Homeschool Math Curriculum Comparison | TGTB Math, Math U See, Abeka, Life of Fred, and More!
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Are you having a hard time deciding on a math curriculum? In this video, we'll do a flip-through and a comparison of five different popular math curriculums for homeschoolers. I'll talk about pros and cons of each program, the types of manipulatives used, whether you need a teacher's manual, and more! I am mainly talking about early elementary math in this video. All of these programs offer high school levels, but the high school math programs are quite different from what's offered for elementary, so I could address those differences in a different video.
In this video, you'll see some of the top homeschool math curriculums:
Abeka Math - Third Grade
The Good and the Beautiful Math 3
Math U See Gamma
Life of Fred - Goldfish and Honey
Teaching Textbooks
I find it very helpful to see curriculums side-by-side when trying to make a decision between similar options. There is quite a wide variety of math approaches between each of these curriculums.
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I'm Rachel, a mom of two and the oldest in a family of 8 kids. I'm a second-generation homeschooler who is passionate about education. I'm originally from Michigan, but am living overseas. My two young boys and teaching homeschool lessons to my youngest sisters keep me busy, but I make time for writing and for making CZcams videos, too! On this channel, you can expect videos featuring books and homeschool curriculum, homeschool tips for hard days, our journey raising bilingual kids, and vlogs about the intentional adventure that our homeschool lifestyle allows! Subscribe to join our family here:
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Rachel! This is Gold! Love the way you did this.
Thank you so much, Yasmine!
Thanks for sharing! It was really cool to see a rundown of these different
Thank you!
I love these curriculum review and comparison videos, even though I'm not really there yet, I love seeing what s ahead and starting to have an idea of what could work for our family.
Thank you! I enjoy seeing them, too, it's just fun to see what's out there and what tools different families use!
This is a great video Rachel! I loved seeing a look at each one!
Thank you, Megan!
I love this! It helps so much to see what each one is like!
Yes! I really appreciate seeing the insides and seeing the different approaches that each one takes.
I needed this! We use two math curriculums and it is nice to see there are so many others doing the same thing! Thank you for this very very thorough video.
Thank you! I think most of us thought we were doing something weird by using two math curriculums, but it's really not that uncommon! It allows you to get the best of two different approaches!
First time I have seen inside Abeka math. We have used MUS. First look at TGATB as well. Loving this. We did a little bit of Life of Fred. We also did a little bit of TT. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for watching! It often takes a little experimentation before finding a really good fit for math!
Very helpful! Love the comparisons:) currently using TGTB K and looking ahead to what we are doing for next year. Depending on how their new math looks, we might stick with them. Or have also looked into Math U See or Singapore Deminsions Math.
It will be interesting to see how the new TGTB math program turns out like! I have also been thinking about maybe using Singapore Math for my boys when they are old enough. Math U See is very solid--for now, my older toddler loves playing with the blocks. haha!
I was considering mixing up 2 math programs and I thought that I was getting weird. So glad to hear that others do this too and I agree with all you said. I'm a math enthusiast myself and although I don't expect my kids to love math I do want them to have a good understanding as well as share my joy for math. We just recently picked up life of Fred and we are loving it! I do want to get something else because I don't want to get through life of Fred too fast. I'm thinking Abeka or RightStart math. Your video was extremely helpful 👍
From the comments I'm getting, using 2 math curriculums is not as weird as I first thought! There are a lot of benefits! Life of Fred has been SUCH a joy for our family, but yes, we use it alongside another math curriculum because the elementary books for LoF move fast.
@@SevenInAll Just getting to this video. So glad because I plan on using two math curriculums and thought I may be doing too much! Math is actually so creative and I think the more exposure kids have to different strategies and approaches the better.
I never heard of Math U See but I like the repetition for students who need it. All three offer something good to use. I like the balance of using more than one curriculum. Great approach to teaching math.
It's not something I've heard of many other homeschool families doing, but I actually think it provides a lot of benefit! Sometimes the way a concept is introduced in one curriculum doesn't "click" at first, but then with the back-up of a second curriculum, the child ends up being able to master that skill.
This is such a great review. I've been considering Life of Fred, but I was a little nervous of using it because of the way its set up. I've never thought of combining two Math curriculums together. My 5 year old loves literature and I love how it incorporates stories to teach math problems.
Thank you! Yes, combining curriculums allows you to get the strengths of multiple--homeschoolers are often worried about "doubling" up on curriculums that teach the same subject--but it can be very helpful! We enjoy Life of Fred so much, but we don't miss out on the benefits that a workbook curriculum can provide.
