Review: CTCMath (TOS Review) #hsreviews #homeschoolmath #mathtutorials #videobasedmath #onlinemath

My kids and I LOVE CTCMath’s Homeschool Membership!  This is our second review with it, and we love it even more now than we did last review! 

CTCMath has really changed the dynamics of our homeschool, it’s been such a blessing to us.  Particularly as the younger kids are growing up and also doing ‘school’.  I was feeling spread so thin, having 3 kids to help with math each day, but now CTCMath does it for me.  Little (if any) help is required of me, and it frees me up to help in other subjects or get other stuff done around the house!   It has give my kids more independence in their schooling.  Those benefits are priceless!

We used this program for Kindergarten, 2nd grade and 4th grade during this review.  Since we reviewed this program last year, it has been our core math ever since!  I just added my youngest to the program this review period.

Each lesson starts with a video instruction and demonstration, then there is a lesson to complete.  These lessons have audio available (for those that do not read).  You can set what you want the passing grade to be for the lesson, and they repeat it until they reach that grade.  (I have mine set for 90%).  They receive printable certificates for each section they complete.  There are also tests for each level, these can be used before the level to see what sections they need to work on or can be used after the level to see if they need to revisit any part of that section. 

(Kindergarten lesson)

For my kindergartener, we used the tests before each section and only did the parts that he didn’t know.  One of my favorite things about the program is that you have access to ALL the grades with your subscription, so kids can work through as fast (or as slow) as they need.  For instance, we skipped several sections in the kindergarten section, because my son already knew it.  He will finish kindergarten level quickly, and can move on to first grade.  I sat with my kinder to assist him in the lesson, even though there is audio available.  My older two children complete the lessons 100% on their own, occasionally asking for clarification on concepts, when needed. 

It’s important to note also that in the younger lessons there are moveable manipulatives on screen!  This is a great because it gives a bit of the hands on that kids really need in early levels of math. 

(2nd grade lesson)

You can also make assignments in the program.  For my oldest I assigned him lessons so that he wasn’t skipping around and has to fully learn a lesson before moving on.  This is not required, but was a great benefit to keep my oldest on track.

Another parental feature I like is the weekly email..  I receive an email every Monday with a summary of the previous weeks work.  I wish it was a daily email (or at least an option for daily), but weekly is better than nothing!  I can see what lessons each child completed and what they scored. I have had problems with one of my children saying they did lessons, when they didn’t…and this is a great tool because I don’t always remember to log in and check their progress regularly. 

(4th grade lesson)

Something new we utilized more this review is the Speed Skills and Times Tables drills.  However, these do not show up on the weekly report and there doesn’t seem to be a way to check their progress (you can only see their highest score, if you log in on their name).  So I have no way to know if my son actually completes them as he is suppose to.  I hate that this is even an issue, but I hope I’m not the only parent that has this frustration. 

CTCMath has a very family friendly subscription plan, you can pay monthly, for 6 mos or one year.  Their plans are for one student, or families of 2-10 students.  I love that they take into account that many families have 2 or more children, and that they do not charge you per child! 

CTCMath takes care of everything for you, and report cards are printable (for portfolios) very easily. 

Also you can access the lessons on tablets, as well as computers!  You can also be logged in on multiple computers at a time (so I can have on kid on the iPad doing his lessons and another on the laptop). 

Another great thing is that these lessons are from Australia (so the teacher has a great accent!) and they are not COMMON CORE based!

We will be continuing with CTCMath this coming school year and for the very near future (and possibly longer)!  I can not say enough great things about CTCMath! 

Social Media Links:
CTCMath (US and Canada)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctcmathofficial
Periscope: https://www.periscope.tv/ctcmathofficial
Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/ctcmath/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWn5e6974bpIEAe46VnovZw

Review: LearnBop (TOS Review)

For this review we used LearnBop, LearnBop for Families subscription.  My (almost) 10 year old was the primary user, we used the Single Student Plan.

