This month I had the opportunity to review a Complete 3rd Grade curriculum by Math Mammoth.

Math Mammoth is an extensive program developed by Maria Miller, who was a Math tutor when she noticed that homeschooling parents were finding it difficult to explain Math concepts to their children.  She developed this comprehensive program, not only helps the parents explain the concepts, but also gives the students more time to practice concepts before they move on to new material.

Not only does Math Mammoth provide curriculum plans for Grades 1 through Algebra, but it also has games to reinforce the math concepts. In addition to the curriculum itself, there are hundreds of pages of supporting, reinforcing practice pages for the parent/teacher to choose from to give appropriate, additional practice to struggling learners.

The purchase of the Math Mammoth  Grade 3 complete curriculum comes Worktexts 3A and 3B, Answer Kety books for 3A and 3B, extra worksheets, cutouts for fractions and 3-D shapes, Grade 3 Tests and Test Answer Key, and software called "Soft-Pak" that is chock full of learning materials for not only Math, but also Language Arts, plus Test Maker and Test Master software. 

The Math Mammoth  website also has loads of free material offered, as well as a link to another supporting website fun by the author, HomeschoolMath.net. It has an abundance of free resources for teachers and parents (homeschooling or not) alike: worksheet generators, lists of free online games, articles, curriculum reviews, and more.

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I liked what I saw in the Math Mammoth program.  The material is presented in a way that the student does not always need the parent to do presentation, such that the explanation often is sufficient for the student to understand what the assignment is calling for.  I like this in the material, but my son did not, because the explanation caused each lesson to be three pages instead of two.  My son has, for three years now, done math that took only one page, front and back, and he doesn't receive "change" well.  We also suspect he may be ADHD, because he frequently becomes overwhelmed and shuts down when he sees what seems to be more than he thinks he can handle.  I know this curriculum can be used with ADHD kids but will be more teacher intensive than it would be by a student who doesn't have this struggle.  (Every curriculum requires more teacher involvement with an AHD child. ::sigh::)

I continue to hold out hope, though, that my son will receive something from this program that will benefit him. I intend to be subtle, gentle, and carefully interject things into our day to see how they go over.  Today I tried opening some of the soft pack activities with him, but I hadn't read them myself so I didn't know what I was doing.  By the time I knew what I needed to do, he was already reading a novel. He's nine. Reading a novel is an incredible thing for him to be doing, so I closed the Math for today and will try again another day.

Math Mammoth is colorful. It is sequential, and it is affordable.  As with any program, I remind you that not every program fits every child. That is why it is wonderful that the Math Mammoth  website has so many freebies to offer. If you want to "test drive" this curriculum, go there and try some of the material with your child, and see how it works for you!

Go check out their website, and then let me know what you think.  I, personally, look forward to utilizing her HomeschoolMath.net website soon, and in years to come!  Please leave comments below.