Lamp Post Homeschool

They'd Rather Be Outside!

There comes a time when your student has to push the fast forward in the math department. Perhaps it’s a hard subject or your child would rather be outdoors. How do you play math catch up?

First, I’d suggest giving a math placement test. Several options are available as freebies online.

Saxon Homeschool Math has free placement tests for their curriculum.

• Primary Placement Test for Saxon Math K-3
• Middle Grades Placement Test for Saxon Math
• Upper Grades Placement Test for Saxon Math

Alpha Omega Publications also has diagnostic tests in their different programs for free download if you supply your email.

• Alpha Omega Diagnostic Tests

If you search the internet, you can find lots of other free math placement tests. The main purpose of giving the test is to find out where your student is stumbling. Laying a good foundation for math is like building a brick wall. Your wall may look good, but if you leave out a brick here and a brick there, it won’t be long before your wall collapses.

In basic arithmetic, the place where students tend to get bogged down after they master addition, subtraction, multiplication, and addition is in fractions, decimals and percents. Key to Fractions, Decimals and Percents is a reasonably priced and very visual math program that offers mastery of concepts and focuses on one type of problem on a page.

Beyond that level, we suggest using  Saxon Math 87 for a thorough review of arithmetic before your student moves on to Algebra 1.  Using it with the  DIVE Into Math 87 CD lectures will also help your student.

The main purpose of using the diagnostic tests is to pinpoint weaknesses, build up your student’s math foundation, and help them to catch up.

Hope this helps.

Blessings,

Harriet

My Favorite Hands-On Math Manipulative

Which math manipulative can you:

Recycle.
Resell for 100% of what it cost you and pay no fees.
Watch your children really, really enjoy learning about?

It's Only Money

It’s only money! It is one of the best teaching tools for math.

Put it into a zippy plastic bag–I like the heavy duty freezer ones–and put it to work.

Place Value

Not only can you teach your children about money with real money, but you can use it to teach place value.

Use pennies for the one’s place, dimes for the ten’s place, and dollars for the hundred’s place.

For larger bills, my children made fake money. It’s only money, but there’s a limit to how much I can throw around.

Make Change

Does it bother you that people can’t make change unless the cash register tells them how much?

Use money to teach your children how to make change–the old fashioned way by starting with the amount spent and handing the money back until you reach the amount given.

Regrouping

Yes, use it to teach regrouping. Make columns on a piece of paper to represent ones, tens, and hundreds. Then choose a problem and substitute money for the numbers. Place the money on the paper in the appropriate columns and regroup to show the answer.

How Much Do You Need?

It takes about $5.00 worth of change to do most of the basics, but it’s worth a lot more to your learners!

Blessings,

Harriet

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