Ok so up until now I have been making up our own curriculum. However I was never a math wizard and my son is ready for some more substantial work. I need something that is comprehensive but not repetitive. Fun but not too childish. I was looking at Life of Fred but..not sure if it would be exactly right. I also was reading about Miquon anyone try either of these? And what are using for math. My son wants to be a robot scientist/inventor so I am really aware that advanced mathmatics is important to him. Any suggestions would be appreciated
We used Singapore for my son's math, but I can't say it was fun at all. However, it wasn't repetitive in the sense of being spiral. It had review sections, but the lessons didn't have any repetition. It's designed to be an advanced math curriculum. I will recommend you look at Lego WeDo for robotics and such, though. We're just about done with our kit, and the kids have really enjoyed it. If you can afford it, it can be a great and fun supplement to a math/physics program on the elementary level.
We also use Singapore. My son gets bored easily so we don't do a lot of the games and extra practice that they suggested unless he needs the practice. It works for us.
Singapore here too. I highly recommend it. It gives a lot of practice in the textbook and then you get additional practice with the workbook. Both of my boys really like Singapore. I tried Miquon, but could never get the hang of it.
Miquon and LoF are two different levels. Miquon is for 1-3 grades (approximately), and LoF starts in approximately 5th grade. I'm using Miquon and love it! It's topical/mastery, not spiral. It's not too childish. Extremely comprehensive. The only repetition is in the topic, not the level. (Meaning... once you master single digit addition, it won't back-track and make you learn it again. It'll give you single digit multiplication and double digit additions and things like that.) LoF assumes you can already do multi-digit add/sub/mul/div. The first two books (fractions and decimals) can be done the same year, and again, that's appx 5th grade. If you've gone all the way through Miquon, you should be able to jump right into LoF. Miquon has a bit of pre-algebra built into it right from the start. It teaches kids how to think a little better than curricula that teaches them how to spit out answers.
I use Time4Learning along with separate worksheets to help enhance. I have used Singapore math also and sometimes still put those two together.
My older daughter uses Teaching Textbooks, which starts at 3rd grade and goes all the way through high school level. My younger daughter uses CLE math. I really like both programs.
Ok so a little more about my situation. My son can multiply but we've only touched on division. He knows basic fractions and kind of understands equivalant fractions. Measuring we do in everyday life although I am going to be teaching it more in the new year. Addition, subtraction, time, he has down no problems. So because we are ahead in some areas and behind in others, I feel we need some more direction of where we are going if you will. I get that Life of Fred starts with fractions more in depth which is one reason I was looking at it. Thanks for letting me know Miquon is only up to the 3rd grade level I am going to see about Singapore. I know other homeschooling Moms locally really like it and Abeka. But I have heard that Abeka is repetitious which is at the moment something we don't need.
We're a Teaching Textbooks house here. I'm using Horizon's with my youngest until I can test her into Teaching Textbooks. I love Horizon's...so does my daughter. I might just let her do that until 3rd grade, and then put her in TT 4 when she's ready....instead of investing in 3. Although....I think she might be ready for TT 3 when she's in 2nd because Horizon's seems advanced to me. BTW...TT has placement tests. Based on what you've said, your son might even test into 4.
Not math, but check this out: http://juniorfirstlegoleague.org/ Phillip is involved with First Lego League this year. If your son's interests is with robots, this might be something worth pursuing. I know they're in Canada, too!
If you have a curriculum store in your area, try to get your hands on Miquon and take a look at it. It's advanced when compared side by side with a lot of other "3rd grade" publishers, and since it's taught by topic, you could choose only what needs to be worked on and ignore the rest. Actually, it's one of the reasons we switched to it (after trying and/or looking at Abeka, R&S, MUS, Horizons, BJU, and RightStart). My son was all over the place when we started. Miquon has really, really helped us fill in the gaps this year!
We use LoF and it is a great fit for my kids. Both are right brained learners - they need to understand the big picture and once they get it, they don't need alot of practice. Much of what I read review wise about LoF noted the lack of practice; however, the problems are rather challenging (especially once you get to Algebra and above.) I also like that the majority are presented as "story problems" which are difficult for those students who are used to just filling the the formula with numbers and solving but necessary for real life application. My husband who is a mechanical engineer and self professed math geek says the concepts are solid and he loves the way the information is presented. If your child needs alot of practice to "get" a concept, this probably won't be a good fit for a spine, but still may be a good supplement. Best wishes with whatever you choose! A few days later...Ooops! I just looked at the ages of your kids...oldest is 7? Life of Fred starts with Fractions, Decimals and Percents, so you'll need to give them a good arithmetic foundation before starting. We used a program called Mastering Mathematics. www.masterypublications.com Solid concepts, but not a lot of repetitive work.
My ds is loving RightStart, and I've been really impressed by it. We're halfway through level B and have used it since A. I feel it's giving him a really great foundation, and I love it for my boy who doesn't love writing because it's very hands on and very few worksheets. Playing card games is used to help memorize math facts rather than drill. It's a hit here!
