I have been using Math Mammoth for over a year now and have to tell you that this is one of the best math programs. It’s well written and easy to understand. I started using Math Mammoth after removing my daughters from cyberschool. Math is a logical and systematic subject and Math Mammoth is structured to highlight the logic and make math less of a mystery and more of a science.
I have used and reviewed Math Mammoth Blue Series 1-4. The simple format, step by step instructions and explanations make this series a great way to give children a firm foundation for higher mathematics. Each book in the series reinforces earlier lessons allowing the children to progress at their own rate and without a lot of parental intervention. The series is that good.
Unlike most math curriculum books used in school settings, Maria Miller’s Math Mammoth is so smooth that my six year old daughter is finishing up her second grade work and by the summer will be doing multiplication. And aside from a brief explanation on each new chapter and help reading the word problems, she’s doing it all on her own.
My ten year old, after her cyber-schooling experience, has less confidence in her math abilities finds the course to be challenging at times, but likes it much better than the school math books she’s used in the past. For one thing the lack of distracting pictures and doodads is very helpful for her. This is a great series for children who may have auditory or other learning differences. Standard textbooks are so busy being “bright and colorful” that the actual skill set that the child is supposed to learn can get lost.
Speaking of skill sets, Math Mammoth gives the student ample opportunity to practice the newest skill being taught. On average I’d say that each chapter has at least fifty problems to work on, which I think is great. The author has arranged these practice problems to follow logical lines and then examines the patterns and correlations between operations. I’m sure you can tell that I’m very excited and pleased with this program.
In addition to being a great teaching aide, the Math Mammoth series is very affordable. You can purchase the ebooks section by section (which is good if you’re trying to strengthen target areas) as well as in a complete series. There are four series, Light Blue, Golden, Green and Blue to choose from and the prices range from $40 to $158 for the whole kit and kaboodle. If you want to deal with individual subjects you can purchase these for prices starting at $2.50. When you visit the website you’ll see a whole slew of freebies, as well as a subscription form for an encouraging math word in Maria Miller’s virtual math course for parents.
You need to drop by your local Dollar Homeschool store and pick up this handy little CD, Ray’s Arithmetic, that boasts (and delivers) a full mathematics curriculum beginning at the elementary level and finishing up at the college level calculus. This math curriculum is designed so that children can actually teach themselves what they need to know in order to have a well-rounded education. The thing I like most about this curriculum is that it is truly all-inclusive when it comes to mathematical application.
Although my children are using a different math program that is working for them, after reviewing Ray’s Arithmetic I am incorporating the real world application series into what we are currently using. The texts contained on this CD are textbooks that my aunts and uncles used when they were in school in the early 1900s (my dad was 51 when I was born just in case you were wondering). Their knowledge base on all subjects was much stronger than what I received in school, so I am thrilled to be able to share these books with my children. Practical application is missing from many math textbooks (since nowadays school curriculum is more concerned with teaching to the test rather than teaching for life) which could explain why the general math knowledge is so low in this country.
So, I guess Ray’s Arithmetic is not only a great mathematical training course, but a glimpse into the inner workings of the United States during the 1860s to 1915. I love two-for-one deals like this. Some of the subjects that your children will be able to study using Ray’s Arithmetic include:
Complete bookkeeping (that’s the one I’m studying)
Elementary Algebra
Higher Algebra
Practical Arithmetic
Analytic Geometry
Norton’s Elements of Physics
Geometry & Trigonometry
Surveying and Navigation
Schyuler’s Logic
Differential and Integral Calculus
The material contained on this CD is a compilation of 38 text books which includes the teacher’s editions, answer keys, and textbooks. This compilation retails at $59 which is an excellent price for a curriculum that is relevant from elementary to the college years.
MathTutor has created one of the most beautiful math programs for young children that I have ever experienced. I find it difficult to describe the visual and auditory beauty that you experience in “Young Minds Number and Counting.” I have a three year old son and although we all found the cover intriguing with the tree frog, Michael hasn’t expressed any real interest in “formal” learning. We don’t have cable (hence we have not television) so he hasn’t been exposed to much Sesame Street and the usual suspects.
But once the video began, he was entranced. I mean, the perpetual motion boy just sat and watched the entire presentation without a word. On the next pass (he insisted on it being played again) he kept jumping up to make sure that we were watching the many animals that were being counted while beautiful classical music played in the background. The music chosen were selections from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, Brahms, Pachelbel and Chopin. (Sometimes I just put it on to listen to the music!)
