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Louisa flying through her Hands-on Equations® problems!
Hello,
Is math still the dreaded subject at your house?
It seems lots of homeschoolers are blessed with creative children that excel in music, in art, in sewing, in engineering, or botany, in singing and dancing, but they don't necessarily like math textbooks and daily lessons! I know my family isn't the only one in which math has been the cause of tears (and curses).
This week, I'd like to feature all the creative user-delightful math resources that we love! We've got hands-on methods, plus games, puzzles, projects and musical ways to learn math. If you have a child who would rather not do math, browse our collection below, and I think you'll find just the right thing for making math more fun at your house!
For starters, let me introduce you to the coolest math product going!
Can your child solve this equation?
2 (x + 4) + x + 2x + 9 = ?
Well, my "math-hater" can!
Hands-on Equations® is the best-kept secret for teaching Algebra! I discovered it about a year ago, and have been kid-testing it to make sure it was as great as I am going to tell you it is. Louisa flew through the whole course happily—a huge accomplishment. She can do equations faster than I can slice bread. . . and with a smile on her face! Hands-on Equations® is the mastermind of a math professor, and works amazingly well for teaching children as young as 8 years old how to do complex algebraic equations using playing pieces and a balance scale, understanding just what they are doing too! I have to admit that as Louisa neared the end of the course, I was no longer able to keep up with her flying fingers, as she solved her equations using the playing pieces quick as can be! Watch this video of Hands-on Equations® in action and see if it could make the difference in your homeschool!
I asked my kids about their very favorite math "fun stuff" in our homeschool, and here's what they said:
*Calc-U-Draw
Connect the dots created by solving math problems! My kids loved this!
*Quarter Mile Math
A truly, purely educational computer game that just practices the math facts.
Hand-on Equations® is an innovative teaching method which was even awarded a U.S. patent. Studies show this visual, hands-on system really works! For 3rd - 8th grade, and for older children who are stumped with algebra.
Kit contains:
Manuals for 3 levels of difficulty
Write-in worksheets pack
Answer key for worksheets
Game pieces
Flat laminated balance
DVD with sample lessons
This is fun to teach to 2 children at the same time. Give them each a kit (additional kit sold below) and an equation from the worksheet pack. Let them race to lay out the game pieces and find the solution. The first one to reach an answer gets the opportunity to demonstrate working the problem, provided his answer is correct!
Our exclusive product includes an DVD with sample lessons that shows you just how to do Hands-on Equations®. Pop it in your TV or computer for your kids and you'll find that they can figure it out, and take off on this fun program! Manuals explain the details, but you'll be surprised how fast your students can make sense of this system and do their algebra problems!
There's a picture hidden on each page of Calc-u-Draw and the only way to discover it is to work the math problems, mark the numbered dots of each answer and connect the dots to make the picture! My kids think this is very fun! Great to use when you need a break from daily textbook work. Ages 6 to 9 years.
In Calc-u-Color, doing math problems results in a mystery picture being exposed problem-by-problem as you color the space the right color of the answer. Great educational fun! (sample problems: 60 - 3, 40 + 14, 13 + 10, 40 - 5, etc.) Ages 6 to 9 years.
Playing with math is the best way to go for little ones! This book is full of ideas for hands-on mathematics for 4 to 8 year-olds. Using simple materials around the house or field, you can enjoy exploring math concepts together— comparing, estimating, reasoning, measuring, and more. Paperback book, 196 pages for 4-8 years.
We've had fun with this hands-on approach to enjoying math with lively activities and games. This book is especially good if your child "hates" math or is intimidated by it. Chapters begin with early math skills (counting, coins, odd/even, etc.) and advanced word problems, logical reasoning, measurement, geometry, spatial thinking, probability, statistics, calculators, estimation, arithmetic and more. Each activity begins with "Why?" and follows with "How?" so you know both how to play the game and what math concepts are learned. Some gameboards and activities are included that you will want to photocopy (although we have "played" right on the actual book page). Parents don't have to have any math aptitude to use this book! Paperback, 319 pages, for ages 5 to 12 years.
How do you drill a 5- year-old? Fun is the only thing that seems to work happily in my homeschool. This clever game will have your children eagerly doing their math addition and subtraction facts. The game board looks like a swamp with alligators swimming nearby. Players move around the board by doing simple math problems to find out the number of spaces to move ahead. Named as one of the best educational games of the year because it is easy to play and it holds a child's attention well. The game includes a dash of luck, so children can actually beat Mom and Dad. For ages 5 and up, two to four players.
