Is it enough?

[shaffer96]

We started LHFHG this week and my dd and I both really love it! I just have a question about the Math. We are doing the activities Carrie suggests and the Singapore workbook and it takes just about 5 minutes for my daughter to finish. I feel like we should be spending more time on Math. Does it get longer as the year goes on? I am used to the traditional textbook approach, but I really love the hands on activities and my dd does too. I am wondering if I should add to the time we spend doing math each day, it just doesn't seem like enough time. She seems like she wants more too!

[krismoose]

We did the EB math & activities this past year and I felt the same way at first...I have to say that my ds learned the concepts without any problems the whole time. If he was especially enthusiastic, we did 2 lessons on a day and just moved a separate stickie to keep track of where we were, but that was it!

[Carrie]

shaffer96,

I'm so glad that you are enjoying LHFHG! We have loved it with our kiddos too. Typically, we took about 15 minutes or so to do math at the kindergarten level 5 days a week. We did this by practicing the activities in the guide in a variety of problems first and then went on to the Earlybird workbook lesson. You can rest assured that it is enough, as the activities and workbook combination goes further than the Earlybird workbooks alone go.

We have had wonderful results in the math department with our kiddos by staying the course with Singapore. I will say that we tried most of the other math programs out there with our oldest, and he also does well in math, but it was much more of struggle in the day-to-day!

Blessings,
Carrie

[my3sons]

Both of my dc are "mathy", and both enjoyed the LHFHG EB hands-on activities and Singapore workbook follow-ups. We did do many examples for the HOD hands-on activities, as the guide often suggests doing more similar problems. I would not rush it with Singapore. It starts off easy and gets hard later. Those first years of building a firm foundation by using hands-on combined with mentally learning to picture the hands-on parts is what makes it possible for dc to do upper level Singapore well. You'll find HOD follows the CM principle of the "short lesson". I cannot say enough good about this concept. The "short lesson" method of teaching has enabled my dc to truly savor learning, as well as better retain it. As they get older, the short lesson concept allows for many, many skills to be taught on a rotating basis, yet in a timely fashion. It is the reason I can finish CTC (an upper level very meaty HOD program) in 4 hours. So, I'd encourage you to do the math plans as they are written and enjoy them because harder times in math are around the corner, and getting there too quickly can undermine the effectiveness of the plans. Likewise, leaving dc longing for more keeps them longing for school time. I think you'll find that's an incredibly good thing!

In Christ,
Julie

[Mom4Him]

I'm so glad you asked this... as we are in the midst of the first unit of LHFHG & absolutely LOVING it!! My girls were REALLY itching for more math- but I love how everything builds on top of each other & it is so short & sweet! They are definitely longing for more- which gets them excited for the next day!! I hope you continue to enjoy LHFHG as much as we are!!
Blessings,
Jessica