Our fav math is master books!! I love learning math with Reuben through storytelling
That's awesome that you've found a great fit!
Super helpful info 😄
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much!
Thanks for this video Rachel!!!!
Thanks so much for watching!
Thank you for sharing! My son will be in third grade next year. It was nice to see an overview of several third grade curriculums. It also helped me solidify which one we are starting with. I bought TGTB Math 3 when it was 75% off. I knew they were changing it, but getting a $100 curriculum set for $25 was too good a deal to pass up! When I was teaching 5th grade the one thing I noticed the most was that my students lacked a good basis in multiplication facts. This made everything I was trying to teach them (fractions, long division, etc.) extremely difficult. I wanted to make sure that he would have a good basis. My son also doesn't do well with the "drill and kill" approach to math. We started with Abeka, which gave him really good base, but he didn't need a million problems to do. He can't sit there that long. Thanks again for making this video!
That is an AMAZING steal of a deal, and yes, if what you want out of it is lots and lots of focus on multiplication...that's exactly what you'll get. That's why it was great for the one we chose it for, because she's actually in 4th grade but multiplication has been a real struggle for her. Practicing multiplication in so many different ways has helped to get us a lot closer to having those facts down solid.
You could check out Kate Snow’s Multiplication Facts that Stick for solidifying facts in addition to your other curriculum! It helped us tremendously! 💗
Wonderful video, thank you
We just switched all to MUS from TT
My boys are enjoying
TY for sharing
That's great to hear that it's such a good fit!
Oh man this video was super helpful yet has me even more confused on what too choose 🤣 I see benefits to all of them! I love love love the book they build with TGATB! I haven’t seen that before and that’s a great concept. My daughter would love it too! Life of Fred sounds fun too! Math you see was at the top of my list already but now I need to dig deeper into all three options. Thank you for this informative video!!
Well...technically you don't HAVE to choose just one! :) haha! Ever since discovering Life of Fred, we have always used that alongside another elementary math program (we have used Life of Fred on its own for middle school and high school, the program is more robust at that level). The new TGATB Math will be released in August, and I am interested to see if it still has the Math Journal incorporated, because that was my favorite aspect of that program. Math U See is very solid, we LOVE the blocks, and that's probably been the program our family has used most consistently over the years.
@@SevenInAll thank you!! I’m definitely leaning towards buying all three and seeing how we can make them work together. We’re currently doing gather rounds ready to read program with my daughter and it has math in it which she has been loving so far! However once we finish that their units don’t include math so I’ll be adding it in. I’m definitely the type who’s like let’s buy it all and see what fits lol. My oldest is only 6 so I figure if one thing doesn’t work for her I’ll save it for the other two and see if it’ll work for them. Thank you so much for all your help and input!!
Very interesting. Thanks for the great advice 👍
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your insight!
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching!
This was fun to watch. Thanks for sharing! We are loving the TGTB math. I also use some Abeka math occasionally because I need them to sometimes have more independent work. I grew up using Abeka so I'm very familiar with it. Iv also enjoyed using CLE math with my boys just tiny a bit. We tried out one light unit. My one son really liked it.
I think Abeka is great for independent work!
Stacey, did you do international shipping for your CLE math or do they have a PDF form? Thank you
@@paularodillo She recently had a furlough back to the USA and I think she was able to pick those up when she was in the country!
@@paularodillo hey yes I picked it up when we were in the states but I did hear you can possibly get the pdf version. But I havnt tried it yet
@@StaceyYoder thank you. I didn't see a PDF option that is why I asked. Would cost a lot shipping internationally.
What a helpful video! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Happy Saturday I’m here watching
Thank you for your support, Jennifer!
Y'all doing great job keep it up
Thanks!
Great video. Thank you
I hope it was helpful!
We love using curriculums together. I’ve heard to do maths daily and change it helps to teach. I love using blocks to help them learn. If needed review is good to help them get it. That’s y I like math u see for the chance to review wen needed, we move on wen possible and can go back. I loved math usee as a kid. I love the math journal. We encouraged making a reference book.
Yes, Math U See is great for all the opportunities it offers for review...and if the child doesn't need the review, you can just skip those pages! I do really appreciate the Math Journal concept, creating your own reference book.
Thanks for sharing. :) We plan to use Kindergarten Math with Confidence this next year. It's newer, but I'm excited about it!