We used this as our primary math program during the review period, so he used this 4-5 days a week.  He only used it for about 10mins a sitting though.  I have to be honest, he didn’t really like this program, and he can’t seem to explain to me why.  I’m at a loss.  I do know that he worked on it one time for quite a while and it took him about an hour to complete a ‘bop’.  The lesson seemed never ending to him, and I think that is a lot of what turned him off of it.  Maybe we should have adjusted the level to 3rd grade (we had it set on 4th grade).  I told him he could just use it for 10mins a day (in an attempt to not overwhelm him).  So he moved really slowly through the lessons, and I don’t feel like much was accomplished.

I found the program hard to navigate as a parent too, I just didn’t really get it.  It was too complicated for me.  My son and I are both kinesthetic learners, and when there are a lot of directions and such to work though it becomes overwhelming.  I think that was a lot of the problem with this program.  There was just too much stuff to navigate through.  We both prefer something more simple and more cut and dry. 

I would also prefer programs with email notifications, with 4 kids, I get busy, I forget to check up on things (sometimes even when I am reviewing items).  I like daily, or at the very least weekly emails that tell me what my child did and how he is doing.  I think I have acquired ADHD in my adult years, and well, I tend to forget to check up after my child sometimes.  The emails are a great way to keep me on my toes and in check with their progress. 

I know there were several people who just RAVED about the program though, so I’m going to chalk this up to not a good fit.  If you have a visual learner, I think your child would really enjoy this program.  There is a 30 day money back guarantee, so there is no risk to try it out!

The program is designed for grades 3-12 to help catch up or to get ahead in Math.  When a child gets a problem wrong it takes them through step by step to explain why and they correct way to do it.  It can identify learning gaps and adjusts the program accordingly, to meet your individual child’s needs. 

When you get a problem wrong, the program then breaks the problem down into smaller steps.  Helps are also available, such as hints, to help your child learn how to do the problem.  If your child is still not successful, more work in that specific area is added to the workload.

This is where it was frustrating for my son.  I went through the program and I think it is well laid out and explained, but since my son is not a visual learner (particularly in math) all the reading of problems and such wasn’t working for him.  He did enjoy the videos associated with the concepts, but there are only a few, and are not part of the individual bops (lessons).  Perhaps having an auditory factor available for each problem, would be beneficial to those students who are more auditory/kinesthetic learners. 

Here is an example of a problem

Problems like this really threw him off since several of the answers are No match. 

The program bumped him down to the 3rd grade map, even though I set him up on 4th grade math (which he had almost completed in another program we had been using).  The 4th grade map covered a lot of concepts he had not learned yet, so I’m not sure how the level work is determined.   it did not change his road map label though (still said 4th grade) so he didn’t realize he was on a lower grade (and I didn’t either, until I change it myself and was playing with the levels).  I do like this because won’t feel down about being ‘lower’ than they feel like they should be.

They also offer a lot of rewards and other incentives along the way.

This program is not just for homeschoolers though, this would be a great way to help a kid struggling in math who doesn’t homeschool or a way to help keep math skills polished during summer months!

For every LearnBop subscription bought they also donate an equivalent to a student in need!  Love this!

I am really bummed that this was not a good fit for us, it seems like a really great and solid program.  If they added some more audio components to the program, it might help others who are less visual learners in math.  I think we will revisit this program though, and try again in the future.  Try it out, maybe it’s a good fit for you child!

Review: Sunya Publishing (TOS Review)

We had such a fun time checking out this fun new game by Sunya Publishing, called Sunya:  The Magic and Wonder of Math and Science, Adding & Subtracting.  It’s not yet available for purchase, but it will be soon!

My oldest son was reluctant to try it out, but after playing for a bit he exclaimed, “This is actually fun!”.  What better way to review math facts then through game?  My oldest two, (ages 10 and 7) both had fun playing this.  My 5 year old took part in the fun as well, but in a simpler way. 

The game comes with number cards (0-9), symbol cards (=, –, +) and some other fun cards with jokes and trivia on them.

The game also includes an instruction manual.  I have to admit the instruction manual was a bit confusion.  In an attempt to thoroughly explain and simplify the game, I feel the over complicated it and made it more difficult.  I prefer directions to be SHORT and to the POINT!  This book gives lots of pictures examples, which aren’t necessary (in my opinion).  I tried at first to just skim the directions (I can’t be the only one that does this) and I was left not understanding how to play.  I went back and read word for word the directions and then got a better grasp, it is not really difficult at all, though the wordy directions make it seem as such.

