If you’ve ever used a math program that’s really worked for your kids, you what I mean when I say it can truly be a godsend.
Years ago, I stumbled upon the Math U See Primer curriculum. We are currently not using Math U See since we stopped at the Alpha level and switched to different programs over the years, like Saxon math (check out the video) and Singapore math, but for the time being, Math U See was everything we were looking for in a math program for my littles.
Oh yeah, I also have a Math U See video of our school time in action!
So, if you’re looking for some reasons why Math U See might be a great way to go, I’ll give you a few…
My Math U See Primer review
Little parent prep
We used the Math U See Primer during our kindergarten year.
I was pregnant, tired, and a wee bit loopy, so I needed a good math program that was easy for my 5 year old, yet challenging enough to keep her up/ahead of grade level. I also needed for it to be ALMOST teacher-free
This curriculum answered my prayers. I remember lying on the couch at 8 1/2 months pregnant while Mr. Demme taught my daughter math!It was great to have a math curriculum which came with an instructional DVD (where someone ELSE was the instructor), at least for that season of my life.
Teaches the basics
My daughter learned a lot in math that year – counting by 1’s, 5’s, 10’s, telling time, basic addition and subtraction, skip counting, etc. Nearly everything she needed for her pre-k and kinder year was provided in those first two levels of MUS (alpha and primer).What concepts I felt were missing were more than made up for by doing a bit of online searches for extra resources and free math activity sites.
Lessons are short
When your kids are really young, their attentions spans aren’t that great, so the last thing you want to do is prolong math lessons. I liked our lessons short and sweet, and that’s exactly what this program did for us. Both my kids thrived well on having short, but repetitive lessons at this age (4 and 5).If you want to read a full review of my experience with Math U See, check out Angie Kauffman’s site over at Real Life At Home.
Great for kinesthetic learners
Okay, this curriculum uses manipulatives (a huge part of the Math U See program) and music. This is really what sold me, besides little parent prep. One of my kids, especially, is super hands-on and needed to handle those little colorful blocks in order to truly grasp the mental concepts.My kinesthetic learner also loves to dance and sing, so what more could we ask for than a CD of skip-counting songs to help her memorize math facts.We eventually moved on to more mental math, but for starters kids need that hands-on, physical approach to mathematics. Math U See gave her that.Additionally, there’s an app by Math U See for those of you who are techie.Here’s a review of how the app works.If you’ve used this curriculum, how do you like it?I would love to hear your questions, concerns, and thoughts…so leave me a voicemail!
