ReadingMama1214 Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 DD will be 4 in 10 days. She's currently in a Pre-K 3 program. Our city has an October 1 cutoff so DD is scheduled to start K in 2017. She's reading CVC words extremely well and we are working through OPG. I'm considering Keeping her home next year instead of sending her to Pre-K 4. I feel like she'd like preschool socially, but we could fill that in other places. I'd plan to stick with OPG as long as she does well, I have HWOT K book, a counting bears box set (patterns, games, etc), and plan to buy an abacus. We have lots of learning board games, zoo/science museum, and children's museum memberships, and lots of craft supplies. I'm mainly looking for a simple math program. She could probably do a K level. We discovered last night that she can do addition up to 5 in her head and she grasps simple addition/subtractin word problems. I saw Mathematical Reasoning and liked what I saw. I've also looked at MEP, but am not sure I want to print that much (my own lack of drive). Hoping to spend under $50 plus the cost of an abacus. Any suggestions? We plan to send her to a classical charter school for K-12 and I think they use Saxon so I'd rather not use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Singapore, Education Unboxed or Kumon books would all be simple and inexpensive. I've heard good and bad things about Mathematical Reasoning, but if she's going to do Saxon you can do pretty much whatever you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Another vote for education unboxed (free) plus cuisinaire rods. If she likes workbooks, you can get the miquon orange book. Personally I prefer the cuisinaire rods to an abacus. If she really wants a workbook, the singapore kindergarten ones are all good. You can either go with the bright and colorful one or with "essentials" which has way less busy work. But it may be she likes busy work! My girls both love workbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 For that age we enjoyed Archimedes' Roost. It's an app that brings your child into a 3-6 Montessori math classroom, so they work with simple manipulatives on the screen. The way we did it was introducing the lesson physically first (I painted 1/2in blocks from the craft store and printed some items), and then introduced it digitally. The back and forth between the two gave him a strong base in conceptual math. We didn't even touch writing until he was 5 - I believe children need to explore as much as they can hands on, without workbooks, for as long as they can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 Thanks! She does love workbooks. The other night she pulled out the cheapy Kindergarten Leap Frog one I found at target and did 3 pages before bed! Is miquon expensive? I've heard it was? I read some pretty mixed reviews about math reasoning so I think we will pass on it. $35 for a so-so book isn't worth It to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Miquon will be less than Mathematical Reasoning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 If you want cheap/free look at MEP (again), if you have some budget get the Miquon Lab Annotations book and some or all of the workbooks. Another option would be some of the Math Mammoth workbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 If you want cheap/free look at MEP (again), if you have some budget get the Miquon Lab Annotations book and some or all of the workbooks. Another option would be some of the Math Mammoth workbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 I have looked at MEP but was a little bit wary of all of the printing. I'd almost rather spend the money on an already printed book than print and bond my own. What exactly would I need In order to do miquon for kindergarten? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 I have looked at MEP but was a little bit wary of all of the printing. I'd almost rather spend the money on an already printed book than print and bond my own. What exactly would I need In order to do miquon for kindergarten? Annotations, Orange and maybe Red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 Annotations, Orange and maybe Red. Do I need any extra manipulates? I plan to buy an abacus and would buy the rods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Do I need any extra manipulates? I plan to buy an abacus and would buy the rods. Just the rods. You won't use an abacus with Miquon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 I'm a Mathematical Reasoning fan myself, especially the earliest ones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 I'm a Mathematical Reasoning fan myself, especially the earliest ones. I've heard really mixed reviews. Great or blah. I did like the look of the workbooks. I wonder if I can find it used. It's so colorful! Do you use manipulagives with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 Most of MEP R can be done off a computer screen. CSMP K can be done off the screen too with a few manipulatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 If I do a K level of MEP or Miquon, will she be bored with Saxon once she starts actual K? She is definitely at a K level for math, but we don't plan to homeschool beyond Pre-K really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 If she's going to school, but you want to do maths next year anyway, pick something gentle like MEP R or something completely quirky like CSMP K. Other people's mileage may vary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 If she's going to school, but you want to do maths next year anyway, pick something gentle like MEP R or something completely quirky like CSMP K. Other people's mileage may vary. Thanks! I do plan to do math because she loves it. I think I'll go to an office store and have it bound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 I've heard really mixed reviews. Great or blah. I did like the look of the workbooks. I wonder if I can find it used. It's so colorful! Do you use manipulagives with it? Just read that you don't plan to 'homeschool' past K, so you might be best off with something conceptual or quirky like Rosie said. If you go with Mathematical Reasoning it will teach concepts and she may well be bored repeating them next year. We have manupulatives available but we're just as likely to pull out toys or crackers or coloured bits of paper to illustrate concepts at this age, since most of it revolves around counting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 Just read that you don't plan to 'homeschool' past K, so you might be best off with something conceptual or quirky like Rosie said. If you go with Mathematical Reasoning it will teach concepts and she may well be bored repeating them next year. We have manupulatives available but we're just as likely to pull out toys or crackers or coloured bits of paper to illustrate concepts at this age, since most of it revolves around counting. Would MEP be more conceptual? I was somewhat worried about boredom in K, but she loves writing, crafts, play, and friends and I think she will enjoy K for these reasons even if she is bored academically. The school also tends to be a bit more rigorous. If she was going to attend public, I'd be more worried about boredom. We have some manipulatives (Counting Bears set) and workbooks which she loves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 (edited) In your situation