Add These to Your Math Binder

Free Printable Sudoku Puzzles. I cut them out and glued them to a few pages. I might add some other math brainteasers and crossword puzzles. These can be used as a quick daily drill for my daughter, along with some mazes, InshaALLAH. Read More...

We Did It!

My daughter went to her first mental math competition this weekend, via UCMAS. We attended the morning competition and I must say that I was truly impressed with the efficiency and organization of such a large event.




There were about 140 students in her age group and about 400 students altogether. There was a second competition of older kids two hours later with just as many competitors. My daughter's group of competitors used the abacus to solve their math problems. They had eight minutes to complete 100 numbers. She told me that she completed about sixty and I heard that one child finished the whole thing in four minutes!




The tests are being graded this week and the results will be announced next week, InshaALLAH.She did well, mashaALLAH, since this was her first competition and we had a goal of completing about sixty numbers of mixed addition and subtraction.

There were about one thousand parents in the waiting area - no exaggeration!



We were in and out in about an hour and there were some serious smiles on all the faces of the children - except one but that's because he wasn't competing and he wanted a mug, lol.



My daughter is so innocent, mashaALLAH. She's been speaking regularly to my grandmother on the phone and she told her that she was in a math competition and that she won and received a medal and everyone else did too.

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We Signed Her Up

We received a call on Saturday afternoon for a Sunday afternoon meeting with UCMAS Canada. I am so glad that it's only a few minutes away. After discussing the program and seeing what my daughter should be able to accomplish - we signed her up.

There were a couple of students there for a make-up class (it started on Friday) so we left her there to start immediately. She was so excited, she was practically pushing us out the door (no need to worry about separation anxiety, lol). She stayed for about an hour and we were told that they were impressed with her ability, AlhamduLILLAH. I hope that she can keep up with the others because they are six years old and I don't know what kind of training they have had thus far.

I am glad that we decided to go with Singapore Math - I think the style of UCMAS and Singapore will complement one another.

Each week, she is scheduled to attend a two-hour session and complete homework (no more than twelve minutes) each day. The initial sign-up fee included her abacus, backpack and workbooks.




There are ten levels in the program, each lasting about three months, as long as the student passes the assessment with an average of 70% or higher.



After a few levels, no abacus is used; the students must picture the abacus and mentally perform a variety of math functions, i.e., addition, subtraction, multiplication or division in a limited amount of time. InshaALLAH she does well - although I am already proud of her for trying.

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UCMAS Canada

Have any of you had any experience with them? I want to enroll my daughter so that she can have an outside activity independent of the family and develop herself, InshaALLAH. Read More...