Thursday, May 15, 2014
Where Do We Go From Here?
After revealing our fun surprises of the week - namely, that we're expecting AND that this pregnancy has not been hyperemetic...
I thought I would pause to post a brief update of what's happening here!
Our homeschool year begins on Monday. I have just this week found the tiniest bit of my energy returning, so I am doing my best to make necessary preparations (filing, printing, typing, shopping, etc.) to be ready on Monday. Can I get it done? Not sure. It will probably be a matter of getting the bare essentials done and letting the rest slide - temporarily or permanently.
I plan to publish our curriculum round-up for the coming year in the next day or two. Look for that! I can't wait to share with you all!
I am planning to start our school year gradually - first with just math and handwriting, then adding in history and science, and then all the little extras (family time, picture study, etc.). I don't want to go beyond my strength until I feel better, but I am determined that we shall have a longer summer break next year - meaning that math has to get done!
My big project for the summer, besides beginning our school year, will be getting our household "rebooted" after the neglect occasioned by several months of NVP (i.e. morning sickness). Things like meal planning, deep cleaning, routines, chores, etc., have fallen by the wayside - and I have now to pick them up and reinstate all the necessities of household life. That's always a challenge. One wouldn't think that a brief break in routine would cause everything to fall to pieces, but I always feel that I have to relearn the basics. "What? Cook dinner? How on earth do I do that?"
We are nearing the 14-week mark with this baby - almost to the second trimester! I have kept copious notes in the form of a running journal ever since we got a positive test - I want to have good records for this pregnancy. I don't know if I'll ever publish them, but at least they're there.
I have decided to wait to publish a "summary entry" concerning what I've learned about NVP/HG until much later in this pregnancy - possibly after the fact, in the postpartum. As I mentioned before, there is still so much to do - I have to experience the rest of this pregnancy, do more research, learn so much more. I don't want to publish just to have to deal with endless revisions. However, I will likely begin to write that post very soon. It's going to be ridiculously long, and will probably take the rest of the summer to type - I can then leave editing and finishing touches till the last.
For the past ten days or so, I have begun to feel the faintest of wee baby kicks. This is the moment I live for - unutterably precious. I can't wait for the giant earth-shattering kicks! So much fun. Besides NVP, I really adore pregnancy.
And so... that's about all. Really, what I have on my to-do list is quite manageable... except that I am not feeling energetic or well enough to do any of it! It's a matter of trying to skate through with the minimum, and pray that I continue to feel better day by day.
As far as the blog goes, I'll be in and out. I don't have any concrete plans at the moment, but I'll probably post pregnancy updates here and there, along with whatever else strikes me. It'll be a while before everything is back to normal around here, including the blog.
And there you have it!
Hope you all are enjoying the summer - I'm counting the days till it's over!
Friday, May 9, 2014
Follow-Up Post: Let's Talk Morning Sickness!
For those of you who missed yesterday's news, yes, we're expecting!
We're very excited!
The family has let us know in no certain terms that they think we're insane. That's okay. Maybe next time around they'll have accepted the fact!
We saw our midwife for our first visit yesterday and heard baby's heartbeat - always such a lovely sound!
I apologize, dear readers, for not letting you all know sooner. My reasoning was very simple - I wanted to find out the big YES or NO on whether the diet I've been doing worked to prevent hyperemesis gravidarum (extreme morning sickness) before I reported in.
The answer to that question, at this point, seems to be a resounding YES.
Let me give you the basics.
For the past two or so months, I have felt like dirt. I have spent the majority of time lying around while my house got dusty and the kids ate packaged snack foods. I've felt crummy and it hasn't been a ton o' fun.
BUT
I have not thrown up once.
AND
I have not taken one Zofran.
Do I really need to say more?
Normally I would have been in uncontrollable hyperemesis from week four onward, unable to keep anything down, or at best maintaining a shaky balance only through massive doses of Unisom and Zofran.