I've never heard of that one!
"Engineer by Default" - HAHAHA! This is a great video. Thank you for sharing. I agree with you...there is no 1 PERFECT math curriculum.
Nope, nothing is designed to cover every need for your specific child. If there were...we, the homeschool parents, might be out of a job. lol!
Yay! I'm such a math lover so this is just fun for me. I was educated using Saxon, I've heard there is a recovery group for Saxon kids! Haha
I totally understand curriculum chats simply being fun. That's why I make these videos...it's just fun to chat about homeschool curriculum, haha! I did use Saxon for a few years when I was growing up. I used Abeka in high school years and that's what really traumatized me. I don't think Abeka high school textbooks were designed for homeschool use, at all.
@@SevenInAll its so interesting to me to hear from a student who had math loving parents! I want my kids to love math so much!
@@momvanup Realistically, there just weren't the best math resources available for homeschoolers in high school back "in the day." Some of the new tools are really great! My teenage sister is doing all of her high school with Life of Fred and one of the careers she's interested in is being a math teacher!
Love this!!!
I cannot find that TGTB math journal...it would be so helpful!! I guess they discontinued it.
Yes, that was part of their math program before the new "Simply Math" program that launched for this fall. I think the concept of a Math Journal is a really, really good idea, though, and could probably be DIY'd, no matter what curriculum you're using.
Hi its Victoria from home Educating the mad lads on the husbands phone. I don't think that's weird I like to pick and choose different bits from different things. Yes to checking their work every day with maths it does them no good letting them keep repeating the same mistakes not realising they are getting stuff wrong. This is really helpful how it's a selection of curriculums to compare and see what's out there x
Yes, sometimes it's tempting to procrastinate on checking their work, but so much learning comes through the checking process, because that's when you can tell whether they've really "gotten" a concept or not!
Thank you for sharing, it was helpful to hear your thoughts, and they echo my own, 1) helpful to use more than one curriculum and 2) more parent involved, helps the child to see the value you place on it. We use Singapore maths. I’d be very interested to know your thoughts on this matter, currently we use 2/3 different curriculums, Math in Focus, Maths No Problem and Maths Inspire, all Singapore math programmes, the last two are U.K. approved, we live in the U.K. We also add in some mental arithmetic with a programme called Schofield & Simms. Looking at next year, around spring/summer 2022, I am looking at purchasing the new Primary Mathematics 2022, but also planning on keeping Math No Problem, my questions is, is is a good idea to use more than one Singapore Method or is it better to use one Singapore programme and one other more arithmetic, which they’ll complete using their learnt method with Singapore maths? X
I don't think you would necessarily need to have one math that is Singapore method and one that isn't, but I would want to look for some variety between the programs you choose, so that kids aren't just working on another worksheet that is practicing the same skills as they practiced on the first worksheet. I.e. everything is a multiplication problem. For example, with the 5th grader we use one math program that is mastery-based and one that's spiral, so in one program she is consistently working on one skill until it's mastered, while the other program gives her opportunity to review other skills. So yes, while I would look at the programs carefully to see if there are differences between the programs you choose that would be helpful in some way, but I'm not sure that it would need to be Singapore/non-Singapore.
We use Life of Fred at coop and a combination of Teaching Textbooks and offline Easy Peasy. At least for now.
That sounds like a strong combo!
We always have 2, sometimes 3 curriculums at a time. Let me add, not fully… no, but we pick and choose. Usually a main and a supplement.
That's often what we've done, a "main" math curriculum and one that's more supplemental, more on the fun side.
We have used Abeka, Singapore, Math U See, Christian Light Education, and Life of Fred in the early years. I love using more than one curriculum in a school year. We are beyond those years now, but the new Math curricula coming out from The Good and The Beautiful and from Apologia both look wonderful. Life of Fred and Math U See combined with one of those upcoming curricula would be my choice if I had a little one to teach now. We always used Life of Fred as an evening or Friday fun math along with math games; and Math U See was always our summer or end of the year review.
Ooh, I haven't looked at Apologia's new math that's coming out! I think your plan sounds like a wonderful way to combine and get the best out of multiple math programs! :)
How did you like cle math????? We use math u see but im looking for another one and am torn between cle and TGatbs new math!!!! Maybe you can share ur input since you have used cle also?
