I started my dd (5) in level A a few weeks ago. She did really good learning her quantities up to five. Now she is confused how to visually see 6 & 7 (we havent went any further yet). I don't let her count since the book says that the children should learn how to visualize instead. We sing Yellow is the Sun all the time...even when we are not doing math. But she still has a hard time understanding six is five and one.

I also have a dd (8) who has high functioning autism. I had started level A with her because mathmetically that is where she is at. She was in ps last year and she didn't do very good in math. We did have a few bumps in the lessons where she didn't understand the scripted language...example: "remove 1 (tally Stick)" she thought I meant remove them all and only leave one left. We worked through that lesson a few times and now she understands. We have only on lessons five but that is because we had to repeat a few lessons.

I am afraid if my dd (5) is having a hard time with visualizing quantities so will my dd (8) with her problems understanding.

I had horizons K and MUS primer for both of them also already at the house . Frustrated today I put the RightStart aside and we did MUS and two pages of Horizons. They do well with MUS and horizons (so far). But my concern is that I wanted them to have a true understanding of math. I really wanted to make Right Start work because of all the great things that I have heard about it.

I have no problem repeating lessons until they have understanding. But I guess I get worried that understaning may never come...I fear they may never be able to pick up on visualizing quantities...I guess its hard not seeing progress right away whereas with MUS or horizons I can see exactly what they did today.

Do you have any recommendations for me to use Right Start with my daughters?

Dear Summer,
Don't give up. It takes time to learn but it is so worth the effort. Are you using the abacus when you ask your daughter to visualize six and seven? If she enters the five as a group and then adds one more bead she should be able to "see" the quantity six. Can she do that? If not practice singing the "Yellow is the sun" as she actually enters the numbers.

Another idea is using the rhyme: "One, two, buckle my shoe" as she enters the quantities. I also have seen teachers say the rhyme "There were ten in the bed and the little one said, 'roll over.' You know the rest. They actually enter all ten beads in one row and then move them all over to the other side, drop off one and put 9 back on the other side. This seems to help them see quantities too.

The key is to not be frustrated. Stop and play the quantity games in the Appendix and then come back to it. Sometimes we try too hard to see something and in a day or two it will be clear. Just don't give up on RS. It is so profoundly different that your children will be thinking mathematically and really understanding math and loving it soon.
Nancy

Thanks Nancy,

I appreciate your advice and you really encouraged me. We started Lesson 6 today and it starts with show 7 with your fingers. She could not remember to do this so I had her show five and she could...then we did six, and seven. Then we did the abacus and she understands showing five...but she is lost when it comes to the quantity six or seven. So then we went back to the tally sticks and tried that and she couldn't remember either. So I showed her helped her show six and sang the section of Yellow is the Sun for six and then asked her again what quantity it ways right after I had told her and she coudln't remember .

We probably have moved too fast...because we have done 6 lessons in six days...and not all of the lessons were consecutive. There was a week between the fourth and fifth lesson because I had a medical issue come up and was unable to do school. I should have reviewed past lessons to refresh her memory.

I really appreciate your advice and I will go back and review quantities and I will do the games when we get that far(the quantities games start on lesson 9). Or maybe I can modify the quantities game to only do the quantities we have learned so far 1-7.

I was not taught to do mental math...and I think sometimes it is hard for me to trust that they can really learn to think this way.

Thanks again.