Making Math Meaningful

I HATE math. No, that's not stating it strong enough. I'm afraid you won't get the idea...I loath, despise math. When you mention the word math I feel like there are spikes going under my fingernails. I have ALWAYS hated math. I do not have a mathmatical mind...I like to read, write, play the piano...you get the idea. I really needed daily beatings to get me to do my math when I was in school (although my Mother out of the kindness of her heart did not do so). I practically cried my way through Algebra and I'm not even certain to this day how I passed because I didn't learn a bloomin' thing! That is why when it came to homeschooling, the one subject that gave me cause for fear was....you got it-MATH. How on earth was I going to teach my child Math when I can barely stand the sight of a Math textbook?!

To the rescue (trumpets please...) came my older sister, Rhetta, who is a homeschool Mom. The Math textbook that she showed me forever changed the way I look at math and has become a God-send to me. No longer do I have fear and trepidation about teaching math; no longer am I afraid that my kids will hate it as I have. I actually enjoy teaching it! Imagine that!

Making Math Meaningful by David Quine is the curriculum you NEED to use for your children. If you are using one curriculum for all your subjects, such as Bob Jones or A becka (I'm not sure how to spell that-you can tell that's not what I'm using ;), you need to take the math book and pitch it into the trash. Tear it into little pieces so you won't be tempted to pull it out again and then go to your computer and order Making Math Meaningful!!! You will not be sorry. No, I am not getting paid anything from Cornerstone or David Quine to give this testimonial. (Although some free curriculum would be nice!)

Here are some reasons why this is the best math program out there. First of all, the math concepts are taken veeerrryyy slooowly so that your child has time to actually master the concept before moving on to something else. Secondly, they actually teach you WHY you do what you are doing. Am I the only adult out there that didn't know WHY we carry a number when we are subtracting??? You just do it because that's the way you're supposed to do it! Don't ask anymore questions!!! This book teaches the principles before you ever do any addition, subtraction, etc. facts. Imagine what's its like to actually understand what you're doing!

I'll just give an example: Breck has been learning about adding and subtracting. So the first thing they teach is the difference between things being equal and unequal. "If you have two towers of lego blocks that are different in height are they equal or unequal?" Answer: unequal. "What can you do to make them equal?" Answer: Add more blocks. "What's another way you can make them equal?" Answer: Take some away from the tall tower. Voila! They are learning the principles of addition and subtraction and having fun. What kid doesn't like building towers with lego blocks? This book will have your child adding and subtracting figures before they ever see a problem on a page. Instead of sitting and doing pages of math problems you work on math using blocks, straws, rocks, linking paper clips, etc. It is very hands on.

Another thing I love is that they teach how to do word problems starting in kindergarten, not high-school so that they become completely comfortable with doing them. Most kids are completely baffled when you try to teach them word problems because they were not introduced to them early on. In kindergarten they show that a letter can substitute for an object in doing a math problem...That's algebra!! (I think. ;) My sister's kids were doing pre-algebra in 2nd and 3rd grade and lovin' it. My neice, Charity, is not mathmatically minded. She's like me...she likes to read and write and play the piano, not do math. But she loves it.

These books are fun, clear to understand and very hands on...no long pages of multiplication here. Give it a try...you'll never go back.