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Math Mammoth...need help please!


daisylynn
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Let me start by saying that I have an upcoming 3rd grader and two 1st graders. We are coming from Abeka math. I originally thought I would switch to Singapore, but have ready so much about Math Mammoth that I think we will do that. (Is that a good choice?)

 

I have looked on the sites given for buying MM, but am totally confuses. I saw that you can buy either downloadable (or CD) or the soft cover books. I would rather buy something that I don't have to print out, but is that the better way to go? How do most people buy it? Is it costly and annoying to print out? Or is it better to just buy the hard copy?

 

Also, what would I need for two 1st graders and a 3rd grader? I saw so much on the sites and couldn't decipher it all. Could someone link me to exactly what I would need to order for both of them? And would I need to order 2 sets since I have 2 in 1st grade? Is it all consumable?

 

Thank you for your help!!

Tammy

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We have been happy with MM and will be starting our 4th year using it. We buy the softcover so we don't have to deal with printing it. It is not terribly expensive imo. It is currently on sale, so that helps, too.

 

It is all consumable, so you would need a copy for each child.

 

What we used for K was http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/grade_1.php (It is 2 books for the whole year)

 

DD8 finished it in K. DS6 will be finishing it as part of 1st grade and we have already ordered the next for him.

 

DD8 will be starting this for 3rd grade:

http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/grade_4.php

 

We have ordered the books through Lulu and have had no troubles. I have ordered a couple of "topic" books for extra work as a download from kagi. That was fine as they were smaller sets to print.

 

I hope that helps and all goes well!

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Thank you!

 

So, you're doing 4th grade with your 3rd grader? How do I know how to place them?

 

Also, I see a bunch of stuff on that site. Is this what I'm suppose to be looking at if I want to buy the soft cover?

At Lulu:

Part A worktext $14.95

Part B worktext $14.95

Answer Keys $13.95

Tests & Cumulative Reviews $12.95

 

Is that all I would need for the whole year for one of my 1st graders? And you said it was all consumable? All 4 parts of that?

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Thank you!

 

So, you're doing 4th grade with your 3rd grader? How do I know how to place them?

 

Also, I see a bunch of stuff on that site. Is this what I'm suppose to be looking at if I want to buy the soft cover?

At Lulu:

Part A worktext $14.95

Part B worktext $14.95

Answer Keys $13.95

Tests & Cumulative Reviews $12.95

 

Is that all I would need for the whole year for one of my 1st graders? And you said it was all consumable? All 4 parts of that?

 

Hi, are you sure you don't want to buy the "Full Set" Download version? If you have 2 - 1st graders and a 3rd grader, your money would probably stretch farther with the downloads.

 

Here's one link: http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete-curriculum.php So, 1A is the first semester of 1st grade math. 1B is the second semester of 1st grade math. Also, if you buy the Download version, it comes with the answer keys, tests and student worksheets. You don't have to buy different items. You can buy the download through Kagi or Currclick.

 

For the Download version, you have to print out the student worksheets. I just print a couple of weeks at a time and I never print out the answer keys. When it's time to check my daughter's work, I just open the file from the laptop and scroll through the answer key for the answers.

 

If you want to buy the workbooks that are already printed out, what you listed in your post is correct. You would need 1 work text for each kid, though. One copy of the answer key can be used for both kids.

 

Where to place your kids? On the link I pasted above, you can see an overview of what each level covers. Here, this gives an overview of 1st grade:http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/grade_1.php

 

She also has Placement Tests here: http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/placement_tests.php

 

I hope my post isn't confusing!

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As you have potentially three children who would be eventually using the third grade level (your current third graders, plus your two first graders in a couple of years) and two children who would be using the first grade level, then I can't imagine buying the printed version from Lulu. That seems silly to me. I know printing can be a pain, but you can send it off to be printed - there have been threads here about the cheapest/easiest ways to print and bind MM.

 

I would also get the full light blue set if I were you. It's still on sale at HSBC, I think.

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I recommend getting the downloads as well. HomeSchoolBuyersCoop has a group buy going on for MathMammoth right now. I bought the complete set from HSBC in March (or whenever they offered it last) and am psyched. It's not bad to print the pages out. I don't have a good printer at all and I printed part A for both my 4th grader and my 2nd grader without problem. I hole-punched all the pages, and then put them in three-ring binders.

 

With two in first grade, I think it would be easier to buy the downloads.

 

Either way, I hope you like MM! I know we do. ;)

 

Edited to add the link to HSBC's Math Mammoth group buy: https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/math-mammoth/?c=1 When I did the group buy in March, it didn't get to 50% until the end of the month. I think a lot of people wait until the end. LOL I think it will get there again. It's a great curriculum.