Needless to say, I am thrilled - if it's possible to be thrilled, nauseated, and dead tired at the same time.
I'm not going to do a big write-up right now, because we're only 13-ish weeks in. There are still many questions unanswered, many things I still need to do, many confounding variables to work through (the diet wasn't the only thing I was doing - far from it!). I will try to do a complete write-up later in this pregnancy or after the birth.
But in the meantime, we're thrilled!
We are planning our fourth homebirth, and hopefully our third waterbirth, and we're so excited to be adding to our family. Even if we are insane.
Feel free to ask any questions! Love to everyone!
We're very excited!
The family has let us know in no certain terms that they think we're insane. That's okay. Maybe next time around they'll have accepted the fact!
We saw our midwife for our first visit yesterday and heard baby's heartbeat - always such a lovely sound!
I apologize, dear readers, for not letting you all know sooner. My reasoning was very simple - I wanted to find out the big YES or NO on whether the diet I've been doing worked to prevent hyperemesis gravidarum (extreme morning sickness) before I reported in.
The answer to that question, at this point, seems to be a resounding YES.
Let me give you the basics.
For the past two or so months, I have felt like dirt. I have spent the majority of time lying around while my house got dusty and the kids ate packaged snack foods. I've felt crummy and it hasn't been a ton o' fun.
BUT
I have not thrown up once.
AND
I have not taken one Zofran.
Do I really need to say more?
Normally I would have been in uncontrollable hyperemesis from week four onward, unable to keep anything down, or at best maintaining a shaky balance only through massive doses of Unisom and Zofran.
Needless to say, I am thrilled - if it's possible to be thrilled, nauseated, and dead tired at the same time.
I'm not going to do a big write-up right now, because we're only 13-ish weeks in. There are still many questions unanswered, many things I still need to do, many confounding variables to work through (the diet wasn't the only thing I was doing - far from it!). I will try to do a complete write-up later in this pregnancy or after the birth.
But in the meantime, we're thrilled!
We are planning our fourth homebirth, and hopefully our third waterbirth, and we're so excited to be adding to our family. Even if we are insane.
Feel free to ask any questions! Love to everyone!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Time for a Little Holiday Planning! (Really!)
What? You all think it's a bit early to be planning for the holidays??
That's where you're wrong! It's never too early!
And I have been very busy planning for this coming Thanksgiving! Namely, I've been sitting around and staring at the walls! It's what you call productivity, folks!
In other words....
We're very excited!
Facebook friends, please keep this quiet for 24 hours until we announce tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Curriculum Review: Modern Curriculum Press Maps Books
A year or two back, a sweet Catholic homeschooling friend of mine told me that her boys absolutely loved their map skills books. At the time, I'd never heard of map skills. However, anything that boys like (as opposed to, say, everything else) seemed a good idea! Thus, at last year's convention I picked up Modern Curriculum Press's Maps A book. We used it this year, and it was good! We will continue this coming year with Maps B.
(Modern Curriculum Press puts out many products besides map skills, but we have no experience with their other products.)
The Maps series simply builds on basic skills - left/right, north/south/east/west, prepositions (next to, across from, etc.) to begin building the skills eventually needed for more complicated map interpretation. They're fun, easy, and not time-consuming. We completed one lesson per week (taking 10 minutes per lesson tops), and finished far before the end of the school year.
This curriculum really was an all-around winner. Inexpensive, fun, instructional, and not time-consuming. It really doesn't get much better than that.
There are many map skills books out there. Because this one has worked so well for us, I have not shopped around at all. If you'd like to browse, however, visit the Rainbow Resources booth at your local homeschool convention and check out the map skills section.
We highly recommend both the subject and this particular curriculum!
(Modern Curriculum Press puts out many products besides map skills, but we have no experience with their other products.)
