Math has always been somewhat of a struggle for my first born.  This year we started pre-algebra using a different curriculum and it just wasn’t going so well.  She had a hard time grasping the concepts no matter which angle we tried, and we tried everything!  Supplementing with other programs, watching youtube videos, nothing seemed to help.

I was very excited to have the opportunity to review Math-U-See with the Schoolhouse Review Crew the past few weeks.  I’ve been wanting to put my hands on this material and check it out, so this was the perfect opportunity.  We packed away my daughter’s current curriculum so we could focus completely on Demme Learning’s Math-U-See Pre-Algebra Digital Packs.  We were so glad we did.

Math-U-See is a hands on math program that utilizes math manipulatives and has instructional videos for children and their parents to watch together.  Steve Demme has a passion for helping people understand difficult concepts and a desire to promote a lifelong love of learning.  He created Math-U-See over 20 years ago!

Math-U-See is now offering an enhanced version of their Instruction Packs online!  With the Digital Packs, you can purchase a 12 month subscription to access to streaming instruction videos and Instruction Manual PDFs, accessible through any internet browser, plus an online version of the Digital Manipulatives.  Math-U-See is perfect for on the go learning.

Other free online and downloadable resources are included with each level, as appropriate.  It’s important to note that the Digital Packs do not include workbooks.

Math-U-See Pre-Algebra covers the following concepts:

• Negative Numbers: Addition
• Negative Numbers: Subtraction
• Negative Numbers: Multiplication
• Negative Numbers: Division
• Whole Numbers
• Integers
• Number Line
• Exponents
• Place Value
• Expanded and Exponential Notation

The Digital Pack features 30 lessons and an introductory lesson where the teacher fully explains the concepts and provides sample problems.

Pre-Algebra Digital Pack includes:

• 12-month access to Pre-Algebra streaming instruction videos
• Instruction Manual PDF
• Lesson solutions
• Skip Count Songs MP3s and Songbook PDFs
• 12-month access to digital manipulatives, using Chrome or Safari browsers

In just the few short weeks that we have been using Math-U-See, I have been watching my daughter gain more confidence in math.  The lightbulb is now on, so to speak.  I remember a day that she was watching one of the Digital Packs online and suddenly things clicked!  No matter how many times I had explained it before, she just didn’t quite grasp the reasoning and such of what we were doing.

With the Digital Pack and the Math-U-See Manipulatives, she finally understood the why!  This program is wonderful for more visual or tactile learners like my daughter.

 

I asked my daughter what she thought about this Pre-Algebra program and his response floored me.  “It’s easy, Mom”.  It’s Easy.  For a child who struggled with math and “hated” math.  It’s Easy.  Things are clicking and I couldn’t be more happy!

We have actually officially switched her over now to Math-U-See and I’m exploring it for our other children as well.  Who knew math could be understood so easily using blocks and manipulatives!  It’s a winner in my book, for sure!

You can find out more about Math-U-See on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. You can also click the banner below to read more reviews on Math-U-See on other levels.

In our homeschool, we always incorporate Bible studies and opportunities to further learning on topics of the Bible.  Coming up soon in the calendar year is the joyous resurrection of Christ!  Knowing that Easter is coming, we have been working through Grapevine Studies Resurrection – Student with the bigger kids and are using the Resurrection – Student Traceable with my younger girls.  This is another great product that we are checking out with the Old Schoolhouse Review Crew.

 

       

 

I am loving the concept of Grapevine Studies.  Grapevine Studies presents a program where you can “Stick Figure Through the Bible”.  Children are encouraged to draw to grasp the subject and no professional drawing is needed!  Stick figures are encouraged!  That works great for me because I’m probably the world’s worst artist!

Through the Resurrection study, my children went back to the last week of Jesus’ walk here on Earth.  Through this 11 week study (or 22 daily lessons if you prefer),  the kids start with The Last Supper and continue on through the crucifixion.  Then of course it continues to the Resurrection.  These studies take only about 15-20 minutes a day and are perfect for homeschool, Sunday School, or just extra learning on the subject.

