considering next year. I'm sorry I didn't mention what we have used. It has been various things. We had a brief start with SM and that was a horrid failure. Moved to R&S and she liked the ducks and the ocean creatures, but she was horrible about memorizing--though I think this is a huge part of her problem. She is memorizing better now, but some things she has to work out, and it takes too much time. Then we tried Math Lessons for a Living Education and LOF so she would loosen up. Both were enjoyable, but the stories were taking too much of our time an there wasn't enough practice with them so we went back to R&S. After more hair pulling, blood, sweat, and tears because of the length of time it took her to do 1/2 of a lesson we used Mastering Mathematics. The lessons are not too long and games are used to help. She really enjoyed this and it helped somewhat, but then I had the issue of it taking more of me than I had to give considering I have to work. My schedule goes up and down, but when I have a heavy load I just don't have much time. I can teach a short lesson, but I don't have time for games. Plus the lack of variety in the lessons was not what I was used to. Then I wanted to go back to R&S, but the thought of my slow-as-molasses- dd having to write out problems at this point was enough to make me admit myself to an asylum! So I got what I found that was as close to it yet a workbook. Study Time. While we both love the themes as they make math seem real and useful (cooking, sewing, etc) it still takes her all.day.long. to do math. She just shuts down. Even when she knows the process. Now she is having problems remembering the steps of long division. I have to show her how to do them every single day. I was trying to think of something that would encourage her to want to do math, but after typing this up and looking at all of the things that she did enjoy, yet still shut down.....I am wondering if there is any such thing. I REALLY want to try her with TT, but that price tag (though I know worth it) is what is holding me back. Thank you all for your wonderful replies! Maybe we just need to take our relaxing essential oils before math every day and just smile our way thru it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Try Beast Academy. I think long division is introduced in 3C (don't get hung up on grade levels with this program) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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