If you were able to take a peek at my homeschool curriculum choices for 2018-2019, you’ll notice that we’re using Rod & Staff Math this year for my 6th, 4th, and 2nd graders.
We used Singapore Math 1A through 6B with my oldest and various levels with my girls. We then moved onto Math Mammoth for several years, completing levels through Math Mammoth 7.
ETA in 2023: And now I am back to using Singapore Math 1A and 1B with my very mathy 1st grader this year! Singapore is a great fit for him.
→ You can read about why we switched from Singapore Math to Math Mammoth.
Ah, math. It’s hard to find the right fit. Actually, I feel pretty thankful that we’ve attempted only 3 different math programs in my 9+ years of homeschooling!
This year, because we’re using a boxed curriculum approach, the girls and I are taking a whirl with Rod & Staff Math.
So far, so good.
Skip Counting by 2
If you’re familiar with any type of curriculum from Rod & Staff, you are aware of the emphasis placed on memorization. Through the years, my children and I have come to appreciate the drill sprinkled throughout each lesson in Rod & Staff English, and Math is looking to have that same consistency.
Each day we review previous concepts and work on the new concepts. This past week, my 2nd grader and I started learning to count by 2’s.
Just a note: My 2nd grader had a few gaps in her math understanding, so we are blowing through Rod & Staff Math Grade 1 and shoring up those holes. Even though my daughter is in Grade 2, she is almost at the end of the Grade 1 text. Filling math gaps is another post for another day. 🙂
Despite knowing how to count by 10s and 5s for literally years, I had somehow neglected to make sure this sweet girl could count by 2s!
Rod & Staff Math does a marvelous job of filling in those types of gaps, and then spiraling those back through so we can revisit them in the days and weeks to come.
Even though we used a 100s chart, a number line, and hopped every other number, my daughter had a bit of hard time remembering the 2s between 10 and 20.
Rod & Staff suggests making this large number 2 with the coordinating digits on a poster board or on the white board each time you review skip counting twos. However, I’ve found it most easy to just pull out my little 8.5 x 11″ poster whenever we review.
It makes it so simple!
This particular visual was an excellent tool for my daughter to solidify those ending digits when skip counting by 2s.
Download and use it for your own kiddos!
How to Use This Skip Counting Chart
When skip counting by 2, my daughter and I often count together. We go from 0 to 100 by twos.
To use the chart, I simply point to each number as we count. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and so on.
I continue to point to those same digits as we count all the way to 100.
So when we’re counting 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, I’m pointing to the 2, 4, 6, 8, and 0 as we say those.
This is really simple, but a great visual reminder!
When we’re not using the mini poster, I hang it on the white board.
The Rod & Staff Math series is definitely not for every young learner, however, it’s been a wonderful fit for my girls so far. As we gain more experience with it in the coming months, I’ll write a post sharing our thoughts.
>>> Click here to download the Skip Count By 2s Chart <<<
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I love ❤️ the count by 2 poster! Thanks. My 2nd grader also had difficulty remembering.
Glad you can use it!!
xo, Lauren
This is an amazing resource and just what I needed! Thank you so much
I’m so thrilled you can use it, Latoya! Pointing and using the visual was so incredibly helpful for my (at the time) 2nd grader.
xo, Lauren
What a smart idea!