Homeschool Math Blog

I have updated my article Keeping Your Math Skills Sharp over the Summer . Hopefully it will have some meaningful ideas for summer math if you need some! There are SO many different ways one can do that... I did not cover all possibilities of course, but some anyway.

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 The newest Math Mammoth product line is here: review workbooks by grade levels - based on the Light Blue curriculum. These review workbooks are intended to give students a thorough review of the particular grade level math. Each book has both topical as well as mixed (spiral) review worksheets, and includes both topical tests and a comprehensive end-of-the-year test. The tests can also be used as review worksheets, instead of tests. You can use these workbooks for various purposes: for summer math practice, to keep a child from forgetting math skills during other break times, to prepare students for their next grade, or to give students extra practice during the school year. The CONTENT for these workbooks is taken from the corresponding level of the Light Blue series (the mixed reviews, reviews, tests, and cumulative reviews). Please choose a grade level below to see more information and free samples. Grade...

Jo Boaler has kindly asked me to spread the word about her free, upcoming course How to Learn Math . It sounds intriguing; in fact, I signed up and hope to be able to attend (to have the time). Here's her description of it: The course is a short intervention designed to change students' relationships with math. I have taught this intervention successfully in the past (in classrooms); it caused students to re-engage successfully with math, taking a new approach to the subject and their learning. In the 2013-2014 school year the course will be offered to learners of math but in July of 2013 I will release a version of the course designed for teachers and other helpers of math learners, such as parents. In the teacher/parent version I will share the ideas I will present to students and hold a conversation with teachers and parents about the ideas. There will also be sessions giving teachers/parents particular strategies for achieving changes in students and opportunities...

Math Teachers at Play carnival is posted at Denise's blog. As usual, it is FULL of "yummy" math posts! Go check it out. I especially enjoyed using the "parrot-talk" in math class , and Fawn taking a textbook problem and making it into an open-ended activity -- her students struggled and learned a lot!

I'm just posting this flyer that was sent to me about the Elements of Mathematics course . This is not paid advertising; I am doing this for them for free, because I believe it is not easy for them to find their "target audience" - gifted middle school children that are very interested in mathematics.

Get *25% off* of ALL Math Mammoth downloads and CDs at Kagi store with coupon code MAY2013 . The sale starts NOW and runs till the end of May (May 31). This includes all Math Mammoth & Make It Real Learning downloads CD products at Kagi, including the already discounted bundles! You can go to MathMammoth.com first, then find the links to Kagi's order pages there. Or, you can use these direct links to the order pages: Light Blue series (complete curriculum) Blue series Golden and Green Series Make It Real Learning activity workbooks . Bundles (CDs or downloads) . From today, May 13, till May 31! Use coupon code MAY2013 , and get 25% off!

Here is a neat factoring game I found online: Factorization Forest You pick among six different types of seeds given. Then, you have to factorize a number to its prime factors, and the game then lets you grow a tree and place it into your “forest”. You can change the size of the tree and move it around. Then just grow another tree by factoring another number! You can do it for as long as you want. Great fun! My daughter really liked it, and has made several "forests." I basically replaced the practice problems about prime factorization in  her math book with this game. Here are four screenshots from the game:

You've probably heard me talk about the Supercharged Science curriculum before - it is a great science curriculum, and I use it with my own kids. Today I have something to tell you I think you will appreciate! Aurora, the owner, is doing a free online science class TOMORROW, Wednesday. You can reserve a free spot by clicking here: www.sciencelearningspace.com/members/go.php?r=3095&i=l25 She's done these classes several times before (as you may know :) ), and my kids have really enjoyed them. She's warm and engaging - and knows her science. Kids not only learn solid academics, but get to do hands-on activities during the class. (How? You prepare the materials before the class, and during it, she gives you 5-10 minutes to do a certain activity, then discusses it.)  This week's topic is Rocketry and Spaceflight . This is really appropriate because Aurora actually used to work for NASA, and is a real rocket scientist! If you've never experien...

If you have taught math any length of time, I'm sure you have encountered the question, "Where do I ever need this?" I've updated an article of mine on this topic. It specifically uses the example of where students might need the idea or concept of square root . Where do you need math, square roots, or algebra? The article also lists several resources that are designed to help students understand where math is needed in real-life. Enjoy!

Educents is a fairly new site that runs special deals for educational products. You can now get certain Math Mammoth bundles on Educents for 30% off! This deal runs till Monday, May 13. The bundles included in the deal (as downloads) are the Light Blue Series, Blue Series, and All Inclusive.