Still trying to decide on math!

[Mommamo]

I posted a while back that we were doing RIghtStart A and would be done long before we finished LHFHG. I wasn't sure if we should go on to Singapore 1A/1B, if we should do RIghtStart B, or if we should do the math scheduled in LHFHG, picking up where we are in the guide. Well.... I'm still not sure what we should do.

I have decided that we will start BLHFHG when Caroline finishes LHFHG in February or March. So I'll be buying that guide anyway. I LOVE RightStart, but it's expensive, and it would be so much more economical to do Singapore, especially since Carrie has great activities scheduled in the guides. I checked out the placement test of Signapore 1A, and it's all things that we have covered with RIghtStart. I need to actually have Caroline take the test though. What I'm getting at, is that I think starting at 1A would be better than Earlybird 2B. I MIGHT could even hold off until we start the Beyond guide.... but I don't know since Caroline LOVES math! She wants new math stuff for Christmas.

Has anyone switched from RightStart to Signapore or vice-versa? I'm just needing some opinions on what I should do. I don't want to keep switching from one math curriculum to another. If I could find RightStart B used, I'd probably stick with it, but I've been looking and can't find it. And I hear that Singapore is really good. It's just that Caroline already has such a great control of place value, reading clocks, etc. and I want to just keep moving her forward. Decisions, decisions.

[Lori_in_Austin]

Hi Ashley,

I use Right Start Math Level A (RSM) for my ds5 and we BOTH absolutely LOVE it. So far, he seems to carry the passionate love of math in his blood [but I think it runs in the family on both sides]. You are right that it is more expensive. And I believe it does take more preparation time and planning than other math programs, and I think it has a higher learning curve for mom to teach it. We are only on lesson 28 so you may be way ahead of us so please keep that in mind as you read my post.

My first gut reaction is to say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." It is hard to compare RSM with others because it's approach is so different. I have often believed that if I did not use RSM I would be using Singapore and I also think very highly of Singapore Math.

My first suggestion is to pray that the Lord would give you a clear direction and perhaps provide Level B for you, via used, or the means to buy new. You might also consider looking over the promotional materials, etc, of RSM for Levels B & C and re-evaluate why you chose it to begin with and compare that to your current goals in general for learning math. You might also consider taking a break from math lessons for several weeks when you finish RSM Level A. During this break, you may also discover you are just a little burned out on /tired of / bored with math in general. After taking a break, picking it back up might be exciting again or you may be able to look at it from a new and fresh perspective.

Lastly, is this something you could discuss at length with your dear husband? I sometimes forget to do that and then when I do, he surprises we with something I never thought of. You might find that he cares more about the expense and will encourage changing and with that, you may have new-found determination to try something new knowing your dear husband is supporting you. On the other hand, you might be surprised that he wants you to spend the extra money and he will worry for you about where or how to divert other funds.

One of the wonderful attributes about HOD is that it is so flexible and easy to use that whichever math you choose will not take away from the uniqueness of the HOD program. And the math activities in the math box are lots of fun to do with the Singapore math, too.

All this is only my humble opinion. Sorry to be so long! I kind of feel like it does not help much. But at least now you know you are not the only HODie using Right Start Math.

I also hope you will keep us posted about what you decide.

God Bless you.

[water2wine]

Ashley I have not used or even seen Right Start but one thing you say makes me think Singapore would work as well and that is that your daughter loves math. It think Singapore is wonderful with kids that love math. My 4 year old and 6 year old eat it up like candy even when it challenges them. I wish in all honesty I had started all my kid in Singapore from the beginning. I can see that my Singapore girls will be stronger in math. But they are also the ones that never had ps and that makes a huge difference as well. Anyway if cost is an issue or if you are just wanting to try it I think your daughter would like it. If the other works great it's also just fine to stay with it but Singapore is very economical and I also like that they can jump by half levels for the perfect fit. HTH

[Kathleen]

Ashley,

I don't know if this will help you or not...but it's an old thread that talked about math. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=378&p=2572 Melanie (a fellow HODie that's not here this year Oh, I miss her!), used Right Start and then switched to Singapore this summer. She said that RS and Singapore were similar in their approach to things. So it may be an easy switch for you if you decide that way. We love math here, too! We started with Saxon and liked it but not the daily time requirement. Singapore is going great for us! Having switched from Saxon which words problems very predictably, Singapore requires much more thinking to solve the word problems. I like that though, and my ds feels like he's figured out a riddle when he gets the problem!

Kathleen

[Mommamo]

Thanks ladies! I know you would all help me to think about what to do. I'm still up in the air, but I thought I might try Singapore, since it is so much less expensive, and then I could probably very easily switch back to RS if I felt we needed to, couldn't I? They do look very similar, and I honestly don't think it'd be too confusing for DD. I've heard of people using Singapore along with RightStart. If I can get a used copy of RightStart in the next couple of weeks (and believe me, I'm trying!) I'll go with that, otherwise I feel fine about trying Singapore. Caroline thinks math is great fun so if I tell her we're just going to have some new stuff to do for a while she'll think it's great and she'll enjoy it and still be learning. I also may wait until we start beyond so that she's on track with the guide. We might do some bear family or funtastic frogs stuff in the meantime. Thanks for all the suggestions, and by all means keep them coming.

I'm really glad to know that Singapore works well for math minded kiddos. I think either way we'll have things covered well!