Math has been our biggest stumbling block all year, and this is saying a lot when you think about the things we cover each week. I'm making my own science curriculum and sometimes we skip it entirely because I'm not prepared to continue. Our history curriculum is simple, but I keep altering the order we work on subjects within our timeframe. Art is usually incorporated in with something else, so if I don't come up with an art-related history or science project, it doesn't really get done at all. But even with all the craziness related to our other subject matter, math still comes out as being our most inconsistent subject.
We just started onto our third math curriculum, and I think we finally have something that will work for me and for the children, which has been amazingly hard to find.
We started the year out with Ray's Arithmetic (plus some supplemental materials to cover the non-arithmetic subject matter) because Mr. Crazy and I both liked the approach and thought the kids would do well with it. We went through Ray's orally: I would read the lesson to Athena, and she would work out the problems in her math binder. This seemed to work for a while, but when we did review to check her retention, it just was not there, which was very discouraging.
So we moved on to Math Mammoth because it was inexpensive but very well reviewed. We also thought that it would work better for Athena since she was used to a workbook approach to math from her years in public school. MM was a total flop as far as Athena was concerned. More often than not, she ended her math lesson in tears. It also did not work well for Goblin: I moved him into the program very slowly (the first level is made for first graders, and he is a prek'er), but he didn't like the structure at all. However, it has turned out to be an excellent program for Hulk. He is my worksheet loving child, so the setup really appeals to him, especially since he can do most of the lessons on his own. I do sit down with him to explain his lesson at the beginning of each day, and certain sections are made to be done together. However, he can do a great deal of it solo, which he loves.
Now Goblin and Athena are transitioning into RightStart math (I asked Hulk if he wanted to try the new program too, but he is loving MM too much to switch, which is fine with me). This was a hard choice for me because I really did not want something teacher intensive for math AND it is an expensive program. But we finally decided it was the way to go and picked up the full elementary kit. Goblin is working on RS A and just zooms through the lessons and REALLY enjoys them. I believe that the variety within the lessons and the amount of 'goofiness' and game-playing in this program has him hooked. Athena is working on the Transition Lessons, then will be going into level C. Even though we are doing 2 and sometimes 3 lessons a day, she is still spending less time on her math than before and retaining more information. Again, I think the games really do a lot to make this program something that will work for pretty much any type of child.
The absolute best thing about RightStart (for us) has been the card games. Even though Hulk isn't using the program, we all play the card games. I haven't found one yet that doesn't excite them. Even just the variations on regular card games (War, Go Fish, Memory, etc) using the different card decks have been so fun and such a great learning experience for everyone. This was definitely one investment that has paid off tenfold in the short time since we made our purchase. I cannot wait to see how much fun we have with all our manipulatives and games in the next few years.
--Little Miss Crazy
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