I'd go for CSMP K over MEP R, unless it proves too tricky for her. MEP R is good for vocabulary. I'm not sure it is much use for kids who are comfortable with prepositions and ordinal numbers? CSMP K shouldn't cause boredom at school. It is very quirky. Even if she learns the concepts, when she gets to school she'll be learning more traditional style. Edited December 6, 2015 by Rosie_0801 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 6, 2015 Author Share Posted December 6, 2015 In your situation I'd go for CSMP K over MEP R, unless it proves too tricky for her. MEP R is good for vocabulary. I'm not sure it is much use for kids who are comfortable with prepositions and ordinal numbers? CSMP K shouldn't cause boredom at school. It is very quirky. Even if she learns the concepts, when she gets to school she'll be learning more traditional style. Thanks! I was looking at the CSMP sight and the K book. Sounds like they need a lot of manipulatives? It said you could buy it in the student pack, but I couldn't find where to buy that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 Thanks! I was looking at the CSMP sight and the K book. Sounds like they need a lot of manipulatives? It said you could buy it in the student pack, but I couldn't find where to buy that. Don't buy the student pack, if indeed there is one to be purchased. You should definitely own c-rods. We used the geoboard a few times and I don't think there is any harm in skipping those lessons if you don't have one. I certainly wouldn't give a little kid a calculator so I skip those too. I think it would have been nice to have the story books printed, but we read them off the screen. I've found the lack of attribute blocks a nuisance now we're doing level one, but made do with lego for level K. If you think you're likely to continue after schooling with this program in the future, get the attribute blocks. Really, you can skip any lesson that is inconvenient because your kiddie is going to school anyway, and while they'll use different methods, they're still going to teach arithmetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Mep R also helps with subitizing 1-5 and a little bit of prewriting. The CSMP storybooks are fun, and the worksheets have a lot of white space. If you are worried she'll be bored in school and she's already adding and subtracting, you might consider alternating dedicated math lessons with dedicated logic lessons. I've seen Logic workbooks recommended here but I've never used any. You could also round out math lessons with Math Start and Greg Tang picture books from your library and you tube math videos like on skip counting and such. We use and like Miquon but it might put her too far ahead for public Kindergarten. Maybe you could ask the school she'll be attending what they'll cover so you'll know what to only introduce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Mep R also helps with subitizing 1-5 and a little bit of prewriting. The CSMP storybooks are fun, and the worksheets have a lot of white space. If you are worried she'll be bored in school and she's already adding and subtracting, you might consider alternating dedicated math lessons with dedicated logic lessons. I've seen Logic workbooks recommended here but I've never used any. You could also round out math lessons with Math Start and Greg Tang picture books from your library and you tube math videos like on skip counting and such. We use and like Miquon but it might put her too far ahead for public Kindergarten. Maybe you could ask the school she'll be attending what they'll cover so you'll know what to only introduce. Thanks for the ideas. They sound great and I'll have to look into them more. I do have a playlist of math songs and plan to introduce them as soon as she's solid in other areas. We love learning through music. She'll be going to a classical charter school for K-12 hopefully. They offer half day K (as opposed to full day in public). the school uses Singapore for math. I don't mind if she's a little ahead, but don't want her bored. She'll be ahead reading and I think the phonics practice will give her a more solid start in spelling. I plan to talk to the school before she would start K (2017) and see what they do it a student is ahead. I know kids start K all over the place and don't think she'll be wildly ahead. She's a mid December kid and our school cut off is Oct 1 and she's 1 of the oldest in her pre-k class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kateingr Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 If you don't mind waiting a couple months, I have a preschool math book coming out from Peace Hill Press later this winter. (It focuses on developing strong number sense with the numbers from 0 to 10 with playful, short lessons.) You can pre-order at Amazon if you're interested. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Thanks for the ideas. They sound great and I'll have to look into them more. I do have a playlist of math songs and plan to introduce them as soon as she's solid in other areas. We love learning through music. She'll be going to a classical charter school for K-12 hopefully. They offer half day K (as opposed to full day in public). the school uses Singapore for math. I don't mind if she's a little ahead, but don't want her bored. She'll be ahead reading and I think the phonics practice will give her a more solid start in spelling. I plan to talk to the school before she would start K (2017) and see what they do it a student is ahead. I know kids start K all over the place and don't think she'll be wildly ahead. She's a mid December kid and our school cut off is Oct 1 and she's 1 of the oldest in her pre-k class. In your first post you said they used Saxon at the school now Singapore. They are polar opposites from what I have heard so it may make a difference to the advice given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 If you don't mind waiting a couple months, I have a preschool math book coming out from Peace Hill Press later this winter. (It focuses on developing strong number sense with the numbers from 0 to 10 with playful, short lessons.) You can pre-order at Amazon if you're interested. How lovely! I will have to check that out. OP, one child liked Miquon, and another hated it. It sometimes has open ended questions with multiple answers, and it's big on patterns and tricks. So ymmv. I got tired of looking at it and started using MEP for my third child, who likes the story and picture aspect of it. There's also Math Lessons for a Living Education, from Sandi Queen, I think. I have only looked at it briefly (someone donated it to our group's lending library), and it also has the story aspect, more than MEP. It mentions at the end that the children in the story will be homeschooled, so that may or may not appeal to you if you're not planning to keep her home, but it does look like a nice introduction to math. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted December 13, 2015 Author Share Posted December 13, 2015 In your first post you said they used Saxon at the school now Singapore. They are polar opposites from what I have heard so it may make a difference to the advice given. Yes, I realized that after I posted. The other school we are considering does Saxon. The one that I am hoping for is Singapore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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