The Maps series simply builds on basic skills - left/right, north/south/east/west, prepositions (next to, across from, etc.) to begin building the skills eventually needed for more complicated map interpretation. They're fun, easy, and not time-consuming. We completed one lesson per week (taking 10 minutes per lesson tops), and finished far before the end of the school year.
This curriculum really was an all-around winner. Inexpensive, fun, instructional, and not time-consuming. It really doesn't get much better than that.
There are many map skills books out there. Because this one has worked so well for us, I have not shopped around at all. If you'd like to browse, however, visit the Rainbow Resources booth at your local homeschool convention and check out the map skills section.
We highly recommend both the subject and this particular curriculum!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Curriculum Review: Galloping the Globe
Galloping the Globe is a unit study collection studying major countries around the world. You can spend however long you like on each country, do them in any order desired, and select whatever you want out of the unit study to use.
GTG is a single book - it's not an "all in one" unit study that comes with everything you might need (like craft materials, readers, etc.). Gathering materials is up to you - and thus, access to a good public library is a must (unless you want to buy a lot of books).
Primarily, GTG is a book list. There are books about each country, and books by authors from each country. There are also craft and activity suggestions for each country, recipes, occasional website suggestions, maps, and lower-elementary activity pages to copy (like word searches, etc.).
We have now used GTG for one year after seeing another friend's success with this curriculum (review here).
We love it!
Here are some notes from things learned along the way:
- There are some books that GTG uses consistently with each country. None of these books is available from the library. I asked my friend if they were necessary, and she said no, so we did not buy any of them.
- Buy used, and it's the cheapest curriculum you'll ever find! Even new the book is only $25 or so.
- Again, you need a library. If you're super-rural, you'll probably want something like a packaged curriculum from My Father's World that comes with books included.
- GTG is easy to use multi-level K-8 or even beyond.
- This year we did the Introductory section, England, and China. Next time through I won't bother doing the introductory section. We also won't spend quite as much time on each country. This year we did 4-5 months on each unit - way too much time. Right now I am so sick of China that I could scream! Next year we are planning on spending one term maximum per country (six weeks). Some families choose to move very quickly, allotting just one week per country.
- GTG covers both history/culture/geography and science. The science topics are primarily native animals for each country, so if you want your elementary student to cover other science subjects, you will have to supplement (or skip the GTG science topics and substitute something like Apologia science). That hasn't been a problem around here - just providing lots of reading material as interests come up (along with nature field guides) has produced a 7yo who is well versed in everything from astronomy to minerals, just from interest-based reading. Provide the books, and they will learn. Take a look at this post for more science ideas if you want to supplement.
- GTG has a sister-curriculum, Cantering the Country, which is a unit study for the United States that goes state by state. I'm hoping to nab a copy of this soon! (Short review here.)
- We do not do all of the activities listed, and we haven't used any of the activity sheets, vocabulary lists, Bible verses, or websites. We also haven't read the country summaries or used the discussion questions. (Have I mentioned how much I abhor discussion questions?) Primarily we use the book lists (and subject lists for doing library searches). Even if our library doesn't have the particular books listed (a common problem), we can easily find others on the same subjects.
- One of our favorite activities with unit studies is FOOD. We have made at least ten dishes per country (again, I need to cut down) and tried some great food - even though some, like Spotted Dick and Custard, nearly had me with my head in the toilet. You just try grating blood-spotted suet to put in a dessert. GTG provides one to three recipes per country, and more recipes are easy to find with ethnic cookbooks or online.
- GTG is a great "jumping-off" point. For our study of England, I added easily ten times as much material on top of what was in the book. You get ideas and go from there! Country studies are really endless. So don't feel bound by what's in the book - use it as a starting place and go from there. GTG is not complete, nor is it perfect (no unit study is), but it's a great place to start. Have fun!
- GTG also has a GTG Yahoo Group for support. (We haven't joined - it sounds great, but I just can't take any more groups!)
