Math Mammoth Review and Co-op Order

Having been homeschooling for over 10 years, we have tried a lot of curriculums. For math, we have primarily used Miquon, Singapore, and Math Mammoth for the elementary years. I like each one for different reasons and switch back and forth when we have issues with the one we have been working in. My favorite is Math Mammoth. I love that I can order it online, download it immediately, and print off only what I need. You can get individual topics or whole grade levels. Maria Miller, the author, has also created videos that help you teach the concepts.

Math Mammoth offers affordable, yet quality math worktexts and workbooks for grades 1-8, available as both downloads and printed books. These books concentrate on conceptual understanding and are strong in mental math. The directions in the worktexts are written directly to the student, and are often self-teaching, thus requiring little preparation and involvement from the teacher. 

- MathMammoth.com

For my review, I'm looking over our Addition 1 worktext that I bought for IB last year. It covers sums with #5-10, missing addend problems, word problems, and adding on a number line. It includes an introduction explaining how to use the book and ideas for memorization, games for teaching and reinforcing the concepts, and links to math game websites. Many lessons begin with an explanation and illustrations of the concept, then progresses to having the student draw their own pictures to solve the problems. I also used our own manipulatives (wooden cubes) to help him understand the concepts. Some children may need more practice than is included in each lesson, as the goal is mastery. You can find worksheets at Math Mammoth, create your own, or find them online. 

While you can order printed copies or the ebook on CD, I prefer to download and print them myself. Once I have downloaded an ebook, I save it to a CD in case my computer crashes. If we only need specific sections of a topic or grade level worktext, I print it off as needed. If we are using the whole worktext, I print it off, hole-punch it, and put it in a folder or binder. The other great thing about downloading it is that, although it is consumable, you will be able to use it for each child and not have to purchase any more. So far, I have only purchased individual topics from the Blue series.

If you are interested in ordering Math Mammoth, you can purchase the whole Blue or Light Blue series for 50% off through the Homeschool Buyers Co-op. I'm getting the Light Blue series, which is a complete curriculum for grades 1-6 for only $64. Hurry, the deadline is 03-31-11! And in case you were wondering, the Homeschool Buyers Co-op is free to join. Check it out!