This is a basic counting DVD, but because of the extraordinary images and music it is more of a feast of numbers than I would have thought possible. I mean, how interesting can you make counting to 15? If you really want to know you need to watch this video.
The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor
While not as colorful or musically inspired, this eight hour video course is very thorough and an excellent way to explain word problems to your children. The instructor begins at the beginning and builds on each foundation. My oldest daughter has trouble with word problems (as it seems a lot of kids do), but she really enjoyed watching the video and working alongside the instructor. Actually, I was surprised that she wasn’t goofing around while the DVD was playing. Instead she ran upstairs got her notebook and took notes on what the instructor said and did. Her word problem skills still need work, but she seemed to really appreciate the way that the teacher explained things.
I personally found his explanations and illustrations to be quite clear. And he went through the entire strategy for tackling a problem. If there were more than one way to arrive at the correct answer he explained each of them while helping the student to focus on key words that supply the clues to what you’re supposed to accomplish. Overall, I was quite impressed and even re-learned a few things that I had forgotten about. I know that these three DVDs will hold a prominent place in our bag of math tricks.
I just received this notification from Mathletics about registration for Math Day. Registration ends on March 1st, so be sure to hurry over and get signed up. Here are the details:
Over one million participants have registered for World Math Day! Join us in a celebration of numbers as children from across the globe unite in their quest to set a world record in answering mental arithmetic questions. Be a part of this great education event involving over a million students from hundreds of countries, even parents and teachers can participate this year! There is an exciting new format for 2010 with all new levels so make sure you and your child register today and get plenty of practice!
Why should you take part?
• World Math Day is the education event for the world!
• Your child will love it! Be part of setting a world record!
• It will create an amazing buzz around Mathematics in your home.
• Designed for all ages and ability levels.
• Simple to register and participate.
• Great prizes. And it’s absolutely free!!
How will it work?
• Register your child online. Students already subscribed to Mathletics can use their existing usernames and passwords.
• Students take part in real-time mental arithmetic challenges.
• Students play live with other students around the globe.
• In 2009 more than two million students from 204 countries combined to correctly answer 452,681,681 questions. Can we break the record this year?
• All you need is internet access.
• Students can compete at school or at home.
Since math makes so many people sweat, why not combine the basic math concepts with some healthy exercise? And that’s exactly what Gymathtics from Exploramania has done. I had my reservations at first, especially since the first set of exercises involved some geometry (which is definitely not my favorite subject — high school trauma LOL!), but I warmed up (both mentally and physically) as we progressed through the exercises.
I liked the pace of the exercises that are on this DVD. The stretches (geometry) were simple to copy and effective. My six year old sometimes has troubles following other video exercise programs, but I think the pace in this one makes it easier for her to maintain. After shape stretches warm ups we moved on to the Counting Calisthenics which I enjoyed a lot. Not only do normal counting and skip counting, but we moved our bodies to the prime number beat as well. They puzzled over the prime number pattern, which led us to a brief discussion of them. So it was a great preview of math to come.
Now we move Jade’s favorite part – Pattern Power! The patterns that are used are pretty simple when you watch them, but can be a bit challenge in the actual execution. Jade’s favorite was the basketball pattern (which she still does too fast in my humble opinion). Everyone’s favorite part was the Well-Being Wind Down. It’s a series of yoga poses and other stretches to round out the 30 minute workout. I really liked the quiet (can you tell I’m getting old) nature of the wind down after the exuberant sound effects from the kids while they went through the paces of earlier exercises.
Well, we know that the workout is real, but does it really help the children get the basic math concepts under their belt? Well, here’s some information that really helped me to appreciate the wisdom of combining the physical activity and mathematical concepts:
(Quoted from NewsMax.com, July 28, 2007)
4. Hand Gestures Dramatically Improve Learning
Kids asked to physically gesture at math problems are nearly three times more likely than non-gesturers to remember what they’ve learned. In today’s issue of the journal Cognition, a University of Rochester scientist suggests it’s possible to help children learn difficult concepts by providing gestures as an additional and potent avenue for taking in information.
It turned out to have a more dramatic effect than Cook expected. In her study, 90 percent of students who had learned algebraic concepts using gestures remembered them three weeks later. Only 33 percent of speech-only students who had learned the concept during instruction later retained the lesson. And perhaps most astonishing of all, 90 percent of students who had learned by gesture alone — no speech at all — recalled what they’d been taught.
