Best Math Curriculum for Homeschool (and Beyond!)

[@RusudanTsiskreli-qj7ns]

Thank you for your review. We have started with Math in Focus, also found it overwhelming for my son. But mater is that he is younger than normal first grader. He was doing it at age of 4. Now we have switched to the simply good and beautiful math. For him it works fine. I choose it because it is free to download. It is simple and fun, not overwhelming, good for those who are advanced for their age but not too advanced for busy work

[@JesusSavedMe2016]

I enjoyed your review! I currently find myself in a similar dilemma to yours. I’ve been using Singapore Math Dimensions KB and I felt that it did not go in-depth when teaching addition but was moving on too quickly. My son wasn’t learning the addiction facts well or fast enough. All the different ways of adding was confusing him so I researched and some people recommended Addition Facts that Stick and it worked AMAZINGLY! He learned all his addition facts in just a few weeks and he loved the games so much. I set off to find out if the author recommended a particular math curriculum and found out that she has her own!!! I’m just nervous to leave Dimensions because it has such high positive reviews and promises high results. Your review gave me confidence to follow my gut 😌

[@thehometownhomestead]

I have never regretting one single move, when I’ve followed my gut instinct. 🙌🏻 So happy this was helpful!!!

[@angelaschaefer5883]

I had been looking at all four books. For my niece and nephew. My 3 year old granddaughter is doing Pre-School Math at home. Which she absolutely loves.

[@WellTrainedMindOfficial]

Thank you for this thorough, helpful review, and for your suggestions! We will be tweeting this video to our followers today.

[@thehometownhomestead]

Thank you! I plan to do one just on Math with Confidence soon. So many people are interested in the future of the program, and I’d love to share some tricks that we have learned along the way. We also love Facts that Stick here!

[@WellTrainedMindOfficial]

@@thehometownhomestead Wonderful!

[@kirbsjane]

I appreciate this review/overview so much! I needed this! We use Singapore dimensions now, and as much as I love it for my daughter…it doesn’t work for my son…but I had no idea where to go next. I share the same thoughts as you. Thank you again!!

[@thehometownhomestead]

You’re welcome! We’re nearing of the 5th grade pilot now, and in the middle of the CAT. This program is awesome, and he was very well prepared for the testing materials. I don’t think you can go wrong with MwC!

[@rebeccastotts7660]

Great review. We also switched from dimensions to MWC and I am so glad we did. My kids also call it the fun math lol.

[@thehometownhomestead]

That’s awesome to hear! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Jolene03]

A little late to the party, but thank you so much for this!! We tried dimensions and I loved the idea behind it but it was hard for me to teach (I didn't get the teacher guide, just the home instructor's). We did addition facts that stick over the summer and my kiddo loved it! Glad to hear they're adding more levels, I think I'm going to go with MWC for my younger sons when they start ☺️

[@thehometownhomestead]

My younger son is cruising through grade 1 now. It’s a much more peaceful year than my older guy experienced. I’m sure you will feel the same way once you try it! Glad I could help.

[@angelaschaefer5883]

It does look cute.

[@TheGLOSSette]

I think the 2022 version the student book is the same price as the old version but the old one you also need the "textbook" one as well so it's double the cost

[@kaitlins1477]

We did K MWC, moved to dimensions for 1 and 2, and my son just isn’t developmentally ready for multiplication. So we’re skipping that stuff in dimensions 2 and going back to MWC for level 3. I’m so so so excited for both of us.. level K math is a time we both look back on with fondness and I’m hoping to bring back that joy. I pre-ordered and cant wait to dig in this summer.

[@thehometownhomestead]

If it were me, I would swap to MWC 2 now, and not finish the year. You’ll both me much happier if you make the leap. Because MWC is relatively inexpensive, that makes it a bit easier. It’s like a breath of fresh air!

[@kaitlins1477]

@@thehometownhomestead I really appreciate this encouragement, and honestly hadn’t even considered that. I can always resell our dimensions to cover the cost anyway. Thank you!