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With the group buy on the Homeschool Buyer's Coop, you can buy the entire series (1--6th grade, downloadable) for less than you will spend on one year of soft-cover books for one year.

 

I never found printing to be a big deal. Print in economy mode if you have an expensive printer (sometimes called fast draft) and print double-sided. When I used MM, I printed one chapter at a time and had them in a hanging file on my dining room table, and simply handed out one page at a time as needed. Could not have been easier.

 

There is generally no need to file every.single.sheet.of.paper. Even if you are in a portfolio review state, keep what you need for your portfolio and do yourself a favor-- ask how often your child will really sit and lovingly re-read every last page of their math books when deciding how necessary it is to 3-hole punch and file every single page. Work it, grade it, review problems if needed, and recycle.

 

You will, with the download version, have infinite access to the PDF if you need to review a concept later. Put the files in Dropbox and you can access them at-will from any computer, your iPad, iPod, android device, etc.

 

It's hard to find a down-side.

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I once printed an entire semester AFTER my low ink light came on, and I still had ink left. I used fast draft and printed double sided. That was before I got a laser printer.

 

And really, buying the download via HSBC and a laser printer would be cheaper than getting the printed versions. :tongue_smilie:

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Thank you ALL so much for the replies! I am definitely going with the downloadable version! :thumbup:

 

So, the light blue is 1-6. That's all I would need through the 6th grade for all three kids? I can print out as much as I want? Wow, that IS a great deal if that's the case!

 

So, one question then...I saw on the HSBC that they have bundles and you can choose to buy all 3 sets (blue 1-6, light blue 1-6, golden/green 1-8/9.) I'm not buying this, but it made me wonder what the difference is between them and why would someone need them all? I've heard light blue the most. Is that what I need to go with?

 

One more question. I've never bought off there before. I just put in that I want to wait for it to get to 50% (or whatever I decide) and commit to buy it then? That's all? Is it pretty guaranteed that it will get to 50% or should I put in something lower? Also, we were going to start school the 20th. Does it usually not get that cheap until way closer to the end of the month?

 

I'm so excited and can't wait to get this! Thanks for everyones help!!:001_smile:

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Yes, the light blue will be all that you need. If you will be teaching with MM as your primary program, you do not need to spend the money on the others.

 

You should enter the maximum price you are willing to pay. You will automatically get the best price at the end of the deal (re-read the fine print to confirm that, but that is how most of these deals at HSBC generally work). They don't charge different people different prices just for being suckers; in the end everyone is charged the same price.

 

The Blue series is a bunch of topics-- say you were using another program, and you wanted a unit to focus on just fractions, or just measuring. Or instead of teaching by grade levels and jumping from topic to topic, your preferred teaching method is to master a topic completely and then move on. Or perhaps your child is functioning at a 3rd grade level in time arithmetic, a 4th grade level in fractions, and a 2nd grade level in measuring. Blue series is perfect for you, because one 'unit' covers up to 3 grade levels in a package. It is very flexible. Many people purchase a Blue series topic individually from the Kagi website for about $7 when needed.

 

Green and Gold series are more for classroom teachers, I understand. I have not used them, so someone else can correct me if I am wrong, but whereas the blue and light blue series are teaching worksheets, the green and gold are just worksheets, and intended to be used by classroom teachers.

 

Although I have moved on to other programs for the most part (my younger will do some review with MM this year, because I am concerned about the speed with which he is moving through Singapore, and because his learning style dictates seeing things from multiple perspectives) I really do like MM, and feel it is a solid program. Further, I have chatted back in forth by email with Maria Miller, and find her an accessible, sincere individual who does what she does because she genuinely LOVES to teach math to young people and wants them to get it and understand it.

 

Good luck!

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Thank you Jen! That makes sense now! I tried to read over it but it just seemed confusing to me. Thanks for clarifying!:)

 

So excited to finally find our math program for the year! It was the last thing I needed:)

 

Of course, as excited as I am, I still have moments of second guessing myself...like I just did when I was writing this:001_unsure: I thought I was set on Singapore until I came across MM. Someone tell me I won't be sorry for going with MM instead of Singapore!

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We moved from Singapore to Math Mammoth. Since we travel quite a bit, hauling all the Singapore books around was making things difficult. Dh and I don't like to check bags!

 

You'll find MM has more problems than Singapore; generally, I will teach the lesson using problems from the first 1-2 pages. He doesn't do all the problems in the remaining lesson unless I feel he needs additional practice.

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Thanks Erin!

 

One more question...I was just looking over some sample pages and really really like how they are colored. Do most people print in color (and has that been costly or an issue) or do most print in black and white. For those who print in black and white, do you find it takes away from it with there being no color?

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Thanks Erin!

 

One more question...I was just looking over some sample pages and really really like how they are colored. Do most people print in color (and has that been costly or an issue) or do most print in black and white. For those who print in black and white, do you find it takes away from it with there being no color?

