Help! Need new math curriculum

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

I am contemplating a curriculum change for my son in math (upcoming 4th grader).  I do not change curriculums lightly.  In fact, I am a person who likes to research and make a decision and stick with it, especially in math.  However, my son has such a negative connotation with Saxon Math that we have decided switching is the best thing for him.  The looks of Math 5/4 is scaring him.

 

He does struggle with his math facts, and I have thought that was the main problem.  He does not struggle too much with math concepts.  We were a full book ahead in Saxon, so we have been going slowly to solidify math facts and at grade level now.  Through Xtramath and supplementation from an A Beka 2 book I have, he has significantly improved his addition and subtraction.  One of the things that has been a disservice to him is the haphazard way Saxon has introduced math facts out of order with too many tricks for memory.  When recalling facts, he overthinks all of the tricks and counts on his fingers too much and fails to commit them to memory.  I feel A Beka has a more systematic way of introducing math facts for memory vs. calling something an "oddball fact."  The oddball facts really did him in from the beginning, and we have been playing catchup ever since.  I had determined NOT to use Saxon K-3 with my other kids because of this.  Thought the upper books would be better, but 5/4's presentation of multiplication and division is more of the same.

 

We are highly considering going through the A Beka 3 book with him for the thorough coverage of multiplication/division in fact families.  However, I do not want him to be "behind" a grade level either even though it is the book he would need.  He has actually asked to do it because it is colorful and looks more fun, which is a big thing for him, even though I have warned him that this book is actually a lot of work.  He also likes their math games.

 

So what do I switch TO??  He is a visual learner and "Sociable Sue" who is bright and understands math well.  Whatever I switch to needs to be a long-term change through high school, preferably.  We need something engaging, visually appealing, rigorous, and thorough.  I would prefer not to use the computer as the primary medium, so no Teaching Textbooks.  I do not want any curriculum that does not teach memorization of facts or is too abstract.

 

Here are some we considered:

 

Life of Fred:  He adores Life of Fred, and I came very close to switching to it as our main curriculum starting with Fractions, but I cannot get over the impression that it isn't "enough" despite the author's claims.  He will seriously read a Life of Fred book in one day if I let him and tell me all about the things he learned.  We will continually use this as a supplement, and I feel that could cover any gaps in conceptual understanding that some curriculums, like Saxon, get dinged for.  But I feel that he needs more practice than Fred offers (although not as much as Saxon, perhaps.)

 

Math U See:  We looked at the Math U See website, and he finds that very appealing after looking over the samples.  He especially likes the blocks they use and understood it well.  He is very visual.  I have never been too drawn to this curriculum, but I am trying not to have my preferences get in the way of what he needs.  It looks like something I'd even switch to now, but multiplication and division are in separate books, and I would prefer to cover both next year.  I am thinking of switching to this starting in Epsilon in 5th grade.  How good is the upper level math?  What are its strengths and weaknesses?  How well is retention with mastery vs. spiral?  Is this something he can do more independently in high school?

 

Horizon:  Main knock is that it only goes to Algebra 1.  I looked at the K-3 books before. What are the upper levels like?

 

I'd be open to others, but nothing too abstract or that doesn't go to high school.  Religious or secular is fine with me.  I don't particularly care if it is Common Core aligned, but I am opposed to Everyday Math or similar.  Are there other good ones for a visual learner that are rigorous?  I prefer more of a traditional math, but I am open to creative understanding (such as Math U See.)  

 

Any advice?

 

[OneStepAtATime]

I don't know much about Abeka but if he likes the look of Abeka and using Abeka 2 as a supplement worked well and it looks like 3 would fit, then why not try it?  Don't think of it as him being behind but of being where he needs to be.  Math is built with layers.  If the foundation is weak then the whole thing is shaky.  If the foundation becomes strong he can probably process through more advanced material at an accelerated rate.  If he has a weak foundation he may struggle every year, KWIM?  You can work through summers (which many do so information isn't lost) if necessary.

 

FWIW, different math curriculums progress in different ways with different pacing.  Whenever you think of switching, if there are placement tests, it is usually wise to take the placement tests.  If there are no placement tests, but you feel comfortable placing him in a certain level because it would best match where he is at, then do so and don't feel bad about it.   "Grade levels" were created so that schools could have some sort of guideline for how to move a large number of students through.  As a homeschooler you can actually follow the path that works best for your individual student.  

