Traditions to Begin Holy Week

 
I am not quite sure how it is Holy Week already. 

Back in February, I had planned for the children and I to slowly savor our Lenten journey this year, engaging in meaningful prayer, fasting, and almsgiving activities that would keep us continually focused on faith, love, and mercy.  My plan, however, was foiled the busyness of life.

Sure, we prayed (often, but sometimes in too cursory a manner), fasted (with some degree of success), and offered time, talent, and treasure to others (yet did not manage to fulfill all of the children's Lenten chain suggestions).  However, the slow, savoring?  Yea, that does not come easy for me and, therefore, it is not something my children are well-practiced at either. 

As I reflect on the fact that our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving sometimes fell short and that most of this Lent has already passed us by, I realize that this Holy Week must be spent with more intentional management of our time and greater focus on the final steps Lenten journey.  So, as I look toward the week ahead, I think about which of our past Holy Week traditions we'll choose to revisit and how we might best focus ourselves on faith rather than our propensity toward busyness.  
Our calendar, thankfully, is less full than it often is and, better still, many of the commitments on it are faith-based ones.  That said, there still isn't a lot of white space on our calendar, and I am also well aware that things such as work contracts that are coming due, tax prep that is still undone, and home issues that have literally been tripping us up all beg for time this week.  Yep, the mundane things of this world vie for my attention, threatening to edge out the miraculous moments of Holy Week and Easter.  Meaning sometimes gets lost in the hulabaloo of daily living.  My intent and my prayer is to choose not to let that continue to happen this week.

Starting Holy Week Off with Faith and Family

Today, of course, is a day set aside for faith and family.  Mass, family time, prayer, simply breathing in and exhaling in gratitude.

We have already been blessed by a secret stop by from a friend who left our children palm crosses.  

We were also blessed by participation in the celebration of a beautiful family Mass, where the children received their palms and, asked if they could use them later to dramatize Jesus' entry into Jeruselum.  I am sure the rest of the day will unfold with blessings and traditions, too.

{Disclosure:  Some links which follow are affiliate ones.  Should you click through the to make any purchase we may receive small compensation at no extra cost to you, which, of course, we put right back into training our children up and sharing about it here.}

Praying with The Easter Story

After the children enjoy their Sunday treat of online time, we'll cuddle up to read one of the books from our Lent and Easter collection, most likely The Easter Story, since it gently retells the events leading from when Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem until he rose again.

 

Then, since we'll already be focused on the Easter story, I will ask the children if they'd like to make Holy Week Art again this year...

Of, if they'd like to begin diving into the Word by using our beautiful new wooden Resurrection Eggs.

Likewise, we many also revisit our notebooks from Stickfiguring through Lent with our The Resurrection: Beginner study.

Plus, since it is chilly out and my youngest has been asking to watch The Gospel of John, all week, we might just pop some popcorn and hunker down to watch this new to us film.

 

Fasting while Planning to Give

Every Sunday, our children get a small sweet treat to eat after Mass as well as their "treat time" online or doing something else they want to do.  However, we do not go overboard with too many sweets.  So, they will practice fasting while we chat about who to egg this year and, possibly begin preparing eggs for this fun yearly tradition.  (Please feel free to use our free printable if you would like to start this tradition, too.)

We'll also revisit our Lenten chain strips to see if the suggestions of any of the links we have taken down but have not acted upon might be fulfilled today if we fast from personal pursuits in order to honor our self-made promises.

Giving Time, Talent, and Treasure

Before Mass, we dropped some hand-me-downs off at a collection bin, and, later, I will ask the children to shop our cupboards for items we can bring the pantry tomorrow when we go to help prepare Easter meal boxes for the needy.  We'll also each make an offering to the Labels Are for Jars collection jar we have near our kitchen table.   (I just love this local project to feed the hungry and am so glad our parish priest introduced it to us.)

Please check out Labels Are For Jars, where this logo is taken from.

We'll also make time to visit some elderly neighbors who are unable to make it to Mass.  My daughter wants to bring them palms.