@@Lipstickncurlsfitness I think that CLE and TG&TB are two very different approaches. CLE is basic, and solid. The units are short and my son enjoyed completing each of the booklets, it gave him a sense of accomplishment. CLE is presented in a traditional way, but I will say that most of their word problems are based on gardening/farming/real life applications; which was appealing to my son as we live on a farm. To me, TG&TB looks like it is more story and activity based, Charlotte Mason-like, and has more visual interest.
We used TGTB math this year I think we are going to try the new one since some of the issues we had I am hoping will be corrected. I have been looking at using another program to supplement it just curious if you have any suggestions on what would pair well with it?
I think Math-U-See would be a good complement to TGTB--when we use 2 math programs, we try to use two very different ones, to get the benefits of both. Math-U-See lessons are very short, and because it's mastery-based, it's very consistently, slowly working on one skill. I think that might balance well with TGTB's approach which tends to do a bit more spiraling to different skills. Our family also just loves Life of Fred, to go along with anything else--the elementary math books are just so fun!
Idk about everyone else, but I kinda like the script. I feel like I need the word for word instructions to teach a lesson. Especially on concepts I myself am not confident with. Math was never my strongest subject
Yes, absolutely. I think my mom started getting rid of the Teacher's Guide/scripts somewhere around 5-6 kids in because she'd done the same thing so many times, haha!
Very nice review! :-)
Thank you!!
I think I remember you saying you were using Beast Academy. Can you do a review of Beast Academy? Love your down to earth, practical videos! ❤️
I mentioned that Beast Academy is a favorite choice for homeschoolers with gifted learners, but I've never actually used it. I'm planning on using Math With Confidence once we start our school year (my son is at kindergarten level in math)--my teen sister mainly uses Life of Fred and the preteen uses Math U See--I do have videos on those.
@@SevenInAll oh okay. I'm sorry I must have misheard! 🫣
I love TGTB! My 5 year just finished math k. I enjoyed all the additional learning games in the lessons.
We enjoyed doing all the multiplication games for year 3! I think some people love the games, others find them annoying, haha! That's why, each family needs to find their own program that fits just right!
Hey Rachael, so my little girl is doing math with confidence K. I just bought Abeka k5. What are your thoughts of doing both? I feel like math with confidence K is a little to easy for her. I didnt want to skip it although we took placement for math u see she scored Alpha level. She is young 4years old (just very smart).
I don't think it would be a problem at all to do both! My 5 year old gobbles up math books, so I can understand little ones who enjoy math and have a knack for numbers!
What is your main stand alone math curriculum choice for 1st grade?
That's a tough question! We often end up combining curricula because many aren't enough to cover everything on their own. I think if I wanted to go with just ONE curriculum in1st grade--Singapore Dimensions or Primary, or else Abeka or CLE if you want more of a "traditional" approach to math--these are pretty comprehensive. My own math plan for my 1st son is going to be Math With Confidence from Kate Snow, but we will likely pair it with Math U See because he loves math and craves more math problems to solve.
I love math u see but want second curriculm to introduce other concepts and am torn between abeka and horizons as a supplement while math i see lays the mastery foundation
I don't have personal experience with Horizons, but I have known families who love it. Abeka offers a very solid amount of practice in the early years for their math curriculum.
Great video.
This weekend at the homeschool convention I learn all about Math you see and there approach on multiplication, etc. Looks very different but also very effective. My Daugther love to read and stories so I was thinking about LOF. But now I got sold on MUS Watching this video made me think I can have both but I don’t want to confuse her with the principles in how each one teach the concept. So I would love your advice on how to use both curriculum. Thank you :)
We have combined MUS and LoF for years! For us, in the early years, LoF is really more of just a read-aloud for "fun math", that we read together and then do the few practice problems together. (not necessarily every day, but rotated in once or twice a week). MUS then serves as the "main" math curriculum, with the lesson concept taught at the beginning of the week, and the rest of the week spent working through the workbook pages of the lesson, and the test at the end. I do have an in-depth Math U See video here: czcams.com/video/IpSXS-6oBRs/video.html
And I also have an in-depth Life of Fred elementary math here: czcams.com/video/k6pXdqOIUeA/video.html
For our high school student we've used a little bit of a different approach, but this is what we've been doing for elementary the past few years.
I thought my kids were getting the phonics but we started out reading and the words that we worked with in our curriculum are not sticking which is kind of frustrating but when they are reading their books and come to a word they don't know we sound it out and it sticks better that way. So should I just stick with reading books or should I try to put a square peg in a round hole and continue with the phonics program (they love the program but like I said it's not sinking in I think because it is just words on the page it's not concrete enough for them)? Or do I change my phonics program into more story based and if I do that which program would be best? I really value your advice.
