Math Mammoth- A Review

Math is my nemesis! It is not something that comes easy to me. Needless to say, I love getting to try new math programs that might help me to teach my boys. Recently, we were given the opportunity to review the Blue Series by Math Mammoth. Popper had been asking to learn about Money, and of course, with Brother Bear's love of numbers, we couldn't pass up the Addition 1. 



We received the downloadable Money and Addition 1 workbooks. I printed off both. I will say, if you choose money, sometimes the money is hard to determine which is which in black and white. Since I cannot print in color, I found some great paper money manipulatives for a dollar that helped to remedy these situations! 

The boys loved their new math books! They actually asked to do math more than once over the last 5 weeks. I loved that it had simple instructions and that the boys could be independent learners (for the majority of it). This really allowed me to be able to focus on all 3 kiddos learning something different.

I love the many faces of Brother Bear in this collage! He was learning about the different ways to get 5 as an answer when adding. In the bottom right picture, he just exclaimed, "Momma, they are all 5!" It was a priceless moment to see that light bulb go off and him to 'get it!'

Addition 1 teaches the sums of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. It also teaches missing number problems, word problems, and adding on a number line (which is what works best for both of my boys). This book builds on itself throughout. Brother Bear was able to move through the book with ease, working independently. He loved that he could do it all by himself! 

Popper was the one who had originally requested something to help him learn about money. The Money workbook teaches counting coins, counting and making change, dollar amounts, mental math, and solving simple money problems. This book has really helped light a fire in him. He has started counting money all the time. He is starting to save for a new Lego set and this helped him to understand just how much he was going to need to buy it!

We hit a wall of sorts one day when we were learning about making change. Both of us near tears, I pulled out the printed out workbook. I found a section in the beginning labeled "Helpful Resources on the Internet." LIFESAVER!!! Together we found a website that focused on making change. It helped explain it in a way that Popper could understand and he took off! He spent over 30 minutes on the site simply 'making change' for pretend purchases. Now he is able to know how much change he should get back when he uses his own money to pay for something!

We are still working through this one. I chose to move at a slower pace with Popper. He is really interested in learning all about money, but at times can get overwhelmed. I am alternating between workbook pages and Internet resources. My goal is to not rush, but to continue to stoke the fire that has been lit!

I am so thankful that I found this resource for our family. Math Mammoth also has the Light Blue Series, which is a complete full curriculum for each grade, which may be helpful to some of you. However, because we are more interest led learning, the Blue Series is perfect for us!It has 46 books that cover specific topics. I love that it can be custom to what my kiddos are wanting or needing to learn about without all the extra.

You can connect with Math Mammoth online: Facebook Google+ YouTube We really enjoyed this one and I am pretty sure the other Crew members felt the same way! You can read which Math Mammoth product, both Blue and Light Blue Series, they used and how they used it by clicking the link below: