What does academic or sports supplementing mean to you?

[Anonymous]

When people say this or ask about it in other threads, what do they mean exactly? I can never figure that out.

Reading an extra 20 minutes a day? Drilling math facts every day? Doing Kumon classes? Getting a private coach for your sport of choice? With some sports that makes sense: individual sports like tennis, golf, and ice skating etc. spring to mind. I can see why it would be helpful to have a weekly private lesson in addition to a group lesson. But what about team sports like baseball and soccer? How do you "supplement" with that?


If you supplement at home, can you tell us what you do and why? I'm just really curious about it.

[Anonymous]

It probably depends on the family. For us, it means doing basic workbooks to maintain skills and learn new ones. We use Kumon and other brands. We work on handwriting, math and basic language skills. We spend 20-40 minute a few times a week. It has helped.

We are swimming right now so we go every day for swim practice. Some probably would do private sports lessons but we aren't a huge sports family.

[Anonymous]

There are as many forms of supplementing as there are parents who supplement.

For me, supplementing is rather traditional and is meant to bring my children to the high academic standard we have in our native country, out of intellectual pride but also in case we return there.

I research the best workbooks (which are NOT created equal) and persuaded my kids a long time ago that they needed to do a set number of pages every day during the summer. We don't have time during the school year. They work our native language, math, English reading and book reports, essays, reading comprehension, cursive, and whatever else I think they might need. One of my children also plays 30 minutes on her instrument every day. I do not care to waste money on classes such as Kumon, and I am a good enough teacher for my kids anyway. They learn more at home.

I do not consider supplementing, the dinner-time current events discussions, cooking meals, doing chores, regular museum trips, science and history explanations and readings. That's just good parenting.

[Anonymous]

To me, it means that people are paying for an academic tutor or a private sports coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me, it means that people are paying for an academic tutor or a private sports coach.

+1. DS goes to Mathnasium and we have a tutor that comes twice a week. They mostly work on reading and writing, but sometimes a big project. For baseball, private hitting and pitching coaches. Sometimes he'll take an infielding or catchers clinic. He does group speed and agility training in the winter. I guess all these activities supplement his base skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There are as many forms of supplementing as there are parents who supplement.

For me, supplementing is rather traditional and is meant to bring my children to the high academic standard we have in our native country, out of intellectual pride but also in case we return there.

I research the best workbooks (which are NOT created equal) and persuaded my kids a long time ago that they needed to do a set number of pages every day during the summer. We don't have time during the school year. They work our native language, math, English reading and book reports, essays, reading comprehension, cursive, and whatever else I think they might need. One of my children also plays 30 minutes on her instrument every day. I do not care to waste money on classes such as Kumon, and I am a good enough teacher for my kids anyway. They learn more at home.

I do not consider supplementing, the dinner-time current events discussions, cooking meals, doing chores, regular museum trips, science and history explanations and readings. That's just good parenting.

So, what are the best workbooks? I'm particularly interested for elementary level math. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Singapore math.

[Anonymous]

It's any extra that's not required. But I rarely think of it that way - we go to museums because they're fun and interesting. DD does semi-private skate lessons because she learns differently in those than in the group lessons.