shinyhappypeople Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Are there other programs similar to Simply Charlotte Mason's Your Business Math program? It doesn't have to be about running a business (although that's fine,too), but it needs to emphasize putting math into action, using real scenarios. This is WHY we learn math, to do xyz. I don't want my kids to have the same experience with math as I did. For most of my childhood, math - even arithmetic - was just a set of mental exercises. It was taught in isolation from real life and I didn't really feel there was a purpose to it. It was just something to do at school. I still have no clue why I had to learn to graph points or learn slopes. When is that ever used?! So, what's out there that teaches that practical side of math? I'm not strong enough in math to do this on the fly, beyond the most obvious scenarios (e.g. fractions and cooking). p.s. There really needs to be a math book called, "When Am I Ever Going to Use This?!" that goes through each math topic and points out why it's useful to know. If you write it, please include slopes and plotting pairs of points on a graph. Thank you :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 There was some books on the Scholastic sale this week that were a "real life" kind of math. MUS has a Stewardship class. Math Mammoth has some books that apply highschool type of math to real life. Here is the link to the Scholastic one - it is $1 today, and there is "MAY30" coupon for 30% off! :D http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/dollardeals/real-life-math-workbook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Math for Real Kids, but it's just a supplement rather than a full program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted May 12, 2013 Author Share Posted May 12, 2013 Wow, that looks really good. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 One of the problems with applying math to the real world is that the real world tends to be really complex--which means you need some heavy duty math skills to model it or understand some of the algorithms used by businesses or scientists. For younger kids, I think some of the best applications of math they may see come from playing games. Children will learn probability from tossing dice in board games or from playing Poker. Chess teaches spatial reasoning. I would also suggest that you apply math to your lives. For example, if you are going to order a pizza, analyze the cost per square inch of the 12 inch size vs. the 14 inch pizza. Look at unit pricing at the grocery store. Have your kids create graphs monitoring the number of gallons of water or KWHs of electricity your family uses. Every time you fill up the car with gas have your kids estimate mentally the MPG. There are lots of ways to discuss math even with young children. Instead of doubling a recipe, make one and a half times as much and have a child compute the amount of ingredients needed. Have fun--because math is fun! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Aufmann Basic College Math has some. I think CLE has a book. Barron's, Made Simple, the Easy Way, Schaum's all have books that are often in a regular bookstore. I pick some of of Ray's and Strayer-Upton that isn't too outdated. I think Abeka has a book, but I think it's meant to come after Algebra, not before. I think Alpha-Omega might have something. Rod and Staff has a book keeping course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Here are two of my favorite go-to sites for math 'play' involving 'the real world'. When I was tutoring college math and chemistry, the "WHY do we have to learn this?!" And "WHEN will I ever use this?!" questions were asked more than anything:) The first link is a comprehensive list of sites, videos, and resources for homeschoolers looking to incorporate real-life examples of math. It is compiled by Maria Miller (MathMammoth): http://www.homeschoolmath.net/online/real_life_math.php This second link is a newer company, but the videos are great and applicable, and they really do only ask that you pay what you can (as in a monthly subscription fee). They just want to spread the word. http://www.mathalicious.com/lessons/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted May 12, 2013 Author Share Posted May 12, 2013 Thank you :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 I saw the book "Math for Real Life for Dummies" recently; I am not sure if it's quite what you'e looking for, but I thought I'd mention it http://www.amazon.com/Math-Real-Life-Dummies-Science/dp/1118453301/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 I like the look of MM MIRL ones. Just wanted to add, a while ago HSBC had PCI Education under SN. I was wandering about and came across it, and some of their stuff looks REALLY cool. I plan to get one or two of their things when Atlas is older. The math stuff is similar to what your talking about "real" math, and does remind me a bit of CM Business Math (which I also have on my wishlist). Everything looks a little different on the store, but here's a couple I came across: Money Math Binders: Teaches Real Life Math & Shopping Check Writing Program: Learn Banking skills & Reinforce Math Money Skills Real Life Menu Math Pizza Math Software There were a few other ones, but I'll let you wander round their site HTH xxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 I like the look of MM MIRL ones. Just wanted to add, a while ago HSBC had PCI Education under SN. I was wandering about and came across it, and some of their stuff looks REALLY cool. I plan to get one or two of their things when Atlas is older. The math stuff is similar to what your talking about "real" math, and does remind me a bit of CM Business Math (which I also have on my wishlist). Everything looks a little different on the store, but here's a couple I came across: Money Math Binders: Teaches Real Life Math & Shopping Check Writing Program: Learn Banking skills & Reinforce Math Money Skills Real Life Menu Math Pizza Math Software There were a few other ones, but I'll let you wander round their site HTH xxxx :iagree: PCI does have some really good stuff. They have Math for the Real World, stuff for cooking, check books, banking, etc. Remedia is similar. I was going to suggest the Menu Math books too. There are other ones like Drive-Thru Math, Shopping Mall Math, Market Math, etc. If you find something you like, always cross check with Rainbow Resource...*sometimes* they'll have it (individual workbooks, not the binders), and if they do it's always a bit cheaper. Oh, also request catalogs from both PCI and Remedia...it's so much easier to look for stuff through their catalogs than online, imho...but then go back to the website to see samples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.