With these studies, you have the option to purchase the physical copy or the download version.  Normally I prefer the physical copy, but when I plan to use something with multiple children, the download works best.  This is when I really appreciate having a HP Instant Ink subscription!

After we printed out our studies, I read through the teacher’s manual so I could know what I was doing and how to best present the material.  Students study each lesson by reading passages from the Bible and drawing each section of Scripture using stick figuring.  Stick figuring is using stick figures, symbols, colors, charts, and words to illustrate each Bible passage.  The teacher’s manual shows simple stick figures that you can use as a guide if your children get stuck and aren’t sure how to illustrate a particular section.  I really appreciated the notes and read-aloud verses in each section.

My kids really took right to the lessons.  We were able to sit down as a family and work on each part of The Resurrection.  Everyone, except the baby of course, was able to follow along and have a better understanding of the Resurrection after this study.  My kids are ages 5-12 for reference.  Above, you can see my 6 year olden my 9 year old working on their separate level of studies.  I found that each level was very age appropriate according to the guidelines on the website.

I have been very pleased with the Grapevine Studies and will most likely purchase others to use in the coming months and years of our homeschool.  Other studies available on their website include Esther, Birth of Jesus, Joseph, Ruth, Moses and the Exodus, and more.  I am thankful to have been given an opportunity to try these studies first hand.

For more information, visit the Grapevine Studies website.  You can also find Grapevine Studies on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

 

For the past few weeks, my children and I have been reviewing the Yearly Membership at SchoolhouseTeachers.com.  SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an excellent resource for homeschooling families with over 200 courses from preschool through grade 12.  With the low monthly fee, you get access to all of the courses for your entire family, no matter the size!  Perfect for our large(r) family!

Once you are logged in to SchoolhouseTeachers.com, the best place to start on the site for a new member is the New Members Hub.  From there you will be brought to a page where you can start looking for courses.  The courses are divided up into Preschool/Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and High School.  Click on the category that you are looking for and then you’ll have an abundance of courses to choose from!  One you decide which courses to take, just click and you’re there!

Once I was logged in, I was overwhelmed at all the classes that were available!  So many choices and so little time!  I narrowed it down by choosing which child I wanted to find a course for first.  I went with my preschooler.  I decided to use the Beginning Handwriting course with my almost 5 year old daughter since she’s been wanting to do more school with the “big kids”.  This was the perfect way to ease into it without buying lots of extra workbooks.  Everything was clickable and easy from there.  The lesson plans come with an introduction to the course and show you exactly what to print and even tips on how to teach.  I loved seeing all the helpful hints and having everything accessible at the simple click of a button.  In this particular course, each lesson is work for about a week.  The activities combined fun and learning all together to make it exciting for my daughter.

After we got her settled, I decided to go to my oldest and check out the middle school lessons!  Holy smokes!  They offer classes for Art, Bible, Computer and Technology, Drama and Speech, Electives, Foreign Languages, History, Geography, Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, Music, Nutrition, Health, Fitness, and Science!  We ended up deciding on Math since she could use a little extra encouragement in that subject.  More specifically, we went with Pre-Algebra.  We actually skipped ahead to what she is currently working on in her math book, which is percents.  It had simple explanations that we easy to understand and some problems to work on.  It was a great supplement to our current curriculum.  In this case, I don’t think I would use this particular course as a stand alone, but am definitely going to use it as a supplement.

My final thoughts is that SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an excellent program to supplement homeschooling.  Although it may be hard to narrow down your selections on courses, the fact that there are so many to choose from make it a fantastic resource.

I am now a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew and as such I’ll be brining you more homeschool information and reviews over the next year!  I think many of you will really enjoy this addition to MommyOctopus.com.

Since I’m a crew member, I have an exclusive code for you guys!  New members can use code CREWFOLLOWER on SchoolhouseTeachers.com through 1/31/2016 to save 50% off a year’s membership!  That’s quite the deal!  A year membership is $139, so only $69.50 after the code!  For more information, head on over to SchoolhouseTeachers.com and check it out!