To make it simple:

1.  Build a correct number sentence with your cards using + or -

2.  Shuffle what’s left and pass 4 cards to each player, place the rest in the draw pile

3.  On your turn you draw ONE card to place in your hand, then using the cards in your hand build a new number sentence.  you can place up to 3 cards, but you can not place a duplicate card (no placing 3 on a 3 that’s already there).  If you have no cards to play, you draw until you have one.

4.  Play continues until one player uses all their cards and says “SUNYA”  (think like the game ‘UNO’)

5. If you run out of cards in the draw pile, remove the bottom cards from the number sentences and reshuffle for a new pile.

The instructions also mention a discard pile, honestly I couldn’t figure out how or when that would be needed.  We never used one and the game was fine.

This was a great game to play on our road trip we recently took.  It’s small, easy to pack around, and was an entertaining way to work in some math!  The joke/trivia cards were also fun and killed some time in the car.

For my 5 year old we used the number cards in a Montessori Style, he placed them in numerical order and then lined up objects (in this case animals) under each number card.  It’s a great way to practice numeric order and one to one correspondence counting.

The cards also include dots, so this helps with younger kids in adding as well!

I would like to have seen the numbers go higher, like maybe to 12, or at least 10.  However, it was still a really fun game and the perfect way to practice addition and subtraction up to 9!

Review: A+ Interactive Math, Math Mini Courses (TOS Review)

For this review, my 9 year old son picked the Math Mini Courses of Money and Time from A+ Interactive Math.  He used these courses 3-5 times a week during the review period. 

He picked these courses because he felt like he could use some practice in these areas.  He started with the Money course, which he completed 11 of the 18 lessons and then decided to try out the Time course which he completed 6 lessons on. 

When you log into A+ Interactive Math, your Mini Courses show up, you click on which course you want and then the screen looks like this

My son mostly did the Video Lessons with Q&A, when I went to check on his grades, i would then generate some online worksheets on the lessons he needed more practice in under Worksheets and Tests.  For those that might prefer old fashion pencil and paper, you can also print worksheets and tests. 

For me, remembering to go back and grade the math work has always been an issue (and even more so now that I have more than one child homeschooling, and a toddler).  I love that this program grades for you, their are printable reports available for printing as well (great for portfolios).   The platform was easy to navigate, so my son worked on the program by himself. 

The Video Lessons consist of video instruction with animation, the voice is sort of computerized and strange (seems human, but with a weird echo or something). The video is followed by a Q & A.  If a question is answered incorrectly, it automatically reinstructs as to what the answer is and why it is that way.  This is a nice feature.

For the online worksheet and test portion, you assign which lessons you want worksheets and/or tests completed on and they show up when your child clicks on that button.   You can view the scores of the completed worksheet/test under this tab as well.

If you click on View Reports, you can see the scores and also see the worksheet to see what they got wrong. You can also view a detailed solution where it breaks it down step by step for you as to how to get the right answer.

There are a few other things that I would like to see in the program:

1.  An easier way to see lessons completed.  The lessons are listed on the left hand side, and if you click on the lesson you can see if you have done it already, but it’s not easily visible and my son accidently skipped lessons because of this. 

2.   Automatically register complete of lessons based on their finishing score.  I had to remember to go into the program and mark lessons complete, as previously mentioned, I have a lot going on, and well…I don’t always remember to do this.  It seems rather tedious to me.  Also it automatically puts the current date when you mark complete, even if you go in a week later to do so.

3.  A way to assign lessons, If I could work out the schedule so that the program told my child which lesson to do, whether it was video lesson or worksheet or test, this would be great!

4.  An email or some sort of notification for those of us with Mom Brain, who again forget to go in and check on a regular basis.  Daily or at a minimum weekly, would be such a HUGE help!

5.  Students have access and ability to CHANGE THEIR GRADES.  My son didn’t realize this, but I’m sure at some point he could figure it out. 

Now with that said, A+ Interactive Math is a program we have used and reviewed before, it’s a good math program and inexpensive.  They have a lot of different options, to meet a wide variety of needs.  They offer family plans and more.  They are very adapted to the needs of homeschoolers, which is great!  I have seen the program grow and change.  What works for one family, may not work for another and visa versa.  The few points I make would make this program even more awesome!  Math is one of those subjects, that the less involved I have to be, the better!  But if the above listed things are not DEAL BREAKERS for you, and you are looking for a math program that does the teaching and grading for you, this is definitely one to try out. 