- Our local library offers the ability to reserve books online, and I make liberal use of this service. In fact, I don't think I've ever actually looked up a book myself! If you want to use GTG, find out if your library offers this service - it's a life-saver. Not only does it save time at the library, but it allows you to do most of the work of book selection from the comfort of your home.
- GTG is a "do it yourself" curriculum. It does not offer any schedule or daily to-do list. What you do and when you do it is entirely up to you! If you are the super-uptight kind (like I used to be) who simply must have a pre-made schedule, you will want to find something else - try Sonlight.
Finding history curriculum has been a huge challenge for me. I have severely disliked every single history textbook that I have seen, even those that come highly recommended. Textbooks simply have a unique ability to make the most interesting subject in the world beyond boring, and that's a horrible thing to do to history. I prefer a real books approach, and this is a good start. We're really enjoying this curriculum, and I suspect that I'll love it even more when I learn not to draw out our studies for too long.
Highly recommended!
GTG is a single book - it's not an "all in one" unit study that comes with everything you might need (like craft materials, readers, etc.). Gathering materials is up to you - and thus, access to a good public library is a must (unless you want to buy a lot of books).
Primarily, GTG is a book list. There are books about each country, and books by authors from each country. There are also craft and activity suggestions for each country, recipes, occasional website suggestions, maps, and lower-elementary activity pages to copy (like word searches, etc.).
We have now used GTG for one year after seeing another friend's success with this curriculum (review here).
We love it!
Here are some notes from things learned along the way:
- There are some books that GTG uses consistently with each country. None of these books is available from the library. I asked my friend if they were necessary, and she said no, so we did not buy any of them.
- Buy used, and it's the cheapest curriculum you'll ever find! Even new the book is only $25 or so.
- Again, you need a library. If you're super-rural, you'll probably want something like a packaged curriculum from My Father's World that comes with books included.
- GTG is easy to use multi-level K-8 or even beyond.
- This year we did the Introductory section, England, and China. Next time through I won't bother doing the introductory section. We also won't spend quite as much time on each country. This year we did 4-5 months on each unit - way too much time. Right now I am so sick of China that I could scream! Next year we are planning on spending one term maximum per country (six weeks). Some families choose to move very quickly, allotting just one week per country.
- GTG covers both history/culture/geography and science. The science topics are primarily native animals for each country, so if you want your elementary student to cover other science subjects, you will have to supplement (or skip the GTG science topics and substitute something like Apologia science). That hasn't been a problem around here - just providing lots of reading material as interests come up (along with nature field guides) has produced a 7yo who is well versed in everything from astronomy to minerals, just from interest-based reading. Provide the books, and they will learn. Take a look at this post for more science ideas if you want to supplement.
- GTG has a sister-curriculum, Cantering the Country, which is a unit study for the United States that goes state by state. I'm hoping to nab a copy of this soon! (Short review here.)
- We do not do all of the activities listed, and we haven't used any of the activity sheets, vocabulary lists, Bible verses, or websites. We also haven't read the country summaries or used the discussion questions. (Have I mentioned how much I abhor discussion questions?) Primarily we use the book lists (and subject lists for doing library searches). Even if our library doesn't have the particular books listed (a common problem), we can easily find others on the same subjects.
- One of our favorite activities with unit studies is FOOD. We have made at least ten dishes per country (again, I need to cut down) and tried some great food - even though some, like Spotted Dick and Custard, nearly had me with my head in the toilet. You just try grating blood-spotted suet to put in a dessert. GTG provides one to three recipes per country, and more recipes are easy to find with ethnic cookbooks or online.
- GTG is a great "jumping-off" point. For our study of England, I added easily ten times as much material on top of what was in the book. You get ideas and go from there! Country studies are really endless. So don't feel bound by what's in the book - use it as a starting place and go from there. GTG is not complete, nor is it perfect (no unit study is), but it's a great place to start. Have fun!