[OneStepAtATime]

As for Life of Fred, if your child struggles to retain math facts, then he will definitely need something to supplement Life of Fred but you might still be able to use it as the spine, especially since he likes it so much.  Just add in worksheets and drill.  Or maybe switch to something like CLE (give the placement test) since it reviews math facts all the way through 5th grade material daily, but use CLE as a supplement, just cross out some of the review material he has already mastered and pair the Light Units with Life of Fred.

 

Have you tried Khan Academy?

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

Thanks! If I use Life of Fred as a spine, are there good resources others have found to supplement? Kumon maybe? I just don't know if it strong enough as a standalone, and I don't want to make him a guinea pig.

 

I know exactly what you mean about a shaky foundation. That's why I did slow down when we brought him home to work on fact retention. How could he speed through multiplication when he didn't have addition down? I can keep advancing through some concepts while he is learning them, but he will eventually hit a brick wall. But I don't want to take such a long detour that he is on a long, remedial path when he really is quite sharp at math and is a science lover. I want to stop and lay the strong foundation so we can keep building.

 

I totally agree with putting him at the level he is in, but some programs advance more quickly than others. I may very well do A Beka with him next year. I know it is a lot of work too, so I am not sure how much he will like it in the long run. Even if I did A Beka for a year or two, I would not want to do A Beka for the upper grades though (past 6th grade tops.) I would, however, be amenable to switching after 6th grade or so to a good upper level math that may not have a Lower level math.

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

I am not familiar with Khan.

[wapiti]

Definitely spend some more time reading lots of threads.  Unfortunately, the rigorous programs that I would pick for a visual learner are not traditional.  (However, when I say not traditional, I do *not* mean Fuzzy Math such as Everyday Math - I would never suggest those but Fuzzy programs are not typically used by homeschoolers anyway, at least not much around these boards.)

 

Most rigorous (IMO) for a visual learner:  Beast Academy by AoPS (AoPS runs through high school and beyond); definitely not traditional :)

 

Additional options:  Singapore, Math Mammoth, MEP.  I don't know MEP well as its more spiral IIRC, but both Singapore and Math Mammoth are relatively balanced between concepts and algorithms.

 

My other advice would to try to let go of the idea that a program needs to go all the way through high school.  Secondary math is so different and more standardized and you can cross that bridge when you come to it, as any good prealgebra should leave a student prepared for algebra 1.  Find what will suit him for elementary, now, rather than five years from now.

 

MUS is reputed to be lighter/weaker at the high school level than for elementary.

 

Whatever program you choose, consider working on math facts on the side via games, such as the Right Start games, some of which you can see on youtube and just require ordinary playing cards, IIRC.

[OneStepAtATime]

Khan Academy is an online program but very colorful.  Lots of practice and it advances at the pace of the child.  Some use it as a spine and some as a supplement.  https://www.khanacademy.org/ I hope the link works.  If not, do a search.  You as the parent can set up what you want him to work on or let him work on whatever he feels he needs to.  There are explanation videos when the student gets stuck.

 

And what wapiti said.  :)

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

So helpful! I guess by traditional, I mean teaches fact memorization and no fuzzy math as you said. I want them to know the algorithms even if they need to break it down somewhat differently to gain understanding. I would also like them to do well in mental math and not be dependent on calculators.

 

I know I am probably over stressing about the long term plan more than I should. I am a planner, and for some reason, switching math is the most stressful thing to me in my homeschooling ever. It's definitely a life lesson for me in my homeschooling journey. I guess I could switch to a different high school plan afterwards, but it would certainly be convenient not to! :). I think I am paranoid of getting him off track so that he couldn't do calculus if he ever wanted to. He is not struggling so much in math, just slow at memorizing his facts and struggling with this curriculum's components and aesthetics.

[quietchapel]

We use MEP and MUS. It took us awhile to settle on that combination. MUS is like drill for us. The kids can do it independently.

[KSinNS]

So, big boost for MUS. It's a great curriculum at the elementary level. I love the organization, the logic of it, the manipulative, and the open, white pages. Only downside-word problems are weak, so you probably will need to supplement-Challenging Word Problems, BA, Kangaroo math exams, etc). Oh, and I tweaked epsilon. Do the testing, your kid may test into Beta-which is fine. You need a solid foundation. I did find I needed to drill math facts separately-computer games, flash cards, whatever floats your boat. 

 

It is not a "strong" high-school curriculum, but compared to our local schools, it is pretty much in line. And its pretty easy to switch to another math curriculum as you hit that level. S is moving on to other things because he was flying though it, so he needed a deeper "pre algebra" curriculum. For T I will probably follow a longtime poster here and go through algebra then switch to a standard Algebra 1 book.