I was highly suspicious as I listened to Louisa laugh through her math lessons and totally enjoy doing them. I was stunned to watch her go straight for math when she started her homeschool work each morning. I picked up the book and read an outlandish story about a miniature boy named Fred and all his adventures. I couldn't imagine she was really learning math, so I asked her to tell me what she had learned so far in the 16 lessons she had completed. She quickly jotted down this list for me:
infinite sets
natural numbers
integers
set notation
ratios
coefficients . . . (need I go on?)
I was impressed to say the least! How could a girl who hates math actually be enjoying Algebra and really learning the terminology as well as how to do the operations? I contacted Stan Schmidt, the author of the Life of Fred, and a retired college math professor of 28 years whose self-proclaimed mission is to help kids love math. I asked him, "How do I know a student who does Life of Fred will retain it?," to which he replied, "How much of your school algebra did you retain?" Ouch!
The idea behind Life of Fred is that if students have an enjoyable experience and have fun doing their math, they will remember it and use it and have a good taste in their math about the whole subject. The sub-title on each of his math books is "As Serious As it Needs to Be". And that is just the point: math doesn't need to be horrid and dry. This is math—just as serious as it needs to be—and I can tell you from Louisa's smiles and chuckles, that's not very serious at all!
As a bonus, these books are very low priced compared to any other math books on the market. (Compare to Saxon at $50-70)
If you have a creative child who is languishing on traditional math programs, try Life of Fred!
Math, As Serious As it Needs to Be!
If you know your math facts (addition and multiplication) and you can read well, then the next step is to get to know Fred!
Beware: This is not a traditional math book. This is a child-directed course. The student reads the adventure story, does the math problems that occur as a natural part of the story, and checks their answers (the solutions are right there for the looking.) And learns to love math in the process! You will not get the detailed formula explanations that you get in a traditonal math book. I am still amazed that kids can read the story and learn the concepts, but they do!
Begin when Math-it or the addition and multiplication facts, plus long division have been mastered—about 5th grade.
Contents: Less Than, Billion, Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers, Diameter and Radius, Savings and Expenses, Definition of a Fraction, Sectors, Comparing Fractions, Reducing Fractions, Adding and Subtracting Fractions, Common Denominators, Roman Numerals, Least Common Multiples, Improper Fractions, Lines of Symmetry, Division by Zero, Circumference, Multiplying Mixed Numbers, Commutative Law, Canceling, Definition of a Function, Area, Unit Analysis, Division of Fractions.
Hardcover, 192 pages.
Contents: Number Systems, Adding and Subtracting Decimals, Multiplying by Ten, Functions and Inverse Functions, Pi, Multiplying Decimals, Whole Numbers, Squaring a Number, Subtracting Mixed Units, Sets and Subsets, Union and Intersection of Sets, Rules of Divisibility, Division of Decimals, Repeating Decimals, Bar Graphs, Prime and Composite Numbers, Consecutive Numbers, the Goldbach Conjecture, Area of a Circle, Dollars vs. Cents, Pie Charts, Conversion between Percents/ Fractions/ Decimals, 40% of 15, 30% off, Distance Equals Rate Times Time, 15% more, Area of a Triangle, Square Roots, Area of a Parallelogram, 13 Is What Percent of 52, Ratio, Ordered Pairs, Graphing, Negative Numbers, Elapsed Time, Probability. Hardcover, 192 pages.
If you are a nervous mother who really wonders if this could possibly work, these Home Companion books were written for you. These books are study guides that give daily lesson plans, lecture notes for teachers, outlines of the lessons, extra problems not in the book, answer key, quiz and test materials. I have a divided opinion on using these books. If the Life of Fred is working for your child, and they are learning and enjoying, then why mess it up? Life of Fred is meant to be self-taught and I found with Louisa that she just zoomed on her own, and any interference from me would truly have been just that: interference! On the other hand, if you need the security of knowing what is going on and making sure your child is progressing, then buy these books. Hardcover, 128 pages.
Contents: Ratio, Proportion & Variation, Radical Equations, a 12-page History of Mathematics, Irrational and Imaginary Numbers, Logarithms (3 definitions), Exponential Equations, Four Standard Equations of the Line, Review of Beginning Algebra (exponents, rationalizing the denominator, significant digits, graphing by point-plotting, factoring, complex fractions, linear, fractional, quadratic, and radical equations), Systems of Equations (3 methods of solution), Conics, Graphing Inequalities in Two Variables, Functions, Linear Programming, Partial Fractions, Math Induction, Sequences, Series, Matrices, Permutations & Combinations.
Hardcover, 318 pages.
Why do fractions confuse children so much? I don't know, but here is a solution! Every mom tries to teach fractions by drawing a pie, right? This colorful board game is covered with brightly colored fruit pies, cut in pieces (fractions). Just top 3 pies in a row with ice cream to win the game, but your kids will learn to spot and identify the fractions and learn equivalent fractions. Louisa begs to play this! A very fun way to build skills! For 2 to 4 players, ages 7 and up.
