Dear Laurie,
I’m working my way through your wonderful book Teaching the Trivium and loving it. I’ve ordered Mystery of History Volume 1 and am thinking about math. Anne will be nine in October. She’s been quick to learn and understand math concepts – we’ve gone through multiplication and long division in manipulatives to the ten thousands – not on paper – and beginning fractions – more in cooking, word problems etc. Geometry just at the perimeter/area level – all with Montessori materials. I’m wondering whether I should continue this year in the same way or whether I should begin Saxon 65? And what your thoughts are on Singapore Math or Math U See? Bottom line, should I give her another year before work book math?
She is really enjoying the book selections in Hand that Rocks the Cradle and I love feeling that I can let her pick them out! She was excited to see Sea Star – the sequel to Misty of Chincoteague and chose that first! Blessings to you. Many thanks, J.
My opinion is that starting math at age ten is early enough. Give her another year to develop abstract thinking. There’s no hurry.
Singapore, Math U See, and Saxon are all fine math curricula.
After no formal math, my ten year old started Saxon 5/4. She is not extremely inclined toward Math and I wanted her first year to be a success. She finished about half the book due to dad’s deployment and our move to be with him (he was stateside of course). We just started 6/5 and she is sailing. Of course she is frustrated by the repetition and I told her just to be thankful she hadn’t been repeating since first grade. I will always start with Saxon 6/5 with my other four. I honestly think 10 was too early with her. She will be 11 in two months and not only is she doing the work, but doing it nearly alone – last year required lots of me sitting next to her. She is setting her alarm and starting at 6am when the other kids are still sleeping so she has peace and quiet. Never, ever underestimate maturity in learning! Something I am still learning on my homeschool adventure.
Hey, I started math at 10! 😉