The Mini Math Courses are GREAT for a little extra help in a few areas that need it!

Now for an outline of what each course covers. 

Money:  $12.99 and recommended for grades 1-5
1.1 Pennies, Nickels, Dimes, Quarters

1.2 Converting Nickels, Dimes and Quarters to Pennies

1.3 Converting Pennies to Nickels, Dimes and Quarters

1.4 Counting Coins up to One Dollar

1.5 Counting Coins Past One Dollar

1.6 Dollars

1.7 Counting Dollars and Coins

1.8 Comparing Money - Part 1

1.9 Counting Money - Part 2

1.10 Converting Money into Decimal Form

1.11 Comparing Money

1.12 Making Change

1.13 Salary Calculations

1.14 Money Games

1.15 Family Budgeting

1.16 Calculating Commission

1.17 Calculating Sale Price

1.18 Interest Rates

Time: $12.99 and recommended for grades 1-4
1.1 Days, Weeks, Months and Years

1.2 Days

1.3 Weeks

1.4 Months

1.5 Years

1.6 Converting Time: Days, Weeks, Months and Years

1.7 The Four Seasons

1.8 Seconds, Minutes and Hours

1.9 Digital and Analog Clocks

1.10 Telling Time to the Hour

1.11 Telling Time to the Half-hour

1.12 Telling Time to the Quarter-hour

1.13 Telling Time to 5 Minute Intervals

1.14 Converting Time: Seconds, Minutes and Hours

1.15 Duration of Time

1.16 Converting Digital and Analog Time

1.17 Converting Units of Time

1.18 Adding Different Units of Time

1.19 Finding Elapsed Time

1.20 Adding Elapsed Time

As you can see they cover a wide range in each Mini Course Subject.  They start with the basics and build from there. All Mini Courses are accessible for ONE YEAR from date of purchase.

If you are looking for an online math option that is truly affordable, this is definitely one to consider! 

You can see my previous reviews on A+ Interactive Math:

2nd and 3rd Grade CD Courses

Online Family Math Package

See more reviews by clicking below:

Review: Demme Learning Digital Pack, Delta (TOS Review) @mathusee #​mathusee #homeschoolmath​ #hsreview

For this review we got to check out the New Digital Packs from Demme Learning’s Math-U-See.  We used the Delta level.

We have used and loved Math-U-See before, so that aspect was not new to us, however, the digital packs brings a whole new element to the already great program of Math-U-See…..mobility! 

If you are not familiar with Math-U-See, it’s a hands on, mastery program.  Each level covers a different concept, for example:  Alpha is addition, Beta is subtraction, Delta is multiplication and Gamma is division.  They have a very unique way of introducing math, one that makes PERFECT sense!  It’s a great program for visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners, because it takes such a multi-sensory approach to learning.  The program consists of math blocks (a specialized variety of base ten blocks) and video instruction, as well as workbook application.

The Digital Packs, puts the video instruction on your device via the internet.  You can now watch the instructional videos on any portal device.  It also includes online, digital manipulatives!  Math is now portable and at your finger tips, as long as you have internet access (or a device that has 3G). 

Lessons typically consist of watching the instruction video.  Workbook pages follow, each lesson has 3 workbook pages (additional pages are able to printed from online if more practice is needed) of the newly taught/learned material and 3 pages that has new material AND review of old material.  I love that they revisit the old material to keep it fresh!  Since this is a mastery program, you can move ahead as fast or a slow as is needed to really grasp the concepts.  There is also a testing workbook available with tests for each lesson and each unit available. 

As mentioned, we have used and loved MUS in the past, but my son really enjoyed the digital aspect of the manipulatives and the ability to watch the lessons on the laptop or iPad.

I loved that the digital packs made the program more mobile, and also more affordable (no need to purchase the manipulatives, the instruction pack, or the CD song book!!  You will still need the student workbooks). 

Some down sides to the digital packs, however,are:

• The purchase is only good for a year, after 12 months you no longer have access to the item and would need to repurchase.
  
