Homeschool Math CurriculumI have a confession...I'm not very good at homeschool math. Okay... I'm really bad at it. So how does a mom who's bad at math teach it...by finding really good homeschool math curriculum. Now that you know that, here's what I recommend: Preschool through 3rd grade - Math-U-See 4th grade through high school - Teaching Textbooks. Below are my reviews on the most popular math curriculum. 
HOMESCHOOL MATH CURRICULUMThese books are wonderful for homeschooling families who have a mom who is mathematically challenged :) ...like me! I will using Teaching Textbooks Algebra I with my 14yos this year, so soon I will be able to give you a first-hand review. In the meantime, I have had several "seasoned" homeschool moms give glowing reports of this curriculum. Here is their description, which I agree with: Teaching Textbooks, with its approximately 700 pages of text and 120 - 160 hours of teacher instruction on CD-ROM, is both a teacher and a textbook combined into one. And the CD-ROM teaching isn’t just abstract lectures either. There are also down-to-earth, audiovisual step-by-step explanations for every single one of the almost 3,500 problems in the book. Using a Teaching Textbook™ is like having a friendly tutor available at the push of a button, but for only a fraction of the cost! With this math curriculum, you:
They are expensive when compared to other homeschool math programs, but you have to remember that if you have several children, they will all be using these books so that cuts down the cost since you only have to buy them once. Teaching Textbooks start with 4th grade and continue up to Pre-Calculus. Highly recommended. This homeschool math curriculum is completely hands-on and it comes with CDs so you can see the lessons being taught. I used Math-u-See when my children were young and loved it because the kids could actually work the problems out with manipulatives. However, as my children got older we weren't so crazy about it. They kind of lost us around 5th grade. At that point, I would recommend switching to the Teaching Textbooks. Math-U-See 
SaxonMany homeschool moms love Saxon. I don't. I'm just including my review here because Saxon is so popular that I thought you might wonder why I didn't include it. Here's why: This is a public school textbook. It assumes that the teacher is a professional math teacher - I'm definitely not! It does not make a good homeschool math choice. Because it assumes you are a public school math teacher, it doesn't give very good explanations. The kids hated it because the lessons are so loooooooooong. Using Saxon math is just like having your kids in public school. I'm sorry - that's my very opinionated review on Saxon. :( I don't recommend it. But...as always, if you feel this is the best choice for your child, then use it. No one knows your child like you do and you know best! Parts of the Key To...Series is great. What I love about it is that it teaches every concept step-by-minute-step. It is very easy to understand and you can teach it even if you aren't a math whiz. I recommend their Key to...Fractions, Decimals, Percents, Algebra, Measurement, and Metric System. I do not recommend their Geometry series - it just wasn't complete. I also think it's better to switch to the Teaching Textbooks at 4th grade too, but if it is too expensive, these will do just fine. What I don't like about the Key to...series is that there is no review. When you are working on fractions, you are only working on fractions. When we finished, my kids knew fractions frontwards and backwards, but had forgotten how to do some of their other basic math. Wooden Pattern Blocks and Pattern Block Activity Cards Ahhhh...These bring back wonderful memories. I don't know who loved these more - me or the kids. We used to sit in the living room floor and build the prettiest patterns with these blocks. It sounds like we were just playing, but they are a great math manipulative! Your child will be able to learn about sorting, matching, geometric forms and relationships, patterns, symmetry, congruence and similarity, problem-solving, fraction work, and area measurement. There are several companion books to choose from. Pattern Block Activity Cards contain many different patterns to build and lessons for different age levels. My favorite pattern block book was the animal pattern set. It had twenty-six animal problem-solving puzzles, one for each letter of the alphabet. Figure out which blocks are necessary to complete each animal. This book also comes with directions for twenty activities relating to the animals that involve counting, estimating, sorting, symmetry, sequencing, and visual/spatial awareness. Is this schoolwork? You bet! Very important for those early years in learning about math. Loopit by Goliath Game This is a fun math game where you have to add up points. The game actually involves multiplication, but you can easily adjust it for your little guys by doing addition and subtraction instead. You can find this game at Timberdoodle.com Gopher It! This is a great game for your kids who need to practice their beginning math skills. It is a fast-paced game of chance, so even if you have older kids who don't need the practice, it's still fun for them too. This game can be found at Timberdoodle.com Be sure and check out our First Grade Math Games, our Preschool Math Activities, and of course our Free Printable Math Worksheets All of these resources are free and I've put them here for you to use and make your homeschooling just a little bit easier! :) The Quarter Mile Math Program This is a computer-based software that is great for math drills. Your child can either choose a race car or a horse. They do math problems and try to beat their best time - getting faster and faster in the process. This game really helped speed math up for my kids. By knowing their math facts and knowing them fast, their work became much more accurate and it cut down the time they were spending doing their math. If you notice that your children are missing LOTS of math problems in their math work, this might be the solution for you. Quarter Mile Math is the same program that Sylvan Learning Centers use except they charge you $45.00 per hour to sit your child in front of a computer and do this program. If your child is having problems in math remembering their facts or making mistakes over and over, this might be your best bet.
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with plenty of hands-on manipulatives added in.
