mathematics

Brilliant.org
- Heather says:
  - Our 11 year old son, who loves logic problems, uses this almost daily. It allows him to jump around to areas of interest, even if that means moving non-linearly. It’s a really great site, even for adults to learn some fun math skills, and to stretch your brain with math puzzles!

Family Math books
- Heather says:
  - We have both of these books (Equals series and Family Math II). They are great resources for math games, organized by topic. Easy to pick it up, find a game, and practice math while having fun.

How to Teach Kids About Money - Financial Literacy Article
- Jessamyn says :
  - My daughter has been requesting that we learn more about money management. At 11 now, she is interested in earning an allowance and she wants to learn more about savings, but I wasn’t sure where to start. This article has been a good jumping off point for us as we figure out how best to incorporate more learning about this area into our life. I found the recommendations for online games helpful because cold google searches had been feeling overwhelming and fruitless. My kids have enjoyed playing Spending Spree.

Jaime York Press - free math Downloads for Grades1-8
- Jessamyn says:
  - We have used the Fast Fact sheets as a warm-up since 3rd grade. They are easy to print and you can use the whole page, or cut out a strip. My daughter loves this kind of thing, my son is less impressed (hence the strip). I will say that my kids have gained a flexibility in subtracting and adding larger number in their head as a result of these. Plus, it is a great for a daily dose of multiplication tables practice.
- Amy says:
  - My daughter is not a lover of worksheets, so I will decorate the border with a color-of-the day and an encouraging note. Instead of doing them daily, we aim for 2-3 per week. Great for mental math practice. - Amy

Key to Math Series
- Jessamyn says:
  - This is new to me, but I am impressed. The set-up of these books is somehow easy on the eyes for kids, and even my worksheet-resistant son has been open to using them. We use these as part of our 20-minute math time when we don’t have any other lessons planned and it is just a good thorough walk-through of various topics. I don’t do it every single day because if feels like it would get tedious if approached that way. Just a few days a week or when it’s feeling like we need it.
- Amy says:
  - We use these as practice sheets once we have learned a concept and need practice problems, but it also has easy explanations for those kids would want to work through on their own. Organized by subject rather than grade.

Life of Fred
- Heather says:
  - We LOVED these when the kids were a bit younger, and keep meaning to get back into them! These are hilarious chapter books that follow the main character, Fred, as he uses math skills in his adventures. They don't include lessons, and don't really follow the traditional path, but just about every homeschooler I know has read at least a few of these books.

Math For Love
- Jessamyn says:
  - This is new for us this year. So far, I’m loving that there is such a rich collection of math games here and how much free content they are providing to support homeschooling right now. We have been using games like “Don’t Break the Bank” and “Pig Out” for fun skills review. The “Fractions Talks” have been enlightening and have contributed to our math time together feeling like a time for dynamic discussion and creative thinking. I love how there is an emphasis and appreciation for all the different ways to go about solving math problems, it feels like it really honors and celebrates all the different styles of learning. My children are really different with how they approach math (my daughter loves memorization and my son is a creative thinker around numbers) and the lessons have a space for the whole spectrum in a way that I have not experienced with other math resources. There are even support videos for adults to learn how to communicate this open, validating exploration of problem solving.

Miquon Math
- Heather says:
  - This was such a great move for our daughter, who has a very creative brain! Math just wasn’t making sense in the traditional way, and retention of skills was really hard. Once we started using Miquon, she was essentially able to see math in colors, using cuisinaire rods, and it opened up a whole new world for her! We move through the workbooks by the topic, rather than working through each book to completion, which allows her to solidify a skill in various levels before adding a new skill.

Techniques of Problem Solving cards (TOPS)
- Jessamyn says:
  - Math questions with a focus on the logic problem-solving side; both our kids have gotten a lot out of these decks, making the difficulty of tracking them down and their high sticker price feel worth it. Ebay seems to be the best source. Each card has an engaging problem to solve, the fun drawings add to the interest. We have used them in different ways throughout the years, sometimes i have given them 2 cards for a day, and they try to solve them and then we talk about it together. Sometimes they want to work independently and see how many cards they can get through in a set amount of time. They become increasingly trickier and solving them comes with a real sense of accomplishment.

open-minded learning