  
• The log in is sort of complicated.  You have to log into the store, and then click on My Digital Packs, then choose which pack you want to use (if you have more than one) and then go to the lesson you want to use.  I had to log my son in every time, it wasn’t something he could just get on and do himself. Also if the store was down, so was your access to your digital pack.

I would love to see this as a FULLY FUCTIONING DIGITAL program, and maybe in the future it will be.  I’d love for the workbook problems to be online as well, self correcting and score keeping!  That would make my life so much easier!! 

As it stands, however, this is a great way to have access to the high quality MUS program in a more portable fashion!  It makes homeschooling on the move (which tends to happen a lot, at least in our home) a lot easier!

We used the program 3-5 times a week during the review period.  We did 2 workbook pages per lesson (one new and one with review).  The concepts were easy for him and mostly review in the beginning lessons.  He would watch the lesson the first day, do the workbook page, the 2nd day he would do the workbook page with the review, and then repeat.  One of my favorite things about MUS is that you can easily move forward if concepts are easily grasped, or take your time on concepts that need more time! 

The Digital Pack is $38.00 for most levels, and the student pack is $40 for most levels.  You have 12 months access to the Digital Pack. 

Math-U-See goes from Primer (the lowest level) to Calculus. 

We have always recommended Math-U-See, and continue to do so.  The Digital Pack just makes a great math program even greater and more flexible in meeting the needs of homeschool families!

Find them online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathusee
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mathusee/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mathusee 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mathusee

Virtual Curriculum Fair 2016: Discovering Patterns: Mathematics, Logic, and Science

We have tried a variety of Math and Science programs throughout our 5 years of homeschooling.  I’ll share a bit about what we have used, why we changed and what we are using now! 

Math In the beginning

We started with Saxon Math K when we first started this homeschooling journey.  I really wanted something hands on, with lots of manipulatives, and Saxon hit the mark.  However, we found that it was TOO repetitive, and TOO easy for my son at the time.  We skipped ahead A LOT and we moved onto Saxon Math 1.  After the first few chapters we were feeling the same way as we did with the K version and began to look elsewhere.  I feel like Saxon is a solid program, but I have learned since then that Saxon uses a spiral approach to math.  It circles back and around and reviews past concepts frequently.  This is great for someone who is struggling in math or needs the constant review, but this was NOT my son.  So it just didn’t work.  We decided to look for a program that uses a mastery approach.  We discovered Math U See, and LOVED it!  It was perfect match for my son, We started with Alpha, used Beta and Gamma.  Math U See got a bit complicated for us in Gamma, their method of multiplication was not working for my son, so we still used their workbooks, and I taught him alternatives ways to do multiplication. 
After completely Gamma, we had the opportunity to review CTC Math Online. More on that in a bit.

I also need to add that memorizing multiplication facts was quite a trial!  We used Times Tales and it was a LIFE SAVER!  I highly recommend it!  (There is also a downloadable version available or find it on Amazon)

MATH NOW

4th grade

CTC Math has been a great program for my oldest, it required little to no help from me, and he could do it independently (something I was really needing as my other children were getting older and entering ‘school’).  We are still using CTC Math a year later. 

We have recently, however, revisited Math U See as part of an upcoming review of their digital packs, and have been using Delta.  I still like Math U See and think it’s a great program (review coming soon).  I highly recommend! 

The only thing about CTC Math is that although they have drill exercises, they don’t really revisit past learned concepts at all (until the next grade, when they are expounded on).  For this reason I supplement with some math workbooks for my son to practice past concepts (or else he forgets!).

1st grade

Last year we tried Touch Math (for PreK and K) and Math U See with my 2nd child, as well as just other hands on activities that I found or created to supplement learning.   I felt that Touch Math was too easy for him, and Math U See was not clicking with him.  He had been using an online program MathSeeds.com, and that was working, but I wanted more hands on. 

He really likes books and learns well from listening to books, so we decided to try Life of Fred and are really enjoying that.

ABC Mouse, mentioned in my Language Arts post and he just recently decided he was interested in doing, also dabbles in math. 

More recently I have also had him doing CTC Math, to see how it would work for him and it’s going well.

