Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

This topic has 19 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 8 months ago by crazy4boys.

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March 14, 2009 at 8:04 pm
pjean
Member
HI– I am trying to decide between these two programs for my 7 year old twins. They have used HOrizons in the past and this year we have just done a variety of curriculums, singapore, math u see math on the level. Since i am teaching two older children as well, i don’t want a lot of prep work. Both are good in math though one got pretty frustrated with the singapore, which is why we switched to math on the level. If anyone can give me some insight/advice, i would love to hear other’s experiences.
thanks so much
pam
March 15, 2009 at 3:23 pm
richpond
Participant
Pam,
Did you not like Math on the level? I was thinking about using MOL so I’m curious why your not using it. Sorry I haven’t used RSM or MUS we hve used Horizons.
Shelly
March 15, 2009 at 5:38 pm
pjean
Member
I am using it for my almost 10 year old daughter and she likes it–it’s the only thing she has been relatively happy,satisfied to do. I would rather use something “already made” for my twins so i don’t have to do the prep work. I think it’s great and will use it for a long time, just not for my twins.
pam
March 15, 2009 at 8:08 pm
csmamma
Participant
Hi Pam!
We love Math U See! My oldest son used it up through Delta but then moved on to Teaching Textbooks. My 8yo son is almost done with Beta. There is no teacher prep whatsoever. I just pop in the dvd to watch with them, then we practice a few problems together and off they go. 🙂 We’ve used many math programs and this has been our fav by far! 🙂
Blessings,
Heather
March 15, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Misty
Participant
LOVE Math-u-see! I have 4 boys using this and they all are doing great with it. As said they will watch the DVD and if need be I will help them with a few problems then they are on there own. also I love that if they get it, they just do the test and we move on to the next lesson. And the opposite for ones they stuggle with we just do more.
I have never used or seen the other so I can’t compare. Sorry
Misty
March 16, 2009 at 1:53 pm
homeschool513
Member
I love MathUSee. I really like that they have 4 lessons on the new topic and then 2 lessons that review things from that year and then a test. I have my kids do 3 new and 1 review and then move on, but if they need the extra practice, we do all the lessons. I also like how they introduce things when they make sense. (Instead of learning measurement as a stand alone unit, they learn yards/feet and tsp./Tbls. when they study the 3’s. And they learn qt/gallon when they study their 4’s.)It is a great program.
March 16, 2009 at 6:13 pm
ah@basketofsunshine.com
Member
Hi Pam, I use Math U See. My oldest is almost finished with Delta. I am wondering what made you want to move on to Teaching Textbooks? Is this program more in depth, does it use a different technique for teaching, less, more expensive, why do you like it better? Thank you for your imput, Amy
March 16, 2009 at 7:56 pm
csmamma
Participant
Amy, we moved on to Teaching Textbooks because toward the end of Delta, my son was needing a visual demonstration of more problems. I’m not very good at teaching math beyond Delta so the switch was more for this aspect of it. Teaching Textbooks gives my son a visual lecture and practice problems before the lesson. With each problem he can view the solution if he gets stuck. It also gives automatic grading. I think this was a great switch for him after Delta. However, we love Math U See up to this point. If you’re interested in it, you can find out more and watch the sample lessons and lectures…..
http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/
Blessings,
Heather
March 29, 2009 at 11:49 am
Fr. John
Member
I have bought MOTL (Math on the Level) PRECISELY because I needed some ‘control’ over what/how I was teaching math. I really, really like it, but, yes, I HAVE to put in my time. I do the 5-a-day worksheets in the AM, before the family gets up. (Morning person, here!) and I really like the ability to know that, if a child does not ‘get’ this concept, there are a LOT of other things I can ‘work on.’
If, (also like me) you have ‘other’ math curricula laying around gathering dust, it is good to do something ‘different’ for a while, before moving on. I started out with RightStart, bought/used MUS, (daughter loved Steve Demme, son hated it!) and both have positives. I’ve also bought Ray’s for the mental math- which I throw in, after we learn a concept, specifically to ‘sharpen’ their still sets in this difficult field.