[@thehometownhomestead]

@@kaitlins1477 I sold all of my Dimensions and 2022 materials. There’s no need to push though something that can impact a kiddos love for learning in such a big way. We’re still “recovering” from our time on the other side, quite honestly. Good luck, and I’m glad I could help!

[@josielorraine8466]

We did MWC for first grade, my daughter said “it was boring” because she would work through 10-15 pages at a time, by herself. she wanted harder work…So this year I switched to dimensions and now it’s a struggle to get her to do it-because she says it is too hard 😩 (she doesn’t listen-when she listens she understands) i do LOVE dimensions. The home instructors guide is AMAZING.. it does not have the children’s pages like the teachers guide you shared. I just do not know what to do-dimensions is our THIRD math curriculum. But I think it is she just doesn’t want to do any work. She says it’s all “boring” she’s 7…it’s rough.

[@thehometownhomestead]

Did you do all of the lessons with her for MWC, or just let her do the workbook pages? I have noticed that the workbook pages are designed to be easy enough for them to reinforce the lesson, and grow in confidence with the new skills. This means 10-15 pages would/should be easy for her because the true work is in the lesson and the warmups that you’re doing together. If it was me, I’d do MWC, and only tear out the sheet that matches the daily lesson, placing it on a clipboard. Then she could not tear through multiple lessons in one day. As for Dimensions? Did you placement test her? If not you usually have to go back at least one semester to transfer in, meaning she might not truly be ready for the work you’re doing in the next grade level of Dimensions. From experience, the 1st grade Dimensions work is a BEAST.

[@assaba22]

@@thehometownhomestead I was gonna make the EXACT same suggestion you made regarding MWC. That's how the lessons are supposed to be taught; the student workbook IN ADDITION to the exercises, games led my the parent in the teacher's guide. Sometimes I noticed it can be easier for my daughter to do the exercises with the visual cues in the student workbook, than solving problems she has to hear me read from the teacher's guide and figure out mentally with no visual cues provided by me.

[@alinamillard5883]

To add to what the others have said, my daughter could do many pages of MWC on her own, but the real focus of the lesson is the material in the teacher's book. I couldn't breeze through the workbook and be sure that my daughter actually understands what she needs to know. My 1st grader really enjoys it precisely because it doesn't have a heavy workbook focus.

[@thehometownhomestead]

@@alinamillard5883 I agree 100%. The number of pages that can be completed in the WB have no true correlation to the amount of learning happening in the lessons themselves.

[@amandab.6815]

We are using Primary 2022 right now and I find it difficult to explain sometimes, and my daughter gets very frustrated with blank stares. I love the idea of Singapore, but it seems like it might not actually be a good fit for us. I'm very tempted to switch to Math with Confidence.

[@thehometownhomestead]

What grade level are you on?

[@amandab.6815]

@@thehometownhomestead We are in 1A. Chapter 5 I think? I already bought 1B though.

[@thehometownhomestead]

@@amandab.6815 you should be able to return it if you haven’t used it yet. That said, MwC is really inexpensive. I held on to both for a bit before deciding what to do, which made me more comfortable with trying something new. I’d say it’s worth a shot. I wouldn’t want to struggle though another semester before trying.

[@carahins1674]

This is so helpful! We are currently using Singpore Primary US 1A with our 7 year old and once we reached subtraction it felt so intense to teach and learn. We use Kinder MWC with our 5 year old and LOVE it! We are strongly considering switching to First Grade MWC for our 7 year old, or stick out first grade with Singapore for first grade (for the sake of consistency) and figure out where that puts us in MWC for second grade. We are also considering adding in the MWC workbook for some "fun" math she can complete on her own while we finish up Singapore.

[@thehometownhomestead]

I would not stick it out for the sake of consistency. I would just scrap it, if I was back in this same place. Seeing where we are now with my oldest who struggled at this point, MwC has been such a breath of fresh air for his confidence. Now we’re in the Grade 5 pilot, and still loving it. Stay tuned. I’m interviewing Kate Snow in 2 min for an upcoming Q and A!

[@carahins1674]

@@thehometownhomestead Oh, this is so helpful to hear! I think we will finish 1A (we only have the shapes unit left) and do Addition Facts That Stick along with it since I just purchased that, then switch since the end of the workbook will feel like the end of the curriculum to her.