 

Right now, no one is using MUS, though T is going back to it in the next week or two, and M will start it the year after next. T needed some time to consolidate addition and subtraction and place value before moving on. 

[Faithful_Steward]

BJU math. The new editions are FABULOUS.

 

4th Grade: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=296814&event=ESRCG

3rd Grade: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=296798&event=ESRCG

 

You might also check out CLE and Singapore. Abeka would be great, too! Even if you have to start in the 3rd grade Abeka book, you will likely make up time in 4th (much  of the book is review).

 

I hope you find something you like!

[Mom28kds]

I have used Saxon, Abeka and CLE. All are spiral which I like because of the constant review.

 

Saxon is a very good Math which put my kids ahead when I put them in PS and taught them well. It teaches to your child but you have to write all problem out on a separate piece of paper. I used graph paper. You may or may not like this. I does have alot of problems which you could cross out some of the review.

 

Abeka is also good. I like it best for the younger grades. It's colorful and also does a great job of preparing the kids. I usually changed from Abeka when my kids got older because it is more teacher intensive because it doesn't explain as well the concepts to the kids. I'm not good at math so in order for me to help with the older grades I needed more explaination. Also, I think it it helps if my older students begin to learn to be more independent. 

 

CLE is more like Saxon in that it teaches to the student. You have small workbooks called light units so you can work right in the book. I have used different levels of this and am considering sticking with this one for the upper grades. I don't think the upper grades needs quite the color that Abeka gives. It is indepenent and is a good Math program.

 

I haven't used any of the other programs you mentioned. I hope this helps with these.

[Five More Minutes]

I only used Saxon for a bit, but I think I understand how it could be causing frustration for your visual learner. I recommend taking a look at Beast Academy, starting at 3A. It's fun to look at, for one thing! It also approaches topics in a creative way, giving students a deep understanding of underlying concepts. Their presentation of multiplication really helped my eldest make that final push to cementing those facts. Beast is like Singapore in that they expect you'll drill facts as you need on the side, which I did for about 10 min a day using apps and a flash card method that Ruth (lewelma) introduced to me.

 

Singapore Standards has also worked very well for my visual dd. I use it as our spine because we are outpacing Beast at the moment. They have very complementary approaches.

 

I haven't used the ones you're contemplating so can't comment on them.

[wapiti]

So helpful! I guess by traditional, I mean teaches fact memorization and no fuzzy math as you said. I want them to know the algorithms even if they need to break it down somewhat differently to gain understanding. I would also like them to do well in mental math and not be dependent on calculators.

 

Singapore and MM are both strong with mental math.  All the programs I mentioned would require the algorithms to be learned.

 

I know I am probably over stressing about the long term plan more than I should. I am a planner, and for some reason, switching math is the most stressful thing to me in my homeschooling ever. It's definitely a life lesson for me in my homeschooling journey. I guess I could switch to a different high school plan afterwards, but it would certainly be convenient not to!  :). I think I am paranoid of getting him off track so that he couldn't do calculus if he ever wanted to. He is not struggling so much in math, just slow at memorizing his facts and struggling with this curriculum's components and aesthetics.

 

As for the long term, whether a student can fit calculus in depends on what happens during those flexible middle school years - a standard sequence with algebra 1 in 8th grade easily arrives at calc senior year - though even a student who has algebra 1 in 9th could work through summers to fit calc in.  However, the big picture of math education is more than sequence; there is depth/rigor/challenge to consider, especially with regard to problem solving.

[SilverMoon]

FWIW, I wouldn't tie yourself to only programs that go through high school. Especially all your kids to the same high school books. My teens are so wildly different in how they approach math that making them use the same book would be a disservice. One finds math difficult in general, and the other wants to go as far in math as they can. There was no way to adequately predict their needs when they were in elementary.

 

My little ones have done fabulous with Horizons. I've used most of the elementary series now. It's stealthy in the way it teaches. The math just keeps ramping up in difficulty and they don't even notice. DS/6th moved out of book 6 this year for Art of Problem Solving prealgebra, which is very nontraditional. (Strong math student) My little girls are using the 5 and 2 books this year and thriving. I plan for DD/4th to continue to the 6 book, but she is very curious about her brother's quirky AoPS. I'll let her dabble in both and see what happens when the time comes.

