The different ways children learn seems, to me, to be the most noticeable in the area of Math. We tried 4 different Math programs with Paul before we found the right "fit". With Zach we were on our second curriculum, and it wasn't working. Math is his strongest subject and in Kindergarten we didn't like the curriculum so I just did Math with him in everyday activities and added a few worksheets along the way. He enjoyed Math. This year, in 1st grade, we started a new curriculum and he began to dislike Math, so I knew we needed to change before this dislike became stronger. We were looking at various curriculum and were given the opportunity to review Math Mammoth.
The Blue Series--WorkTexts by topic (grades 1-6)
The Light Blue Series--Full Curriculum (grades 1-6)
The Golden Series--Worksheets by Grade (grades 3-8)
The Green Series--Worksheets by Topic (grades 3-7)
Between all of the series Math Mammoth offers options for grades 1st-8th. We were given the chance to choose which series we wanted to review. Since we were looking at new curriculums I chose to go ahead and try the Light Blue Series Grade 1 and I am very glad that I did. Zach, once again, looks forward to his Math lessons. The lessons are focused and fairly short. There is a good bit of mental Math, which is great for Zach because that is definitely a strength for him, and something I want to build on.
The previous program we used was very visually appealing. It was brightly colored and there were pictures on the page. For many this is not a problem. For Zach, it was distracting. He struggles with focus anyway, so he doesn't need anything to draw his attention away from the task at hand. Math Mammoth is very simple and has very few colors on the page. His attention is directed to the actual learning of Math.
The book strives to teach the concepts and patterns in mathematics, not just rote memorization (though that is important too when it comes to math facts). The concepts are introduced in ways that are easily understood by the student without a lot of extra "fluff". For example, a simple number-line is shown to demonstrate addition. There are no bunnies or frogs to jump across the number-line, just a simple number-line. Though many first grade teachers I know would be appalled to think that a 6 year old learns about number lines without some type of animal hopping across it, for Zach, the animal becomes something to distract him. I can see a story about the animal brewing in his head. Now, with a simple number-line, I can see math concepts brewing in his head!
Math Mammoth offers their books in both a downloadable format as well as a printed book. The full first grade curriculum is only $34.00 for download. You can also purchase If you would like to see samples and learn more about what each grade level teaches take a look here. If you aren't looking for a complete curriculum but perhaps just some help on particular topics don't forget to look at their other series.
To see what other TOS Crew Members thought go here.
Disclosure: We received a downloadable copy of this product in exchange for an honest review. There was no other compensation given for this review. All opinions expressed here are my own honest opinion.
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1 comment:
It's so great when God brings along just the right product at just the right time isn't it? It sounds like this is a great fit for you!
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