He gets a VERY eclectic exposure to Math, but it is going well for now. 

OTHER MATH PROGRAMS WE’VE USED

We have reviewed A LOT of Math programs, it’s impossible to use them all, and though something might not have been the perfect fit for us, these are still high quality programs.  You can find them under REVIEWS

LOGIC

We have used a few different programs for logic as reviews, many of which we dabble in occasionally after the review period.

The Critical Thinking Co., Math Analogies Level I

The Basics of Critical Thinking from The Critical Thinking Co.

SCIENCE

For Everyone

We have used a few different Science products.  We started off first grade with Life Science R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey from Pandia Press.  LOVED this curriculum!  For 2nd grade, well… life happened, we basically did our own thing, a lot of astronomy and some earth science, I had a baby, we moved across country… so that’s how it goes sometimes.  For 3rd grade we decided to really study Astronomy and Earth Science more, and we got a curriculum from Elemental Science.  I was not that happy with it and I supplemented A LOT.  This year (4th and 1st) we are doing Chemistry and Physics.  We are mostly using a program we reviewed last year, Visual Learning Systems:  Digital Online Science and are supplementing a bit with documentaries and  scientists studies.  Right now we are doing The Periodic Table of Elements, and VLS does not have a lot on that for Elementary, so we are doing our own thing for now and will pick up with VLS again once we start Physics.  I also got these great physic kits from K’NEX that I know my oldest is going to LOVE!

My oldest also receives the Tinker Crate, which is filled with science things each month! 

OTHER SCIENCE PROGRAMS WE’VE USED

We have reviewed A LOT of science programs, it’s impossible to use them all, and though something might not have been the perfect fit for us, these are still high quality programs.  You can find them under REVIEWS

LOOKING AHEAD

My plan for now is to continue with CTC Math and Life of Fred, using them for both kids.  The CTC Math as our core, and Life of Fred as a review supplement. 

I’ll have a Kindergartener next year and I’m not sure for him….I may just use ABC Mouse and then do hands on supplemental math with him.  (If you read my last curriculum post, I stated that we take a VERY lax approach to Kindergarten).

For Science next year, we will be doing Life Science again.  We will use Pandia Press again, but I think we will work it in with VLS as well.  I have plans to sign the kids up for classes at our local zoo and aquarium (they are going to LOVE it!).  I am trying to decide if I should buy the Pandia Press Biology Level 1 for my my 5th grader, or just kick up the Life Science a notch for him (have him do extra reading and reports, etc..).  My kindergartener LOVES animals, so this is going to be a great first year of ‘school’ for him.  Animal Trackers Club is suppose to launch an ocean series this summer, so we will definitely subscribe to that!  (We recently finished their African Safari series). I’m looking forward to next year, Science (and History) is always so fun to plan and teach each year!

Linking up at the Virtual Curriculum Fair 2016

This year the Virtual Curriculum Fair is hosted by Laura @ Day by Day in Our World, Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses and Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset.

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses - Thoughts on Math and Science
Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset  - From Counting to Calculus
Laura @ Day by Day in Our World  - How We Approach Math in This Homeschool Year
Annette @ A Net In Time - Struggling with Math, Loving Science
Annette @ A Net In Time  - Lego Pulleys and Levers
Yvie @ Gypsy Road Hands - On Math with Special Needs Learners
Chelli @ The Planted Trees  - Chemistry Using Living Books
Lisa @ GoldenGrasses  - An Appalling Lack of Curiosity
Edie @ Carter Chaos  - Our Favorite Ways to Study Numbers
Tracey @ A Learning Journey  - Robot Area and Perimeter Art Project
Jennifer @ A Glimpse of Our Life  - Math and Standardized Tests
Jen @ Chestnut Grove Academy  - Discovering Patterns: Mathematics, Logic, and Science
Sarah @ DeliveringGrace  - Learning Multiplication Tables
Kylie @ Our Worldwide Classroom  - Multisensory Multiplication
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break  - Science and Stuff
Kemi Quinn @ Homemaking Organized  - Math in Our Homeschool for a Later Elementary Organized Reader
Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory  - Math and Logic - Our Steady Path
Laura @ Four Little Penguins  - Math and Science Love

Review: Ann McCallum Book, Beanstalk: The Measure of a Giant (TOS Review)

For this review we read Beanstalk: The Measure of a Giant by Ann McCallum Books. 

