Multi-Sensory Learning with TouchMath Kindergarten

I didn't think it was possible, but I think even I have fallen in love with math through TouchMath after having the privilege of reviewing the TouchMath Kindergarten Homeschool curriculum for the past several weeks.  And, I often heard my child asking when she could do math again.

Following is a short video that summarizes how we used TouchMath Kindergarten Homeschool:

From the moment it arrived, even the box it came in was inviting:

  

Let's Face it - If it Involves a Cup of Coffee and a Fireplace - I'm All Over it!

I decided to sit down with a cup of coffee in front of my fireplace and get to know the TouchMath Kindergarten Homeschool curriculum.  It took me a couple hours to go through their website links and to read about how to use the TouchMath Kindergarten Homeschool curriculum.  After that, it only required a brief read-through of no more than about 15 minutes each before presenting each lesson plan.

The lessons are laid out well and explain everything you need to know to teach each lesson.  It comes with a checklist to check off every skill as your child learns it and has a list of materials needed for each lesson.  Here is how my teacher work area looked when using the curriculum:

Each lesson included:

Kindergarten Unit A B C D

Implementation guide

6 module guides with instructional strategies

90 student activity sheets

6 assessments (one per module)

Real world connections

Answer keys

Progress monitoring

Vocabulary

. . . And, I absolutely loved how the curriculum integrates other subjects, like science, into the lessons about math.  For instance, I had no idea that giraffes had such long tails and tongues; and my daughter had a blast with the sink or float experiment while learning math-related vocabulary, like "heavier" and "lighter".

Some days my daughter was able to finish several lessons.  Other days, we only accomplished one or worked with the manipulatives or the TouchMath Tutor software, but it looks as if it is designed to finish approximately one lesson sheet, or new concept, a day and one module a week to complete the entire Kindergarten level in a typical 9-month school year.

The curriculum is available at the TouchMath website along with tons of manipulative options that can be purchased separately as you desire:




Cost of the Core Curriculum:

$59.95 for each unit or $199.95 for all four

Manipulative Choices Enhance the Curriculum:

$99 Tutor software
$30 Touch Shapes
$79 3-D Numerals

The manipulatives are not required to successfully use the curriculum, but I found that my daughter got very excited about them and that it helped to bring the learning to fruition for my kinesthetic, very active, learner.  

We jumped in with the TouchMath Tutor software which was so fun and really helped seal the understanding of how to use the touch points on each number.  It also works well to use the software as an award for your child in between lessons or to take one day a week for the software.

If you decide to only purchase one manipulative, I would highly recommend the 3-D Numerals.  They made my daughter ask to do more because they were so colorful and allowed her to touch and feel what she was learning.  Besides that, her older siblings were actually a bit jealous of the fun colorful 3-D Numerals, so I read ahead as to how to integrate them into multiplication and division for my fifth grader too.

The 3-D Numerals come with a CD for the computer that is filled with instructions on how to use the 3-D Numerals as well as tons of practice sheets you can print out from your computer.  If you choose to buy the 3-D Numerals along with the curriculum, I would highly recommend popping in the CD and printing off the activity sheets before you do anything else because it will give you and your child a complete understanding as to how to use them and, if your house is like my house, your child will get very excited about using them and want to do more math.

The Touch Shapes are similar to other shape sets we have used in the past, but these are durable plastic and transparent which allow them to be used on an overhead projector in a classroom setting.  We are perhaps unusual homeschoolers in that we do have an overhead projector which I would have liked to have used with these to project onto the wall.  However, our overhead projector lightbulb is burnt out.

We separated the TouchShapes into zip-closed plastic bags to make them easier to work with:

Actual Learning Takes Place with TouchMath

There has been a lot of years of research put into this math curriculum and with the child's learning needs always at the forefront of the development.  I learned that the developer of TouchMath taught for more than 15 years in elementary classrooms and was devastated to discover sixth grade students she began with one year could not do basic multiplication or division. She worked with a friend who was a special Ed teacher and developed the TouchMath method. By the end of the year, 97% of her students were successful. They developed the touching patterns after they observed how children learned over a five-year period.

A Word About Common Core

After opening the box, I quickly discovered how extensive this program is.  It has separate modules that are divided based upon Common Core Curriculum requirements that are clearly listed.  If you are a homeschooler who has been hearing the horrors of Common Core, don't stop reading or let that scare you.  This curriculum was developed long before Common Core was introduced.  The state where I live does not yet require homeschoolers to follow the Common Core, so until now, I have only skimmed the proposed requirements and was initially overwhelmed at what seemed to be an endless listing of skills and abbreviations throughout the curriculum.  However, after sitting down and actually reading through the lessons, I found it interesting to know the specific skills my child was learning and to know that it meets, and quite frankly exceeds, these guidelines.

. . .The idea behind TouchMath is to teach math in a manner so that the child actually learns math and not to just present lessons for the sake of checking off a box. . .  

The TouchMath program has been around long before the concept of Common Core was considered.  It won't take long before you realize that TouchMath is solid regardless of what curriculum requirements guidelines it's stacked up against because the years of hands-on research and development of the curriculum was always done with the student's learning needs at the center.  Listing out the lesson plans in the latest Common Core format should not scare anyone away, and if your state already requires homeschoolers to abide by Common Core guidelines, you will be relieved to know that TouchMath makes it easy for you to keep a record of the skills your child is learning.  Through it all, I found it to be a very solid curriculum program.

