springmama Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 (edited) My dd is 5. We have been using Horizons K but took a break because she was getting frustrated and I was having trouble explaining the concepts in a way she will understand. We quit when we got to the lessons involving place value (tens and ones) because I knew it would confuse her. Currently she can count past 20, recognize all numbers up to 10, add and subtract using a worksheet and abacus, tell time to the hour, etc. She has been at this same skill level for awhile now, and I know she will get the other concepts but right now everything is frustrating to her. New concepts need to be introduced slowly and carefully and I need to be able to explain things in a way she will understand. So, I need a new curriculum with lots of suggestions for games, ways for me to teach a new concept, and something that is pretty gentle and moves slowly. According to Saxon's placement test, she's ready for level 1, and Miquon looks interesting to me as well. Without having the books in front of me to look at, I have a hard time deciding on what will work for us. Any thoughts? Also, since Miquon seems to be the least expensive, I'm wondering if I should try that one and see if it works for us, but I noticed that lots of people use it with Singapore.....I'd love opinions on that as well. Edited January 16, 2009 by springmama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I haven't tried Miquon, but we switched from MUS to Singapore. You could buy one Intensive Practice (IP) book to get a feel for how it works, at that level you shouldn't need the manual. I didn't get the manual for 1A, but got them for the higher levels. The only thing I was confused about was how to teach the number bonds, I googled "number bonds" and then "number bonds blog" and found some great examples of step by step how and why to teach them. My daughter enjoys the challenge puzzles in the IP book and also likes the overall format better than MUS. Plus, I like the way it teaches math overall. (I have an science/engineering background and worked as a statistician for 7 years before I had children.) I do like MUS fractions better, pies never made sense to me, seeing the MUS fraction explanation made fractions a lot clear to me! If you go to Rainbow Resource, you should be able to see sample pages of each curriculum. Here's 1A of Singapore Intensive Practice: http://www.rainbowresource.com/pictures/030211/1232124816-404854 My daughter loves to draw, she likes to draw in the IP book as she does her work, it makes it a lot more fun for her, I have special colored pencils that are just hers that she gets to use when she's doing school. (They get cheaper ones with less colors when coloring outside of school. There is no way I'm letting my 3 year old touch the expensive colored pencils. He's all boy. He's pretty obedient, he's just a boy and always coming up with a new way to get into trouble or break something.) Your 5 year old will probably need a lower level of Singapore than 1A, I just picked it because that's what we're using now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I'd say go with your gut. I went through about 4 math programs before I went with the one I was drawn to at the beginning (Right Start) and it has been such a relief to find something that works and doesn't cause tears at math time. I didn't choose it at first because I thought there were just too many manipulatives. It turns out that in Ariel's case, manipulatives are a good thing. You might want to look at RS, it's designed to teach to understanding rather than rote memorization and the author encourages teachers to "camp out" on a concept and play games until the student really understands it and the lessons are planned so that you can do that if necessary. Look at your child's learning style and your teaching style and take that into account, too. Some kids prefer workbooks and others need hands on stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetoschool Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Saxon does go slowly and introduce things a little at a time in pieces. For us it was agonizingly slow but it is thorough. The first 20 or so lessons on each level are a complete review so we jumped ahead a few grades just to make it less mind numbing. On the other hand, there is no jumping ahead in Singapore. My 10 year old is definately no genius but he can do Math 87 in Saxon while his has to stick right with the grade level in Singapore. I have been trying to figure out what words to use to describe how they are different. Maybe Saxon is more technical, more how, and Singapore is more why? And Singapore has cute, colorful, interesting, small workbooks which might appeal to a little girl (depending on what kind of little girl she is of course). The teachers manuals/home instructor guides in Singapore do suggest hands on stuff and demonstration. Saxon has you play games with your kids but they seemed a little clinical to us. Saxon is totally scripted up until 3rd grade so if you struggle with how to teach something, they spell it out for you. The Standards version of Singapore, which is used in some ps in California, includes a big section at the back of the workbooks with ideas for teachers to send home to parents to teach the concepts in the home in a interactive and hands on way. We tried Miquon years ago and it just confused me. I need more instruction and order and reason for the lesson beforehand so I know what I am trying to accomplish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieF Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 My ds is 5 too and I had the same problem. I now use rightstart which I like a lot. I like the fact that if ds is having a hard time getting a concept I can play some games and it clicks and he doesn't even realise it. He really enjoys it and is learning about numbers rather than just memorising. Stephanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornerstone Classical Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I was doing Saxon and switched for 2weeks to Horizons and then back to Saxon because of what you mentioned. The TM is totally scripted for you and I bought the big manipulative box of goodies that go along with it. It is a complete thorough program, and you will be able to "teach" your child math. Just read the script and do the TM, and you will be a Math Teacher in an instant!:D HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornerstone Classical Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Saxon is totally scripted up until 3rd grade so if you struggle with how to teach something, they spell it out for you. Is Saxon 5/4 and up not scripted?:eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 So, I need a new curriculum with lots of suggestions for games, ways for me to teach a new concept, and something that is pretty gentle and moves slowly. According to Saxon's placement test, she's ready for level 1, and Miquon looks interesting to me as well. Without having the books in front of me to look at, I have a hard time deciding on what will work for us. Any thoughts? Also, since Miquon seems to be the least expensive, I'm wondering if I should try that one and see if it works for us, but I noticed that lots of people use it with Singapore.....I'd love opinions on that as well. I think Miquon is perfectly adequate alone for a Ker. It's fun but different in it's thinking and might be just as frusturating. I would get First Grade Diary and read it, for ideas in how the creators implemented it. The Lab Sheet Annotations would probably be helpful too, so that you would feel more like you had help explaining things. Have you looked at RightStart? My 8 year old struggled with math, knowing he is visual-kinesthetic, I tried MUS and Miquon. He was still frusturated by those, though he liked playing with Miquon but he still didn't really understand the whys. (Partly because I needed more help and instruction myself). We started RightStart recently, and it's been a complete turn-around for him. He wants to do math first thing, he can see the whys and he loves it. I am not a math person, so I've loved the scripted lessons and all of the ideas for approaching the lesson in different ways. You can go as fast or slow as you want- just camp out on a step for awhile until it's mastered, or do as many lessons as you want in a day. The games are wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Is Saxon 5/4 and up not scripted?:eek: Silly! :tongue_smilie: From Saxon 5/4 up, it is written to the student in a traditional "textbook" type of way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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