Math on the Cheap 2011

In a perfect world I would buy all my children RightStart Math, but sadly, the world is not perfect. My homeschool budget is very tight this year. Well, actually its pretty small every year. I am ALWAYS on the look out for a great value.  Using Charlotte Masons philosophies have actually helped so much in controlling unnessasary homeschool spending. I don't buy near as much homeschool  and educational 'junk' as I used to.

I have four boys at four different math levels. I have managed to pull together a complete math curriculum for all of them for less than $200 this year.  I got a great deal on the Mammoth Math complete set from Homeschool Buyers Co-op. Although not my ideal choice, it is very workable and flexible. I will be adding in some math games, manipulatives, and living math books that cover the concepts the boys are working with in their Mammoth Math levels. I love the lists of living math books listed at LivingMath.net and getting them from the library means no cost to me (other then the inevitable library fines). They also have a great list of math games. All these great resources in one spot equals more time learning and less time searching.

I did run into one problem while getting math together for the boys. I have a kindergartener this year and Mammoth Math starts at grade 1. At first I thought I would just read him tons of living math books, which would have been adequate for kindergarten math. Then I stumbled upon this math site for the North Carolina Public School System and feel in love with their Mathematics Essentials for kindergarten. The layout is a flexible weekly outline and it comes complete with math poems and hands on activity ideas. Obviously some things need to be modified to allow for homeschool use, but overall I am pleased with my FREE kindergarten math. I'll be adding the living books along with the Mathematics Essentials, for a complete kindergarten math curriculum.

WALLAH! Math is complete for the year. I'll let you know later if my plan is an epic fail and I completely revise it mid-term. I am certainly not infallible.