[@thehometownhomestead]

@@carahins1674 I think that’s a fabulous idea! Make sure to join the Facebook group too. Lots of great info on there!

[@brittanyshaffer135]

Amen to the spiral bound. Everything needs to be spiral bound!

[@thehometownhomestead]

I even buy all of my cookbooks spiral if I can get the option. I’ll definitely pay for ease of use!

[@angelaschaefer5883]

I bought Summer Of Playing Skillfully. For my 3 year old granddaughter and 7 year old nephew. I didn’t realize it was not bound. So I just spent over an hour organizing it. Pain in the butt.

[@LovedbyJesus23]

Great comparison!🥰

[@thehometownhomestead]

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[@ravenbird3014]

My kid has a yo-yo relationship with his current program TGTB 2. I definitely will not be using it again. He is very good at math but some of the lessons seem too long for his attention span. He just wanders off or doesn’t finish his review. Would MWC be too easy for him? I only have one kid so I am not constrained nor have any issues teaching him directly. MWC, Beast academy, Singapore math (not sure which one,) and Math Mammoth are the ones I will be looking to replace TGTB.

[@thehometownhomestead]

I think the lesson length would be much better, but I’m not positive how it will line up with TGTB. My honest thought would be to grab MWC2, and try it, because it’s not expensive and will provide some relief now. I don’t think MWC is necessarily “easy” but it takes tougher concepts and makes them easier to understand. Today, for example, I actually watched my 4th grader make a connection with area and perimeter, that I thought he had grasped through our years of Singapore. It’s the way MWC is written that makes it seem easier, IMO. The biggest question is do you want to push him, or allow space for gentle learning. That’s where I feel the cut off is between Singapore and MWC. Truthfully this answer is different for each family.

[@ravenbird3014]

@@thehometownhomestead That makes sense. I love math, but he never asks to do more of it like reading, science, and history. He’s not bad at math, he actually excels esp when it’s a word problem vs simple equation. I will stick to my gut and your advice. We are reviewing our math facts with her other books already. He enjoys the games a lot.

[@ravenbird3014]

@@thehometownhomestead thank you

[@thehometownhomestead]

@@ravenbird3014 you’re welcome! Good luck in your search!

[@roseylove1543]

Is the 4th grade pilot MWC still incorporate hands on lessons like the younger levels? Or is it just the workbook with parent practice and student practice?

[@thehometownhomestead]

Hands on in every lesson. We just finished up fractions as an example. Each lesson incorporated pattern blocks as well as a game of some sort. It’s been amazing for my guy.

[@katebee945]

I'm curious about Dimensions not going deep enough into addition because I noticed only 1A was being reviewed but a foundation for this is laid in KB and there are 2 chapters each for addition and subtraction in 1A plus 2 more chapters on it in 1B. I'm currently using KA and we are really enjoying it, plus the workbook and tests for extra practice, plus the black line masters they provide. I'm just wondering if the mastery is more difficult if only using one student book? That said, it still might not be the best fit for a child but I feel like we have enough resources to practise to death and master it over here 🙋🏻‍♀️😅

[@thehometownhomestead]

We used all books except the test. It felt like a huge leap to know all facts as fast as they suggested in 1. That’s the year for solidifying, but the next chapter expected them done. The foundation for facts are also in MwC K, but the process of learning the facts is much more fun and gentle for the student in the grade 1 book. Stick with that’s working, just be aware that you might need to pivot as you age up. It was really 3rd when my student hit a wall and I transitioned him to the MwC pilot grogram for 4th. It saved his love of learning.

[@katebee945]

@@thehometownhomestead yes, we're still newbies so it will be interesting to see how it pans out!

[@cassiep.3007]

When they do their dedicated workbook time, are they able to use the manipulatives or is this part suppose to be without?

[@thehometownhomestead]

The workbook hasn’t needed manipulatives that I’ve noticed. The illustration will give them what they need to know. For example, if it’s a 10 frame problem, the image will show it, and if subtraction, a huge X is across the appropriate number of boxes.