What are your favourite math resources, programs, curriculum etc?

[Fillyjonk]

Thought it might be interesting to see what has worked for a variety of different families and children.

For my 8 year old, Miquon has been the curriculum that works, supplemented with activities from superteacherworksheet and matheletics.I''ve also particularly rated TimezAttack and various board games, eg FractionLab. Oh and BrainPop, while pricey, is amazing for explaining stuff in a slightly more different way to me, sometimes you need a few different explainations.

What about you?

[cocopop]

We haven't tried much yet, we will be trying out Singapore math this year. But we give timezattack 1000 thumbs up here. My 10 year old had a heck of a time with multiplication and timezattack taught her in just a few short weeks. And she retained it all.


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.564057,-119.823692
iTyped it with my iPod

[caelia]

We have been through many math programs (Math-U-See, Saxon, Singapore and Math Mammoth), and while I liked some more than others, none seemed to click with my son (age 9).  He has always dreaded math, even though he seems to understand the concepts pretty easily.  Thankfully, this year we have settled upon a math program that we both LOVE.  We are using Teaching Textbooks and he actually does math on the weekends now, that's how much we love it (that was unheard of for him before).  My daughter (age 7) attends school and when she caught wind of how much he loves the math, she insisted I order her level to do after school.  We also use xtramath.com for math facts practice to help with automaticity. 

[AAK]

Favorite, huh? 

Well, I guess my favorite "spine" is Singapore.  But, I think it would be a disservice to my children to only use that.  We also really like the math games kit from Rightstart math. 

Other favs:

Times Tales -- currently using with my 3rd grader to give her another way to remember the times tables.  She loves it and remembers the stories, ect really well.  It may be a bit before I know if we are truly successful though.  

Homeschoolmath.net is a favorite when we need extra practice on something.  I like that I can quickly print out a page of problems.  It is from the math mammoth person.

Math Mammoth was extremely useful when we needed to focus on just division.  I bought her division 1 book and it fit the bill for us.  

ALEKS math online math program.  This works really well for my oldest, but not my second child.  We tried the free trial last year.  My second dd doesn't do well when she has to type in answers.  My oldest loved it because she had some control over the direction of the lessons.  She just clicked on a section of the "pie" that interested her and she worked on it.  

M&Ms, Legos, and Coins (not to mention my "learning resources" clock that makes the hour hand creep along as you move the minute hand). . . basically, anything hands on is a winner for us.  Not only do we get the kinesthetic aspect, instruction at our house is better received when it can double as play or a special snack.  

Our only real disappointment was with Life of Fred.  It was cute and clever and all, but my dd often came away from the story with a "huh" expression.  She seemed to get distracted by the rambling tale and it was only good for reinforcing concepts she already had instruction on.  

And, while I think Khan Academy is fantastic, neither of my kids like it at all.  Maybe they are too young to appreciate it.  

We have liked various online math sites for fun reinforcement of concepts.

Amy

[moominmamma]

Our "spine" has also been Singapore, though we haven't necessarily stuck with it through the secondary years. We started with Miquon and I loved it and think it gave my kids a very solid conceptual foundation but by age 6 or 7 they all decided they much preferred Singapore, so we pretty much stuck with that.

We tried Teaching Textbooks and Life of Fred for secondary math. Both were a bust. 

Khan Academy has been popular here for review and consolidation, particularly following long gaps in formal math learning. I don't find it at all innovative in the way it actually conceptualizes and teaches math, but it is presented with enthusiasm and a nice interface. And my kids have loved exploring many of the other videos on the site, so there has been lots of rabbit-trail learning. We find it very useful as an adjunct.

Art of Problem Solving (Intro to Algebra and Geometry) was fabulous and I hope to use it again with my youngest. My middle dd did some work with it but it was too challenging for her to do on her own yet she didn't want any help. My youngest is much more ameneable to parental guidance and over-seeing.

Two other supplemental programs we've liked are "Hands-On Equations" and "Challenge Math." 

Miranda

[onlyzombiecat]

Math is hard for my dd.

Miquon Math did very little for my dd. She hated it. When we started using Math U See she actually smiled doing math. She has made a lot of progress. We will continue to use it.

Dd liked the board game Sum Swamp (addition and subtraction).

http://www.ixl.com/math/pre-k  Free math games organized by grade level and category.

[Fillyjonk]

I am really liking these replies, its so cool to see whats working for everyone else. Keep them coming!

[spruce]

Here's what I wrote on another board:

I've been homeschooling for a long time (my 18 yo just graduated in May), and have played around with quite a few math options.

What I've learned is that math games (online, CD-Rom, board games, even playing blackjack when they're learning to add) teach far more than any textbook. Frog Pond Fractions, S'Math, Math Bingo, Snap It Up Math, etc.

