I have been using Level B with my dd age 5 1/2 for about 3 months now. We've been going slow (we're only on lesson 15) partly because of her age and partly because I feel like I have a hard time following/understanding the lesson manual. Maybe it's the layout, I'm not sure. Maybe I should spend a few minutes the night before reading through the lesson. Does anyone else feel like there was a learning-curve to implementing this curriculum? Also, how long should each lesson take? I find that I have to break it into three parts or so because her attention span just can't do more than 20 minutes. How often should I play games with her to reinforce the concepts? So far, there has only been 2 games mentioned in the manual to use...

Thanks for answering my questions!
Stacy in AZ

Hello Stacy,

Yes, there is a learning curve for the parent, I find around 3-6 months for the mother to get the hang of teaching the program. This program is different then most math programs available and it is different from how we were taught, so there is a learning curve. I went through it and nearly every mother I have met using this program has gone through this learning curve.

Half the battle is trusting that this is actually a good program, we so much don’t want to ruin our children’s education we constantly question everything we do, as well we should. But there is a point in which you can go with the flow of the program and just tweak it in places to meet the exact needs of your student.

Level A was meant to have one lesson take two days. Dr. Cotter recognizes that children have short attention spans, and spending 15-20min is all they need to spend on a lesson; then pick up where they left off next time. If you think they did not understand it, take your time. Slow and steady will when the math race. Spend the time they need now to build a strong math foundation and later when they need those skills for higher math, and everyday math, they will reap the benefit of taking their time to understand and enjoy the foundations of mathematics.

We recommend that you play the games 2-4 times a week. Go through your manual and find games you have done already or future games and start on those games. Even it if you think it is boring or too easy, you should still be doing it, you will be surprised how much they enjoy doing games they understand, and how much they like the games we think they wouldn’t like.

Please let me know if you have any more questions. You can email me directly at Carissa@alabacus.com .

Thank you for giving your child a RightStart in Math,

Carissa
RightStart™ Mathematics by Activities for Learning, Inc.

For program questions: 888.272.3291
To place an order: 888.RS.5.MATH (888.775.6284)
www.RightStartMath.com

Our Mission: To help children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics

Carissa,
Thank you for your response! I appreciate knowing that other mom's experience a "learning curve" too.

We are going through Level B. My dd is 5 1/2 and I wonder if we should go back to level A? I am using Level B because that is what the computer generated test suggested we use. But, perhaps we should use Level A so that the concepts are cemented in better and we can go at a slower pace? I've also read others comments on the yahoo group that the first part of Level B is review and many choose to skip those lessons entirely, so I didn't want to spend money on something that was essentially repeated from Level A. What do you suggest I do?

Thanks,
Stacy in AZ

Stacy,

I taught all of my children Level B at around 5-5 1/2 years old (skipping level A), but I knew to go super slow, and to take my time, it took my first two a little over eighteen months to go through Level B, (lessons 29-35 took us three weeks); my third child took 24 months to complete Level B (lessons 29-35 took us six weeks to get through). I played lots and lots of games new and old, I limited math time to 20min when they where 5 to 6 1/2, then I bumped it to 30min.
I also only did 10 days of math each month until they turned six then it was 15 days of math each month, all year round.

As slow as it sounds I learned to trust others who had gone before me to go slow and steady, and it has proven to be true. When you take time on the foundations, the higher learning comes together much simpler. So if you are going to stay in Level B TAKE YOUR TIME! Remember, this is not a race to see how fast our children can get to algebra, it is a process of becoming competent in their math skills that they will need for the rest of their lives.

So be consistent in teaching your math lessons, bring life to math by showing her math around her in her everyday life, play the games, keep your lessons limited to a time of 20-30min, and take all the time she needs.

Please let me know if you have any more questions. You can email me directly at Carissa@alabacus.com .

Thank you for giving your child a RightStart in Math,

Carissa
RightStart™ Mathematics by Activities for Learning, Inc.

