May 18, 2022 – It All Adds Up: Choosing the Best Math Options for Your Homeschool

Mercy Every Minute

Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor

An Eclectic Approach to Math

God is an orderly God, and numbers and order are important to Him. Math is not just a necessity for life, but also a means of better understanding God’s creation and character. And through math we see His absolute brilliance!

“He tells the number of the stars; he calls them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4,5).

This has been my very eclectic approach when it comes to math resources. Though there are myriads of excellent math products out there, I have settled with the below. I have stuck to this plan for well over twenty-five years for all eight children, but changed it up according to their abilities:

PreK – Kindergarten

Christ Centered Curriculum: Math (3. Math Archives – Christ Centered Curriculum)

First – Third Grades

Horizons Math 1, 2, and 3 (placement tests and products here: Horizons Math Homeschool Curriculum – Christianbook.com)
Calculadders for addition mastery (School Made Simple™ – CalcuLadder Math Drills),
Wraps-ups (https://learningwrapups.com/category/basic-math-wrap-ups)
and Times Tales (https://www.timestales.com/) for multiplication

Fourth Grade

Saxon 54 if ready (placement test can be found here: SXHS_PLT.indd (christianbook.com)
OR
Horizons Math 4

Fifth Grade

Saxon 65

Sixth Grade

Saxon 76

Seventh Grade

Saxon 87
OR
Teaching Textbooks 7^th grade (TT placement tests found here: https://www.teachingtextbooks.com/placement )
OR
Developmental Math (placement tests found here: https://www.rainbowresource.com/product/037736/Developmental-Math-Test-Pack.html)

Eighth Grade

Saxon Algebra ½ (with D.I.V.E. CDs)
OR
Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra (with CDs)

Tenth Grade

Saxon Algebra 1
OR
Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1

Eleventh Grade

Saxon, Teaching Textbooks
or CTC Math Geometry
or dual enrollment in college math based on college assessment test

Twelfth Grade

Saxon or Teaching Textbooks Algebra 2
or Consumer/Business Math
or dual enrollment in college math

Note: If a child is decidedly a block learner (can only learn one concept at a time until mastery) and cannot do the spiral learning of a program like Saxon (learning new concepts while reintroducing old concepts each lesson), you may want to try a program like Developmental Math which covers one subject at a time for mastery. CTCMath is also an option. CTCMath and Teaching Textbooks also provide audio explanations of main topics and/or math problems.

Whenever a child needs more help, I switch them to one of these above, or direct them to www.virtualnerd.com for a particular problem/concept. We also keep them learning through summer or when on the road with Spectrum Math workbooks.

One day at a time, one year at a time, your child will make math progress. If tears are flowing (from either you or your child!) it may be time to take a little math break, re-evaluate your math choices, and pray for wisdom. Through prayer and practical help, you can do this one more day!

~Deborah

For more ideas on how to teach math, check out these articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine:

The Math Brain: How High Will You Go by Kirsten West
Math for Math’s Sake by Lindy Abbott
Ready for Math by Pat Wesolowski

A World Without Math?

Look at your hand. Wiggle your fingers. God gave us fingers for holding, grasping, touching—and counting! As a number-teaching tool for toddlers, those two sets of five digits are hard to beat. You can see them, feel them, move them, and take them with you everywhere you go.

Our world would be very different today if no one had ever advanced beyond finger counting. Civilization is built on math. Everything from flipping on a light switch to navigating with GPS to making a phone call is made possible by math.

Columbus, Magellan, and other explorers could not have navigated the oceans without math. Neil Armstrong would never have stepped onto the moon without math. (He wouldn’t have made it back home either.)

Our students might complain about the hard work of learning math, reasoning, “Why do I need math? I’ll never work for NASA and help send someone to space.”

That may be true, but it is also true that using math helps us function well as adults with adult responsibilities. Whether on the job or at home, we use math in buying, selling, investing, building, planning, and more.

Math is a gift from God, and the ability to understand and apply it to our lives is His gift too.