Who knows what other simple ways the Spirit will guide us to pray, fast, and give on this first day of Holy Week as we close our Lenten journey.

Praying for a Meaningful Week

My prayer is that we are able to stay tuned to the Holy Spirit's prompts today and all throughout this Holy Week, avoiding the temptation to allow the the busyness of life to crowd out the beauty of this final part of our Lenten Journey.

May your Holy Week be blessed and the remainder of your Lenten Journey lead you to Easter joy!

"Rainforests Are Epic..." {A Rainforest Journey Review}

Sometimes, when a child picks up slang, it's aggravating; at others times, it's cute.  I'd definitely say it was the latter when my oldest said, "Rainforests are epic!" upon hearing that I was sitting down to write a review of Rainforest Journey by EdTechLens.  

Mind you, my oldest did not learn the slang use of "epic" when using Rainforest Journey, but he has come to be quite impressed by rainforests due to the program!
 

What is Rainforest Journey?

Rainforest Journey is a one-year, online, life science program geared for children at a K-5 grade level.  Because it deals with only one topic - rainforests - it would most likely be considered a supplemental program by homeschooing families and can work well as a unit study.  Because it is Common Core aligned, it can also be used by schoolteachers. 

In the program there are 34 lessons which are grouped into five thematic units:

• Unit 1: The Big Picture of the Rainforest
• Unit 2: Adapt or Die
• Unit 3: Animals
• Unit 4: Plants and Fungi
• Unit 5: Ecosystems

Within each unit there are six parts: Lessons, Vocabulary, Illustrations, Activities, and Assessments.  Included in these are:

• interactive webpages that lead students to click on icons to reveal additional information, etc.
• stunning photographs
• text geared to specific grade levels
• expert interviews with scientists and naturalists
• beautiful video clips that include music and sound effects
• lesson and unit reviews
• multiple choice and open-answer assessments that can be taken online or from printed pdfs.
• hands-on activities you can do offline
• printable materials for teachers and students

Working in my home with the Kindergarten, Third and Fourth grade levels of the program, I noticed that each grade level covers the same topics under the same umbrella themes, but does so with increased complexity  This makes the program friendly for families that like to chat about what they are learning together, but also ends up, in my opinion, not making the Kindergarten level as rich, interesting, and educational as it could be.  For, while my kindergartner enjoyed the photos and videos in his level of the program, and also learned a few things, he preferred hearing some of the information that his older siblings had in their levels of the program.  I am a strong believer in exposing younger children to rich vocabulary and text read aloud and, therefore, would have really loved to see a few brief sentences for Kindergartners like my son to attempt to read themselves and, then, richer supplementary materials for them to listen to, read, or have read to them.  Such a set up would allow kindergartners to benefit from "on level" reading/information as well as more engaging details.

To use the program, all you need is a device with browser capabilities.  In our home, the only such device we have are laptops, however, I hear that the program is accessible from handheld devices as well.

How We Used Rainforest Journey

We received a one-year subscription for each of our three children to use a single grade level of content just a little over a month ago .  So far, the children have each been using the program several times a week for 15-20 minutes or so at a sitting.

Once I received log-in information for this program, I went onto the website and set up "classes" for each of my three children.  Then, each child was assigned a log-in, for which I could create a password.  The assigned log-in names were a bit tough for my children to remember, so I wrote them on an index card and taped them to our computer. 

Once logged in on my teacher account, I could choose if I wanted my children to be able to explore the program in any order or in a sequential order.  I opted for the former, but the children ended up not using their freedom to roam, and, instead, just accessed lessons in order.

I was also able to check my children's progress, score open-ended questions, write messages back and forth and more from my teacher log-in.  Plus, I could access printable worksheets, lesson plans and students sheets for hands-on activities, and more.

From their student log-ins, my children pretty much just began lessons, clicked icons, and moved along happily. 