Honestly, RS was too confusing to ME (not the kids) and therefore, I put it away, until just recently. Now we are doing ‘abacus’ activities from RS – addition, learning multiplication, etc. (as review) from the “Transition Lessons.” Why? As they are just finished with processing fractions, I’m doing this before we go on to ‘unlike denominators’ in + and –
just to give them (me?) some ‘breathing room. But, once we are done with that, it’s 5-a-day, and a fifteen minute math lesson for me! How CM can you get!!!
As it [MOTL] goes up to beginning Algebra, I felt the cost for it, as a tool to ‘make sure’ I am on task with all the necessary elements, to be a godsend. Also, the Authors yahoo group is very good for adding info on a regular basis. While I will still use RS for a while, I have an entire set of all the stuff and LEvel B I will be selling in a year or so. The Used Demme/MUS stuff will probably go online for sale this spring. We moved so far beyond it, so quickly, we don’t need it. YaY!
March 29, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Richele Baburina
Participant
Hello. We use Math U See (Alpha for ds-6) and love it. I just wanted to add that the teacher’s manual has great game ideas which use the manipulatives. We do the games once or twice a week in place of the normal lesson. They are a fun way to reinforce what my son has learned and my four-year-old can easily play along.
Purchasing the wooden boxes (they look like printer’s boxes with clear lids) to hold the manipulatives is some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten.
My best in whatever you choose Pam!
Richele
March 30, 2009 at 5:36 am
crazy4boys
Participant
We like RightStart math. We’re only 2 months into it but I love it so much more than Singapore. There is some prep work at first – I’ve had to cut out cards and rectangles and stuff like that. But once it’s done, it’s done for all the other lessons and kids. I usually do that at night after everyone’s in bed and it takes a few minutes, maybe once or twice a week.
I love that the manual tells me what to say and ‘how to teach it’ but the program is very teacher intensive. We usually do 15 to 20 minutes a day. If we don’t get through a whole lesson in that time we just start where we left off the next day. My boys are so much happier because it’s very game and manipulative oriented. They are retaining stuff that we worked on forever in Singapore and it just wasn’t clicking.
March 30, 2009 at 6:05 pm
my3girls
Member
yes Hi I also was looking a RS Math. It did not look very colorful from the samples am I missing something should I really care if its colorful? I have used Bob Jones K this year and liked it, but was not sure if my dd was really getting it. My friend uses Bob Jones and loves how the teach regrouping. Does Right Start have a lot of teacher prep what about regroupong? I am a new homeschooler and stressing out! I feel like that the basics are so important I don’t want to mess it up, I have a 5,3,15 month old and just want to make sure I do this right. There are so many options!!! Any advice?
March 30, 2009 at 6:44 pm
crazy4boys
Participant
RS isn’t colorful per se. The student workbook and teacher’s manual are black and white. The game cards are different colors as are some of the manipulatives. We haven’t felt a lack of color nor have we felt overwhelmed by it.
The only teacher prep is gathering the materials and cutting stuff out once in a while. I like to read over the lesson the night before just so I’m sure of what I’m teaching. As far as regrouping, do you mean taking an equation and making them into groups of 5 or 10 in order to solve? RS is fantastic for this. Lots of lessons to cover it in many different ways and then many games to reinforce it.
I have 2 in Level B and 1 in Level 1 (he’s 5, like yours). Thus far he’s done really well and loves math. He was literally jumping up and down for joy when he had his first worksheet. My 2 yr old usually sits with us and plays with the extra manipulatives.
I found a lot of help at the forum on the RS website. It helped me get a feel for what people who were using it thought.
March 30, 2009 at 8:59 pm
the9clarks
Participant
We use and love MathUSee. Of my school-aged kids, I have 4 in two grades, so I’m not interested in a teacher-intensive program like Right Start, despite the great reviews of it. 🙂
March 30, 2009 at 11:56 pm
hsmomof5
Member
My children were a bit bored with MUS but it is a good program. Every child is different. We currently use MEP
http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm
It’s a free British math curriculum that is based off a Hungarian Math program. It’s spiral with some critical thinking and many hands on activities incorporated through the use of manipulates which you provide. We use things around the home. Many have compared it to Singapore’s math. Just throwing an idea your way. There is a support group for MEP on Yahoo Groups also.
Oops! I just read your note about Singapore. Well, just disregard this note and try MUS. Definitely less teacher prep. 🙂