Christian Light Sunrise Math for Grades 1-9 relates math to everyday life and makes it practical . . . and doable. Concepts are introduced in small incremental steps and reviewed continuously. New concepts are taught through the student’s daily work to enable independent learning, especially after Grade 2.

Visit www.christianlight.org/homeschool to request your free catalog or to view sample pages from workbooks and teacher’s guides.

Chemistry is a course that needs a teacher. ChemExplained has one! 100+ hours of instruction. Try Chapter 1 for FREE at: https://chemexplained.com.

Todd Wilson

Familyman Ministries

Choose YOUR Kind of Math

I’m not a math guy. Whenever I see a bunch of numbers all lined up, my vision clouds, and my tongue swells. Now that doesn’t mean I’m totally inept. I can count pretty high and get by with your basic math skills. But don’t ask me to do algebra or anything that involves the Pythagorean Theorem. I can’t do it! And I still have flashbacks to my sophomore year in high school, looking up into the depressed face of my battle-weary algebra teacher as I explained why I did what I did to a certain story problem.

So here’s my theory on math: people who can do math can do math. People who can’t . . . can’t. Now don’t send me mean, nasty, math-loving letters. I just don’t believe that most kids will use the higher math that we assume we have to teach them (and a lot of other stuff for that matter).

Children who love math may end up doing something math-related, but those who don’t probably won’t, and that’s okay.

Now the issue comes up, what if you’re a math-hater but need to teach your children math? What are you to do? My answer: just do the best you can (or involve your husband or a program that teaches it for you) and then don’t sweat what you can’t do. Teach them the basics; remember your goals; and see if any math-lovers arise in your students. Then let them go. If they’ve been created to do math . . . they will do math.

Now to all you math lovers, you have no idea what I’m talking about. You love math, after all. But remember this, not all your children will love math. Don’t try to make a math-hater into a math-lover; it probably won’t work. You’ll only frustrate yourself . . . and your child.

So with all that said, enjoy the gifts God has given you; accept the fact that he hasn’t given you others; and love your children.

Be Real,
Todd

About the author

Todd Wilson is a husband, dad, grandpa, writer, homeschool conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker all across the country and a guest on Focus on the Family. As founder of The Familyman and The Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind moms and dads of what’s most important through weekly emails, podcasts, seminars, and books that encourage parents. Todd, and his wife Debbie, homeschool four of their eight children (the other four are homeschool graduates) in northern Indiana and travel America in the Familyman Mobile. You can read more at www.familymanweb.com.

Jodi Riddle

Pillar of Hope
Jodi Riddle – Finding an Answer

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 that we should be ready always to give an answer for the hope that is in us. Hope is a certain expectation of something obtainable. We can know the outcome for sure. It’s crystal clear.

Math problems are also something in this life that will always have an answer. There can sometimes be more than one way to achieve that answer, but there will only be one correct answer. We can be certain that answers in math will not change.

Other things are not so certain. Choosing options for your homeschooling needs can be one of them. Consider the needs of your student. What kind of learner are they? Do they need many practice problems or just a few? How is their attention span? Consider this when choosing what is right for them. Don’t feel that you have to follow a certain curriculum or stay with the same thing once you’ve started if your child is struggling. Hoping you choose the correct curriculum is not always as certain as the actual math problem, but you can find an answer for your needs.

About the author

Jodi started her journey with TOS in April 2016 and serves as the Operations Manager. She and her husband, Duane, have been married over 30 years and have spent over 20 years in the ministry. Along with being a pastor’s wife, she homeschooled her 3 (now grown) sons for 18 years and also taught in the private and public-school settings. Jodi enjoys teaching, playing the piano, and making cards. Her heart’s desire is to serve others and use her gifts to glorify the Lord.

Looking for a great math supplement? Try Algebra for Kids from SchoolhouseTeachers.com! This short worksheet-based course teaches students the skip-counting method, which will help with multiplication and division functions. Use it with your existing math program, and you will see the benefits for years to come!