Friday, February 14, 2014

What about math?



Four years ago when we began homeschooling I wasn't sure of which math program to choose. My kids hated math, probably because they were so far behind. So, I made this declaration to my newly-adopted pre-teen sons:


"For the first month we won't touch a single math textbook."

During our first month we focused on finding our spot, exploring different homeschool options and showing our kids that school can be fun. 


As far as math was concerned, here are some of the things we tried that went well:


We read "living math" books, like The Adventures of  Penrose the Mathematical Cat






The kids played lots of board games, with each other, with their father and me, or with anyone who stopped by the house who wanted to play. Board games are full of strategy, patterns and problem-solving, all valuable math skills. 

 

We baked and cooked, making the measuring a little more complicated by doubling or halving the recipes. 


Here are some of more of my favorite textbook-free, worksheet-free math activities and resources:


We're slowly working our way through this list of living math books


A book loaded with early education math activities is Count on Math. For preschool, kindergarten and first grade, this can be your main guide. Hundreds of activities are listed with a learning path that makes sense. I borrowed this from the library, renewed it twice, then eventually gave in and just bought the book. 





MathArt is a perfect starting place for your math-phobic child, or anyone who wants a break from the textbook. Our first activity from the book was a pop-up Valentine's card. Activities are appropriate for preschool through high school. 





What would you suggest for math to a new homeschooling family? 

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