- GTG also has a GTG Yahoo Group for support. (We haven't joined - it sounds great, but I just can't take any more groups!)
- Our local library offers the ability to reserve books online, and I make liberal use of this service. In fact, I don't think I've ever actually looked up a book myself! If you want to use GTG, find out if your library offers this service - it's a life-saver. Not only does it save time at the library, but it allows you to do most of the work of book selection from the comfort of your home.
- GTG is a "do it yourself" curriculum. It does not offer any schedule or daily to-do list. What you do and when you do it is entirely up to you! If you are the super-uptight kind (like I used to be) who simply must have a pre-made schedule, you will want to find something else - try Sonlight.
Finding history curriculum has been a huge challenge for me. I have severely disliked every single history textbook that I have seen, even those that come highly recommended. Textbooks simply have a unique ability to make the most interesting subject in the world beyond boring, and that's a horrible thing to do to history. I prefer a real books approach, and this is a good start. We're really enjoying this curriculum, and I suspect that I'll love it even more when I learn not to draw out our studies for too long.
Highly recommended!
Monday, May 5, 2014
An HG Success Story!
I absolutely love finding HG "success stories" - stories in which an HG mama doesn't just manage her HG, but finds what works to prevent it for the next pregnancy.
Such stories are rare and precious, and we need to learn everything that we can from them.
I ran across this HG success story quite randomly and wanted to share it with you all! The blog is Eosinophile, and the two pertinent entries are her most recent.
(As a side note, this blog has some really excellent material on it. Hop on over and take a quick tour!)
The first HG entry, Birth Defects and Hyperemesis Gravidarum, reads:
Unfortunately there are no further entries, and the one comment I submitted has not been published. I suspect that this blog is now "untenanted," which is unfortunate! But the information is there, and I definitely recommend checking it out. I will be linking to both entries from my sidebar. For those HG mamas out there who compile research, I recommend copying both articles into a document for safekeeping - untenanted blogs tend to disappear over time.
Congratulations to this mama!
Such stories are rare and precious, and we need to learn everything that we can from them.
I ran across this HG success story quite randomly and wanted to share it with you all! The blog is Eosinophile, and the two pertinent entries are her most recent.
(As a side note, this blog has some really excellent material on it. Hop on over and take a quick tour!)
The first HG entry, Birth Defects and Hyperemesis Gravidarum, reads:
"I have been preparing my body to try to conceive for a year. My fist pregnancy was a disaster, with hyperemesis gravadarium, a birth defect, and polyhydraminos. I’ve been doing a lot of research on how to prevent these problems... I don’t want myself or a future child to have to suffer these things. Here are some of the things I have done.
"I have made sure my body composition and nutritional status are optimized. By using a gram of DHA and EPA a day, getting my vitamin D levels above 70ng/mL, and the paleo diet. Last time I didn’t eat fish and I didn’t supplement with vitamin D and was careful to avoid the sun. Sadly I took advice from my doctor, which was the wrong advice."In her second entry, she reports success - Pregnancy With No Hyperemesis (!):
"I am now 7 months pregnant, I conceived right away. Thankfully I had no hyperemesis. After one incident of nausea I got acupuncture and felt better immediately."WOW!
Unfortunately there are no further entries, and the one comment I submitted has not been published. I suspect that this blog is now "untenanted," which is unfortunate! But the information is there, and I definitely recommend checking it out. I will be linking to both entries from my sidebar. For those HG mamas out there who compile research, I recommend copying both articles into a document for safekeeping - untenanted blogs tend to disappear over time.
Congratulations to this mama!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Curriculum Review: Singapore Math
We have now used Singapore Math for two years (Kinder and 1st), so I thought I'd write a quick review!
Singapore Math is the only math that I have used, so unfortunately I don't have any comparisons to make with other curricula. I happen to have an experienced (graduated) homeschool mama friend who happens to be a math genius (she leads the homeschool math competition group and now is a math professor), so when it came time to select a math program, I simply emailed her.