Roll the dice and name your price! Shop for everything from skateboards to ice cream cones. Take turns purchasing, adding up prices, and making change. The first player to fill his shopping cart wins. Kids roll three dice and determine how much they will spend or earn by the way they read the dice. If I throw a 2, 5, and 9, and if I am buying, I'll want to call that $2.59, the lowest possible price. But, if I am selling, I want to call it $9.52. This calls for some strategy skills. Unlike a lot of shopping games directed to girls in malls, this is a gender-free game where the accent is on the math. Includes game board, coins, bills, calculator, and lots of shopping fun. 1 "AA" battery required for calculator. 3 skill levels, 2 to 4 players, ages 5 to 9+.
Mastering math facts is so important, but how? Rote memory can be very challenging for some children. This unique workbook approaches math facts with memory clues. Numbers with straight lines (7, 11, etc.) and numbers with curved lines (3, 6, etc.) have different sums that your child can easily learn to identify! For those children who enjoy workbooks, this "how-to-remember" approach will be worth its price many times over! Paperback, 236 pages. For ages 6 until mastered!
Very motivational for kids burned out on textbooks, these inexpensive, non-intimidating workbooks teach basic math skills in an easy step-by-step approach. The workbooks look fun to do, begging kids to pull to their pencils and get started. These are great for over-the-summer skill review, or particularly if a certain subject (like fractions) gives them trouble. Each set contains several workbooks and an answer key. Covers the subject from 4th to 12th grade concepts (Geometry is 5th through 12 grade). Guaranteed to be successful with your child or your money back!
Start your little ones on the right track with math play! Through fun activities and games, your young one will become confident with numbers and math concepts. Includes shape hopscotch, sew-up numbers, card games, counting rhymes, and more. Paperback, black and white drawings, 142 pages for ages 2 to 6 years.
Cuisenaire Rods are a favorite math manipulative as math models can be made to help you "see" every math concept. This kit of 155 sturdy plastic rods comes in a self-sorting tray (thank goodness!) and holds enough rods for 3 children to use at the same time. Helpful poster shows how to use the rods to teach all the basic skills (addition, subtraction, fractions, etc.) from kindergarten up. 80-page teacher's manual goes through step-by-step introduction for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with the rods. 50 large activity cards cover preschool introductory game activities through junior high math concepts. A fun way to play around with math, as well as a serious manipulative to help young ones understand skills taught in math textbooks.
I've been waiting a decade for these! I am so glad that our favorite Cuisenaire rods have finally been made to snap together and show unit increments on one side of the rods. Now it is extra easy for children to work with rods and understand the principles of addition and subtraction by adding or removing units. 74 rods come in a storage tray for use with 2 to 3 children.
Add a little zip to learning those math facts with these fun games.
Addition Games features 4 different cardboard gameboards, each with a unique theme. The easiest game is with a car race for learning the sums of 5, 6, 7 and 8. Draw a card, identify the answer to discover what space to move to. Games increase in difficulty to sums of 20. For two to four players. Ages 5 and up.
Multiplication Games practices all the multiplications facts with 4 games of increasing difficulty. A fun way to drill those math facts! For two to four players. Ages 5 and up.
Telling time and counting money will be a snap after playing these colorful games over and over! Play Time Flies, Telling Time Tales, or Watch Dog to learn the clock face and analog times. Coin Mystery, Coin Clean-up, and Sidewalk Sale will make recognizing the coins and making change comfortable. Six laminated game boards plus tokens and spinners are included in a neat case. For ages 5 and up.
You never forget what you sing, so why not memorize those elusive multiplication facts! Learn all the times tables 2 through 12 with this easy sing-along CD. Echo style songs are repeated for you to sing in the answer. Many different styles of music, but no rock. Comes with a large times table poster.
A fun way to practice their facts! Solve the problem by guiding the string to each answer. When you have finished, turn the board over. The string will cover the lines on the back of the board for instant correction. A motivating alternative to flashcards that children can do and correct all on their own. Each set includes ten plastic wrap-ups.
We make our own worksheets with this clock stamp. Fold a paper into squares and write your own made-up time in each square, such as "2:30" PM or "dinner time". Then children stamp the clock faces and draw the hands in the correct position. Stamp measures 1 1/2", shows minutes and hours. Good practice and stamping fun.
