First off, before I get into the reason for this post, I have to tell you how truly amazing my kids are, and that they are all so stinkin smart. They each have their strengths in some subjects over others, but they are very intelligent nonetheless. I do not compare them and tell them that, they just know. They know what strengthens each other has, and what one might struggle more with. Cowboy LOVES math, and LaLa HATES it! But LaLa loves to write and read and draw, and Cowboy…not so much! All kids are this way, they each have strengths and weaknesses, and its’ totally ok. To me it is very important to not shut down and give up on what you are weak in and work on it to become better!
My daughter has struggled with math since she started school. She really doesn’t like it. She would rather read a book, write a paper or create something, but do an hour of math is like ripping all her/my hair out. It’s not that she isn’t good at it, it’s just that she gets a little spacey in her little creative land when she does math. The concepts seem to go in one ear and out the other, but then she will surprise me at times and completely understand it all and even spit out the answer faster than I can! (I was the geometry student of the year in 9th grade! Haha, not sure how that happened!)
After talking with my daughter about her math, and her worrying about if she was behind or not I told her to not worry about it, that we would keep using the curriculum we are currently using and that she was fine. I did look into some test to see what level she was on, and based on what I reviewed she was doing just fine! I heard about this math program called Learn Math Fast from a homeschool friend of mine. It looked simple and made a lot of since to me and taught a lot of the same ways of figure out math as their math book already teaches them. I contacted Learn Math Fast about reviewing one of their math books to help out my daughter in exchange for a review. All opinions are 100% my own and I will tell you honestly what I have thought about this program.
I wanted to make sure that my daughter had a solid foundation in basic math. I knew that she wouldn’t be very excited to start back at square one, but I also knew that she could wiz through the book and realize she is right where she needs to be. I am only having her do 2 -4 lessons a week along with her other math books just to review and makes sure she understands the concepts. When we get into book 2 it will be a little bit more challenging and I will most likely only be using Learn Math Fast.
I personally have really enjoyed book one. It teaches great ways to figure math in your head and to work through problems quickly. My daughter still doesn’t love math yet, but she is doing it and learning! One of the challenges for my daughter was the timed test. She really struggles being timed. She learned a great lesson last week when we worked on a fact sheet for about an hour, struggling through it, and trying hard to get the problems in a certain amount of time. She realized she can focus on math, as hard as it might be. If she says to herself she can do it, she can. The books are great, simple and you can do one lesson in about 15 mins. I am going to go through each of them with all of my kids. The first book covers 1-3rd grade. The awesome thing about these books is that you get a code after you purchase it and you can use it to print off worksheets that go with the lessons, so you can keep using the same book for each child.
If you are new to homeschooling and are not sure where your kids are in math, this is a great curriculum to see where they should start. They have a placement test on their site and the books are really a great price!
Check out their web
Here is a little bit about the books from the website….
The Learn Math Fast System is just that…it’s a system used to teach math, from A to Z, quickly with a complete understanding of the subject. It starts by giving students the ability to sort numbers in their mind. Some people have this ability naturally, they are able to add numbers such as 17 + 8 in their mind, but not everyone can do that. Typically, a person who struggles to learn multiplication facts also struggles to add small numbers in their mind. The Learn Math Fast System teaches HOW to add and subtract numbers in your mind, making all future maths so much easier.
A young person may take a week to learn the first lesson and that’s OK. The student MUST know all the combinations of numbers that equal 5 before moving on to the ones that equal 6. It’s important to the whole program. Volume I provides several ways in which to teach these early lessons and the teacher should feel free to lean towards the method that works best with their particular student. For example, some kids prefer to hand write their answers while others prefer to verbalize their answers. Both of these learning styles are addressed by writing on worksheets and taking verbal tests. If you have an independent reader, he/she will be able to take the book and learn on his/her own. And then there is the wiggly guy, he will respond well to moving around the coins to learn addition. Which ever method works best for the student is the one that should be repeated, if more practice is needed.
You can read more about the Learn Math Fast System here. I would totally recommend this book to anyone, especially those struggling in math!