For program questions: 888.272.3291
To place an order: 888.RS.5.MATH (888.775.6284)
www.RightStartMath.com

Our Mission: To help children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics

Stacy,

I taught all of my children Level B at around 5-5 1/2 years old (skipping level A), but I knew to go super slow, and to take my time, it took my first two a little over eighteen months to go through Level B, (lessons 29-35 took us three weeks); my third child took 24 months to complete Level B (lessons 29-35 took us six weeks to get through). I played lots and lots of games new and old, I limited math time to 20min when they where 5 to 6 1/2, then I bumped it to 30min.
I also only did 10 days of math each month until they turned six then it was 15 days of math each month, all year round.

As slow as it sounds I learned to trust others who had gone before me to go slow and steady, and it has proven to be true. When you take time on the foundations, the higher learning comes together much simpler. So if you are going to stay in Level B TAKE YOUR TIME! Remember, this is not a race to see how fast our children can get to algebra, it is a process of becoming competent in their math skills that they will need for the rest of their lives.

So be consistent in teaching your math lessons, bring life to math by showing her math around her in her everyday life, play the games, keep your lessons limited to a time of 20-30min, and take all the time she needs.

Please note:
The way I taught my kids is only one way out of thousands of ways to teach, I have given my story as an example. Some mothers, who have taught Level B first to their first child and then taught Level A then Level B to the second child have reported doing Level A first was much easier. Teaching Level B went much smoother. So it is a choice for each family to make where to start at age 5 ½, but go slow if you start in Level B.

Please let me know if you have any more questions. You can email me directly at Carissa@alabacus.com .

Thank you for giving your child a RightStart in Math,

Carissa
RightStart™ Mathematics by Activities for Learning, Inc.

For program questions: 888.272.3291
To place an order: 888.RS.5.MATH (888.775.6284)
www.RightStartMath.com

Our Mission: To help children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics

Hello,

I just wanted to offer my experience and hope it can help in any way.....

I have two dd working through RS. I afterschool dd8 and beforeschool dd5.

My third grader,dd8 (soon 9), is using RSB (yes, Level B). We have been working through this manual since the beginning of second grade! Although there has been many a time where I just wanted to end the whole thing (teacher intensive, time, time, time), I know this program is the perfect fit for my dd's needs. I do have to add, however, that my dd is in public school and we aim to get through 3 lessons per week. During the summer, I do a lesson per day. Believe it or not, there are a multitude of concepts in level B that my dd has not yet learned in third grade public school! So, I will press on and finish RS through the elementary years and then reassess.

My other dd5 (December birthday) attends PM Pre-K so I homeschool her in the morning. I actually requested that she attend the PM session so that I can have her fresh in the morning for some "Mommy school". I have mapped out a k curriculum (takes us about 1 hour to complete, daily) and math is definitely included. We are using RSA. Even though I already have level B, I decided to order level A and work through the lessons slowly and steady with her. We do the recommended 15 minutes per lesson and break the lessons down into 2 parts. We began RSA in November '08 and are currently on lesson 32. The lessons have gone pretty smoothly so far except in a few places where we just stop and review a day or two until the objectives have been met and then move on. I have learned that when she's learning a concept for the first time, it helps to do a three part lesson (ala Montessori) and let the information sink in over a couple of days. I also love the slow pace and ease of the program.

I too had a learning curve to get over (and sometimes still feel like I'm trying to get over the curve). Some of the things that I do to help are: Reading over the lessons the night/morning before; Jotting down side notes; Pulling out manipulatives and having them ready before calling dd to do math. Because we break down our lessons in half, prep time has really made easier.

I have continually been amazed by how dd5 relates math to her other activities. Last week she was reading a "chapter" book reader from her phonics lesson and she noticed that the chapters were numbered 1,2,3,4,5,6 (they were very short chapters) and she said, "Hey, Mommy, these chapters are in order, they are in, what's the word again, con-" and I chimed in with "consecutive" and she said, "yes, consecutive!" I was floored and oh so delighted. Today, she was cutting out heart shapes for her 100th day project at school and I suggested that we sort the heart shapes "so that we know how much there are without counting." She then stacked the hearts in ten piles. I pulled out the abacus and asked her, after she sorted out her first ten, "how many more do you have to cut to make ten-ten or one hundred" and she said "nine-ten". When she was done with all the cutting she told me she has "four-ten eight hearts" and needs "two to make five-ten".

Amazing! For me, that's more than enough to continue and stick with this program. It really, really works!!

Good luck to you!