What phonics program have you been using? Most of the phonics programs I'm familiar with use reading books that integrate the sounds they learn in a workbook. I do think it helps to explicitly teach special phonics sounds, but yes, you're right that what you really want is for your kids to notice those sounds in the words in the books they read. We've mainly used Sing, Spell, Read, and Write as a phonics program in our family for many years--they are very thorough, and integrate workbook activities and reading story books. There are other solid options, as well. But if your kids already have all the fundamentals of phonics down, it may also just be possible to jump into having them read aloud a lot, and simply use words from their reading books to teach different special sounds.
@@SevenInAll I am using delightful reading 2. We tried spell to write and read and it was a huge flop for me.
@@jennythomas3985 Do they already know most of the special sounds like /ch/, /sh/, /ng/, and vowel digraphs? At some point, you probably could leave phonics behind and just do reading early reader books. I've always done more of a sound-based approach rather than a sight word/commonly used word approach, so you could simply focus on the special sounds your children struggle with when reading. I've heard that "All About Reading" is very thorough for phonics. I think the "Sing, Spell, Read, and Write" that my family used may be out of print, haha--it was an older program from the 90s but I still have all the songs memorized. lol!
@@SevenInAll yes they know those
Im in search of kinder and 1st grade; math measurement data geometry, spelling, writing, staying on topic, counting by 2,3,5 and 10's for my autistic kiddo kind who struggles with eloping/task avoidance and speech impairment. please help i run into allot of recommendations that either dont work or work but are not our charter vendor
That's tough! Do you know what type of curriculum you're looking for? There's a variety...but ultimately, they're all the same tool, just slightly different styles. What type of teaching you want to do? With kindergarten and 1st grade, the best thing is to find a curriculum that YOU will feel very comfortable leading and teaching--and then make that curriculum your own, and work on building those skills at the pace that suits you and your kids. Especially in the early years, like kindergarten and first grade, it's less about the curriculum that is PERFECT, but more about building the habit of learning in your kids, repeating foundational skills again and again until they are mastered. The parent will be guiding and working right alongside their child during these early years, so choose a curriculum that YOU will be able to spend your time working on on a daily basis.
We do math everyday as well and I am right next to her while she is doing it.
That's awesome that you're able to do it together! I think that is very much needed in the earlier years.
If I add in math drills and games could life of fred still work? I can't afford multiple curricula.
Possibly! Life of Fred is certainly an unusual approach to math--it's easier to use it exclusively in middle and high school although even that can present challenges (i.e. we have found Life of Fred Calculus to be significantly more challenging and less straightforward than Math U See Calculus, for example).
Which two do you use in tour homeschool?
We have mainly used Abeka (for the earlier years), Math U See, Life of Fred. We used to use Teaching Textbooks (back when they had the cds) for high school, but we have since switched to using Life of Fred for high school.
Checking math every day is essential - so easy for a child to miss a concept and actually learn it wrong!!
Absolutely! We make it a routine to stay on top of checking with all independent work every day, but with math it is especially important.
Your actually told to let them play with the blocks of the want to. Apparently it's educational
I agree that it's a great opportunity for learning! Our kids have enjoyed playing with them a lot over the years! :)
Oh my gosh, Yes! I need to remember to check their work. I missed something that my daughter totally didn’t get and we had to back track. 😬😬
Yes, I think many of us learn this lesson about the importance of checking!
Abeka is what I used as a kid!!! (I didn’t like it 😜)
I used it in high school and absolutely hated it...I was the only one who had to go through high school with Abeka because my mom found better options by the time I graduated.
My kids also call them cakes lol
haha, that's too funny that they came up with the same way to play with the Math U See manipulatives!
You forgot Beast Academy! Nooooo!
Not forgotten! But our family has never used it. There are many other quality curriculums to explore, not covered in this video: Dimensions, Primary, Math Mammoth, etc.
The Good and The Beautiful just looks too fluffy. I want sonething more straight forward
If you're looking for a more straightforward math--Math U See & Saxon are some solid options, Abeka as well, although their pages are more cluttered. I have an in in-depth video on Math U See here: czcams.com/video/IpSXS-6oBRs/video.html
@@SevenInAll I was thinking of trying Christian Light for Math since I like their Language Arts
I also like MathUSee so thst is an option.