Click here for more Schoolhouse Reviews or click on the picture below:

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

One-Stop Curriculum SchoolhouseTeachers Review

As a homeschooler, you have no doubt come to love all the helpful information packed into each issue of The Old SchoolhouseMagazine.  Well, hang onto your hats because if you have not discovered it already, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine presents SchoolhouseTeachers.com.  This is an amazing opportunity for your homeschool to have a complete curriculum for the entire family at a very affordable price - Really!

Use SchoolhouseTeachers.com as a complete curriculum at your fingertips, a curriculum supplement, or you could easily use it as an idea-generator toward building your own personalized lessons around it to create a complete curriculum at a very affordable price or just for a rainy-day fall back option to fill in the educational gaps on days you need a little boost as a teacher to spark some enthusiasm in learning.

I recently had the opportunity to review SchoolhouseTeachers.com with my children, and I kept getting more and more giddy with each new click as I watched everything I need unfold on my computer screen and iPhone.

My First Reaction:

My initial reaction when I first took a look at SchoolhouseTeachers.com from The Old Schoolhouse magazine was, “Wow!  This is a one-stop shop.”  I have seen other sites making attempts at providing a full curriculum or curriculum extras, but this site does it right.

It is more than possible to teach entirely from Schoolhouseteacher.com with a subscription every year. It’s affordable and comprehensive, especially when you consider that you may find yourself teaching solely from the site and not from expensive curriculum.

I tend to get frustrated with curriculum packages because I am creative and have an idea what path I want my children to walk down.  I grow weary of teacher guides that have every last word spelled out for me to read.  The SchoolhouseTeachers.com allows for my creative modifications to their solid foundation of lessons and lesson supplements.  However, there are plenty of complete lessons available on the site as well for those who prefer following along with what has already been provided.

My Next Thoughts:

My second reaction to the site was the realization that this had to have been put together by a homeschooler or a group of homeschoolers because only fellow homeschoolers truly understand what other parents need to get through each day.

I kept thinking of additional subjects to look for, thinking there is no way one site could cover everything.  Yet, I kept discovering that they were there.  It was obvious that this teaching site was created, not only by teachers, but by homeschoolers who have been there and know what other homeschoolers need.

My First Discoveries:

Of course, I immediately went to the “Extras” tab and began downloading my free e-book, which is provided each month to members with a new ebook to download.  I then made my way to the Planners, and was I ever pleasantly surprised.  There are planners there for everyone.  There are even planners intended for the children to use directed at their grade levels.

I particularly loved the “Dailies” tab as it was easy to click on every morning to grab all of the lessons needed for the day.

What Age-Range/Grade Level Does the Site Cover?

There is a section for pre-K through Kindergarten, Lower Elementary, Middle School and High School.  Some of the Dailies are above or below my children’s levels, but I easily adapted them to become less or more extensive to fit their needs.

Time for the Kids' Reaction:

After looking over the site to see what it had to offer, I set out to try it out with my three little critiques who can turn my excitement for learning and lesson planning into frustration and disappointment at times.  My children are 7^th grade, 5^th grade and 1^st grade, so I focused on both the elementary level tabs and the Middle School tab.

The part I enjoyed most are the “Dailies”.  A homeschooling parent can literally cover every subject necessary and never buy curriculum by dropping by the “Dailies” tab.  My kids and I had a blast learning about the planets, and I loved that there was a section set aside to learn about what happened on this day many years ago in history.

We also enjoyed the hands-on activities provided in the lessons.  I printed off some activity sheets for my youngest, and we all had fun following the recipe to mix up the "clay" needed for the astronomy lesson about venus.

Just to make sure it was as comprehensive as it looks, I sat down with my children and created a lesson plan that covered every core subject.

The true test - My 12-year old skeptic:

My 12 year old son absolutely despises text book and traditional curriculum offered to him, but I saw his eyes perk up when I mentioned to him that there is a complete Film Making course offered by a professional filmmaker available on SchoolhouseTeachers.com.  The best part is that I could just hand him my Droid tablet, have him open up his laptop, or if I dare my iPhone, and let him watch the course himself.

There is a page that list some fantastic teachers known to the homeschooling community, and elsewhere, as experts in their field.  Click on their subject and receive complete lessons you can download.  Some are in video format that you can watch right there at the dining room table on your iPad or laptop.

The other videos on the site were fun and informative as well.

And, There's More Extras:

To my surprise, there was even a month’s worth of recipes and menu items – Perfect for homeschooling parents like me who get so busy teaching that I forget to prepare lunch till we’re all starving.

I got excited when I saw there was a Homemade Hot Chocolate recipe that would make great gift-giving idea that the kids can handle making.

Even more exciting is that they have recordings from the Homeschool Expo seminar to listen to so, if you missed the Expo or just need a refresher, you don’t have to feel like you missed anything.

If you’re not near a printer or you don’t want to print out the lessons, I found that it works well to read it on the computer or on my iPhone.  It worked great using my iPhone, very convenient.

The Cost

Pay $5.95 per month or purchase an entire year’s membership for $64.26.  Give it a try at a special price of just $1 for the first month, and if you order the one-year special, you will also get a free tote bag along with a back issue of The OldSchoolhouse magazine.  I find this price to be incredible seeing as how some of my current curriculum begins at higher prices for just one course or book.  This site at www.SchoolhouseTeachers.com covers every subject for every child in your family at this one low price.

For more on SchoolhouseTeachers.com and what others have to say about it, visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew and read more.

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.