Our first year of homeschooling was a rough one. Like most homeschoolers, we didn’t know what type of curriculum would work best for us. It was a whole lot of trial and error. We struggled through the subjects until one by one, we found what worked best for us. It was easy to figure out science and social studies but we were finding it difficult to accomplish math everyday.
The problem wasn’t necessarily that our math program sucked. In fact, maybe it could’ve worked out, at another season of life. But at the time, we were struggling to get into a routine, find the perfect curriculum for each subject and balance homeschooling with housework. It was rough but there was one major factor that made it even harder. We had a tiny terror.
In case you didn’t know, homeschooling with littles at home is H.A.R.D.
With most subjects, I could find an easy stopping place when I needed to refill Bear’s Cheerios or wipe his booty. But he always seemed to need me when I pulled out our math book. The problem was that my daughter struggled with math. She needed to concentrate. She couldn’t focus when her brother was whining.
We talked about sending the kids back to public school. Everyday had turned into a power struggle. I needed to tend to the toddler but also needed to get school work done, clean the house and make dinners. It was all adding up to be too much.
Then I stumbled upon Teaching Textbooks math and our homeschool has never been the same.
Teaching Textbooks is a complete program that takes the work out of the one subject we were struggling with the most: math. Not only did it teach my kiddos, it also graded their work and showed them where they made mistakes. It was like a dream come true.
In the 5 years we’ve homeschooled our kids, Teaching Textbooks math is the ONLY curriculum we have stuck wtih, year after year.
Why? Well, it just works!
I recieved 2 subscriptions to Teaching Textbooks and was compensatad for my time for this review. All opinions are my own.
8 Reasons We Love Teaching Textbooks Math
It’s Affordable:
Because money is a huge issue for me, as well as other homeschoolers, I know that I can’t splurge on much. It’s crazy how fast the cost of curriculum can add up. With multiple kids, it gets out of hand quickly. Other math programs require you to purchase the textbook, student workbook and teacher’s manual. This can easily add up to $150-$200 per kid before you even buy the manipulatives! With Teaching Textbooks, you can buy a family subscription for all of your kids for just $199.08! If you don’t need the family membership, you can purchase each level individually. Levels cost between $45-$68 for the year!
It’s Hands-Off for Parents:
Unless you’re a “math person,” you know the struggle of teaching math to kids who simply don’t get it. It’s exhausting and time-consuming. Teaching Textbooks cures all of that, though! With their program, I don’t need to do any prep work or teach a single lesson. Instead, my kiddos sit down at the computer with their headphones and do math on their own. Very rarely do I even need to help them! The lessons are interactive and thororugh, ensuring students understand each lesson.
Once they’ve completed their lesson, I can check thier grade from the parent dashboard. In just a few clicks, I can see what problems they missed and if they used the “try again” option. In previous years, I simply printed the gradebook and added it to our portfolio. With Teaching Textbooks 3.0, grades are permanently stored online, making it easy to locate them if I ever need to.
Teaching Textbooks is Quick:
Lessons are not drug out for hours at a time. Teaching Textbooks gives a quick 3-5 minute lesson and then follows it with about 20 questions. There’s no need to stare at boring textbooks for hours at a time. Instead, lessons can be completed in about 30 minutes or less. If we fall behind, we don’t need to spend weeks catching up. Instead, my kids can simply double up on math lessons for a few days and be caught up. Even when they complete 2 lessons a day, my kids still spend less time on math than other homeschool programs require.
You can Access it ANYWHERE You Have WiFi:
One of our only complaints about Teaching Textbooks CDs was that it was a pain to take on the go. We had to haul our laptop and CDs on family trips with us. With the 3.0 version of Teaching Textbooks, we can access lessons anywhere that we have wi-fi. We’ve done math lessons at the library, at doctor’s office and in the car using my phone’s Hotspot. You don’t even need a laptop! You can access Teaching Textbooks 3.0 from a tablet or phone.
Missed a Problem? Just Try Again!:
One thing that I hated as a child was that I would make one simple mistake and would miss an entire problem. That’s why I love the fact that Teaching Textbooks gives students a second chance. If a child completes a problem wrong, they can click “Try Problem Again” and rework the problem. While each step is very important in math, being able to rework the problem helps build confidence in students.
Take a Hint:
When you’re learning a new topic, it’s easy to forget what you’ve just learned. That’s why we love the HINTS option of Teaching Textbooks. But my favorite part is that “HINTS” are not available for every single problem. Teaching Textbooks knows which problems kids struggle with and they’ve provided tips to help them successfully complete the problem. Don’t need a hint? Don’t take it! It’s not automatically given, so kids can decide when they need the extra help and when they can figure the problem out themselves.
Fun Avatars and New Backgrounds:
I would’ve never guessed that my kids would enjoy choosing the perfect avatar for their math program. They absolutely love the encouragement and jokes that are offered to them every 3 or 4 problems. Sometimes the avatar has a silly joke to share or sometimes it just tells the student that they’re doing a great job. It breaks up the monotony of math for the kids.
Teaching Textbooks 3.0 allows kids to swap out their backgrounds, known as wallpaper. My kids like to do this about once a week. It’s quick and easy but it helps keep math more interesting for them. From dinosaurs to football stadiuums, there’s a wallpaper that every kid will love!
Hit the Pause Button:
As homeschoolers know, life will happen. Whether you’re having a new baby, moving across the country or experience a death in the family, life goes on. But your Teaching Textbook subscription doesn’t have to! Teaching Textbooks 3.0 allows you to pause your subscription for up to 3 months.
That means that you have access to the online math program for 12 months plus 3 months worth of pause time! Each time you pause the account, you must do so for at least one week. You can quickly pause all accounts at once using the Parent Home Page.