4KookieKids Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 (edited) I have a 5 yo (6 in a few weeks) who just finished Singapore PM 2a, and I know BA 2a just went to the printer. I'm unsure if I should get BA 2 as it comes out slowly over the next year, and just let the forced slow pace be something kind of "fun" for kiddo, or if it might just exasperate and so I should wait until she's ready for BA3 maybe sometime next Spring (whenever she finishes SM3) and go straight from there. I'm sure other folks on here have been around long enough to deal with these issues of kids moving faster than BA's publishing pace, so I'd love to hear any thoughts! I have two younger children yet, so I'll be getting BA2 eventually anyway. And since I already have an older child, I already have all the rest of BA. I'm just not sure where to start with level 2 coming out this year, you know? Edited August 16, 2017 by 4kookiekids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Well I'd defiantly get BA 2 as it comes out, but that doesn't mean you can't move ahead in math. I'd keep going in SM and start Beast 3A when ready. My oldest was almost finished with AoPS Prealgebra while she was still doing Beast 5 as it came out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal_Bear Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 (edited) 5 is young for BA3. The issue is more a child's tolerance for BA's approach. The first chapter in BA3 is notorious for its difficulty. You can try, but you'll know quickly whether or not you should set it aside and wait on it. I am one of the ones who uses BA a level behind SM. I use both because I find value in both approaches. I just finished SM5 in the spring with my 8yo and am making my way through finishing BA5 now before I move on to pre-A. Edited August 16, 2017 by calbear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4KookieKids Posted August 16, 2017 Author Share Posted August 16, 2017 5 is young for BA3. The issue is more a child's tolerance for BA's approach. The first chapter in BA3 is notorious for its difficulty. You can try, but you'll know quickly whether or not you should set it aside and wait on it. I am one of the ones who uses BA a level behind SM. I use both because I find value in both approaches. I just finished SM5 in the spring with my 8yo and am making my way through finishing BA5 now before I move on to pre-A. We use it a level behind SM as well with my oldest, and that's why I was thinking she'd probably finish most of SM3 by sometime next spring! And I should've mentioned that she has a birthday soon, so she'll be 6.5-6.75 by the time I anticipate her actually finishing up sm3, though you know those things are hard to guess. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cake and Pi Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I think it depends mostly on your kid. Most kids aren't ready to put in the kind of sustained effort needed to solve the more challenging problems in BA3+ until 6-7yo, but some might a little earlier, while some very bright kiddos don't seem to develop the grit needed to push on in the face of BA-style failure until much older, even if they're capable of the work. I think it's totally reasonable to carry on with SM, taking breaks to work on BA 2 as it is released, and then transition over to BA 3 whenever she's ready. Whether she would find switching around like that exasperating depends entirely on her; you'd know best how she'd handle such variety in instructional materials. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 FWIW, I found my DD desperately needed a variety of materials at that age (and actually still does-we typically have multiple texts available even now that she's doing her math at the college level). She was ready for the content, but still needed the variety and fun appropriate for a little kid. And I remember SM 3 being something of a slog because her motor skills didn't let her draw the models accurately and it frustrated her. (This was before the apps and online stuff was available). So I think SM3 and BA 2 would be a good combo, and then bring in BA 3 when ready. You may be able to phase out SM-but having the ability to go to a different book as a change of pace was invaluable here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted August 16, 2017 Share Posted August 16, 2017 My five year old has been doing only the easier problems in BA3 without issue (except the notorious shapes chapter which was easy for him). I figured next year we can go through it again and do the challenging problems and it would serve as a review as well. I still intend to get BA2 as well, and maybe he would want to do all the problems at once in that level. He also does Singapore Process Skills and CWP. He doesn't use any of the other workbooks so it's easy to balance with BA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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