Category Description for Kumon Math Workbooks (1-6):

A math program based on the Kumon method. Basically, the earmarks of this system are:

• Concepts introduced in small, incremental steps, allowing children to master them without confusion
• Single topic books rather than mixed strands. Children concentrate just on addition, for example, before moving to subtraction
• Concepts are taught by discovery method than being spelled out

The series is meant to be self-directed. Students take charge of their own learning on every level. They complete pages, check their work, record their scores, and determine whether to move on or review. The pace almost guarantees success. Children should work a "few" pages a day; assignments should take about 20 minutes to complete. Pages are marked with the skill level required at top and the points each question is valued at (a very young child will need some help totaling points). Very short instruction (or an example) is given on a few pages. For example, there is a short explanation when children begin to subtract a 2-digit number from a 3-digit number where borrowing is needed. However, the child is given every opportunity to intuit this beforehand. By the time he reaches this page, he has already been subtracting double-digit numbers for many pages. Some of these would require borrowing, but, since they are able to subtract, say, 7 from 12, the Kumon method wants the child to see a pattern when increasing to 7 from 22, 7 from 32, etc. This does remind me of the approach used in Miquon as well. Besides these very infrequent helps there are just some small prompts for children to look for patterns in their answers, and words of encouragement. Pages are pleasing to the eye; they are colored, clean, and problems are well-spaced. The Kumon method has been used successfully with children around the world for over 50 years. It does seem like it would help a child to take charge of his own learning and help himself to understanding rather than being spoon-fed each bite. For Kumon math earlier than Grade 1, see the Kumon section in Early Learning.

[shared copy] The Starbuck family is "anything "but ordinary. There are two sets of Starbuck twins: preteens Liberty and July, and their little sisters Charly and Molly. But even more extraordinary is the fact that all four children have the ability to teleflash--they can talk to each other without saying a word! It's a power that comes in handy whenever these adventurous kids are on the trail of a villian. When the Starbuck family moves to a houseboat in the Florida Keys, Liberty and July discover they share a wonderful telepathic link with the dolphins in the area. When they find that someone is poisoning the water with toxic waste, and that the creatures of the Keys are dying, the twins must stop the culprits before it's too late.

An earthquake and the discovery of a mysterious antique mirror unleash forces that jolt sixteen-year-old Addie McNeal back to 1917 Seattle, just as the United States is entering World War I. Addie finds herself shuttling back and forth between past and present, drawn in both times to the grand Jewel Theater. In both decades the existence of the Jewel is threatened and war is looming . . . and someone she cares about is determined to fight. Eventually, Addie realizes that only she has the key to saving the Jewel--and the lives of her friends. But will she figure out how to manipulate the intricately woven threads of time and truly set things right?

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