Year 8, Week 6: Avast ye, it's Math!

     This week was a bit busier than usual.  We had a lot going on, some of it was preparation for a few things that aren't normally on our schedule.  Luckily, I've padded our schedule to accommodate for such times. This week a lot of my time was spent helping my son with reading comprehension.  With his syndrome it's hard for him to see the answer when it's not obvious.  Last year when I used Wordly Wise with him a lot of the answers in the readings were direct but this year not so much.  I know this is because when he was in the special day class of his public school most all of the reading and comprehension lessons were laid out so that the answers could be easily found.  This was part of the reason we decided to homeschool him; he wasn't prepared for the junior high work requiring him to make inferences when necessary, even with all the support they were providing.  I find myself spending more time with him, getting him to re-read a lot of the short paragraphs and teaching him how to draw conclusions.  He's making progress slowly but surely, but that's one of the benefits of homeschooling.  I can take my time and make sure there's a real understanding and not just "check, that's done" and move on.  That was just a part of my busy week.  I can't even remember all the details, it was such speedy blur!

     Last week I wrote about my favorite subject.  This week, well...let me be honest, it's my least favorite, sort of.  Really, I'm just lazy when it comes to math.  I love words.  I love art and creativity.  I love history.  The only math I like is when I'm measuring ingredients for a cake I'm baking.  I like math when working with our budget.  I'm good at it, it's just low on my list!  This is where The Principal comes in.  He is the Math Whiz.  I call him my "Walking Calculator".  I don't even need to pull out my phone!

     We've used Singapore Math with Little Toughie from the very beginning.  It's my understanding that the Common Core Math you see these days was supposed to be a version of Singapore Math (but gone wrong).  I can tell you that my daughter, having used Singapore, can do most of the math in her head, much like her dad.  So, when I'm baking and I need a fraction multiplied or divided and The Principal isn't around, guess who I'm asking?  Little Toughie!

Little Toughie doing math on my lap!

     It's a little different with my son.  When I first started homeschooling him I wasn't sure what math to use.  I signed him up for CTC Math, an online program which he and I actually enjoyed.  However, at the time, he'd get distracted being on the computer and I couldn't tell how he was doing (it was a fairly new program that has since been updated and is much user friendly now.)  I eventually settled on Teaching Textbooks (which originally was a computer CD program, but I think they're moving to an online platform too.)  It came with the textbook and workbook, so at first he would listen to/watch the lesson in the program and then I'd have him do the work directly in the workbook to limit his time on the computer.  At some point, he was able to get the computer distraction under control (sort of) and that's when I let him do all his work using the the CDs.  This year I wanted to focus more on math for life skills so I purchased a Life of Fred Financial Choices book.  He's also finishing up his last Pre-Algebra Teaching Textbooks program, which I decided he could take as long as he needed to complete.  Progress!

     There are A LOT of math products out there.  I know a few parents whose kids couldn't work with Singapore Math or Teaching Textbooks.  If you're new to homeschooling, try to figure out how best your child learns first. Do they lean more toward auditory learning?  Are they more visual or hands-on?  That could help you narrow it down to math curricula such as Math-U-See or Life of Fred.  It will take some trial and error to figure out what is best, but it's better than having your child get frustrated (or you!)  I sometimes turn to Cathy Duffy for reviews to help narrow my decision.

     On that note, have a great day and don't forget to talk like a pirate!