I am sure that I am not the only one who has experienced having a teenage clerk stumble through trying to count back change. This is a needed skill, and one that children don't just absorb from daily dealings. This game was my daughter's favorite, but as I played it with her, I realized there is far more here than I bargained for. Presto Change-O will teach your children how to make change, how to count change back, how to be comfortable using the right coins and bills while making purchases, and how to figure out if they are given the right change back. Rather than just being a "luck" game, children get ahead by being able to handle their money well and make change accurately. Includes full-color playing board, play cash and coins, dice, and playing pieces. If you have an ample supply, using real money would make it even more educational. This is a fun, ingenious, educational game that I highly recommend! Ages 6 and up.
Muggins really helps you to think fast, do mathematical figuring in your head, and consider many possibilities—all great skills! A tactile delight with its 1" thick hardwood board with holes and grooves and its brightly colored glass marbles, this is a well-made, sturdy game—a good investment that will last long after all the cardboard games in their deflatable boxes have bit the dust. The object of the game is to get your marbles into a row before the other players do the same. Roll 3 dice and add, subtract, multiply, or divide the dice numbers. Then pop your marble into the hole that corresponds with your answer. Many answers are possible for each roll of the dice. Young children will like using the standard dice. A 12-sided die makes it even more challenging for older players. Because chance enters in with the roll of the dice, even the youngest player, not just the smartest, can be the winner. Recommended for ages 9-adult.
Bonus!Knock-Out Game on reverse side of the wooden board!
Click on the screen below to see a demonstration video:
What makes this program so incredibly popular?! I wanted to find out, so I installed it on my computer and let my kids try it out. I could hear Ammon (then 7 yrs.) at the computer making racing car sounds with his mouth and getting quite excited. Why? Because he was beating his own previous scores at "multiplying by 9's"! Well, I was instantly sold! I haven't seen anything generate so much enthusiasm for mastering basic math!
The game is very simple: you race smoking dragster cars or beautiful wild horses by answering math problems. The game paces itself to your student's responses, and competing cars only race as fast as his own previous scores, so winning is really just improving day by day. This is a good one, and my children will work at their math on their own just for fun! Covers whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, integers, equations, estimation, plus math tricks. Cross Section gives you a sampling of all grades. Graded CD's go into greater depth on each subject. Requirements-PC: 384K min, Windows-based. Mac system 7.01 min, 8 MB Ram.
See a video here on how Quarter Mile Math works:
Quarter Mile Math Cross Section K-9 (Cross Section)
Explore prediction, luck, random chance, and the chaos theory, Bell curves and Pascal's triangle. You'll find such games as Card Shark, Marble Madness, Dizzy Walk and other fun activities. To start with, the cover of the book contains a colorful three-dimensional interactive puzzle called Jewels of Xanadu. Just match up the octagons on the cover by color. Be careful where you start because if you begin at the upper left corner, your odds of success are 1 in 30,000. Begin in the middle and your odds are 1 in 64. 26 activities/games/puzzles in all! For ages 9 to adult.
Kids beg to play Over and Out, a very easy and fun card game in which you add or subtract card numbers, trying to stay under the "tip top" card number, such as 33 or 55. Strategy cards add a twist to make this one very fun educational game! Ages 7 through adult, for 2 to 8 players.
Come enjoy some new ideas, encouragement, homeschool support, recipes, craft ideas, parenting wisdom . . . and more with my popular Heart-to-Heart emails, new and continuing in blog format!
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Hot off the press!
Love to Learn! Homeschool Handbook
Your Guide to Setting Up a Homeschool, Selecting Resources, and Joyfully Educating Your Children
Need homeschool help?
Diane Hopkins has been reviewing and testing homeschool products for over 20 years and you can benefit from her experience. In this comprehensive guidebook, each grade of school is detailed with the best-on-the-market in curriculum for your homeschool and notes added on how to use these resources! Set up your school schedule, learn how to get your kids to take charge of getting their schoolwork done, and how to make your homeschool fun and meaningful. Reproducible forms are included.
Large, spiral-bound book introduces you to the 7 Hopkins children, and shows you how she taught and raised them homeschooling: the mistakes she made along with the successes. Full of family photos, personal stories, and wisdom—this volume will give you the help you need to get enthused, get organized and get going! More details and sample pages, click here!
This handy "candle" will outlast a 3 day emergency. Burns liquid paraffin for over 100 hours of light. It is also odorless and smokeless, making it a great emergency light source. Keep one handy with a book of matches taped to it for your next power outage. The liquid fuel is sealed inside, with only the wick exposed. You can extinguish, and use again and again. A very safe source of light! Set of 3 100 hour candles. Our Price $14.97 Going Fast!
I am Diane Hopkins, mother of 7 children (ages 12 to 32) whom I have had the privilege of homeschooling over the past 18 years. I'm a mom, just like you, and have those fabulous days and those not-so-good days like we all do. My hope in writing is to share experiences, and hopefully we can encourage one another in this wonderful, intense adventure of childraising--that is really what homeschooling is, after all.
