Demme Learning's Math-U-See Digital Packs ~ REVIEW

Math is the hardest subject for me to teach.  I went through all of Highschool without taking a single Math class.  I thought I had it made and had struck a gold mine.  In reality I was slighted and when college came around I was not prepared.  Teasing in Middle school and Elementary is what pushed me into the corner of Math shame and even though Mahala isn't teased here at home.  I see the same facial expressions and hear the same sentences of shame and frustration that I remember all too well.  For 3 years she has worked on Algebra, she is still stuck.  Program after program, she hits a wall, gets frustrated and then gives up.  And I feel helpless, because
I don't understand it myself.  Even her Dad, who is a computer engineer struggles to teach her because of this wall she has up.  Feeling ready to give up I was chosen to Review a physical copy of Algebra 1, one of Demme Learning's Math-U-See New Digital Packs.  How exciting is that?  For Our Family it is major excitement as we are approaching Mahala's last few years of High school.

I had heard from many homeschooling Families how they enjoyed using Math-U-See for Math.  I guess I am one of those Moms that need to stumble through years of darkness before finding the light. :)  If you are kind of like me and not as familiar with the whole Math-U-See concept...let me share a little with you.   It is a video based Math program. Your Kiddo will basically watch a video of Mr. Demme teaching from a white board what ever Math concept is on the agenda for that particular week/lesson. Something that I KNOW has bit my 2 oldest Kiddos in the butt is consistent progression with their Math skills....does that make sense?  We would supplement Math with so many programs that I know they have holes in their Math.  But with this program the levels are based on total Mastery.  After completely Mastering addition then they work on subtraction and so on and so forth. Not by grade levels and I truly believe that that has held back my two oldest in their Math.  It is highly encouraged that your Kiddos Completely Master each concept at a time before moving forward to something new.  After the video then your Kiddo has several worksheets to complete, even an Honors one that is a little of a review and future material. Mahala felt encouraged by that last worksheet....it tested her ability and gave her confidence to keep on going. :)

We received everything pictured above, we had never used Math-U-See, so we did not have the physical manipulatives.   Math-U-See encourages the use of manipulatives to fully understand the concepts that are presented in each lesson.  In the future I know this will be great for Kaden to use.  Hands on learning is extremely helpful for Kiddos on the Spectrum.  Once you purchase the Digital Pack, you will receive Online Access to the level of your choice for 1 full year.  You will need to purchase a student workbook so your Kiddo can practice the concepts after watching each video.  When your Kiddo goes onto the website, they will 1st click onto My Digital Packs and then pick their level from the drop down list towards the left.  Then they will be able to easily select their lesson from the drop down list to the right.  This is where they will be able to see their Video, digital manipulatives, a written summary of their lesson, lesson and test solutions.  It's awesome to have everything you need all in one place!   While watching the Instructional Video you will realize just how much Mr. Demme teaches while using these special manipulatives.  Since we had never used Math-U-See before we did not already have them, for the Review we were also given a physical set to use.  I could Barely keep them out of Kaden's hands long enough for Mahala to use them....I knew they would be a hit with him. :)  With the Digital Packs your Kiddos will have access to a digital set of manipulatives. I know....how cool is that?!?!  Once you click on the link to use them you will see a completely different page where your Kiddo will be able to manipulate colored blocks, in the same colors as the physical ones, to figure out their math problems. There are many many fun and educational options for these new digital manipulatives.

One of the things I Love about this Math program is that you can watch these instructional videos from different devices, we are taking an almost 3 month long RV trip in a few months and this Program is going to be almost too easy to take along with us.  Mahala will not only have her phone, but a tv with a DVD player up in her bunk.  I love the options this gives us to study anytime and anywhere! :)  I also Loved the Resources made available to us online to use along with Mahala's current pack level.  You can even print your own graph paper..... ;)

It was very easy to use our Kit, on Monday She watched the video and started with worksheet A.  Then during the course of the week she finished the rest of the worksheets along with the Honors one.  She re-watched the video several times.  And I even saw her jot down notes and even wrote some highlighted points on some note cards for further reference.  It was amazing to watch her be independent with this program.  I feel very confident in the way she is being taught in these videos that I can relax a little and let her be a little more in-charge of what's going on.  She decides how much to work each day and what to highlight and go back over.  I truly have seen some progress in her, I think this was exactly what she needed to get back on track....even to find a track and start to go in the right direction. 

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