 

we only have books 1a and 2a, both bought pre printed and they are all b & w.

 

in response to the one who said they only use the first 2 pages, the concept is presented in so many different ways- forwards, backwards, inside out, you name it- i would not recommend skipping whole sections. i have my dd do roughly half of each section (sometimes a little less). if there are no mistakes, that's all she has to do. if there are mistakes, she has to correct it and do one additional problem for each missed one.

 

we tried right start, mep, and singapore, but mm is the first thing that has worked. we are going in on the group buy and i think i'm gonna put it on a thumb drive and take it somewhere to be printed. good luck!

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I print in B&W and it's rarely been an issue. Once in a great while the text will refer to a colored item, but we've been able to figure it out based on context or just alter the assignment to fit our needs. Worst case scenario, we'd pull up the .pdf and look at the color. :001_smile: Haven't even needed to do that yet.

 

We LOVE MM here. My daughter did 1A for Kindy, then 1B/2A for 1st and she's doing 2B/3A this year for 2nd. My 4th grader is doing 4A/B this year. Last year he struggled with multiplication a bit, so I downloaded the extra multiplication practice workbook from the MM website (for approx. $5) and it was just what we needed to get him on the right track and then resume where we were in the Light Blue book. Maria Miller has placement info on her website if you're unsure about where to start.

 

Check out the HSBC price for sure. I'd already purchased two grades, and it was still cheaper for me to buy the 1-6 package through HSBC (and thus, repurchase those two grades) than it would have been for me to purchase just the remaining grades through her website.

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in response to the one who said they only use the first 2 pages, the concept is presented in so many different ways- forwards, backwards, inside out, you name it- i would not recommend skipping whole sections. i have my dd do roughly half of each section (sometimes a little less). if there are no mistakes, that's all she has to do. if there are mistakes, she has to correct it and do one additional problem for each missed one.

 

I mentioned that I teach from the first 1-2 pages, but my son does half of the remaining section (usually every other one) so long as he gets the answers correct. So he does the more challenging problems on his own.

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You have gotten a lot of great replies! I guess I am in the minority buying the books, but I just don't have the time/patience to do all of the printing. That's just me. ;)

 

It is the Blue series that I have purchased a couple of topics to download (really inexpensive) for more review and depth. For example, I got the geometry book because they were interested and could use it for both kids where they were because of the span of the book (does that make sense?).

 

The books are BW and that hasn't been a problem so far. I think there are some placement helps on the main website. Since there is no kindergarten level, we just started with 1 and have gone from there. DS6 will likely complete 1b and 2a this year. DD8 will do 4a/4b, but that's just where we are. HTH!

Edited by sunriseiz
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I'm really curious about the cost of printing the downloaded material. I ordered the tests, answer keys, etc., as a download to print myself. When I looked at having Staples print out just half of what was included in the download, the color option came out to $76. The black and white option was much cheaper- $15. However, that was just half of what was on download, and that was not even the actual workbook for the kids. My concern is that if I order the workbooks via download or cd, yes, it will be cheaper to buy, initially, but I'll end up making up for the cost when it comes time to print hundreds of pages for one grade level.

 

Any thoughts on this?

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I always do b&w on my duplexing (prints double-sided automatically) laser printer EXCEPT for the money chapter. Then I use my color inkjet. My dd is doing money for the first time with MM1 and I felt she needed the color to help her differentiate the coins. My ds is in MM3 and he is familiar enough with the coins that he can tell what they are without the color.

 

I don't bother printing any answer keys. I just pull up the answer key PDF on my iPad (or computer if you don't have a tablet).

 

If you don't have a laser printer, see if you can work your budget to get one. You can get a good Brother duplexing (MUST get duplexing!) laser printer for less than $100 on sale. I have the Brother HL-2280DW, but that was because I needed the scanning/copying functionality. If you just need a printer, you can go for the Brother HL-2270DW. Get your copy paper cheap thru the Staples sales ($1 for 500 sheets) and the high-capacity toner (supposed to print 2700 pages) for around $45 on amazon. You can print out a whole year of MM for around $5 this way:

 

Assuming 300 pages for 1 year of MM (for example, MM1A and 1B), printed double-sided, you will spend:

 

150 sheets of paper: $1/500 = $0.002 each, so 150 x $0.002 = a whopping $0.30 for paper

300 pages of ink: $45/2700 = $0.017 each, so 300 x $0.017 = $5 for ink

 

For a grand total of $5.30! Feel free to make sure I did that math right, but I think I did, and I think MM is a rockin' deal if you have a laser printer.

