Homeschool Math

Homeschool math is not difficult to teach with the right resources. A good program will teach the basics and help students see the relevance through real-world application. If the homeschool program that is chosen does not have extended programs, fieldtrips involving math would work wonders for helping your child make the connection between what they are learning and how it can be used in their own lives.

Choose a program that spans K-12 if possible. That's one of the benefits of homeschooling your child. It is possible to choose a program that will provide consistency. Your child can learn the format of the system instead of relearning the structure of math textbooks and workbooks daily. Choose a program with systematic directions. Oftentimes parents have trouble teaching lessons from math that they learned more than a decade ago. Of course, the system should have a guide with the answers and teaching strategies to help. Understand that not every program works for every child. Just because the teacher may use one primary program, it is definitely more pleasurable to turn everyday problems into math teaching lessons. Some math homeschool programs include:

• Saxon Math is organized into primary, intermediate, middle grades and secondary. Saxon math is a complete homeschool math program with transcripts, so teachers know what to say and how to best teach the lessons. The program has hands-on lessons that teach the foundations and includes practice lessons and extensions. There are also real-word problems that are built into the lessons, making it easy to turn abstract concepts into concrete applications.
• Math U See uses manipulatives and videos to teach students. This program is great for students who are visual (they learn by seeing) and tactile learners (they learn by touch). The program runs from first through twelfth grade.

Extended lessons may be projects or field trips that incorporate what the student has learned. Use every day items around the house as extended lessons. For example, for a lesson on counting money, open a store and allow the child to buy treats. The child can then act as the sales person, selling you the treat. The point of the lesson is to teach the child how to count money and to subtract from larger amounts to make change. Use some of the examples in the purchased curriculum to help. The best extended lessons in math include: child manipulating objects, counting money, measuring, throwing objects, counting, and measuring distances. Get the child moving. When possible, get the child out of the house for extended lessons. Take the child to an airport for a lesson on distance and time or on chart reading. Use real street signs to teach lessons on shapes and Geometry. There are thousands of math lessons everywhere. Just look around and write ideas down. Keep a journal of possible math extended lessons by the topic so that they will be easily found when needed.

Math support groups can enrich the math experience if you know how to go about finding a homeschool support group. Children can network with other children who are studying the same topic. It is also great to have a resource for help in teaching unfamiliar topics, brainstorming, or organization field trips. For almost immediate live help, in solving problems or providing extra practice, parents or children can contact an online tutor through companies like Tutor.com, which provide online support with a live tutor. Other online tutoring companies include:

• Tutor and Mentor
• E-tutor.com

Finally, find a homeschool forum or a local support group by searching the homeschool e-mail list by state. Meet other homeschoolers by inquiring at local school supply stores that sell products to teachers and homeschoolers.

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