The article goes into more detail, but you get the gist. So this is a great way of introducing or cementing mathematical concepts into the minds of our young students. It’s especially good for kinesthetic kids (like mine) who need lots of action to keep the blood flowing to their brains. So if you’re looking to engage your kids in some exercise, both mental and physical, this is definitely the right way to go.
So where can you get yours? Each DVD (there are two in the series so far) costs $24.99 at their online store Exploramania, as well as Amazon. They also are in retail stores in Florida and Michigan.
The Khalid family of reviewers rate this a 5 out of 5.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2
The Mathletics program is an awesome way to inspire kids to take their mathematical skills to the next level. It allows your children to practice their math facts through a series of games. Each game is designed to motivate children to work on their weaker math skills while racking up lots of points practicing their best math areas. My daughters really liked the “shopping” aspect of the game. Although seeing top scores can sometimes motivate her to try and top the high scorers, earning points to go shopping and add accessories to her avatar was a true driving force for her.
Parents benefit from this program because each week you’ll get a progress report on how your children are doing. In addition to this you are able to change the settings if you think their current workout is too easy or too difficult for your child. For example, Jade rapidly ran through the math that she already knew. So, she would go and do her math, but only pick one or two of her more challenging topics and spend the rest of the time breezing through the easy stuff. And since I wasn’t standing behind her she thought she was safe. Imagine her surprise when I “retuned” her workouts to minimize the number of “easy” topics for the ones that she needed to work on. (LOL! Yes, I am an evil mommy!)
I also like the international scope of the math games. 3P/Mathletics has programs for a variety of countries including South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and an International option for other countries that aren’t listed. Sometimes when I’m teaching the kids I’m not sure if they understand that they are not the only ones being made to “suffer” through their studies. Seeing that children all around the world are being “tortured” made my eldest daughter feel a little better.
I didn’t get a password for my younger daughter, but we did explore the Australian math section for younger children. It was very colorful and interesting to see how other countries introduce math to their little ones. Actually when Jade got frustrated doing her work she would sometimes switch over and give herself a mental break by playing the games. Alaya had a lot of fun playing with the measurement games and seeing all of the “exotic” animals that we had to measure. For Alaya, an animal lover, this was a nice bonus.
Although I chose to officially test Mathletics on only one of my children, you can setup subscriptions for each child and use Mathletics from kindergarten to eighth grade. An annual 12-month subscription costs only $59 per student and comes with a 10-day money back guarantee if you’re not happy with the program. I really doubt that there is any parent who would not appreciate the extra help when it comes to developing strong math skills in their children. And when you consider that Club Penguin costs $60/yr. just to play games, you can see that this is a very competitive price. And, I almost forgot to mention that if you can guess the human calculator’s favorite number of the day the subscription price drops to $49.95/yr.
My children have used a variety of websites that have are designed to help make drill exercises more interesting. Mathletics is one of the best that we’ve used. There are many incentives to continue practicing including earning certificates, going shopping with a little international competition on the side. My daughter enjoyed creating her avatar (with accessories of course) and was comfortable using the interface. Her one complaint was that the variety of games could have been improved with some math mysteries that would have to be solved in an allotted amount of time and if there were a few reward videos where the main characters tell a little story so that you felt like a real part of the Mathletics world. Aside from that observation from my “gaming girl” our experience was a positive one.
So, the Khalid Kids rate Mathletics a 4 out of 5 stars.
abcTeach is an easy way for parents to begin the homeschooling journey without breaking the bank. The focus of this website is to help children to grasp the fundamentals and run with them. There are thousands of worksheets to choose from which allows parents to customize their children’s educational experience.
One of the traps that most homeschoolers fall into during the elementary years is spending a mint trying to buy the “perfect curriculum” for their little ones. But, as experienced home educators know, their needs can be met by resources such as abcTeach for as little as $40/year (or $70 for two years) for individual families. This is an exceptional value, especially when you have multiple children since you can have access to multiple grade levels.
So what do you get for your money? There are over 35,000 worksheets to choose from ranging from the basics (math, time, spelling, and handwriting) to the cool (suduko, shapebooks, and art work). They also offer unit study themes, research tools, clip art, language studies and more!
