Even if you’ve found the elusive perfect math curriculum there are still some very good reasons to consider supplementing.

Math programs come in all different shapes and sizes. They vary widely in how they present a concept. Hopefully, you have found a program that, for the most part, works for your student. However, even the “best” math program may not be the best for each and every concept taught. Sometimes students need an alternative point of view; they need to see the concept from another angle. Bringing a supplement in can enhance your student’s understanding of a concept. One resource that is great to have around when a student gets stuck on a concept is Right Start’s Activities for the AL Abacus. With their abacus and the activity book you’ll have access to math topics from simple addition to square roots. This is nice because when you get stuck on something you can simply look up the concept in the activity book and it explains how to teach it. Activities for the AL Abacus is available through Cornerstone Learning (www.cornerstonelearning.com). This resource would be most useful for the K – 4 grades. For an alternative point of view in the middle grades, try Key Curriculum Press’ series Key To… They have a series of thin workbooks on fractions, decimals, percents, algebra, measurements, and metric measurements. These are available from most homeschool resource stores. (http://www.keypress.com/catalog/products/key_to/index.html)

Some programs do not concentrate as heavily on math fact drill. In this case it’s very easy to find a supplement that meets your family’s needs. If you have the time, and don’t want to spend a lot of money, then a simple set of flashcards will do. Try buying two sets to play Memory with. You could also play Go Fish by asking for a card that equals a certain number (so 5 x 2 and 10 x 1 would be a match). If you have more money than time or if your child loves working on the computer then you might consider something like Quarter Mile Math (http://www.thequartermile.com/).

Other programs may not provide enough word problems. Singapore’s Challenging Word Problems book provides instruction on how to tackle difficult word problems and gives a wide range of practice problems. The workbooks are very inexpensive and can be found at most homeschool resource stores.

Math games are a great way to enjoy math while practicing skills. Some favourites you may already have around the house are Uno, Yahtzee, and Monopoly. There are some great math games that can be found in your local homeschool resource store as well. The Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks sets offer dozens of games in one book over many grade levels and also include dice and cards. Right Start Math Games is another great option. It includes an abacus and six decks of cards along with an instruction book. Peggy Kaye’s book, Games for Math, is great for the K to 3 years and is found in most libraries.

Some math programs may not cover all of the PLO’s. In this case it’s usually quite easy to add in a supplement. The Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks series has a couple of sets that deal with Statistics and Probability (something that is sometimes not covered by math curriculum). Playing a game now and then to introduce a concept is a great way to cover missing PLO’s in a fun and easy way. There is also a series of workbooks called BC Math that cover every PLO and even tell you which PLO you covered on each page. They are inexpensive and are available through Cornerstone Learning. Family Math, by Jean Kerr Stanmark, Virginia Thompson, and Ruth Cossey, is a great book that has many ideas for enjoying math with your child. There are a wide variety of concepts covered in this book and it includes activities with graphing, data analysis, and other areas that are sometimes missed by traditional curriculum. It can be found in most libraries.