Math Curriculum That Is FUN??

Math is a common struggle from home to home. We all want our kids to love it, but so often it is just battle of the wills to get through a lesson. 

On top of teaching struggles, math can also be a TON of work for homeschool parents. First, there’s planning out your lessons for the year and daily introducing new concepts. Then, there’s answering questions throughout the assignment. Next, there’s correcting your child’s work.  After your student makes the needed redos, you re-correct their work. Finally, you mark down their grade in the record book when their work is done.

And if you have more than one student, you’ll repeat that process multiple times.

It’s no wonder math quickly falls out of favor in homeschool- it’s exhausting!

BUT… what if I told you there is a math curriculum that:

✅ engages students with color and sound
✅ provides hints to set students up for success
✅ praises correct answers
✅ encourages students when they make mistakes
✅ teaches the lesson
✅ corrects the lesson
✅ records all your student’s grades

Does it all sound too good to be true? It’s NOT! 

In our latest video I share our favorite math curriculum- Teaching Textbooks 4.0. This curriculum was a game changer for our homeschool experience and I look forward to sharing it with you in this week!

Have a favorite math curriculum? I’d love to hear about it! Let us know your favorites in the comments below!

Keep Doing Life Deliberately!

Trisha

Advertisement

In the past year, more students have been educating at home than ever before. But is school-at-home the same as homeschooling?

Talk to any veteran homeschool family and they will be very quick to tell you that the experience of virtually educating children from home is NOT the same as homeschooling your children.  In today’s video, I help clarify the differences between a genuine homeschool experience and executing online classes from home.

You may find yourself wondering WHY the difference between homeschool and virtual education matters.  Many families have fought hard over the past several decades to increase and maintain parental rights from state to state, specifically in the area of home education.  While government oversight of homeschool varies greatly from state to state, those actively involved in lobbying for increased homeschool freedoms continue to advocate for a strong differentiation and separation between homeschool and virtual learning.  Genuine home education is overseen and guided by parents or guardians to fulfill the specific needs of their children.  Virtual learning is dictated by government regulations and overseen by public or private school teachers.

Watch my latest video to learn more about the distinctions between homeschool and virtual, online learning.

Need a Homeschool Assist? Check out AOP’s Monarch Curriculum for the Win!

If you are looking for a quality online, self-paced homeschool curriculum that schedules, teaches, corrects AND record-keeps, Alpha Omega Publishing’s Monarch Curriculum is worth a serious look! Check out our latest video for a full curriculum review:

Teaching Textbooks Curriculum Review and Giveaway: Don’t Miss This!!

Teaching math can be complicated and frustrating.  Math isn’t everybody’s jam, but no one should have to suffer through it!  That’s why we LOVE Teaching Textbooks!!  This online curriculum makes math fun to learn and simple to teach.  And the only thing better than using a fun math curriculum is using a FREE, fun math curriculum!!

In our latest video, I give a curriculum review of Teaching Textbooks 3.0 and tell you how you can WIN a subscription to Teaching Textbooks 3.0- any level of your choice.

Homeschool Curriculum Review: Apologia’s Exploring Creation With Science

Learning science is exciting and enjoyable when you find the right science curriculum for your family.  We used Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Science for six years and are so excited to share our experience with you! Enjoy!

How To Afford Homeschool Curriculum

I am SO thankful that we have the ability to choose homeschool as a way to educate our children. I am deeply grateful to have this freedom. Homeschool regulations vary from state to state- some being highly regulated, while others are not regulated at all. I live in a state with minimal regulations, and again, I am very thankful to have the freedom to educate our children how we see fit.

However, one of the downsides of being able to choose your curriculum, is that you have to pay for your curriculum.

Wah, wah, wah.

Anyone who has spent even a small amount of time shopping for homeschool curriculum knows that the bottom line can add up fast. So today I’d like to give you some ideas and resources to help you budget and save money on those books, computer programs, technology and enrichment programs.

• Literally reserve money in your monthly budget to go toward homeschool curriculum and activities.
• If you expect to receive a tax refund, set aside a percentage and put it towards homeschool needs.
• Use websites such as Half.com, Amazon.com, and Bookfinder.com to search out gently used homeschool materials. This can save you a great deal of money.
• Check out Homeschoolclassifieds.com for a huge listing of homeschool curriculum. This website also lists local homeschool groups and co-ops across the nation, as well as homeschool events.
• Shop local homeschool used book sales!! If you are not aware of homeschool groups in your area, go to homeschoolclassifieds.com or HSLDA, and you should be able to find the homeschool groups closest to you.
• Sell your old curriculum on the above used book sites or at a local homeschool used book sale to make money for the coming year’s curriculum and homeschool needs. And BONUS, it cuts down on the clutter in your home! Yay!
• Join local Facebook groups and put out a request from the other parents to see if someone will loan or sell you the used books you need.
• Collaborate with a friend who is using the same curriculum. Perhaps you can purchase alternate years of curriculum and swap the following year!
• Use the local library to check out books or Overdrive to check out ebooks.
• Use the Bible as your curriculum! Karen DeBeus at Simply Living for Him is an author and speaker who shares how her family did this and how it impacted them. Though I have not tried this method, I must admit it sounds intriguing and would certainly cut back curriculum expenses (however, that was NOT her primary purpose in studying exclusively out of God’s Word).
• Shop curriculum fairs at homeschool conferences! I am always able to find great deals and discounts on homeschool materials when we attend annually.
• Reuse materials! I do not permit my children to write in their textbooks, unless I deem it more cost effective to buy a consumable book than to make copies. My children will write out their math problems on a piece of notebook paper, write their papers on notebook paper and store it in a binder (which we also reuse, if they are in good enough shape), and so on. This way, textbooks can be passed down to siblings and reused when possible.

Well, there you have it! I hope that you find something useful in there to help you save up for curriculum or cut down the cost of curriculum. If you have other tips and tricks for saving money for homeschool curriculum and activities, PLEASE SHARE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!! We want to hear from you and learn from you, so don’t be shy!!

Until next time, keep Doing Life Deliberately,

Trisha