Math-U-Do & Best Homework Picture Ever!

written by
ethan
at November 11, 2009

I was browsing the blogs the other day and saw this picture of Joel doing his math homework. He reminded me of myself when I was his age. My mom would tell me to run around the house repeatedly and time me, I kept trying to beat my fastest time while she was just draining some of my energy. My mom also put up a chalkboard and had me write standing up so I could be moving, as sitting still wasn’t a viable option.

Excerpts from the Kent Kim & Kids Blog.

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Our bouncy, baby Joel grew up and as his Kindergarten teacher/Mother I’ve recently discovered that Joel seems to be kinesthetic learner. I vaguely remember jokingly calling him ‘my satelite’ because while I stand around talking to people, he literally walked in circles around me.

This kid doesn’t need Math-U-See, he needs Math-U-Do! There are great manipulatives and he is learning his math concepts and adding facts really quickly when he can start off my building them in blocks, but writing 0-100?! No way.

[...]

I spent a few hours creating 0-100 color coded cards (in his HWT number font), and voila! Happy kid.

I’m just beginning to unlock the ‘key’ to happy kid Joel’s learning style, but hey!
Happy (learning) kid.

Read the full post.

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This is one of the joys and difficulties of homeschooling. You have the opportunity to adapt your teaching style to your child’s learning style but it takes a lot of work and experimentation. The rewards though are worth it. I’m personally grateful to my parents for figuring out what worked for me and doing it. It wasn’t always perfect but they kept learning right along with me and for that I am very thankful.

in From the Blogs. 0 Comments

Steve Interviewed on Prime Time America

written by
ethan
at October 21, 2009

Steve was recently interviewed by Paul Butler on Moody Radio’s “Prime Time America”

You can listen to Steve’s segment “kids and math” on Paul Butler’s blog.

Despite years of federally funded education initiatives, a recent study by the NAEP reports that our children are still performing poorly in basic mathematics.

Steve Demme is the Founder, President and Author of Math U See. He helps us understand why our kids are struggling and what we can do about it.

In this feature, Mr. Demme mentions the first step in helping our children improve in math is to ascertain what they already know. The Math U See website has a number of competency exams available. Information is available here.

in Math-U-See Highlight. 0 Comments

Math-U-See Student Wins Google SketchUp Contest

written by
ethan
at October 13, 2009

We recently received this email from proud parent and wanted to share it with you.

Dear Steve, one of your students - Matthew Notaro - won the 2009 Google SketchUp Kid’s Digital Design Contest and was honored by the Howe brothers - Popular Science’s 2009 Inventors/Invention of the year.

Your Math program was a direct result to his success.

In 7th grade he got so bogged down by Saxon Math’s overkill review and drill he spent over 2 hours a day per lesson and slid farther and farther behind. We finally listened to some friends and ordered your intro DVD. Math U See’s program fit our family perfectly. We happily “re-taught” Fractions and PreAlgebra.

Because your program teaches math skills in a logical, natural progression without the fluff and overkill drill - he finished Algebra Honors in one semester freeing up valuable time. With that time he toured Howe and Howe Technologies, interviewed with the Howe brothers, spent 160 hours using a CAD program - building the skills needed to win the Google SketchUp competition.

Math U See is directly assisting Matthew in pursuing his dream of becoming a mechanical engineer. God is using Math U See as a ministry for His Kingdom purposes. Thank you for being here.

The Notaro Family Homeschool

links:

Congratulations Matthew!

in Reader Contributions. 0 Comments

I Love U

written by
ethan
at October 1, 2009

A happy mom sent me this the other day and I just had to share it.

This is Cole. He is my 11 year old (6th grade) son. For 4 years we have stressed, cried, and begged the school to help figure out what was going on with him. They kept saying ADHD (surprise!) But after being tested twice he still wasn’t diagnosed ADHA. I started pushing for him to be tested for dyslexia. But, Ky doesn’t do that. I finally had him tested myself and guess what? Momma was right! But KY doesn’t recognize dyslexia as a LD so rather than fight the system I pulled Cole out and began homeschooling. He is a totally different child! He is not angry all the time and I enjoy our time together! When the MUS block came in the mail Cole wanted to play with them but I didn’t have time to work with him (sick baby) After a few minuets he called me into the kitchen and this is what he had made. I nearly cried!

Since he has started with the MUS program. We started with Beta and he is doing 2-3 lessons a day. I hope to have him back on grade level before long.

Thanks for making math so easy!
Jini and Cole

?????? ????? ????

in Reader Contributions. 5 Comments

Great Pre Calculus Testimony

written by
ethan
at August 26, 2009

I was browsing a forum today and someone asked the question “Does home schooling affect a student’s chances of getting into college?” here is one of the responses.

Home schooling most definitely affects a student’s chances of getting into a good university. In most cases, it improves their chances.

Most home school materials and curricula are designed for use by the parent who is not an expert in every subject. I’m taking Pre Calculus this year, and my mom barely got through high school algebra. We use a home school math curriculum called Math U See. It is a manipulative based program that is intended to make abstract math concepts feel concrete and only introduce one new concept at a time, meaning you don’t go on to arc functions if you still don’t understand how to read a trigonometric table or find the sine, cosine, and tangent of a triangle. One step at a time. It comes with DVD lessons that are being conducted by an excellent teacher who is actually teaching a class but is focused on the purpose of teaching the home schooled viewer. It comes with a very clear student work book and test book with a parent/teacher guide that provides an answer key and walks the parents step by step through helping their child understand the lesson. Ever since we started using this program I’ve been doing GREAT in math, and my mom has been learning along with me. She’s doing great too.

It’s fun to run across such great testimonies.

in What people are saying.... 2 Comments

How Does Math-U-See Fit?

written by
ethan
at August 21, 2009

Guest post from Miriam Homer. Miriam has authored several of the Math-U-See books, has been a teacher and is a Pennsylvania homeschool evaluator.

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does it fit?
photo from lillarkie/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Homeschool books and magazines often suggest that you choose curriculum to fit the teaching methods and philosophy you prefer. Did you ever wonder how Math-U-See fits with different methods of homeschooling? Here is an interesting list.

How does Math-U-See fit with the Charlotte Mason approach?

The lessons are short and free of “twaddle.” There are lots of opportunities for hands-on experience, and students are encouraged to “teach back” the concepts to the parent (narration).

How does Math-U-See fit with Classical Homeschooling?

Memorization of facts is encouraged in the early grades, and mastery of concepts required at every level.

How does Math-U-See fit with Traditional  teaching methods?

Concepts are taught on dvd, and workbooks are used for practice and review.

How does Math-U-See fit with a Relaxed or Unschooling approach?

The books are not assigned grade levels, so it is easy for students to work at their own pace or interest level.

How does Math-U-See fit with Unit Studies?

Topics are grouped together by concept, helping students to see how math ideas are related to each other and the whole structure of mathematics.

How does Math-U-See fit with your approach to homeschooling?

in Guest Blogs. 5 Comments

Calculus & Upper Level Math Survey

written by
ethan
at August 13, 2009

in Math-U-See Highlight. 0 Comments
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