[mymommy1]

As a math teacher, I would not recommend Life Of Fred as a spine for a child like yours.  (My oldest is just like him.)  Yes, it does cover the topics kids need to know and more, in an unusual order.  The story is entertaining to some kids, though my math natural son found it annoying and wanted to get to the math.  The things that's missing is explanation.  It isn't going to break down the problems and explain it in different ways, and sometimes not at all.  It will present the algorithm, but to me, no reasoning behind that.  I add that in for my son.  

 

My math-natural son is doing Beast Academy. My oldest is doing Singapore or MM.  I get him LOF on ILL from the library.

[RootAnn]

I recommend taking a look at Beast Academy, starting at 3A.

 

I'm not sure BA has the 'fact memorization' that the OP is looking for. It is a great program, but I'm not sure it is what she's looking for as she already has a fun supplement (LOF) that her kid likes.

 

You could definitely go with Abeka, but as you said, it is a lot of work. You would want to compress the 3rd-6th books into three years (instead of four) so you could get to Pre-A around 7th grade. It is doable. Or, you could just commit to getting through Arithmetic 6 in 7th grade to start Pre-A in 8th, skipping the "Basic Mathematics" book they use after Abeka 6. Nothing wrong with that, either.

 

You might end up in the same spot with BJU as there is no placement test & you'd probably want to put him into 3 but possibly start part-way through? I think it fits your criteria well and has all the upper levels you are looking for, too.

 

Horizons has a placement test, so you'd have to see where that puts him as it might put him in the same position as with Abeka. I think Horizons fits your criteria (colorful, fact memorization, spiral). You can switch after Horizons 6 into some other Pre-A and many do. Many, many people use different Pre-A, Algebra, Geometry, etc. books than their lower math levels without problem.

 

CLE is an option with a placement test. It is NOT colorful. However, it is spiral, easy to 'accelerate' if he places in a lower grade level (which is often the case) than he is, and works on fact memorization.

 

If I were you, I'd probably administer placement tests for CLE & Horizons before the end of the school year and order whatever the book is he tests into (one semester worth for Horizons, one Light Unit for CLE -- CHEAP!). Then, over the summer, I'd try both out with him. If neither seems to fit, you could go with BJU or Abeka for the fall.

 

In the meantime, a few minutes of Xtramath.com a day would probably help a lot. When you sign him up, set him with the 6-second set-up first. (If you need help, just ask. It is just a setting in the parent account.) This doubles the amount of time he has to answer each problem. When my younger kids get through with the 6 second program, I send them back through with the 3 second (normal) program.

 

Good luck!

[Five More Minutes]

I'm not sure BA has the 'fact memorization' that the OP is looking for. It is a great program, but I'm not sure it is what she's looking for as she already has a fun supplement (LOF) that her kid likes.

 

You're absolutely right on that.

 

I am having a hard time expressing what I've observed with my dd and Beast. Even without repeated fact memorization tasks within the program itself, it helped her memorize facts! She's a visual learner who wasn't finding it easy to memorize multiplication facts. Something about the way that Beast presented skip-counting (3A) and multiplication (3B) clicked for her. It's like she suddenly had the hooks she needed to memorize those facts. It may have been a maturity thing in part, but I believe that Beast's visual presentation (emphasizing patterning) made a huge difference for her in fact recall. So when I did math drills with her separately, she just charged ahead, memorizing them within the space of a couple of weeks after completing the multiplication section within Beast.

 

So, based on that admittedly limited experience, I am suggesting that Beast is worth looking at for a student who gets concepts, is a visual learner, but isn't getting their math facts down despite the drill of Saxon.

[SnMomof7]

Consider CLE. It's spiral and traditional. Where MUS failed for us due to lack of spiral review, CLE works very well. That said, we supplement math fact work from time to time with Math Rider.

[Clear Creek]

I have a friend who used Times Tables the Fun Way to teach her children their multiplication facts. If my younger daughter (a very visual learner) hadn't managed to learn her multiplication facts using MUS, I was going to get a copy of the book to use with her.

[kateingr]

Another excellent option for going through the times tables systematically is Math Mammoth's Blue Series Multiplication 1. No tricks at all, just a solid and systematic program to get the tables down. Plus, only $5 for the download. :) If he's understanding math well but just having trouble with math facts, this might get him back on track and ready for the A Beka 4th grade book, which would address your concern about having him a year behind. Definitely make sure he takes a placement test either way, though. 

 

 

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

Thank you all for your help.  I really do like the looks of Beast Academy as it stands on its own more than LOF.  (Although, he loves LOF story so I would probably still get it for him.)  I have been looking at all the threads on BA last night.  I had never looked at that before, and AoPS looks like a good option to consider later too.  I am not opposed to drilling the math facts on the side, as long as they present it in a logical manner in the text in what they require.  I can always supplement if it's laid out correctly.  In Saxon, they started with 0,1,2 and 5 times table, and then we went to 7's with days of the week and then 12's with months, then 4's and now 8's.  It's all over the place and frustrating to him.  I am coming up with skip counting songs, and that helps him tremendously.  He is looking for tricks to help him remember.  Even when he gets it fast, he is just calculating the trick fast.  He understands the concept of multiplication, but I feel their order of memorization is crazy!  It has turned him off to Saxon completely.  He has done XtraMath this year, which really improved his addition and subtraction.  Although I did not know there was a six second option!  I will definitely keep that in mind for my others.

 

I have considered Horizon in the past, but I already have A Beka 3rd in hand for my second kid...so I don't know if it is different enough to invest in unless I plan to go much farther with it.  Math can get expensive.  I have no issues doing something different for each kid as they are wildly different, but I like to keep them on track without switching them around too much.  

 

This child appreciates manipulatives, hands on stuff, visual attractiveness and story.  He gets 100's on his work still, even most of his facts (no speed, counts in his head though).  He is doing better with it, but his hatred for Saxon materials over any other thing I give him is very noticeable.  I want to switch, but I he's not needing a long, remedial path.  Whatever I get has to be colorful because that is a big thing he has expressed.  For some reason, a colorful star clock in A Beka on the page made the work not look as long to him vs. a black clock in Saxon.  It's a mental block for him, and he is easily distracted.  He needs the color to keep him focused on the page.  He appreciates thinking about math and loves science and factoids about things he reads about, and I like that BA or some of the others mentioned would improve his problem solving ability. 

 

I guess I have thought that the grammar stage was more of the time to drill in that fact memory so he could think deeper about it later in dialectic and rhetoric.  I still believe that to an extent, and that has led me to more traditional maths for elementary.  My younger son loves A Beka so far and loves learning math facts.  He loves colorful workbooks.  My oldest started Saxon in private school, so I continued with it.  I admit that I am more comfortable with the traditional arithmetic as well.  I grew up with A Beka math and Saxon.  I have never really checked out a lot of these others.  I would have never thought of Beast Academy.  Math in a comic book sounded way too fluffy to me, but I see the rigor as I look at it.  My main concern is that it includes the traditional algorithms too.  I would never want to see long division only practiced with a lattice matrix, for example.  

 

I just can't thank this board enough for all of your helpful suggestions.  You have lifted a lot of my stress this weekend.

 

 

[mymommy1]

I'd print some samples and really look at BA.  I love it for my son who went through 2 levels of MIF in 3/4 of a year and has almost all his facts memorized for all operations in first grade.  Not to brag, he just knows it.  We didn't spend extra time on it.  BA gives him a chance to play with math and pick it apart.  I don't know that you will find the instruction and drill on traditional algorithms your looking for as much as trying to solve problems in new and many ways.  That's why I love it for him.

 

My oldest son who is struggling with all his facts still in 4th grade at almost 10 likes the comics of BA, but working the problems with him was difficult.  His arithmetic skills made it long and hard.  He did like the geometry type problems and sections.  I've found SM or MM (I think I'll do MM next printed in color) is best for getting him moving along in math.  He reads LOF as we get them from ILL.  He'd love LOF even more if the math was left out!

[Five More Minutes]

My main concern is that it includes the traditional algorithms too. I would never want to see long division only practiced with a lattice matrix, for example.

 

I just can't thank this board enough for all of your helpful suggestions. You have lifted a lot of my stress this weekend.

This is sort of off-topic, but I've been wanting to share it somewhere ... My dd just did long division in Beast last week, which uses the standard algorithm with a really helpful twist. I've done a lot of math in my life and never saw long division presented so ... sensibly! We had friends over for dinner and I was so excited that I hauled out the book to show them this approach (Yes, I am that much of a geek, but thankfully my friends play along!). Part of our games evening was then spent doing long division the "easy Beast way." :-)

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

I just gave my son the placement test for Beast Academy 3a. He was supposed to get twelve out of 16 right, and he only get ten. I felt bad for him because a couple were simple mistakes, but I also saw that he needs some more practice with multiple digit addition and subtraction, which Abeka seems to teach earlier than Saxon. So irritated with Saxon right now.

