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Hey everyone....

I am about to start Preparing and Beyond....very excited! New question....

I have been using MUS with my kids from the start....I am very happy with it. I feel like it gives a very good grounding on everything, yet the flexibility to move through things at your own pace.

I also know a lot of people are very happy with Singapore math. I like the idea that SM teaches mental math from a young age. This is important as it is really the main math you will use as an adult. It is also a lot more affordable than MUS. But is it worth changing over?

I have done the placement tests for my kids....my ds 7 who is starting beyond would need to start at 1A and my dd 9 would need to start at 2B (even though she is going into Yr 4) just because SM has done things like division, weights and measurements in Yr 2 which MUS has not done yet.
Qu....I have read reviews that SM does not review concepts already taught....that it moves through things at a good pace and doesn't look back whereas MUS reviews regularly. Would my dd 9 be at a disadvantage starting in 2B and miss some concepts? Or would she be able to pick them up easily enough? How does this work with SM?

There would be some things in 1A that my ds 7 has already learned in MUS....can you skip components of the text/workbook with SM if you know it already? Or is it set up so that you have to do everything?

Thanks for your thoughts ladies.....I know this is a very personal decision....I have just started to notice that after 3 years of my kids loving MUS, that they are starting to get a little tired of the method and would enjoy something a bit different....

I'm not sure if you've read the "Reasons Behind HOD's Choices" thread, but here's a link to it.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6248
There are several links regarding Singapore Math in this thread that you may find helpful.
Sorry I can't help you further, but I've never used MUS.
Enjoy your guides!

We made the switch from MUS to Singapore last year after using MUS Primer & half a year of Alpha.

The main reason for my son was that Singapore is "more fun" to do. This comment came after he took the placement test and begged for me to print "more fun math papers" to do.

The main reason for me was the fact that he will truly understand math after using Singapore. Singapore gets our kids to THINK through the math problems, not just write answers to math facts. They're able to grasp a true understanding of the concept with pictures on the pages to make it fun & give them real-world math situations!

We just went through laying the foundation for multiplication & division in 1B (not memorizing any facts). We were talking about something in our car the other day and he said - that's multiplication! He knew he had to multiply to figure out the answer! I'm encouraged because I know he's truly understanding math concepts and using them in real life!

We're working through basic fractions right now and he had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch today. I served it to him cut into fourths and didn't say anything about fractions or our math (we did school this afternoon). He told me I had cut his sandwich into 1/4s and as he ate each piece he would tell me what was left of the sandwich using fractions. He understands!

We used MUS alongside Singapore until halfway through Gamma & Singapore 2B. I was tired of using 2 curricula and we switched over to HOD from another curriculum so it made since to continue with Singapore only and drop MUS. We are now in Singapore 3B so I've had a year with this curriculum alone. I can see the huge mental math benefits of Singapore but I miss the consistent review of MUS. No curriculum will ever be perfect for me...either I will add more drill to Singapore (we add flashcards) or more mental math and word problems to MUS (from Singapore's supplemental books) even though it seems to be easier to use Singapore as a spine.

I don't think I would make a big switch over for a 9 year old if I were the parent, however. I'll attempt to explain my rationale: Singapore isn't a curriculum you can quickly work through to catch up due to the mental math work. I think if you have an interest in changing things up, I'd suggest buying the Singapore extra word problems book and work through some of those or play more math games (like multiplication war with a deck of cards). I think you'll be kicking yourself later if your child is on schedule with math right now, not having any significant trouble (with the exception of a little boredom), and you make a giant switch that will force you to work extra to play catch-up. My dd found MUS to be a lot more straightforward (but not remedial as some say). Singapore really has required her to think A LOT, however, and frustrates her many times, but we power through.

I believe MUS is an excellent math program and really does an outstanding job of teaching the teacher how to teach. For your younger dc, you might want to go with Singapore since HOD's math activities are fantastic in those younger guides and difficult to miss out on those (at least, I would be sad for my child to miss that hands-on work)... and, you now have the added benefit of having seen MUS Dvd's with your oldest.

If I may be a little transparent...I almost ordered MUS Delta over the summer because I had convinced myself we should go back to MUS. My dd and I were having daily frustrations with Singapore (she didn't want to do "thinking math" anymore) and I was tired of her daily meltdowns. We eventually figured out where I was going wrong in teaching her mental math (that's another story). But, in the meantime, hubby reminded me that I would be playing catch-up in MUS if I switched back and I hate that "we are behind" feeling. So, you see, switching over to Singapore after having a longstanding history with MUS won't fix everything. You will miss that straightforward math and so will your child. I consider Singapore to be more in the style of a mathematical riddle (in that it takes time to think through certain problems) and it's challenging for a child to go from straightfoward horizontal style math to riddle math that is worked out vertically in their mind. That said, my dd sometimes forgets how to do multiplication with 3 digits x 2-3 digits because we didn't drill that formula like we would have with MUS. No perfect solution, I guess.