I use a lot of basic books for myself, so I can explain properly...my favorite author is Isaac Asimov for math explanations. "Realm of Measure" and "Realm of Numbers" are the first two that pop into my head.

As far as curriculum goes, here's our experience (and I'm sure it's as strange and varied as any out there, so take it all with a grain of salt):

Saxon totally didn't work for us. There was a lot of repetition, and my daughter simply didn't like that.

DK Math Made Easy workbooks ROCK. They even make them in Marvel Comic characters now, although I've not bought those yet. They're fun, portable, bright, and engaging. No huge textbooks to lug around and no feeling of being totally overwhelmed by how much is left in your workbook.

Spectrum Math books are good for review, but they're all one color, and that appears to kids like a huge hurdle. That gray-brown page, filled with problems, with no colors, no pictures, no fun, just work.

We did use Oak Meadow when my now-graduate was in...5th grade? I REALLY disliked it. The typeface was a mess, there was no room to work the problems in the workbook, it was just not well put together. That may have changed over the years.

We tried Singapore Math but I think I just didn't have a good grasp of the levels. It didn't work well for us, although it was interesting.

Right Start Math really clicked with my now-5th-grader (he's 10). He LOVED how they taught math, and understood everything waaaaay before I did. HOWEVER, we do state-mandated testing here, and I had to spend quite a bit of time teaching him how to write down how he got his answers. All of his answers were RIGHT, but if the kids don't write their processes down, they only get 1 out of a possible 4 points per question. That was rough for him. I love how Right Start teaches them to *think* about how numbers work, but on a higher level of math, it just wasn't going to fit.

So now we're using Teaching Textbooks, and he's LOVING how fun and easy it is. The CD-Roms are cute and funny, as well as educational. They *are* a bit easier than other curricula, but for us that's a plus right now. 10 seems to be an age of "OHMYGAWDI'LLNEVERGETALLTHISDONE!!" So we're trying to lower the stress levels.

Good luck, sorry for the novel.

Forgot to mention we also used The Noble Knights of Knowledge for math, although more as a supplement. They had some wonderful ways to explain basic things (odd and even, for example). There were a few issues with the kit (animals too large for the spaces they were supposed to stand on during games, stuff like that), but as a fun math supplement, it rocks.

love, p

[spruce]

Oh! And the Christopherus 4th grade math book has some WONDERFUL ideas that  you can use through multiple years of school.  I love the drawings and doing the work as much as they do! :)

love, p

[AAK]

Originally Posted by spruce 
 10 seems to be an age of "OHMYGAWDI'LLNEVERGETALLTHISDONE!!" So we're trying to lower the stress levels.

  ha, yes!

[Mere]

Great thread!  Maybe we should have one going on all subjects?  Anyway, for math we use Calvert (just the math though).  It's comprehensive, not too repetitive and easy to follow for kids who want to work independently (or their parents want them to work independently, haha).  

Based on something I read here, I bought and have just started using the Right Start math games kit.  LOVE IT.  We now do a regular math game night once a week, although I'm thinking that perhaps we should do it more often than that..

We are also working out of the Balance Math books from the Critical Thinking Company....I'm not sure how to describe it...pre-algebra maybe?  Both my 7 & 9 yo enjoy it.

[spruce]

Like most folks ( I think, anyway), we also use extra books, readings, games, etc.  We've really enjoyed Mathmania as well as the Math Detective workbooks from Critical Thinking Co. 

Also the whole "Sir Cumference" series is amazing!

love, p

[OTMomma]

We have used many resources over the years, and none of them has been a perfect fit. Right now we are using a multiplication book fro Kumon for dd to finish learning her times tables, and I am really happy with it. We read the first part of Life of Feed, and dd loved it, but we realized she needed to strengthen her basic arithmetic before we can go on. I am glad we tried it, because dd seems more motivated than before to actually move forward with her skills.

[curlyfry]

My daughter is only 6 but we're loving Math U See! She wants to move right on to the next lesson as soon as she's done with one. I like having the DVD and we sit and watch the lesson together, then I write it on the board, then she completes it in her workbook. Our curriculum (in general) is trial and error  but for this is working great for us now! 

[425lisamarie]

I seriously cannot say how much I LURVE teaching textbooks.  DS 7 is doing the 3rd grade and whizzing through it.  I LOVE that it is something he can do independent for the most part.  He still asks me stuff and sometimes wants me to see something, but he loves it.  It's great to find things that do not require 100% of my time so I can do something with DD or have time for something else. 

[AAK]

Originally Posted by Mere 

We are also working out of the Balance Math books from the Critical Thinking Company....I'm not sure how to describe it...pre-algebra maybe?  Both my 7 & 9 yo enjoy it.

We have done Balance Benders and they are great!  I totally forgot about them.  They are described as "algebra concepts".  

Amy