Petrichor Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I'm considering purchasing flash cards for DS. My thought it it's important to have the facts memorized. What do you prefer, why, and what curriculum do you use for math? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zarabellesmom Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I chose no flash cards, but not because we don't drill facts. We use a variety of games and apps to drill math facts, for instance Timez Attack, Reflex Math, xtra math, QuickMath, to name a few. I just think it's more fun than flash cards and also because it is something that can be done independently, freeing me up to work with a sibling. ETA: We use Beast Academy and Math in Focus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syllieann Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I voted for the first one, but we actually use apps for the same reasons pp stated. I like rocket math best in terms of educational value per unit of time. Math evolve is probably the most interesting though. I have been known to try my hand at it on long car rides. Eta: Our math is math mammoth supplemented with Borac competitive mathematics. My oldest also joins in for go to the dump with dd and we have done addition war and the like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I voted for the first, but in a way we do both. We do traditional fact cards, but we also have fact family cards (called triplets) but they are not in a triangle. They have the whole number first in a circle, and then the two smaller numbers, but one is missing. Like (12) 9, __ or (12) __, 3. We drill both the traditional facts and these triplets (fact families). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAttachedMama Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I voted "other". This is going to sound weird coming from me, but we have moved into the modern era when it comes to math facts! We don't use flashcards anymore. We now use one of the many websites, apps, or games to practice math facts. That way I can get a clear glimpse as to what math facts they have mastered and which ones they need more practice with. Plus, my kids think these games are fun. They also get more targeted practice/review than I was able to give them with flashcards. (I have two children who are both learning math facts. And keeping straight which facts they needed to practice/review was very hard with two kids.) Most of my curriculum is very teacher intensive. So using these various websites and apps makes things easy for me. It is one of the few things I can give them to do independently each day. With flashcards, I had to sit right there with them and police their practice. With the electronic practice, I can give them the practice to do as independent work, and then see their progress to make sure they are improving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I used games instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I also voted 'other'. I use apps for that on my phone. For curriculum, my 7.5yo is in school, so they do what they do, and my 4yo hasn't really got a curriculum yet. I just started LoF Apples with him, did one lesson, and then he got ill, but planning on continuing it (maybe do chapter 2 today, even though he's still coughing). Before that, I'd been doing some random workbooks from the dollar store, played dominoes (making him add the 2 sides whenever he put down a tile), playing with cm cubes while writing down equations (2 cubes + 3 cubes = 5 cubes), reading some books (mathstart etc) featuring adding and subtraction, etc. I had to ban his big brother from trying to teach him math half a year ago... my youngest was just beginning to add and subtract, and my oldest decided it was time to start teaching his then 3.75yo brother negative numbers (that worked, at least as far as things like 1-3=-2 are concerned), and then multiplication (which didn't work), frustrating both of them to tears and arguments etc (I tried to teach the oldest appropriate things to teach first, but I couldn't, so I had to ban it outright to preserve everyone's sanity). So, the now 4.25yo still doesn't know multiplication, and I think the 7.5yo still doesn't get why his little brother is so dense (7.5yo has an ASD). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathmarm Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Well, the way that my mom did it with us, and what I *plan* to do with Jr. is sort of an "All of The Above" approach. Mom was big on us making our own supplements--posters, flashcards, diagrams, etc. So if we were struggling with certain facts, she would have us make the flashcards for that group and we'd be told to practice them each day. She gave us problems that specifically targeted our "weak spot" by giving us worksheets (hand made and xeroxed for posterity) drilling the handful of facts that we struggled with. She (re-)wrote word problems so that the numbers we were working with had something to do with the facts we were learning. It was very old school and what not, but also highly effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WahM Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I chose the first option because we use the CLE math flash card system. It is great! I tried games apps and board type games and nothing stuck with my daughter because she is just soooooo wiggly and distracted that the games were too distracting and she's too busy bouncing and rolling around she gets lost where she's at or drops stuff. So in her case flash cards are fast and effective. She can spin, roll, jump, etc and still be able to answer the card I'm holding up and it stuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I use games AND flash cards. I used to be a "NO Flash cards, NO WAY" person. But we were doing the games, and frequent practice, etc. and my son was not getting better. He was still counting on his fingers and figuring out the problem each time instead of focusing on learning them by heart. They sent home fact family flash cards from schools (All the nines. then the twos. Etc.) And he started making progress Right Away. So we still do the games and stuff but we have added flash cards at bed time to the the mix. Sometimes I put out just the eights. Or just the sevens, etc. Sometimes we use them all. Sometimes I do a mixture. But I keep cards aside for the ones that need extra working on (i've got two sets. One for the "working on" cards and one for the whole set with working on as part of it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kateingr Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I use flash cards to increase speed AFTER my child has a clear mental strategy for figuring out the problem. I use apps, too, but I like plain old paper flash cards for when we're targeting a certain strategy or group of facts because I have complete control over which problems we drill. This helps me keep the drill sessions fast and to the point. My favorite paper cards are these, because they're extremely good quality and a pleasure to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasc Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 We use CLE and their flash cards and system. We also use dice games, fact families on the dry erase board, and xtramath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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