Math-I am spinning in circles….

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • June 5, 2013 at 2:03 am
    akirechelle
    Participant

    Hi, I have read many threads on math the past few days. I still cannot make up my mind what to use for my youngers (6 and 7 girls). There are too many options and I cannot settle on what to do.  Maybe “talking” it out will help me 🙂

     

    History:

    Started my now 13yr ds on MUS in K. He was a math whiz and “mastered” everything quickly. Loved math.  We got to Gamma and he couldn’t handle the format any longer.  He started making errors on nearly every problem and would be at the point of tears.  This is my rule following, loves to school kid.  He was really trying, but something “turned off” his love of math and he started to tell me he hated math. 🙁  (I even reduced the number of problems and took as much time per lesson as needed.  He got the concepts, but working it out became a huge frustration.)

     

    So we tried Math Mammoth. The worksheets were too visually distracting for him.

     

    Tried Teaching Textbooks since my husband thought a PC program may be fun and exciting for him.  Problem with that was he was able to move on even if he didn’t do well in a previous lesson and I wasn’t doing my part of reviewing often enough…so that didn’t work.

    Then I found Life of Fred.  At the end of his 11th year I gave him Apples for fun. He loved it and flew though the Elementary Series, with hardly an error! He now LOVES math again and he does so well on the bridges it is amazing. I KNEW he was a math whiz.

     

    So my problem is…I don’t want to do this to my girls! I want to pick one resource and stick with it if possible! They also enjoy Fred (we are on Butterflies) and we play a lot of math games.  I am not very structured and I would like a curriculum that is pretty much pick up and go..the next lesson…gentle approach.  My girls have done MUS Primer for fun-when they requested it. They definitly do not understand Place Value as is taught the MUS way 🙁 

    So, I am going to use Fred but they are flying through it. We definitly won’t repeat it.  I would like to use either Ray’s, Math for a Living Education, or Right Start. I have been reading the SCM math book, too, which has helped me narrow it down to these three.

     

    Can anyone help me narrow it down further ?? 🙂 🙂 🙂 

    June 5, 2013 at 2:18 am
    suzukimom
    Participant

    Hm…. well there are past webinars on teaching each of the RightStart Levels, plus a few other topics like using the games, fractions, short division, etc….    (All “Edition 1” – which is what is available for all the levels – “Edition 2” only exists for Level A right now…, Level B is due out “late fall”)

    http://rightstartmath.com/workshops/past-webinars

     

    They aren’t the most interesting webinars out there, but it might give you a better idea about RS and how it all works.   I’m guessing your girls would place into Level B… so you would want to watch that one and the games one….  (but it doesn’t hurt to watch some later levels too, if you can stand (or fast forward) through the repetitive stuff….)

    June 5, 2013 at 2:18 am
    suzukimom
    Participant

    (btw – we use RightStart and do really enjoy it!)

    June 5, 2013 at 2:43 am
    gcbsmommy
    Participant

    I started Life Of Fred with my daughter yesterday. It’s still very early, but I have never seen her more excited about math. She goes on and on about how much she loves it (We are starting with the intermediate series – Kidneys).

    It seems like your girls love LOF and I can’t think of a curriculum that is more

    pick up and go” that this one. Do you think it is not enough for them? I have heard a lot of testimonies (including the one about your son) that LOF great and many say it is all you need.

    We used Making Math Meaningful up to this point and may go back to it now and again for variety…but I suspect LOF is here to stay in our home!

    June 5, 2013 at 3:03 am
    akirechelle
    Participant

    Hmmm. good question! I think Fred is enough, but they are moving through them so fast, I guess I am just afraid we will run out before 4th grade so wanted to add in variety…but maybe I can stick with Fred..another thought to ponder!

     

    Thanks, Suzukimom..I am going to watch those videos right now 🙂

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • The topic ‘Math-I am spinning in circles….’ is closed to new replies.