How Do You Eat an Elephant?

One bite at a time!

Maria Miller breaks math down into edible bite-size pieces in her Math Mammoth series.  I had the opportunity to review the Multiplication 1 e-book and I loved it!  My son is well past the age of multiplication -- well, he is supposed to be.  But, there are a few facts that keep eluding him.  So, I thought this would be a great chance to review and rebuild some concepts that he must have missed.

The Multiplication 1 book is broken into 2 parts.  The Multiplication Concept covers the meaning of multiplication (Many Times the Same Group), the relationship between Multiplication and Addition, Multiplication as an Array and on a Number Line.  Ms. Miller uses various types of exercises to repeat the same thing, so your child can SEE what multiplication is.  They see it, draw it, hear it, etc.  The book was laid out nicely for independent work.

The second part concerns Memorizing the Tables.  She gives great instruction in how to give oral drills.  She takes the tables not in numerical order, but in order of simplicity so that the child builds memory with ease and repetition.  You can see Maria Miller explaining multiplication algorithms on video here.   She also explains her structured drill practice on video here.  There are lots of other videos you may wish to check out.

We are still finishing up Part One of this book, but I have already seen my son's comprehension and speed pick up while doing his other math work.  I am super-pleased with Math Mammoth and would recommend it highly.  Ms. Miller offers lots of other math curriculum from kindergarten thru Algebra 1.  Besides complete curriculum, she also sells math by topic (just clocks, just geometry, or just word problems, etc.).

These books are not expensive.  Maria Miller explains:

"I've always (since 2003) wanted to offer materials at affordable prices. For example, the complete curriculum products cost $32 a grade (download).  But if you are REALLY having to watch every dollar, check into the Blue Series books - the electronic versions cost between $2 and $7.00 apiece!"

Ms. Miller gives a great list of helpful resources on the Internet which you can use to supplement your math work.  I just noticed also that this e-book is now available for annotation, meaning you can have your child fill in the pages on the computer, rather than printing!


I was provided this e-book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.  I honestly recommend it to you!  You can see more TOS Homeschool Crew reviews of Math Mammoth here.