"Which math should we use?"
"Singapore."
End of search. I ordered it, I received it, I used it.
(I should say that this friend recommends Singapore only through 6th grade - she does not recommend the higher levels.)
That being said, here's a quick run-down:
The GOOD:
- At first I didn't understand their method of teaching. It was very different from how I was taught, with straight up-and-down addition/subtraction - i.e. "cancel the nine, make it an eight, carry the one," etc. There is none of that. However, I realized that the foundation they lay is a solid one for understanding the concepts mentally, and it is very sound.
- On the whole, we've been pretty happy with it. And I really trust my friend's recommendation, so I'm glad we started here.
- Singapore comes highly recommended and is one of the recommended choices included in Sonlight curriculum packages - which is high praise indeed! (They also recommend Horizons, Saxon, and Teaching Textbooks.)
The Not-So-Good:
- I dislike having to buy both textbooks (non-consumable) and workbooks (consumable).* Technically speaking, it is a money saver for the consumer, because the textbooks can be reused for the next student. However, I know very well that by the time we have another student come up the line, there will be a new edition out and I'll have to buy new textbooks to match the workbooks. This is a big pain in the neck. Additionally, I dislike having to flip back and forth between the textbook and the workbook. I would rather have one big consumable workbook that includes the lesson and the practice problems, and just re-buy for each student. That would be a lot simpler.
- The first and second grade materials each include two workbooks and two textbooks, each costing about $11 each. I find that a bit pricey, especially when it is just one subject for one student.
- They work a year ahead. For some reason, people seem to find this something to boast about. I do not. We held our son back a year on purpose so that he would be developmentally ready for academics rather than having to force readiness. Having a curriculum work a year ahead basically undoes this completely.
- They move too quickly. I find that they are expecting huge jumps (double digit subtraction and addition) without having laid the groundwork solidly with basic [5+2]. This makes it very difficult to progress when the foundations have not been sufficiently laid. And I am quite sure that our son could not do quite a few of the tasks that were taught this year, because I had to do such heavy coaching to get him through them. I would be much happier if he had a good mastery of the before mentioned [5+2] concepts (the basics) rather than a crummy (or non-existent) mastery of more advanced concepts. Additionally, this led to a lot of frustration this year - me losing my temper and/or pulling my hair out because I could not get him to do what seemed basic to me (but obviously wasn't to him because it was just too much). (The Sonlight catalogue notes this weakness and recommends supplemental practice of the basics to go along with Singapore curricula. We may have to look into that.)
- No color in the workbooks. This may be good or bad, depending on the student. But it does make it a bit dull. A bit of color would have been nice - even one color! Additionally, doing the sections on money without color was downright difficult, because the coins look very much the same sketched in black and white.
- I would prefer to have fewer problems per lesson in the workbooks. I think they overdo it a bit - more so with each grade. However, this is a common issue with many math curricula.
- It requires quite a bit of writing. We are trying not to emphasize writing in the early years, so I have been splitting the lessons in half - he writes half, and I write the other (he still does the work). Again, fewer problems would be much better.
Would I Buy It Again?
Well, that's a hard question - because again, I haven't used any other curricula to compare with it.
However, using Singapore has given me a good idea of what works and what doesn't work for our family. I would definitely be open to switching curricula, and here is what I would be looking for:
Fellow home educators, what are your recommendations for math? Any other Singapore users out there? What are your thoughts?
Want some other math curricula to consider? Try:
* This applies to only 1st and 2nd grades (and possibly further; I don't know). Kindergarten is just two consumable workbooks. There are also home instructor guides (which I do not buy) which will add to the price.
Singapore Math is the only math that I have used, so unfortunately I don't have any comparisons to make with other curricula. I happen to have an experienced (graduated) homeschool mama friend who happens to be a math genius (she leads the homeschool math competition group and now is a math professor), so when it came time to select a math program, I simply emailed her.