My oldest, a fourth grader, did his lessons independently.  My third grader, who is not as developed in reading as her grade-level peers are took full advantage of the portions of the lessons that could be read to her a voice in the program and also asked her older brother, my husband, or me to read portions that gad no audio-feature, such as quiz questions.   My kindergartner, who is just beginning to read, did much the same thing, usually doing his lessons side-by-side with Dad, a sibling, or Mom.

None of my children opted to do the printable worksheet part of the program, which was fine by me, for, although I had hoped they might be inspired to engage in pencil-to-paper work through this program, I was not about to force it.  I decided that we could work on writing with other programs and use this one just to ignite their interest in rainforests -- which most certainly happened!

In Their Own Words...




My kindergartner had this to say about Rainforest Journey:

I like it!!  Sometimes there are movies. I like that people read stuff to you.  I have learned about howl monkeys, things that look like mice, and that the very top is called the canopy. The tiger I learned about was the coolest.  I never knew that its back teeth were for getting feathers out and stuff.  I thought all of their teeth were just for eating, but the four teeth in the front are for grabbing prey.  I want to keep using Rainforest Journey for fun... just for fun!  Not for lessons.

My third grader said:

I like Rainforest Journey.  It is fun to watch the videos and see the pictures.  I thought the creature like a monkey looked like an old man.  I liked a lot of the pictures.  I liked the birdie song.  It was so annoying, and I like annoying things.  It was a bird cawing in a video. 

I have learned about.... 22 things!  For example, the rainforest has very dangerous plants for bugs and I will tell you why.  The plants look like they have water on them, so the bugs go to get the water.  The "water" is actually sticky and, then, the plants eat the bugs1  They are bug eating plants! 

I'd recommend this program to people who like the rainforest.  I kind of like the rainforest and will keep using Rainforest Journey, because I like it.  Bye. Bye.

My oldest, in fourth grade, said:

Rainforest Journey is great, because it is online and I can do it by myself.  I did not know I liked the topic until Mommy let me use this program.  Now, I think rain forests are epic!  One example of why is because they have soooo many animals, such as poisonous dart frogs, crabs, and more.  Rainforests are also cool, because there are many types, such as temperate, tropical, and more. 

I like how the program does one or two pictures or videos, then the two things on the bottom, and, then, the quizzes.  This format makes it easy to follow.  It's predictable, but not boring, because there are lots of cool things you can learn, such as that crabs in the rainforest blow bubbles to breathe.

Mommy did not make me do any of the printables, because I learn best online with videos, reading, and listening.  Other kids might like the printables.

I would recommend this to everyone who does not live in the rainforest, because it is a great way to learn about the rainforest.

My Thoughts...

Obviously, my children like Rainforest Journey,  therefore I would recommend it.  Some strengths of the program are that:

• Beautiful photography and videos engage users.
• First-person accounts with naturalists, scientists, and people's journals make the rainforest experience come alive.
• There are audio features on most parts so even developing readers can use the program.
• The teachers account and student accounts are easy to navigate.
• Although the program can be used strictly as an online one, there are printable components and hands-on activities, too.
• Because this program is on the "schooly" side, it can easily be used for co-ops, etc.  Teacher support materials are there for that!

Some things that did not suit me as well were:

• I love multi-age, literature-based learning, and although this program allowed all my children to work on the same topics at different levels, I would have preferred a "family" option to grade-level options, where the presented material was rich in language and depth, but assessments and whatnot could be printed or taken online at varying grade levels.  Then, we could have listen, watched, and learned as a family, but done some independent study, too.

• Even though the assessments were brief, I felt that they came too frequently.  With multiple-choice questions and open-response questions after each section of study, things got to feel too "school-y" to me.  Although my children did not mind this much, I would have liked the option to turn off some of the assessments, since  I do not feel that such assessments are necessary for young children,and, sometimes, such assessments can discourage children.  I'd rather my children spend time with engaging content and discussion than traditional assessments.
• Videos were a feast for the yes but not the ears.  I would have loved more videos, especially in the kindergarten level, with voice overs that explained what was being looked at.