 

I decided to start Abeka 3 with him now and go through the summer. I will also work hard on his facts and looking at some resources like Multiplication the Fun Way (thanks for that...in my Amazon cart now!). I will continue with Xtramath. Thinking of having some motivating rewards for his hard work. If I see some big improvements, we can revisit whether Beast Academy or something else would be a better fit for him afterwards or if we stick with more of the fundamentals in Abeka for a few more years.

 

We liked the looks of Beast Academy far more than I expected, and I will definitely consider it in the future, but I do believe he needs the foundation of the math operations more solidified first. Following the classical model, fifth grade will be a natural transition to more of the higher level thinking anyways, and he will still have LOF as a fun supplement.

 

While Abeka can be overkill sometimes and needs the amount of work tweaked from time to time, it is very systematic and orderly in its teaching of the facts and ensures memorization. To quote SWB, "Kids who have been through Abeka KNOW math." I do feel it is visually appealing with great visual aids and flash cards, etc. that I have already invested in with my second son who loves Abeka math so far. I should have just switched them both over last year instead of trying to stick with Saxon for my oldest. Most of the other ones were similar enough to Abeka that it didn't seem worth the reinvestment into materials.

 

It is a little uncomfortable for me to not know where we are going in our long term trajectory, but that is the life lesson I get to learn out of all of this.

[CardinalAlt]

Just have to throw in some more Beast love, since DD is happily devouring the 3B guide I just gave her :). I do sense, like some previous posters, that she does much better learning her facts when she's already using them in interesting, motivating ways.

 

If you really like the looks of Beast, could you just pick a few areas to strengthen first with something from Math Mammoth Blue, or even rod games from Education Unboxed? (Huge hit with lots of visual learners...)

 

If you decide to stick with Abeka, another fun supplement I haven't seen mentioned is Zaccaro Primary Math Challenge.

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

Just have to throw in some more Beast love, since DD is happily devouring the 3B guide I just gave her :). I do sense, like some previous posters, that she does much better learning her facts when she's already using them in interesting, motivating ways.

 

If you really like the looks of Beast, could you just pick a few areas to strengthen first with something from Math Mammoth Blue, or even rod games from Education Unboxed? (Huge hit with lots of visual learners...)

 

If you decide to stick with Abeka, another fun supplement I haven't seen mentioned is Zaccaro Primary Math Challenge.

Thank you! I appreciate it. We are going to start right away with Abeka 3 and shelf Saxon. I do think Beast may be good in the multiplication/division concepts for him and help some things click, and he responded well to the samples, but I think he needs more time than Beast will allow. I also think we need even some solidifying on addition and subtraction, especially multiple digit. He knows some multiplication through skip counting, but has not really learned any division yet. We also took a long break last fall for a major cross country move, so we are really only halfway through the year. I have considered doing Beast on the side or for Friday math in the fall once he gets some more practice in this summer. But when he enjoys a resource, he will devour it if I let him. He can read a LOF book in a day if I don't make him slow down. I don't think I would have too much trouble getting finished with BA for him by starting a little later in the year.

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

The Abeka books came today, and we started right away. I have never seen my son happier to do a page of math. He even cheerfully did a speed drill, which could lead to tears in Saxon. We are going through some lessons in Abeka 2 with the test booklet before we start 3 since I know 3 ramps up quickly. He was browsing through 3 and excited, making comments like, "oh, good Roman numerals...I need to know them!" The visual appeal made all the difference for him. He likes to add doodles on his page when he is done, and he stayed focused on the math page when it wasn't this endless book of black and white text. Now both of my boys are happy at math time, which makes me one happy mom. Time will tell how the next year goes, but I am looking forward to see the results at the end of this journey. I think it is more than just newness. I am just happy we can learn math facts in an orderly fashion now.

 

I have learned a lot through this process as I have been researching math philosophies and curricula endlessly for a few weeks now. Change can be hard, but I learned that the need to change the sequence, presentation or schedule in curricula doesn't always mean I need to completely overhaul everything I ever thought about math or completely change the way we approach math. I really believe in the foundational layer of math facts in the grammar stage so that higher abstract thinking can take place in other stages. I do believe traditional math addresses this well and provides the best tool for me, and I can add manipulativees to demonstrate a concept or supplement puzzles and math challenges. However, not all traditional maths are the same just as not all of the newer maths are the same, and the variations can be huge. I think that was my biggest takeaway. You always hear the similarities of certain traditional programs, but sometimes their differences can be major in what works for a child.

 

A Beka does not equal Saxon.

[kateingr]

Very true words. So glad that the first day went so well!