"Which math should we use?"
"Singapore."
End of search. I ordered it, I received it, I used it.
(I should say that this friend recommends Singapore only through 6th grade - she does not recommend the higher levels.)
That being said, here's a quick run-down:
The GOOD:
- At first I didn't understand their method of teaching. It was very different from how I was taught, with straight up-and-down addition/subtraction - i.e. "cancel the nine, make it an eight, carry the one," etc. There is none of that. However, I realized that the foundation they lay is a solid one for understanding the concepts mentally, and it is very sound.
- On the whole, we've been pretty happy with it. And I really trust my friend's recommendation, so I'm glad we started here.
- Singapore comes highly recommended and is one of the recommended choices included in Sonlight curriculum packages - which is high praise indeed! (They also recommend Horizons, Saxon, and Teaching Textbooks.)
The Not-So-Good:
- I dislike having to buy both textbooks (non-consumable) and workbooks (consumable).* Technically speaking, it is a money saver for the consumer, because the textbooks can be reused for the next student. However, I know very well that by the time we have another student come up the line, there will be a new edition out and I'll have to buy new textbooks to match the workbooks. This is a big pain in the neck. Additionally, I dislike having to flip back and forth between the textbook and the workbook. I would rather have one big consumable workbook that includes the lesson and the practice problems, and just re-buy for each student. That would be a lot simpler.
- The first and second grade materials each include two workbooks and two textbooks, each costing about $11 each. I find that a bit pricey, especially when it is just one subject for one student.
- They work a year ahead. For some reason, people seem to find this something to boast about. I do not. We held our son back a year on purpose so that he would be developmentally ready for academics rather than having to force readiness. Having a curriculum work a year ahead basically undoes this completely.
- They move too quickly. I find that they are expecting huge jumps (double digit subtraction and addition) without having laid the groundwork solidly with basic [5+2]. This makes it very difficult to progress when the foundations have not been sufficiently laid. And I am quite sure that our son could not do quite a few of the tasks that were taught this year, because I had to do such heavy coaching to get him through them. I would be much happier if he had a good mastery of the before mentioned [5+2] concepts (the basics) rather than a crummy (or non-existent) mastery of more advanced concepts. Additionally, this led to a lot of frustration this year - me losing my temper and/or pulling my hair out because I could not get him to do what seemed basic to me (but obviously wasn't to him because it was just too much). (The Sonlight catalogue notes this weakness and recommends supplemental practice of the basics to go along with Singapore curricula. We may have to look into that.)
- No color in the workbooks. This may be good or bad, depending on the student. But it does make it a bit dull. A bit of color would have been nice - even one color! Additionally, doing the sections on money without color was downright difficult, because the coins look very much the same sketched in black and white.
- I would prefer to have fewer problems per lesson in the workbooks. I think they overdo it a bit - more so with each grade. However, this is a common issue with many math curricula.
- It requires quite a bit of writing. We are trying not to emphasize writing in the early years, so I have been splitting the lessons in half - he writes half, and I write the other (he still does the work). Again, fewer problems would be much better.
Would I Buy It Again?
Well, that's a hard question - because again, I haven't used any other curricula to compare with it.
However, using Singapore has given me a good idea of what works and what doesn't work for our family. I would definitely be open to switching curricula, and here is what I would be looking for:
- A curricula that produces only one or two consumable workbooks per (lower) grade, not a combo of workbooks and textbooks.
- Fewer practice problems per lesson.
- Does NOT "work a year ahead."
- Lays a solid foundation before moving on to more advanced concepts.
Fellow home educators, what are your recommendations for math? Any other Singapore users out there? What are your thoughts?
Want some other math curricula to consider? Try:
* This applies to only 1st and 2nd grades (and possibly further; I don't know). Kindergarten is just two consumable workbooks. There are also home instructor guides (which I do not buy) which will add to the price.
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