This is a fun book that explains ratios.  It’s a spin off the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.  Jack climbs the beanstalk and makes friends with the giant, but their height difference makes it difficult to play together.  In this book they figure out the ratios in their height difference (and other problems that arise) and they are able to figure out how to play games together fairly!

The illustrations are very colorful and vivid. They are sure to catch a young child’s attention.  Though not all young children may grasp the complete concept of ratios, they will still enjoy the story and any applications you might add.

As part of reading this book, I used some ratio worksheets from Super Teacher Worksheets (a previous review) for my 9 year old.  The worksheets consisted of writing rations, for how many forks to spoons were in the drawing, dogs to cats, etc.  With my younger children, we also had a lot of fun measuring things!  How tall was the Giant and how tall was Jack?  Measuring shadows too is fun!   There are lots of great ways to spin off this book and add to the fun!  They were a little young to fully grasp the ratio concept, so we just had fun measuring things.  We measured animals, household objects, etc…

My 3 older children enjoyed this book a lot.  My 9 yo was able to read it himself, and I would say children at a 2nd to 3rd grade reading level could easily read the book alone.  My 5 and 6 yo enjoyed listening to the story.  We have read it several times over and over again.

Even though younger kids might not fully grasp the concept, it’s a great introduction.

Living Math Books are a great way to teach mathematical concepts in real life! 

Ann McCallum has several Living Books to make learning fun! Check out the others that were also reviewed by crew members by clicking below!

Review: CTC Math (TOS Review)

I have always heard such great things about CTC Math and was so thrilled to try the 12 Month Family Plan for ourselves!  My oldest is by far a visual learner, so I thought this would be a great fit and so far, so good!

Each math lesson starts with a video that shows how to do the problems, then it is followed by a practicum.  My son is enjoying the lessons and they are going well.  We use this program daily as part of his computer school work routine.  It can be used as a supplement or can stand alone, but what most homeschoolers will love about it is that it is NOT COMMON CORE ALIGNED!! 

As you can see, CTC Math offers from Kindergarten through Trigonometry.  Each grade/level has several streams and each stream is broken down into specific topics.  At the start of each topic there is a test your child can take to see which portions they need to learn in that topic.

As a parent you receive a weekly email with a report for your child’s weekly activity on the page.  I much prefer a daily, but a weekly is still great.

My son came to me today and told me he planned to go back and redo all the ones he didn’t have a hundred on.  I told him that a 90 or better was okay by me, but he could do what he wanted. 

The only other option I wish this program had, is the ability for the parent to make assignments.  But it’s not a deal breaker by any means.  We started out doing the tests in each section, but then he would forget to do the test first, or he would do a section he had already passed the test for.  Not a big deal really, so he just got more practice!  But I would like to be able to have him log in and him know specifically which lesson to do.  Instead, we have just been doing them in order, whether he needs to or not really.   (I tried leaving him sticky notes on the computer, he didn’t see them, etc…)

My son has enjoyed these lessons, the Australian accent of the instructor is a bonus.  Makes it a bit more fun to listen to.  Students can repeat the lesson as needed easily, they take the average score of each lesson attempt as the overall grade for that lesson.  

You can also do speed drills, look at reports of your work (detailed or summary) as a student.   Logged in as a parent you can add students (up to 10 under the homeschool 12 Month Family Plan), see a running log of recent activity, view summaries and certificates, adjust your email settings, see number of lessons completed and overall efficiency score.  You can also export results, which is great if you are required to keep any type of records for your state.

As a parent you can also pick what score you want as a passing grade (I picked 90%).  Even though we are just finishing up 3rd grade, I thought this would be a good review for him, so we used the 3rd grade portion of the program.  (That and the math program we have been using only covers one topic in each series, we have not really covered some of the other math topics at this grade level).

We will be continuing with this program through the summer, as well as next school year!

All of this is available for $78.80/ year for one student only or $118.80/yr for the family plan.  There are also monthly or semi-annual plans available. 

If you are looking for a visual math program, that would work as independent (not parent/teacher directed) program for your child, this is a must try!  They have a free trial available.

Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath