What MATH program do you use with HOD?

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I had a chance to speak with Carrie yesterday and she was so nice and helpful. I have been so confused about which direction to go with math and she encouraged me to at least look at Singapore for my boys who will be in K and my DD in 1st. I just hesitate so much because I really struggle with math myself and have never had any algebra or higher level math. I graduated from a VERY small private school back in 87'. So basically I was wanting to go with a more scripted/hand holding math. I saw some of the 3rd grade word problems in Singapore and gasped!

Anyway, just curious what everyone else is doing for math that have children using the younger packages. We will be using "Little Hearts" starting this summer.

[wisdom4us]

We are using Singapore with Little Hearts for K boys (also twins!) and my 2nd grade boy who is doing parts of Bigger. They really enjoy it and the lessons are easy to teach but are concrete. I'm sure as we go up higher I will need the teacher's manual for Singapore to help me so that's an option for you too!

[lostinabook]

We use Right Start: http://www.alabacus.com/pageView.cfm?pageID=270 The TM directs the parent very well & I feel like my children have a good grasp on the whys of math. The downsides are that 1. it's pretty expensive b/c there are so many manipulatives involved & 2. there is a ton of parental involvement--especially in Level B. It gets better in C & then better yet in D, but you have to slog through B first.

We briefly left after Level B b/c I just couldn't stand the thought of spending so much time on math again but we came back after doing some workbook-y type math (NOT Singapore) as I didn't feel like dd was grasping the underlying reasons for doing the work & having the workbook only format allowed *me* to be lazy. She does do Singapore's Challenging Word Problems, however, & we haven't had a problem yet. (Of course she'd only in book 2 right now so...) I've also heard that Singapore has excellent forums where you can ask about various problems & someone will help you work through them. Plus, there are now Home Instructor's guides which are supposed to be very helpful.

[FiveLittlePeaches]

Hey there,

I started homeschooling using the Rod and Staff preschool books, and because I loved them so much, I continued on with R&S for first grade. I mention this only because I was using this before I learned about HOD.

R&S math is a traditional mastery program, meaning the children thoroughly learn a concept before they move onto something new. I teach the math lesson according to the teachers manuel, and also do the speed drills and extra practice sheets as assigned per lesson (refered to as Blacklines). My children, so far, have their math facts down cold. I like that.

I think math is tricky, because as a parent, you need to go with something you're comfortable teaching. Also, something I want to mention something I read in another post that I really agree with. You should give a math program a shot for a full year before switching. I am so thankful I stuck with R&S, because I really doubted it at one point. You can see samples at Milestoneministries.com if you're interested.

I am thankful for the flexibility HOD offers, and this is one of the reasons why it works well for our family. Good luck in finding a program that suits you and your children!

Joy
Currently using LHFHG and loving it!

[Mom2Monkeys]

We've used Horizons, LifePac, MathMammoth, and some others and I am thrilled with our switch to Singapore. I have one that has done Singapore 1B-2B now and one that has done EarlyBird Kindergarten 1A/B and has just started EB K 2A. It is great for any learning style, math ability, or teaching ability. Carrie has made it work! It seems intimidating at first but I've loved it! Teaching has been a breeze, especially comparing to the others we've used (and the others homeschooling friends are using! )

[eazbnsmom]

I am currently using Math U See with all my school children except my Kindergartner (just workbooks from Walmart with him). It has been a good program for us so far. I am switching my boys (will be 1st & 2nd next year) to Singapore and I do believe that they need something more challenging. My girls with stay with MUS.

[wisdom4us]

I wanted to add that the plans Carrie has put into the Little Hearts and Bigger Hearts manuals really help me to be more conscience of what the children are suppose to be learning and makes it hands on for all those tactile learners!

[Sharon]

We just stayed with the math that we were using before we found HOD. We have been using BJU Math and are pleased with it. The new 3rd editions that they are coming out with move a bit faster than the 2nd editions. Thankfully I have all the books through 6th grade because the 2nd editions seem to be just the right speed for younger dd.

[Amey]

I'm in the same boat as you, graduated without higher math and not real confident in my math abilities. We used BJU for K and really enjoyed it, but I found the TM too pricey to continue (and bulky). So, we moved on to CLE (Chrsitian Light Education) for 1st grade and have both thrived with it. The TM is very Mom friendly which is just what I needed and my son loves to try to beat his time each day on the math fact drills that are built right into the lesson. We supplement with Singapore and have found this to be a great set up for us.

[my3sons]

We use Singapore and love it. It is short, to the point, and easy to teach from. There's no prep, and the HOD activities planned to go with it up through 2B are great. Many other programs have way TOO many problems, and way TOO much teacher prep time or materials, IMO. Math should not take forever to do. It is a finite body of information to be learned. I just want to encourage you that if math is not your thing (and we all have subjects that are not our thing ), then there are a lot of homeschool choices for math that can make that easier. I think Singapore is one of the easiest programs to teach from - but, you can always choose something else too - and by the time the really hard math kicks in (and let's face it, MOST of us don't remember THAT very well), you can use a program that has an instructional DVD teaching it. Your not loving math will not be a roadblock to homeschooling, anymore than my struggle with science labs will be a roadblock for me to homeschooling. We'll just rely on great homeschool materials to help us through it! If I were you, I think I'd give Singapore a shot for a year, since it is planned out with lessons in the HOD guide already anyway, and then make a change the next year if you didn't like it. But, if your heart is leading you to a different math program, you can certainly do that too!

In Christ,
Julie

[funkmomma71]

[quote="1GirlTwinBoys"]I had a chance to speak with Carrie yesterday and she was so nice and helpful. I have been so confused about which direction to go with math and she encouraged me to at least look at Singapore for my boys who will be in K and my DD in 1st. I just hesitate so much because I really struggle with math myself and have never had any algebra or higher level math. I graduated from a VERY small private school back in 87'. So basically I was wanting to go with a more scripted/hand holding math. I saw some of the 3rd grade word problems in Singapore and gasped!

Anyway, just curious what everyone else is doing for math that have children using the younger packages. We will be using "Little Hearts" starting this summer.[/quote


We are using Singapore as written in LHFHG and loving it. Like you, math was the one subject I wasn't sure about being able to teach, but with Carrie's careful lesson planning and wonderful activities math, like everything with LHFHG, has been a breeze to teach. As a matter of fact, I teach it last, not only because that is how it is written in the lesson plans, but also because my dd loves to linger with our math lesson and often wants to do more. The daily lesson plans are well-written, easy to implement, short and effective, I can't see how you could go wrong with Singapore.

Blessings,
Nancy

[MainelyJen]

When my children were doing k through 3rd grade we used Modern Curriculum Press math. Loved it. The manual's can be purchased cheaply used (I usually found mine for about $10-$12 postage paid) and the workbooks are inexpensive. The teacher's manuals are clear and include mental math, some scripted hand-holding each day , and a nice section on spotting common errors kids make. There are also extension activities for each lesson, so whether your child is slow or a quick study in math, one manual suits your needs.

Here's a link to MCP Math at Christian Book Distributors. http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/ ... iew=covers

My son currently uses Saxon and when we transitioned from MCP we had no problems.

[anointedhsmom]

We have used BJU and we use Singapore right now using the lesson plans written in the manuals. My son had done some Singapore Early Bird books and I had tried to start him in 1A & 1B and I was lost so we went back to BJU. When I found HOD and saw that there were lesson plans written in them I couldn't have been happier. I needed a lot of hand holding with math and I find that Carrie's lessons do a great job helping me and teaching my son.

Hope that helps!

[HollyinNNV]

Singapore/Math U See combo.

[ahngele]

My ds is going to be using BHFHG and we have been using MAth mammoth and I plan to continue it.