We love Math On The Level!

Math On The Level has got to be one of my favorite homeschool finds of all time. People ask you to compare different curricula, like say Saxon to Singapore or Math U See to Horizons, but honestly there is nothing that can compare Math On The Level. It is so different from anything else out there for homeschoolers that it really is in a class by itself.

Most math curricula are divided up by grade level, with a teacher's manual containing lessons plans and a student book sometimes containing lesson pages to be read and almost always containing worksheets to be done. Math On The Level has no lesson plans, no student book and no worksheets. It is suitable for children from a preschool level all the way through pre-algebra (which most children doing pre-algebra in late middle school or junior high). Math On The Level (hereafter referred to as MOTL) is more of a backbone to making up your own math curriculum. You choose the topics of study that your child is maturationally ready for (more on that later) and go as quickly or as slowly as your child needs. Do you ever find that your child has caught on to a math topic quickly but the math book you are using insists on drilling it into their head as if they still did not understand? Or maybe your child is still struggling to understand adding mixed numbers but the math book has already moved on and assumes your child understands. This is never a problem with MOTL because if you hit a brick wall in your child's learning or if they seem to be soaking it all up with ease, you can move at your child's pace and not a curriculum advisor's idea of how fast your child should be able to learn.

You wouldn't try to force a 12 month old to walk just because most other 12 month olds are walking, why do we push an 8 year old to multiply just because most other 8 year olds can multiply? Does it really matter if they could multiply at 8 or if they took longer to master it? Why can't they just work on other areas of math while waiting for their brains to be ready to handle it? With Math On The Level, you can do just that. So your child is having trouble understanding the concept of multiplication, you can work laterally on other areas of math that she is ready for and come back to the multiplication. Waiting until your child is maturationally ready to handle certain concepts means waiting until the child is ready to understand before asking for mastery of a subject. Some kids have no problem understanding things in the order presented in a math books. Others struggle even though it has been presented at least a million different ways and get stuck in a math rut. They can't go on in the math book because the next lesson assumes they understood the previous one. Their brain just isn't ready to wrap around the information yet. It has nothing to do with age or intelligence but everyone progresses at their own rate.

A big part of the program is the daily review sheets called 5-a-days. They have 5 problems a day to solve on their own that are review. You have to make these yourself. It's not terribly difficult to do and you can be fancy and make it on the computer or just write it out on lined paper. I've done both and really prefer to write it out, it's just easier to me that way. There is talk of a program being written that will produce 5-a-days for you but it think it is still a work in progress. The only thing we add to this is drill of math facts. MOTL has a drill program and there are lots of others but I just print drill sheets from the internet.

The only drawbacks to this program, I would say, is that you have to be comfortable planning your own lessons. The MOTL manuals give you lots of help but it still gives you lots of freedom to do it how you want. We love that freedom but others are paralysed by it. Also, while not really needed, it helps if you have lots of manipulatives and fun math things at your disposable. Like I said they aren't needed but it's nice to have. Since MOTL is a one time purchase, non-comsumable and completely reusable you could use the portion of your homeschool budget that would go to buying math curriculum every year toward buying fun math things. Oh one more drawback is that MOTL is expensive, when you break it down over the course of 9 years (K-8) it's not expensive but it is a lot to put down up front. It was totally worth it for us but it can be a barrier for some.

Here is a post I made on the Five In A Row message boards about MOTL (the bold statements are the criteria she was looking for in a math program)

"Math on the Level would definitely help with a lot of your criteria

-can review with her addition and subtraction but not in a babyish way
You choose how to review math facts with MOTL. Personally, I print out drill sheets from Donna Young's website and require that they complete 2 rows (20 problems) each day. This is in one of their workboxes. MOTL also has their own fact drill books called "9's Down". I haven't used them but the idea is that they begin with the 9's facts and work down to the 1's so the more difficult upper facts get more practice.

-has lots of manipulative work and not just blocks
You choose the manipulatives you work with. The yahoo group is a great resource for ideas. We use MUS blocks, Funtastic Frog counters, RightStart card games, Muggins math games, play money, real money, craft sticks, sales ads, toys...a lot of these we had on hand from trying different curricula. The MOTL manual makes suggestions for inexpensive manipulatives as well.

-has lots and lots of review before moving on, lots and lots
MOTL has your older child doing 5-A-Days, personalized review every day. The manual suggests most topics be kept on review for a year at least. The downside is you have to make these yourself but it isn't as bad as it sounds. There are sections in each guide with ready made 5-A-Day problems for each topic, you can just copy these from the book or make up your own problems.

-has quite a bit of repetition, including worksheets
Again, you are in control with MOTL, you can repeat what ever you need to for as long as you need to. Worksheets are easy to find on the internet when you need them. We also use Singapore workbooks when I need a worksheet. I'm looking into Math Mammoth and the Keys to...series for this purpose as well.

-can be adapted to include movement while learning
-perhaps has a variety of ways to learn, including seeing, hearing, touching, doing
With MOTL you can do what ever you need to to teach the lesson. There are lots of teaching suggestions in the manual but if you have a better idea for teaching something, you are not bound to the manual.

-incorporates real-world uses of math
There is a whole manual dedicated to pulling the math out of everyday experiences. The whole idea of MOTL is that math can be taught as naturally and easily as teaching them to walk and talk."

Getting off my soap box but that's my plug for Math on the Level.