Curriculum decisions!

[musicianmom]

Hopefully this is a place where I can announce my curriculum plan for next year without getting my hand slapped.

Math-U-See Alpha
McGuffey's Second Reader
Espanol Para Los Chiquitos
Handwriting Without Tears K (maybe)
Apologia Botany
Children of Many Lands (the spine from Winter Promise's Children Around the World)

I'm so excited, I just had to list it all out for someone!

(Necessary disclaimer: This is all going to be at a relaxed pace, with maybe one or two subjects each day. No rush, if that list takes us two years, so be it.)

(More disclaiming: Apologia is going to be "read the book together and do the fun plant projects", not narration and testing.)

[Mandy in TN]

Math-U-See Alpha
McGuffey's Second Reader
Espanol Para Los Chiquitos
Handwriting Without Tears K (maybe)
Apologia Botany
Children of Many Lands (the spine from Winter Promise's Children Around the World)

I really like WP, MUS, and Handwriting Without Tears!
I know nothing about McGuffey's Second Reader. I assume it's the same company that does McGuffey's math. What is it? Does it review phonics skills or something of that nature?
I also no nothing about Espanol Para Los Chiquitos, but the title is self-explanatory.
Sounds like fun!
Mandy

[musicianmom]

McGuffey's are the old-fashioned readers from the 1800s. I'm not good at explaining the approach, so here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/McGuffeys-Second-Eclectic-Reader-Readers/dp/047128890X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240632318&sr=8-1

There's a "Look Inside" feature that shows the first few lessons. I like them because they get progressively more difficult, so I can track dd's reading level to an extent.

[mommytobees]

Sounds like you will have a bunch of fun!!

Just remember, handwriting has the possibility of being a hit or a miss. If she enjoys it, great. If she doesn't, skip it. She'll learn eventually.

Kris, who has a child that was well into 3rd grade math before she started writing the numbers herself

[WendyK]

It looks fine to me. Just be prepared that handwriting may or may not work (as another poster pointed out). My son was full speed ahead at three, but not in handwriting. Even at 7 it is like pulling teeth with him on handwriting. He is FINALLY coming around. You might have a completely different experience with that though.

If handwriting turns into a no go, you could try some of the Kumon tracing books. Those are great practice leading up into handwriting.

[musicianmom]

Agreed. That's why I listed it as a "maybe". :)

[Mandy in TN]

I like them because they get progressively more difficult, so I can track dd's reading level to an extent.

Duh. :001_rolleyes: I knew that. I actually have some of them on my computer. This would be a lesson in not posting when you should be in bed.
Mandy

[Jen in PA]

I think it looks pretty good (and I have taught reading with McGuffey's readers successfully in the past!). I have to agree about the handwriting potentially being an issue. Fine motor skills like that clicked with my dd at 4 1/2, and with my ds just last month (he'll be 4 in June). I would go ahead and have the HWOT materials ready, and provide tons of opportunities for developing those muscles. Big hits around here were playdough, modeling clay, lacing cards, stencils, and lots of different materials for practicing writing/drawing/cutting. Also, some kids have an easier time doing their writing on a whiteboard or chalkboard where they can focus on formation without having to worry about sizing. My dd is nearly 6, and we still rely on the chalkboard to do most of her math since she can focus on the problem and not on fitting it onto the page.

Have fun with your little one!

[Spy Car]

Don't take it as a "hand-slap" but if you have a highly precocious child why head down a math road (MUS) that introduces new concepts at a snail's pace?

I question if this makes "long-term" sense.

Bill

[3blessingmom]

Sounds like fun!

I think starting handwriting young is a good idea, given that you are doing gross motor activities and keeping lessons short and sweet. Summer is the perfect time to start with sidewalk chalk, "painting" with water and a brush, drawing the letters with a stick in the dirt, etc...:D

Kumon books are too fun to pass up for that age!;)

[Mandy in TN]

Kumon books are too fun to pass up for that age!
I love Kumon, but if she is ready for MUS Alpha it may make more sense to head to the center instead of purchasing the workbooks.

Don't take it as a "hand-slap" but if you have a highly precocious child why head down a math road (MUS) that introduces new concepts at a snail's pace?
MUS is similar to Kumon in skill progression; except, with MUS you can introduce a new lesson every day. The child doesn't need to do every worksheet before moving to the next lesson. This just means that you need to be prepared to purchase more than one level each year. At the Kumon Center you must complete all 200 sheets in a level before you move to the next one.

Mandy

[musicianmom]

Well, last fall when she seemed to be ready for math, I asked some other homeschool moms and they all just raved over Math-U-See. So I bought the Primer program and my daughter LOVED it, so we've continued into Alpha. She's precocious but not prodigious, if that makes sense. She's not like other kids I've read about on this board who are racing through math. :auto: She likes to take her time and play with the blocks in between problems. :lol:

I've learned more about various math programs since joining the WTM forums and I am open to switching at some point.

[HeatherInWI]

At the Kumon Center you must complete all 200 sheets in a level before you move to the next one.


:blink:

That sounds absolutely miserable for a gifted child! Certainly MUS, which allows lots of flexibility, sounds much more pleasant. I actually wound up combining curricula for math when my dc were little. MUS and Singapore would be my top pick for a combo these days if I had little ones.

[Spy Car]

I would use (am using) Singapore, Miquon, and MEP. And elements from Right Start.

Bill

[Mandy in TN]

:blink:

That sounds absolutely miserable for a gifted child! Certainly MUS, which allows lots of flexibility, sounds much more pleasant. I actually wound up combining curricula for math when my dc were little. MUS and Singapore would be my top pick for a combo these days if I had little ones.

Perhaps, except it gives him a lot of praise and attention outside the home at least once a week! For me Kumon ensures that I don't move him any faster than he can achieve complete mastery. However, if I didn't use Kumon, I would use MUS in a heartbeat. Also, although he is accelerated, I would be hesitant to say that Pumpkin is gifted. He is only 6 and just enjoys math.

Mandy

[Spy Car]

MUS is similar to Kumon in skill progression; except, with MUS you can introduce a new lesson every day. The child doesn't need to do every worksheet before moving to the next lesson. This just means that you need to be prepared to purchase more than one level each year. At the Kumon Center you must complete all 200 sheets in a level before you move to the next one.

Mandy

MUS, correct me if I'm wrong, spends an entire year on addition, another year on subtraction, another on multiplication, another on division, and so on.

And I simply can't imagine this sort of progression with an "accelerated" child. What am I missing?

Bill

[Mandy in TN]

MUS, correct me if I'm wrong, spends an entire year on addition, another year on subtraction, another on multiplication, another on division, and so on.

And I simply can't imagine this sort of progression with an "accelerated" child. What am I missing?

Bill
MUS spends an entire book mastering a topic, but you don't need to spend a year on a book. The program is designed for the child to work on a lesson until the child has mastered the material presented. You could just watch the videos and take the tests until the child reaches a lesson where they need more work. Doing it that way you could even do multiple lessons in one day instead of spending an entire week on a lesson.
HTH-
Mandy

[musicianmom]

Yeah, what Mandy said. We started the primer level in October, and finished in March. And that's with taking about 6 weeks off during Nov/Dec. Unfortunately, her pace slowed a lot when the baby gave up her morning nap, because I don't have as much time to spend with her. We often would do math (at her insistence) for the whole morning naptime, sometimes covering a whole lesson at once. Now I have to spend more time keeping the one-year-old safe.