CHER carries several quality math programs to help you teach your child well. But which one is the best for your child? They all come highly recommended by other home school families. So which to choose? Remember, what works for another family, or even another child in your family, may or may not, be the right fit for this child. And it has to work for Mom as well.

Some programs are very teacher directed, with teacher manuals that tell Mom what to think, do and say. Some have the teacher's notes included in the text for student direction. Some are colorful, others black & white. Some are very hands on, with lots of manipulatives, others rely on workbooks to explain the concepts well. Some use a story approach to explain concepts, others use just the facts.

Educational philosophies differ as well. When do you start certain concepts? How do you introduce them? Do you include manipulatives? Are workbooks a necessary tool? Do you need a teacher's manual to teach the course?

So what Math Curriculum is right for your child?

 

 

Math Lessons for a Living Education 

Instead of leaving Math as a subject all on its own, Math for a Living Educationuses stories to incorporate all the other subjects in a more natural way. Just like in real life, Angela O'Dell has shown us math can not only be interesting, but it can be more of what Charlotte Mason refers to as a living math book.

Available for grades K through grade 6, Math for a Living Education is now in a user friendly format that is sure to please many learning styles, especially that literary minded child who enjoys a story.

 

Singapore Math - Equip Students with a Strong Foundation

 

The Primary Mathematics Standards Edition is a series of elementary math textbooks and workbooks from the publishers of Singapore's successful Primary Mathematics series. The program aims to equip students with sound concept development, critical thinking and efficient problem-solving skills.

 

The Primary Mathematics Standards Edition 1A-5B is ideal for both classroom and home use for 1st - 5th grades. This series is an adaptation of Primary Mathematics U.S. edition, the most popular (Singapore Math) primary math series used by schools and homeschoolers in the U.S. and Canada. Each textbook is used in conjunction with a workbook. Also available are optional Extra Practice books and Tests books.

This series is recommended for those who want a solid, basic math program with a proven track record and an emphasis on concept development, mental techniques, and problem solving, along with a program that covers all the California state standards for each grade level. The books include added units on probability and data analysis primarily, as well as negative numbers and coordinate graphs, concepts not covered normally until secondary levels in Singapore and not covered in the Primary Mathematics U.S. Edition. This series also provides more re-teaching of material from earlier levels and more frequent review and is therefore recommended for students new to Primary Math but not starting at the beginning. This is primarily a direct instruction program. Students are given several approaches for solving problems and are encouraged to discuss ideas and explore additional methods.

 Looking for other editions of Singapore Math? CHER carries them too! Here are some links to other Singapore Math editions: Dimension Math ®, Singapore Math US Edition, Singapore Math CC Edition, and Singapore Math 2022 Edition.

 

 

 

Horizons Math - Brightly Illustrated, Engaging Workbook Curriculum

Looking for colourful, incremental workbooks to capture your child's attention?

Combine hands on learning with 2 colourful, well planned student Horizons Math workbooks, add a comprehensive, easy to use teacher's guide and you have Alpha Omega's Horizons Mathematics program for grades K through 8. Teacher's manual includes clearly laid out daily lesson plans, readiness tests, scope and sequence, list of manipulatives needed, answer keys, and extra worksheets. Lesson plans list concepts, objectives, teaching tips, materials, supplies and equipment activities, and worksheets needed for each lesson. Lesson plans are presented on a two page spread to make presentation not so overwhelming for the beginning teacher/parent yet well laid out for the experienced teacher. Horizons Math incorporates a detailed concept introduction, development, and review cycle.

 

 

Saxon Math HomeSchool Edition

Results, not methodology, should be the basis of curriculum decisions. Results matter.  

- John Saxon - Co-Author of the Saxon Math Series

Saxon Math has long been the favourite homeschool math program for grades 4 and up. Brenda used it with great success with her own 3 children and homeschool families have told us over and over again how much they love Saxon Math. Saxon's continual and incremental practice provides your child with the opportunity to learn and remember the foundational skills and concepts of mathematics.

Saxon Math for Grades...                                                          (MORE)  

 

 

Life of Fred Math ... as serious as it needs to be

So, you think math is boring and there is nothing much anyone can do to make it "un-boring"?

You think the average person can't really ever understand math, and "Who needs it?" if you have a calculator in hand!

 

Think Again!!

 

Life of Fred is a unique math program that is presented in a story format. Engaging, humorous, but always teaching math and life principles in such a way that children are eager for the next lesson.

 

CHER's biggest, and only problem with the Life of Fred series is that the kids keep reading ahead!

Some families are using Life of Fred as their full curriculum, while others are adding Life of Fred to their current math program in order to enrich their math lessons and make math more enjoyable.

 

Life of Fred begins with Life of Fred Apples and continues to Statistics and Trigonometry.

 

 

Apologia Exploring Creation with Mathematics

Apologia Exploring Creation with Mathematics, is a curriculum that makes common, age-appropriate, everyday connections so that students have the strong foundations that are crucial if a student is going to achieve success not only in higher levels of mathematics but also in life. Exploring Creation with Mathematics, was designed to encourage your child to dive into a joyous journey of discovering new things about the world and its Creator. This hands-on, interactive curriculum also encourages your child to ponder creation on a new level. Why does mathematics work? Right from the start, the tone in Exploring Creation with Mathematics courses lets students know that they are going to study math as a tool to help them understand their unique place in all the universe. Every unit begins with a “Seeing Our Creator” section that places the concepts coming up in their proper place – back with our Creator.

 

Apologia Exploring Creation with Mathematics uses a well researched progression that moves children through the Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract method of teaching and learning to mastery. Author Kathryn Gomes has made this a fun curriculum that uses household items for manipulatives. Included in the beginning of each chapter is a short devotional.

 

Apologia Exploring Creation with Mathematics is currently available for grades 1 through 4. Watch for more levels to come!

Mathematical Reasoning - by Critical Thinking Press

Complete Curriculum or Supplemental Resource

 

Mathematical Reasoning™ helps children devise strategies to solve a wide variety of math problems. These highly effective activities take children far beyond drill-and-practice by using step-by-step, discussion-based problem-solving to develop a conceptual bridge between computation and the reasoning required for upper-level math. Activities and units spiral slowly, allowing children to become comfortable with concepts but also challenging them to continue building their math skills.

Jump Math - New Canadian Edition for Grades K to 6

Jump Math's goal is no matter where your child is starting from in math, JUMP Math can help them master it – and learn to love it. Their approach is based on the science of how children learn, so your child should achieve success in understanding math, and gain the self-confidence that they can do anything in life.

 

JUMP Math’s resources and approach to math instruction are designed for and mainly used by teachers in classrooms, but many home school families have used them with great success. Jump Math is aligned with math curricula in BC, AB, SK, MB and ON.

Jump Math is also available for grades 7 & 9 and French Jump Math for Grades to 6

Math Manipulatives

So what are Math Manipulatives? Any time you use an object to help solidify a Math concept, you are using Math manipulatives. For example, if a child is learning how to count, you can count toys, buttons, fingers, pennies (if you have any saved up in a jar), rocks, and my favourite - gummy bears (you can eat them after the lesson!). You can also count each stair going up and try counting backwards going down. Board games that count, like snakes and ladders reinforce counting, Cribbage is great for addition facts. All these, and more, are Math manipulatives.

 

CHER has some great math manipulatives that can help your child understand math concepts. Base Ten Blocks, Pattern Blocks, Fraction Equivalancy Cubes, Hundred Charts, Balances, Clocks and Mathlink Cubes are just a few of the resources that could make learning math concepts easier. These, and many more, are available on our website.