The site owners are very creative, and since some of their offerings might be new to parents, they provide tutorial videos to help you make the most of each resource they offer. I found that to be exceptional since I have belonged to other elementary level programs that pretty much just make you it out on your own.
*****
So, how did abcTeach work out for me and my crew? Well, I enjoyed creating the different worksheets. It was quick and easy. There are also ways to customize the worksheets beyond the original offerings which worked really well to make sure that girls weren’t peeking at each other’s work. So, I had a lot of fun. The downside for my family is that they don’t really enjoy doing worksheets very much. My kids are on the kinesthetic side of town, so we do a lot of physical activities while studying, so being made to sit down and fill out papers didn’t really thrill them.
I, however, think that abcTeach is a wonderful tool to add to whatever your homeschooling style happens to be. It’s perfect for those days when the parents are involved in other things, but they still want their children to do some unsupervised schoolwork. I plan on using the suduko and crossword pages for our many driving excursions as a way to keep their minds active without the use of their handheld games. I am glad that abcTeach was kind enough to give me a test drive to really discover the hidden treasures they’ve created.
*****
They also generous enough to giveaway thousands of free worksheets so that parents can try them out on their kids before they purchase the full subscription. You can also sign up for the newsletter which fills you in on the new worksheets available and other teaching tips. These resources were created for teachers, parents and homeschoolers so be sure to tell your friends that if they have a child who needs more practice in a particular subject that abcTeach should be their first stop.
I am no neophyte to math software. Long before I became a mother I have been using math software to help my myriads of nieces and nephews. One of my favorite math software providers was Davidson and their really cool “Math Blaster” program back in the 1990s.
But that was then and this is now.
Quarter Mile’s Appeal to My Children
My children have enjoyed my older Davidson games because it had lots of cute songs and animations. So, although my son is a big fan of horses, I wasn’t sure how the girls would feel about The Quarter Mile Math racing game where their only choices are race cars and horses. And at first glance the interface is a lot less flashy than what I’ve become accustomed to with some of the internet-based math games that they kids have played over the years. So, after installing it on my own computer, I started sharing it with the gang.
Now Jade is my up-and-coming diva, so I her reaction was very interesting. When she first saw the splash screen she squealed “Oooh, can I have a red sports car?” Okay, obviously this program does appeal to the young ladies out there. My youngest daughter was immediately happy because she loves animals. So, of course, her “vehicle” of was one of the beautiful horses. Even my 2 year old son loves when the girls play the game — watching the horses running really makes him excited!
Quarter Mile Math offers not only math drills, but it also doubles as a typing tutor as well. My six year old is very good in math, but her typing skills are pretty nonexistent. Since she’s started working with”her” horses, her typing has improved 100%. She’s now is very comfortable with the home key row and her speed is increasing at a steady rate. And she’s now working on her number pad keyboarding as well.
My nine year old has improved her typing and she’s finally enjoying the math drills that she needs to master the skills that are still a work in progress. She really gets a kick out of trying to beat my typing and scores (I type 90 wpm, so I’ve been slacking a bit to give her hope). I actually haven’t seen her this happy about doing her math homework since we used to draw number lines on the kitchen floor to do addition and subtraction.
What Is It?
Quarter Mile Math isn’t your “standard” math program. Most software manufacturers make math programs based upon grades and ages. So, as your child graduates from one level to the other you have to go and purchase more software.
The owner of Barnum Software (the creators of Quarter Mile Math) offers a monthly subscription of — get this! — $2.95 a month or $19.95 per family per year. And if you love the program like I do, then $34.95 might be your best bet since it is a two year subscription. Their pricing really blew me away. I mean even if you get your math programs from those $5 software sites, (like I have done more times than I’d care to admit), you just can’t beat their pricing.
Okay, so what do you get for your money? If you choose to go with the old-school, standard CDs you’ll be paying a one-time purchase fee ranging from $39.95 to $89.95, depending on the grade level. There are six different software packages available, some of which are bundled. Their software covers Kindergarten to 9th grade.
Another cool feature in the software is that you’re able to race against each other in real time or asynchronously by racing against the Top 5 scores that are stored on the computer. How cool is that?
So, What’s the Real Difference Between the Two Software Offerings?
Well, besides the pricing, if you decide to work with the subscription offer, you’ll be able have tournaments from any location since all scores are saved on the Barnum Software computers. So, this allows you to have real life tournaments as well as races at any time that is convenient for the other contestants.
Also, when you purchase the CD version of the software you are eligible for upgrades at the low cost of $5. The Deluxe version allows you to have free upgrades for the life of your subscription. And although the internet connection is necessary for the Deluxe version (to download the scores) your child does not directly access the internet using either program, which can be a big plus if you have small children using the program.
So, I guess the real answer to this question depends on your family’s size and needs. If you have more than 12 children, buying the triple bundle would make more sense since the Deluxe version only allows 12 users. Conversely, if you are only teaching one child, it might be more cost effective to just purchase the software and be done with it.
If you have children of multiple ages (like I do) the Deluxe version makes more sense because all of the children can work on their level without me purchasing different software packages. Also, since my two-year old is in the frisbee throwing mode, I don’t have to worry about scratched (and otherwise) damaged CDs cluttering up my home (which has enough clutter thank you very much).
My Last Three Cents
Cent #1: I think that this is a great addition to my homeschooling math program. It holds the attention of all of my children from the two and a half year old to my nine year old.
Cent #2: This is proving to be a great part of my family’s gaming activity. We have multiple computers so we can race against us each other. It’s actually starting to beat out Mario Kart!
Cent #3: The owners of Barnum Software are very open to suggestions. They are also excellent providers of customer service. Due to the homeschooling community’s increased usage of their software they’ve dedicated an entire page to our needs. So, if you have any questions or ways to make this excellent software even better, don’t hesitate to contact them.
P.S. I was curious about how teenagers would react to Quarter Mile Software, so I asked my neighbor to give it a try. Being sulky and seventeen she did so half-heartedly and — gasp! — started having fun.
She started grinning and actually queued up a couple of extra races without being asked. Of course, once she realized that she was enjoying herself she proclaimed it to be lame and stopped playing. I guess image is everything, right? :-)
However, it does prove my point. Even teenagers can enjoy this great learning tool.
P.P.S. Don’t forget to take advantage of the free demo download that is offered so that you can see for yourself just how much your kids will like it.
Me neither. But once I read this email that was sent by Maria Miller of Math Mammoth (a resource that I love, by the way!) I was very impressed. I’ve already made my curriculum choices for this year, but I will definitely be giving this a look next year. I hope this helps you if you’re still on the fence for next year. J The email from Maria is below:
We came across a useful resource recently and thought we would reach out to Brett Walter, the founder, to learn more about the Homeschool Buyers Co-op.
Maria: Welcome, Brett. Please tell us about the Homeschool Buyers Co-op and how it helps homeschoolers.
Brett: Sure. The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is the world’s largest purchasing cooperative for homeschooling families. In a nutshell, what we do is use our members’ collective purchasing power to get volume discounts on high-quality curriculum from educational publishers.
Maria: What a neat idea! Does it cost anything to join?
Brett: No, membership is absolutely FREE. In fact, we give new members 100 SmartPoints (Co-op currency) when they join!
Maria: That’s great! What would you say is the single biggest advantage of becoming a member?
Brett: Huge savings — anywhere from 20% – 90% — on their curriculum purchases. Plus, members gain access to lots of award-winning curricula that they wouldn’t be able to get on their own because it’s either too expensive or not offered to individual homeschoolers.
Maria: Brett, thanks for your time today. We are including examples below so our subscribers can get an idea of what types of deals are available from the Homeschool Buyers Co-op.
* Prices depend on member participation; availability and pricing are subject to terms and conditions posted at each Group Buy offer web page. ** Our price is so good we’re not allowed to advertise it! Check our website for pricing. *** Earn SmartPoints which you can redeem for other curriculum available through the Co-op.
I'm a homeschooling mom with seven children: 3 human, 2 feline and 2 canine. I'm also the wife of one very patient husband who seems to like the role of ringmaster to our circus. I am a virtual assistant who enjoys writing, crafts, music and laughter. I hope you'll visit often. Please be aware that this blog is supported by affiliate links, although every link isn't necessarily an affiliate program.
I have been using Math Mammoth for over a year now and have to tell you that this is one of the best math programs. It’s well written and easy to understand. I started using Math Mammoth after removing my daughters from cyberschool. Math is a logical and systematic subject and Math Mammoth is structured to highlight the logic and make math less of a mystery and more of a science.
You need to drop by your local 
So if you’re looking to engage your kids in some exercise, both mental and physical, this is definitely the right way to go.