Maybe you can ponder this and, hopefully, it will help you come to a conclusion that is right for your family.

Amy
dd9 Preparing
dd 6 this month LHfHG

Thank you ladies so much for your helpful and thoughtful posts.....

I do have 2 very different kiddos....maybe it would be of benefit to do different maths with them. My younger ds who would start at 1A has found the repeated review in MUS a bit boring as he just 'clicks' with things in his head and then never gets anything wrong. Once it clicks, he is good to go to the next fact so Singapore may work for him.

Mamanlait....it sounds like our daughters are alike....I think my dd 9 benefits from MUS because it DOES have the repitition and review which is sometimes the only way she finally 'gets it'.....maybe doing the supplimental exercises from Singapore will give the opportunity to think about things a different way for her but keeping MUS going will keep the order and structure she likes...

I will continue to ponder...thanks so much!

Good discussion! I think I'd have your younger child do Singapore, and I think you'll both be very pleased with it. Your older child could also make the switch, probably easily enough. If you are going to switch your oldest, I would do it now. I think it gets harder to switch dc to Singapore later on. I enjoy Singapore, and both our boys who are quite different from one another in learning styles are doing well with it. I agree it is not going to drill facts, but we've found our dc do learn them with Singapore though it's at a later age than in drill only type programs. I think drill is the easiest thing to add to math, and I did for the summers for one of our dc. I will say once dc get their facts down with Singapore, they seem not to ever need help with them again. There is review in Singapore, though not in the traditional way of isolating skills. Story problems will often take multiple operations to solve, so dc are reviewing subtraction with borrowing, fractions, and decimals, all within one problem - which is much more authentic IMO than just having the skills isolated in one step review problems. All I know is I loved math, was good at it, and both my dc can do better mental math than me - they're figuring it out in their head, and I'm reaching for the scratch paper.

Mental math is much harder to add to a program. You're right, no program is perfect, but I will say Singapore is inexpensive, doesn't take long to teach, doesn't take long for dc to do their independent work, is very strong on mental math and problem solving, and ditches the hands-on objects at a good age when dc should be giving them up. Yeah, drill can be needed, but that's the easy part to add. I do get that if math is working well for 9 yo though, that maybe a switch isn't needed. It probably depends on your goals, I guess. Prayer is always an excellent way to get good advice! I hope something here helps.

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks Julie for your thoughts....is it easy enough for my daughter to 'catch up' in Singapore if we went that way? She would have to start in 2B because 2B covers division and measurements which MUS has not done yet....she got 84% in the 2A test but just looking through the 2B, I think she would only be able to attempt half of it.

Cirons,
I agree with absolutely everything Julie said...and I don't want to steer you away from Singapore at all. If you think that might be what you want to aim for (Singapore) then I can tell you that 3B goes into detail with measurements so I wouldn't be too concerned about that and division is very simplified until 3A. I think those pieces would be fine and easy to catch up. The bigger concern I would have (and the reason I would stay in the 2B range) is because the mental math really builds on itself. If I'm remembering correctly, 2B has a significant amount of mental work.
Amy

Thanks Amy....that is good to know....I had a look through the chapter headings for 2B and the only thing my daughter has NOT covered is the mental math and the division.....so we should be able to move through it fairly quickly if I changed over....

Thanks again for taking the time to help me process.....

I've been out of town - sorry to just get back to you! I do think 2B gives a good basis for mental math learning, and I think you could move through that systematically fairly quickly, slowing down when your dd reaches a concept she shows she may need more time on. Singapore math does not take long to do, but I do think dc need time to "sit with" a concept. So, once your dd reaches 3A, I'd not do more than a lesson a day. Rather, I'd do a lesson a day 5 days a week. HOD's PHFHG on up for guides has a 4 day a week plan, so just doing it 5 days a week will catch her up nicely. HTH - I think you will enjoy Singapore! It has been an excellent way to teach math and for my dc to do math. With so many dc disliking math or struggling with math, it has been such a relief to have both of ours love math and do well with it. I'll add that one of our dc does have a natural tendency to do well with math as a subject area, but that one of ours does not - for both of them Singapore math has gone wonderfully. They also both are quick to say they "love math"! I hope you find the same to be true over time with your 2 sweeties.

In Christ,
Julie