Math Sprints...And We're Off!!

Elyse has really been doing great with the "math sprints" as we call them. I've increased the time to 1 minute and 15 seconds, but kept the number of problems at 30. The reason for this is because I realized that she knew the math facts she was working on, but the reason she couldn't quite get under 1 minute is because of having to write the numbers. She would write the '5' backward and have to erase and re-write it. Increasing the time allows for little orthography mistakes but still requires her to know her facts by heart in order to beat the time.

Once she makes it under 1:15 then the next day we add a number. Right now we're up to 7s but because she answered her 30 problems in 1:14 this morning, tomorrow we're adding 8s into the mix. We also started a separate math sprint for subtraction. Right now she's working on the answer range 0-4. I love this website for building your own math fact worksheets.

I'm feeling much more confident about the way our math is going. We're almost starting Singapore Math 1B. I had wanted to complete it by the end of the year, but because we needed to slow down and reinforce those math facts, things got pushed back a little bit. But, we're planning on doing "school-lite" throughout the summer when we're home, so looking ahead, I think we can complete 1B by the end of September.

I'm also changing things around for next year--cutting out some subjects that I feel are unnecessary or redundant (like formal grammar and spelling), adding in a few unexpecteds (like Latin, logic, and a more structured Bible study), switching my methods on some core subjects (doing daily copywork instead of a handwriting program, taking a break from Singapore on Fridays and doing Miquon for reinforcement and fun manipulative work, for science we'll do Well-Trained Mind "lite," mixing in Charlotte Mason-esque nature study and LOTS of living books, and for history a BIG switch to Tapestry of Grace).

I think things are slowly coming together, and I'm even able to plan a little ways into the future! I've got my wish list saved on Rainbow Resource, I've been buying used curriculum from the ladies on the WTM boards, and I'm ready to hit the convention in May!