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I'm really curious about the cost of printing the downloaded material. I ordered the tests, answer keys, etc., as a download to print myself. When I looked at having Staples print out just half of what was included in the download, the color option came out to $76. The black and white option was much cheaper- $15. However, that was just half of what was on download, and that was not even the actual workbook for the kids. My concern is that if I order the workbooks via download or cd, yes, it will be cheaper to buy, initially, but I'll end up making up for the cost when it comes time to print hundreds of pages for one grade level.

 

Any thoughts on this?

 

Having Staples print it would be expensive. Printing it yourself is not. As I said earlier, it'd be cheaper to buy a laser printer (about $80) and print it yourself over the long haul.

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I always do b&w on my duplexing (prints double-sided automatically) laser printer EXCEPT for the money chapter. Then I use my color inkjet. My dd is doing money for the first time with MM1 and I felt she needed the color to help her differentiate the coins. My ds is in MM3 and he is familiar enough with the coins that he can tell what they are without the color.

 

I don't bother printing any answer keys. I just pull up the answer key PDF on my iPad (or computer if you don't have a tablet).

 

If you don't have a laser printer, see if you can work your budget to get one. You can get a good Brother duplexing (MUST get duplexing!) laser printer for less than $100 on sale. I have the Brother HL-2280DW, but that was because I needed the scanning/copying functionality. If you just need a printer, you can go for the Brother HL-2270DW. Get your copy paper cheap thru the Staples sales ($1 for 500 sheets) and the high-capacity toner (supposed to print 2700 pages) for around $45 on amazon. You can print out a whole year of MM for around $5 this way:

 

Assuming 300 pages for 1 year of MM (for example, MM1A and 1B), printed double-sided, you will spend:

 

150 sheets of paper: $1/500 = $0.002 each, so 150 x $0.002 = a whopping $0.30 for paper

300 pages of ink: $45/2700 = $0.017 each, so 300 x $0.017 = $5 for ink

 

For a grand total of $5.30! Feel free to make sure I did that math right, but I think I did, and I think MM is a rockin' deal if you have a laser printer.

 

Thank you for all of that info!!! I had no idea it could be that cheap! When do you find the paper that cheap?

 

I have an ink jet but am looking into buying a laser one now. I saw one on Staples.com (it was a mono and not a duplex though) for only $60. I'm thinking it may be worth getting it, even though I won't be able to print double sided?

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:bigear:

 

I stock up on enough reams of paper for the whole year (4-6) during Staples back to school sales. After rebate, I've never paid more than $1 per ream, and several every year are $0.01. You just have to remember to send in the rebate. :D

 

We also refill our ink ourselves, and it is much, much cheaper to print it out at home than to have an office supply store do it.

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I stock up on enough reams of paper for the whole year (4-6) during Staples back to school sales. After rebate, I've never paid more than $1 per ream, and several every year are $0.01. You just have to remember to send in the rebate. :D

 

 

Yes! I just submitted a rebate for 2 reams. As someone else pointed out, Staples is having a sale this week on the Hammermill brand.

 

It seems like boscopup said she got her Brother laser printer that does duplexing for $80 on sale. Maybe it's just me, but I would definitely pay an extra $20 for that.

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Yes! I just submitted a rebate for 2 reams. As someone else pointed out, Staples is having a sale this week on the Hammermill brand.

 

It seems like boscopup said she got her Brother laser printer that does duplexing for $80 on sale. Maybe it's just me, but I would definitely pay an extra $20 for that.

 

Going to have to check that paper out and stock up!

 

I would definitely spend $20 more, but the one she got is only on sale for $150 right now. I would love to get one cheaper than that.

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Going to have to check that paper out and stock up!

 

I would definitely spend $20 more, but the one she got is only on sale for $150 right now. I would love to get one cheaper than that.

 

The Brother printer she has is only $90 on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00450DVDY/ref=asc_df_B00450DVDY2130423?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=cnet-office-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B00450DVDY

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Thanks for that link! I totally got confused. I don't remember seeing where she said what kind she had. I was actually thinking of the one you posted that you had (Brother HL-2280DW). I could really use the copy/scanning feature. But I guess I could always just use my old one if I needed to for that. $90 sounds like a great price for that!

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Thanks for that link! I totally got confused. I don't remember seeing where she said what kind she had. I was actually thinking of the one you posted that you had (Brother HL-2280DW). I could really use the copy/scanning feature. But I guess I could always just use my old one if I needed to for that. $90 sounds like a great price for that!

 

I am pretty sure that is the one boscopup has. I remember it because it is just like mine except without copying and scanning.

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Hi! Forgive me if it's been mentioned (haven't read thru all the posts), but Rainbow Resource has MM on sale this month as well...

 

HSBC is a great deal if it gets down low enough though! We have a laser all -in-one printer and get the $.01 reams when available, so printing costs can be pretty reasonable...thankfully!! Honestly, switching to laser from ink has been the best move for our homeschool costs.

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