Budget Friendly Homeschool Math Curriculum

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I was very happy to receive a complimentary bundle of Math Mammoth Light Blue Series. All opinions are my own.

Overview:

Math Mammoth Light Blue Series is a complete Math curriculum for first grade through seventh grade.

Math Mammoth Light Blue Series is unique in that all of the instructions are on the student pages, so there is no separate teacher text.

Math Mammoth can be purchased as a digital download or as a physical book through Rainbow Resource.

The program includes a student “worktext”, which is a combination of a textbook and workbook. At the top of the page when introducing a new topic, there is information about the topic, and then practice problems.

On the Math Mammoth website, it describes itself as “self-teaching” curriculum. I personally think that it is better for older students or as a review of previous work that has already been taught. Otherwise, a student would need to be taught the concept before they could complete the assignment. However, since there are videos you could assign the videos first, then have your child complete the worktext (which is what I do with my 4th grader).

Math Mammoth offers tons of free samples to ensure that it is right for your family.

What’s Included:

When you order Math Mammoth you can choose between physical books or an instant download. I like the instant download so that way I could use it with both of my children who are in the same grade.

Another option is to print the entire workbook and place in a binder for easy access.

Math Mammoth includes a workbook, answer key, tests, and cumulative reviews in the digital download. There is also a bundle deal where you can purchase all of the grades for one low price. This is a good idea for families with multiple children, as well as to review concepts that your child needs continued assistance in.

Getting Started

On the Math Mammoth website, there is a placement test that your child can take to determine their level. I chose to give my children the placement test to determine what areas they needed to work on.

Advantages:

Affordable

The biggest advantage that Math Mammoth has over other curriculums is that it is very affordable. It is a fraction of the cost of other curriculums but still covers an entire year of lessons.

All-in-One

Another advantage of Math Mammoth is that it is an all-in-one curriculum. There are not separate books so it makes it easy to teach the math concepts.

Independent

I was initially attracted to Math Mammoth because I needed a math curriculum that my oldest children could work on by themselves. Since I know that I have to teach my second graders, I knew that I wanted a curriculum that was more independent. My 4th and 6th grader appreciated the conceptual explanations at the top of the page before they began their work. Also, anytime they had questions about a topic they could watch a video on the Math Mammoth Youtube page.

Rigorous

Math Mammoth is a rigorous curriculum and covers concepts such as measurement that your child may not have done before. I would recommend the free placement test before purchasing a grade level because if it is too hard for your student then they will not be able to complete any work independently.

Videos

I really like how there are videos explaining the lessons in Math Mammoth. There are playlists for some grades which makes it easy to find some concepts, otherwise you have to search for the concept which can take some time.

I also wish that the videos went in order of the worksheet, so that way it would be easier for students to follow along.

Additional Items:

Math Mammoth includes additional concepts such as money in other currencies. This is great for families in other countries, or if you are preparing to travel.

Cutouts:

In some of the grade levels, there are printable manipulatives to practice the concept. For example, in the 4th grade package there are cutout fraction pieces to use.

My Children’s Reactions

My 4th and 6th grader liked the fact that they didn’t have to wait for me in order to answer a question. They could easily watch a video to have the concept explained to them. They also felt that the length of the lesson was just right, we easily completed a lesson over the course of 2 days.

Disadvantages

Parent Instructions

Since all of the work is in the “worktext”, there are no formal teacher instructions for parents. If you feel like you need an actual lesson plan to follow, you may want to review the video yourself first, read the conceptual explanations, and make sure you understand how to solve the problems before assigning it to your child.

There are separate lesson plans available for purchase but I did not use them.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I like the ease of use that Math Mammoth provides. As a credentialed elementary teacher and educational specialist, this curriculum covers topics that are not usually covered in depth in public school such as measurement.

As a homeschool mom, I like that the curriculum is affordable, for the price of all of the grades is equivalent to one grade level in another curriculum. Not to mention, it is a very rigorous curriculum and I like the visual way the concepts are explained.

If you would like to purchase the curriculum, there is a limited time sale on the website to receive 30% off your purchase of an instant download.