Rod and Staff Math question.

[Mallorie]

I got some sample books from R&S, and I gotta say, I like the look of them. Not everything, but a good part of it. We are just transitioning from public school to homeschooling, and I want a basic, no-frills, no complication math program for our first year. Just simple.math. It needs to be easy for me to teach. I don't mind spending some time learning HOW to teach it initially, as I have to do that anyway being new, but I don't want it to be too painful for us.

Cost matters right now too. We're on a tight budget right now, and I can't be buying a program that I have to supplement with another, or a lot of extra practice, dvd's, etc. I don't mind having to buy manipulatives as I want to do that anyway. I just don't want to have to go broke because the program I choose isn't "complete" as a stand-alone, kwim?

Would R&S be a good starter for a new hsing family?

[Brindee]

Depending on the ages, and taking cost into consideration, I would recommend:

R&S
Singapore
Life of Fred

OK, I just saw the bottom that says the ages. Life of Fred is too old for your kids right now.

I might add in Miquon and Right Start. Horizons is good too, but I don't know how much it costs.

[Mallorie]

We've eliminated Singapore as an option. It's just not what we need right now. Not saying it's a bad program, it just doesn't fit where we are at. Maybe in future, just not now.

[Brindee]

I just wanted to add that I got the R&S math for next year for my dd. I don't have personal experience with the math yet. But I LOVE the English series! If the math TG's are anything like the English ones, you'll llike them!

I'm hoping for a deeper and broader learning year for dd by using this. She finished PRe-Alg. in another program but didn't want to move on to Algebra yet. She's young enough so she doesn't have to, so we're just going to expand her knowledge base some more. That never hurt! :)

[Mallorie]

Brindee, thanks SO much for the help. I'm pretty sure that R&S is what i'm going to buy, but I wanted to make sure that it fit my criteria. It seems really user-friendly. :)

[Lolly]

The teacher's book is scripted. You can just read your part. You will probably find that you naturally can teach anything beyond that. It is a no frills program. You buy the books. You use them child after child. Nothing could be cheaper. It is a totally complete program. Only thing you may need to add is a set of flashcards for practicing. You can make those yourself or purchase them. Any set will work. There are posters you can purchase from R&S; I just drew my own silly little animals (silly because I am not good at drawing!) every time I needed them. The only warning I can think of is that R&S starts off slower than other programs. You may see that your child is "behind" on standardized tests. That difference disappears in 4th grade. There are still a few things that R&S doesn't cover at the same time other books do, but it is minimal and they do cover it eventually. You can use R&S straight through until you get to algebra.

[Mallorie]

Thanks Lolly! I'm elated at the thought of possibly having FINALLY found a math that will work for us. :)

Standardized testing doesn't matter to me, we live in Wisconsin where testing is not required, and I won't be doing it anytime soon. I don't have a clue on how to even do it, and no energy to find out yet. Still getting the other ducks in a row. ;)

[PollyOR]

I love Rod & Staff math. It is simple and very affordable.

Learning math facts seems to be the main focus in the younger years.

Starting with the 4th grade book the lesson material is presented in the text. My dd and I read it together. We did as many of the problems as we could orally, because it cuts down on copying. Some folks even let their children write in the book. We don't because I have younger children that I need to save them for.

There are a lot of great math programs out there. Good luck with finding the right fit. :)

[MIch elle]

if you're looking for an excellent math program in workbooks.

[Lolly]

Lol at my little joke that you won't understand unless you get the books that use ducks to teach adding and subtracting.:lol:

I think you will be really happy with R&S.

[Beth in Central TX]

This is our 4th year with R&S Math, and it's a great fit for our family. It's a solid math program, and I find no need to supplement. I like the daily oral math drill and speed drills to help solidify math facts. My boys are learning math, and they test well in math in standardized test settings too.

[sweetbaby]

Simple short lessons. Affordable. Mastery. The teacher's manual is very easy to follow. We love it.:)