RightStart Mathematics Level A Homeschool Curriculum - Complete Math Lessons for Kindergarten & Early Learners | Perfect for Homeschooling Parents & Educators

I am currently homeschooling my three children (ages 7, 6, and 3). I stumbled onto the Rightstart program last year after several failed programs. My oldest was beginning to hate the tortuous worksheets in the other programs so I did extensive research and came up with this program. I can't say enough good things about it! It may begin a little slowly as one reviewer said, but that is actually a good thing to allow the student to gain confidence in themselves, especially if they have previously struggled with math. In addition, it is a different way of thinking about math and both parent/ teacher and the student need to adjust to that. There are plently of games to practice skills and any parent with a little imagination can find ways to make them really fun. The reliance on manipulatives is so important for concrete understanding before you try to progress to abstarct thinking in math. Dr. Cotter stresses that students understand math, not simply memorize facts because it better helps them solve never before seen problems. I am a former middle school math teacher and I can say this is the best program I have ever seen for developing a true understanding of math. Sadly, I had a large number of 7th grade students who started the year struggling to add 2 and 3 digit numbers. How can the schools expect them to pick up algebra if they are missing that instinctive understanding of how numbers fit and work together? We are nearly done with the level B and my 1st grader is adding two digit numbers...in her head. Is she a naturally brilliant math wiz? Well, of course I like to think so, but the math teacher in me knows it is the thorough, gradual, and common sense way that Rightstart proceeds based on "seeing" how numbers fit together. And, in all honesty, while I always been very good at math, I was more of a pencil and paper type, however, I have found my mental math to have improved significantly after teaching these lessons. I can't understand why public schools haven't discovered this little miracle program yet. Just a couple of notes: We started with level B almost at the end of my oldest's kindergarden year (last year) and that was appropriate. I also started my son at level B at the beginning of his kindergarden year (this year) but have been moving slowly through it. We do Charlotte Mason homeschooling and follow mostly Ambleside's curriculum, so I try to keep to the proverbial "short lessons". With that in mind, I find a number of the lessons toward the last 1/3 of the book taking 2 days even though they are scheduled as 1 day. Of couse you can cram it in one day, but I stop when I find they have lost their menatly clarity. There are only 104 lessons (I think), so even with that in mind there is still plently of time to fit it all in. I am planning to get Level A for my 3 year old in the fall as he has shown an interest in it and has been doing some of the first lessons but is not really ready to do more in level B. Gotta love peer pressure :) The manipulatives are SUPER IMPORTANT and you must plan on getting or making at least most of them or the program will not work well. That is my kids' favorite part, and it would be boring without them. They routinely ask to play with the geoboard as a reward at the end of lessons and my 6 year old had asked to go get his abacus for non school related problems.