[Janice Price]

Hello Carrie,

She’s presenting quite a challenge, isn’t she? You’ve obviously given the analysis a great deal of thought and you seem very perceptive. An easy way to look at is that she is doing what she’s doing because she wants what she wants. Your job is to figure out what she wants and to change that so she wants what you want. I have a couple of suggestions for you to try.

Try to get her involved in solving the problem. Let her know that “no math” is not one of the options but that you will listen to all reasonable alternatives. It might be interesting to see what she suggests. Maybe it’s the one on one focus from you that she wants or just to do other school work instead. Maybe she will suggest and agree to a set reward system. If she is invested in the solution – if it’s “her” solution, she will be more willing to keep her end of the bargain.

You don’t mention whether your other children are older or younger but if younger, she may think that they are having more fun and that she is having to “work” too hard. Maybe you can factor in special privileges that she gets solely because she is older.

I’m not a big fan of the “take a break from it” option but sometimes that seems to be the answer. You could simply not do any math for a couple of weeks and evaluate the situation. Or you could combine that with the above suggestion and incorporate that as an option she could negotiate (time off after finishing the Yellow Book, for instance). You might try giving her “vacation days” like a person who works. She could have control of when to use them, knowing that when they’re gone, they’re gone.

These are just a few ideas. I’m sure others have encountered the same situation and will have some ideas. Let us know what works!

~ Janice

[Janice Price]

Hi Sarah,

You’re right! Miquon and Singapore Math are often used together. One of the strengths of Miquon is its flexibility which means that you can use it at whatever pace is comfortable and that you can experiment somewhat with what works best for your family. I’m sure there have been lots of scheduling variations including the one you suggested – or perhaps vice versa – Singapore three times a week and Miquon twice.

Miquon can be used either sequentially (cover to cover through the books) or topically (following a particularly topic as it’s developed through the books). Information for following a particular topic is included in the Annotations. Also, individual lessons (page by page) are relatively short and can be done either individually or grouped together.

You may need to experiment a bit to see what method of combining is most comfortable for you. Perhaps you will prefer set time(s) each week to move through the Miquon material completely independent of the Singapore. Perhaps you will prefer to cover a small portion every day side by side with the Singapore. Perhaps you will prefer to follow a topic (i.e. addition) simultaneously in both.

Sarah, I’ll put your question up on our Facebook page today as well as here to see how others might have combined the two.

~ Janice

[Janice Price]

Hi Sarah,

I’ll address your scheduling question in a subsequent post but just wanted to add a little historical anecdote to the pronunciation question.

From the Miquon School website:

“The name Miquon (“Mee-kwon”) refers to the area approximately bounded by Manor Road, Barren Hill Road, and the Schuylkill River. Residents still refer to it as “Miquon”, although the Miquon Post Office and zip code were discontinued in the 1990s, and technically Miquon falls within the borough of Conshohocken. The origin of the name is said to derive from a meeting of Lenni-Lenape tribesmen with William Penn, who demonstrated the meaning of his name by holding up a goose feather (quill pen), at which the men exclaimed, ‘Ah … mi-quon!'”
~ Janice

[Janice Price]

Hi,

I’m hoping some others will jump in here with experience on using CR with older kids.

One thing you might try is having your older teach your younger using Miquon and the Cuisenaire Rods. We always learn better when we teach others plus he will likely come up with other applications as he gets familiar with the rods.

You have many choices for “after Miquon.” Your student will have been introduced to a wide range of mathematical topics and depending on her computation comfortability will be ready for an upper primary (4th – 6th grade) text. I would suggest taking a placement test from whatever curriculum you choose. If you’ve been using Miquon as a supplement, just plan to continue in your basal curriculum. Some other programs to consider: Singapore Math, Saxon Math, Life of Fred, or Horizons.

Warm Regards, Janice
Janice Price

[Janice Price]

Hi Lucy,
I’m glad you’ve found us! Your son sounds like a delightful little challenge. I suspect, though, that you might be correct about MUS (does anyone else have other experience?). There are a number of programs that will work well – both with gifted young mathematicians – and with Miquon. I would encourage you to look at Singapore – either Essential Math, EarlyBird Math (and later Primary Math), or Math in Focus. These programs also use manipulatives but in different ways than Miquon (and not the rods, per se).

The Life of Fred series would provide an interesting companion to Miquon. With its quirky storyline and abundant math applications and concept development, it would fill in around the edges of Miquon in an interesting way.

The Kumon Math Workbooks would provide practice in the basic operations and would be another good fit with Miquon. This sort of practice is not part of the Life of Fred program. BTW, all of these programs work well with quick math learners with or without Miquon but MM does provide a nice exploratory option.

I’d be interested in knowing what programs others have used with Miquon, in general.

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