This course features hands-on math activities in live classes. Students will use Miquon Math, wooden Cuisenaire Rods, and wooden Pattern Blocks to build a solid and creative understanding of math.
Miquon Math encourages willing and active-minded learning. Instead of holding off on more difficult math topics until later grades, the Miquon approach teaches all four basic math operations from the beginning, in accessible ways. It also teaches fractions, clock arithmetic, area, volume, factoring, and exponents.
Children using the Miquon approach see how the basic operations are interrelated. The hardship of these otherwise-delayed topics is replaced by, “I can do it!” By Grade 3, children who complete the final book understand different base systems and even graph algebraic equations.
What to Expect
- Each class will feature math experiments, written work, and most of all, fun with math. As time permits, the teacher will also read aloud stories from the first two books in the Life of Fred elementary math series, Apples and Butterflies.
- Students using Miquon’s hands-on, pattern-building, discovery method develop independence and creativity in problem solving. Supplementing with Life of Fred rounds out the students’ understanding and enjoyment. The result of using these two programs is confidence and an abiding love of mathematics.
How Learn to Love MATH Fits into Your Homeschool
- This course can be used alongside KeimTime Learning.
- Miquon Math is recommended for grades K-3, and fully prepares students for all 4th-grade math curricula and beyond.
Looking Ahead
- 2nd-grade students who complete this course will be ready to enroll in Level 2, which will cover the next books in the Miquon series.
- 3rd-grade students who complete this course will be ready to enroll in the “4th Math” course.
Textbooks
These are consumable workbooks. Students will refer back to previous pages over time, so it is recommended that children each have their own workbook to write in, rather than share a book with siblings.
- Miquon ORANGE Book (Level 1) – first trimester
- Miquon RED Book (Level 2) – second trimester
- Miquon BLUE Book (Level 3) – third trimester
Equipment
- Cuisenaire Rods Introductory Set – 74 Wooden Rods
Recommendation: If you can, purchase a larger set. Children love to play with these in their free time (building their math skills effortlessly), and younger siblings also love to participate. Wooden rods are recommended over the plastic ones, because they are better made, more pleasing to work with, and stay in place better. The plastic ones shift more easily and cause some frustration.
Warning: The small rods are a choking hazard to infants and toddlers. - Pattern Blocks & Boards
- Ruler with both inches and centimeters
- Tracing Cards (free printable): Print only numbers 1-10, and cut off the side that has the pictures. We will use the numbers as answer cards for games in class, so you might want to laminate them or print them on sturdy cardstock. (We don’t need the picture side of the cards, in class, but you could use them as a matching game with the number side if you wish.)
Optional Teacher Materials
If you wish to purchase teacher materials for yourself, you may buy any or all of these. The choice is up to you. They are not required.
- Miquon Notes to Teachers, $9.95. Most essential. An easy read. The appendices are especially useful.
- Miquon First-Grade Diary, $9.95. If you like a story approach to learning, this book will be beneficial. It follows a year of student learning, with daily entries.
- Miquon Lab Sheet Annotations, $19.95. This gives hints and insights into filling out the student workbook pages, and some demonstrations of completed worksheets. However, it isn’t an answer key, so some workbook pages will not have any answers shown.
Annotations is a very long book, and will require some study to figure out how to use. So, should you buy it for this class?
- If you are the creative type who prefers to wing it, you may not want Annotations. Read the First-Grade Diary instead. (But if you were to teach the course yourself, you would need Annotations as a resource.)
- If you are the organizing type who reads directions and instruction manuals, you may wish to purchase Annotations to go along with this class.
Only enrolled students can view materials.
