WWYD? DD finished her math book early

[Quiver0f10]

My DD is in K and has somehow finished her Abeka math book already. I don't want to start her next book until fall, which we are switching to either MUS or BJU for 1st. What would you do with her for now?

[nmoira]

My DD is in K and has somehow finished her Abeka math book already. I don't want to start her next book until fall, which we are switching to either MUS or BJU for 1st. What would you do with her for now?
Miquon?

[sagira]

Ds will be finishing his Math book before the end of our school year. I think I'm going to use lots of Living Math books and some Calculadder drills to keep him "in math" until we start First in Fall next year. He's a young five (Sept. 2), so I'm not worried about being "behind", because he'll still be ahead.

OTOH I could also start MCP Math Level A because the first chapters are all review of K anyway. I'm not sure. We'll just have to see how solid ds is in his facts and how comfortable he is with his arithmetic. I was also planning to use MCP together with Miquon, so I guess we could start Miquon then too.

Good question.

[Karen in CO]

That is a tough on.
On the one hand, I do math year round so typically I would say just move to the next math.

On the other hand, It is K. And as I know from experience and I am sure you do, if you go ahead to soon at this age, then you are going to hit concepts the child won't be developmentally ready for pretty soon.

So, my vote is Miquon slowly.

[Chris in VA]

Could you just make up some math sheets for her, play some games, and do a little cooking? There are some great el cheapo workbooks at B&N that are called something like, "Math for the Gifted Child" that we used when we took a Saxon break. They contained mostly word problems. Also, maybe a little Singapore might be fun--they are inexpensive books, too.

[Quiver0f10]

I like the idea of real life math like baking etc. I might look at SAMS for a cheapie math workbook to fill in the gaps. Great ideas, thanks!

[Amie]

livingmath.net has some great reader lists that are easy to find at the library (if you go). It can be just a fun way to delve into "math" in a different sort of way and fill in the gaps of textbooks.

[KarenNC]

Our dollar stores have some Disney/Barbie/etc workbooks that might be fun. Dice and board games will also help reinforce her math facts.

[KathyBC]

This happened with my dd last year, right around this time. We moved on to the grade 1 workbook, included lots of math readers from the library, and when she hit a wall, we stopped and played math games, RightStart and Scrabble Yahtzee among them. This fall we picked up where she left off last spring and it went well. She's almost done, so I suppose we'll follow the same procedure with the grade 2 workbook.

[Quiver0f10]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I am going to look into some books from the livingmath web site and some games along with some fun workbooks from SAMS.

[one l michele]

My 1st grader is just about done with his Horizons 1st book 2 and I don't want to move him to the 2nd grade book until next fall. I'm going to let him work on math facts, play math computer games, and math games such as Money Bags, Muggins/Knock Out, etc.. If he objects to this plan (which I have a feeling he may), I'll likely pick up a 1st grade book 2 from another math program, perhaps Singapore.

I did just that with my oldest as well.

[sagira]

For math games and someone mentioned, you can try requesting Family Math from the library. It's supposed to help you incorporate real life math into your life. My library copy should be arriving soon.

[JudoMom]

I like the idea of real life math like baking etc. I might look at SAMS for a cheapie math workbook to fill in the gaps. Great ideas, thanks!

You might want to look at the Kumon workbooks.

[Jane]

If you don't want to start her next book, I might consider picking up some really cute and simple workbooks that could be used as timed tests (5 minutes). This will allow her to keep her handwriting skills, some basic math skills, and the daily habit of math. If you need the name of a very gentle workbook, let me know. I used some with my K daughter the first few months. Really, they would be low stress for your daughter which is what I would recommend for that age.

Really, though, I think you'll also be just fine if you just use real life situations to continue counting, measuring, etc.

[Quiver0f10]

Thanks again everyone. Lots of neat ideas and I think we are going to have fun!

[apond]

You should look at Family Math. It has lots of games and hands on math activites and then supplement with the workbook.

Annmarie

[Carol in Cal.]

Play card games that involve calculations, if you know them--pinochole would be good.

Get her a set of fraction, decimal, and percent blocks and have her play with them every day for 10 minutes. Tell her that she should find ways to combine them that add up to another even block. Without realizing it she will be learning a bit about fractions at the concept level. Lakeshore has great, sturdy, proportionate sets that are color coded to match percents, fractions, and decimals.

Get a pattern block book and let her figure those out, or maybe those shapes that are cut out of a square--I can't remember the name but they are Japanese in origin, I believe.

Also, get her some Kapla blocks and assign copies of Kapla creations in books. It is really important for kids to get some experience working in 3 dimensions to help them with geometry later.

[Stacy in NJ]

Kumon math workbooks look good. They have them at graded levels now. They're available from B & N. The Rod & Staff early math workbooks are really inexpensive, if cost is a consideration.

[KarenNC]

Get a pattern block book and let her figure those out, or maybe those shapes that are cut out of a square--I can't remember the name but they are Japanese in origin, I believe.

Tangrams, and they are actually Chinese. Easy to make out of a piece of construction paper or poster board, laminate or cover with contact paper to make them sturdier.
http://tangrams.ca/inner/makeset.htm

I'm doing up a bunch for the kids in our homeschool group for our winter holiday party. There are all kinds of patterns online. Here are the ones I'm planning to take with me
http://tangrams.ca/inner/xmastans.htm

[Crimson Wife]

I would highly recommend getting the Right Start Math Card Games set. It's a bit pricey but can be used throughout the elementary years so you'll get your money's worth. The games are a fantastic supplement to whatever curriculum you decide to go with.