Highly Recommended Math Products

I recommend the products below for math learning. In addition, I have them all, so if you have questions, please contact me. I'll either answer your question directly or write an article on it for you.

Magna-tiles

Daughter got a set of these for Christmas. I can't get enough of them.

And since they stick to the fridge (they're magnetic) they're easy and fast to use!

Find Magna-tiles here from the manufacturer or from Amazon.com.

Math on the Level

This is my curriculum of choice for K-8 math. Look for articles on it soon!

Things I love about it:

• No fake "order" to the topics. There's a suggested order if you need help, but there's no imposition.
• Allows you to teach each child based on their level of maturation. Thus the name, Math on the Level.
• Uses a nifty 5-A-Day set-up for problems. Instead of horrid drilling, there is a sweet, peaceful way to do a quick page of 5 problems. They are chosen based on how your child is doing with all the topics.
• Very reasonably priced. This covers ALL K-8 math. Less than $35/year!

Find the product here.

IXL Math

I previously wrote a pseudo-review of IXL Math and did not recommend it to readers. Since then, they hired me to consult and asked me to take a detailed look at their product. I returned a 19 page report with suggestions on improvement.

So why do I recommend it now? Three reasons:

1. It's full of tons of problems from which students would benefit – both from the perspective of practicing common core standards and state standards as well as what a home school might want for children.
2. It has amazing potential. The suggestions I gave are refinements - not full-on changes. For example, some elements of IXL Math are written like typical textbooks. This is normal, but not optimal.
3. I believe IXL is willing to, and will, make these refinements to improve their product. They really seem to be interested in providing a great product. With that attitude they are a great asset to the math learning community!

What is it? It's an online practice tool with a bazillion problems categorized in such fine detail that it boggles the mind. It's supposed to be K-8 or 9, but I know my developmental college students would benefit from the practice it offers.

Get IXL Math here.

Simply Fun's Sumology Sumology is a game, but there's so much more you can do with the number tiles. I've created a way to do long division with them, shown in this video. Number tiles are SO COOL! I can't wait to do even more!

Discovery Toys Learning Right Triangles with Discovery Toys The Difference Between Similar and Congruent Triangles How to Teach Similar Triangles and Have Fun Doing It Counting Isn't an Inherent Concept (image) Counting with Ordinal Numbers Teaching Subtraction Using a Balance How to Train the Brain to Understand the Transitive Property Using Toys as Curriculum Tools to Teach Arithmetic Teaching Patterns with Playful Bath Shapes Why It’s Okay to Add Denominators when Adding Fractions How to Teach Division in the Sandbox