This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Teaching Textbooks. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
We have tried so many math curriculum options over the years. I’ve tried to be sensitive to everyone’s learning styles, which is important, but in order for math to really get done around here, we have to look at my teaching style. What is my teaching style for math? In a word: hands-off. Okay, that sounds a lot like a homeschool mom cop-out answer, but I am just being realistic here.
With 5 kids (and four of them homeschooling currently), it’s a daily battle over how much time I have to help with each kid. To make my life easier and to truly make sure that my kids have a well-rounded education, I have to outsource subjects. Teaching Textbooks has been like an answer to prayers around here. We’ve used the disc sets for years, but we were recently given the opportunity to review the online version of the curriculum for my oldest kids. Teaching Textbooks 3.0 is even better than the discs because I don’t have to worry about anything getting destroyed or lost – we just need a strong internet connection and a browser that will run Flash to get my kids working on math.
Why I Love Teaching Textbooks (More specifically, TT 3.0):
- It is affordable. There are a few different options available for folks wanting to give Teaching Textbooks a try. First of all, there is a completely free trial for the first 15 lessons for all available levels. Yes, ALL of them. Then you can choose between individual annual subscriptions ($43-67 per year per student/course) or their new annual family subscription plan.
Basically, if you have a family of 4-8 students using the program, they will cap out your annual fee at just $199.08. That’s a bargain price. My 6 year old will likely be starting Teaching Textbooks in the fall, so I will fall within that range with 4 kids using the online curriculum.
Oh, and they have replaced workbooks with e-books, so you no longer have to worry about buying those if you don’t want to. (We still use the 2.0 version workbooks so it’s already done for me, and they are compatible with the 3.0 online version of Teaching Textbooks!) - It does the teaching AND grading for me. With so many kids, I get overwhelmed with it all if I can’t outsource a few things. This curriculum has been a Godsend for us because it does every single bit of the teaching, plus it grades the lessons and quizzes and keeps them in a neat and tidy gradebook for me.
- My kids don’t complain about it. They have NEVER griped about doing math since I started them on Teaching Textbooks. Not once. Need I say more?
- It works for multiple learning styles. One of my children is VERY visual, and another is a true auditory learning. Another of my kids is a big kinesthetic learner. This hits all three of those with the video lessons with full audio, along with an accompanying workbook. I feel like they remember the lessons better, too, because they’re receiving the information in multiple ways.
Why My Kids Love Teaching Textbooks:
- It is colorful and fun. My kids always tell me that their teacher’s “got jokes” during the lessons. They love the game-style lessons and bonus rounds built into the program. It’s way more exciting than a black and white text book and keeps them engaged.
- The lessons walk through everything step by step. There are several practice problems for each lesson, and they are able to go through each step with the built-in teacher. When they mess up, they’re able to view the solution so they can see why they missed it.
- There are built-in extras. My kids love their “buddies” that they get to pick, which are like cute little mascots. Sometimes, they choose not to have a buddy at all, and that’s okay, too. They also like that the program keeps track of grades for them so they don’t have to remember anything or write it down for me.
- They don’t have to wait on me to help them do their math. So far, my kids have worked completely independently with their math, but did you know that Teaching Textbooks actually offers free tutoring? Yes, they do! When your children reach a point in their math studies where they just don’t understand and it isn’t clicking, Teaching Textbooks will walk them through it until they get it. That is an incredible service that I’m going to be so grateful for as my oldest begins high school math courses.
If you’re looking for a math curriculum for your elementary, middle school, or high school student, I highly recommend looking into Teaching Textbooks 3.0. You can’t beat their free trial to see if it would be a good fit for your family, and I think you’ll love the freedom that it gives you as a busy homeschooling parent. Students will love being able to work on their own through the math program, and FREE phone tutoring is available. Why not give it a try?