All that said, I think the program might be a good fit for:

• Those that like rainforests. (Of course!)
• Families that seek independent life science studies for their children (as long as the children are strong enough in reading to read the portions of the program that have no ado feature.
• Classroom teachers and co-op teachers who want the flexibility and accountability various student log-ins allow.
• Children who like online learning.
• Children who are highly visual.
  

  

Learn More

To view sample lessons and videos of this online science program, please go directly to the EdTechLens website, where, currently,  you can also find a coupon code for 50% off the typical price of $50 for one student or $75 for up to five students in the same grade.

While at the website, I recommend that you look carefully at the sample lessons to ensure you choose the most appropriate level(s) for your child(ren) since each subscription allows access to one grade level only and, depending on if your child is "ahead", "behind" or "right on target" for particular grade levels, the fit may be different.

You can also get social with EdTechLens at:

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/edtechlens
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edtechlens
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/edtechlens/
• Google +: https://plus.google.com/+Edtechlens
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edtechlens

Read what 75 Schoolhouse Review Crew families had to say about this K-5 online science program for kids!

 If you like e-learning and are looking for an elementary science program, Rainforest Journey might be for you.  Head on over to EdTechLens

to check it out and see if you think rainforests are epic, too. 

Celebrating St. Joseph: A Look Back as We Look Forward

Now that I have St. Patrick's Day planned for my crew for this year, I have begun thinking about what we might do for St. Joseph's feast day.  As I do, I realize that, just as I had neglected to share our St. Patrick food, fun, and faith-inspired activities in 2014 and 2015 until yesterday, I also never shared about our 2014 and 2015 St. Joseph activities until now.

A St. Joseph's Tea and Playdate in 2015

Last year, we were blessed to have friends come over for a St. Joseph's Day tea and Playdate the day before St. Joseph's Day.  In fact, we were super blessed that they were only free the day before St. Joseph's since a belly bug hit on the actual St. Joseph's feast day, so there was very little celebrating that day - just lots of praying, sleeping, cuddling, and cleaning up.

The day before St. Joseph's Day, however, was full of fun, faith, and feasting!

Before our friends arrived, we prepared a 3-tier table and, on it among other things, placed our traditional "St. Joseph flowering staff", which caused the kids to exercise their virtue of self-ctonrol as they wanted to badly to dig into it.  (When they finally did dig in, it was gone in seconds!)

We also added other traditional St. Joseph altar foods -- or ones inspired by them. Then, once our friends arrived, we added their yummy delights to the table.  It was a perfect feast for us!

Among my children's favorite foods on the table were the gluten-free, casein-free tortillas, that, when paired with kitchen scissors provided an easy DIY alternative to the traditional breads eaten on St. Joseph's Day.

Of course, the day was not all feasting.  It was faith-based reading, praying, and fun, too!
 

I took out many of our construction-themed toys in honor of St. Joseph, the carpenter.  How fun it was to see the children's teamwork in putting some of them together and playing with others.
 

 

The children also decided to draw images of staffs flowering with lilies, in honor of the legend that St. Joseph's staff flowered when he was selected as a suitor for Mary.  We used their drawings to decorate a wall by our St. Joseph's Altar table.

Along the same flowering staff idea was a fun craft - making pencil top paper plate lilies.  

Most of the children (and adults) got quite into lily-making, but some opted to continue construction play.
 

I loved how the children moved fluidly from one activity to another enjoying one another's company while focusing on play and handwork that reminded them of facts and stories of St. Joseph.
 

Their concentration was evident as they enjoyed  activities.
 

It was sweet to see how the fruit of some of their activities (coloring and paper lilies) added to our St. Joseph feast table along with the literal fruit.

It was also funny to see them act out St. Joseph and Our Lady's journey through Bethlehem, which they did before we chowed down.  It was a truly lovely St. Joseph's Day Playdate and "Tea", celebrated with friends, fun, and feasting.

A Simple St. Joseph's Breakfast in 2014

{Disclaimer:  Some links which follow are affiliate ones.  Should you click through them and make any purchase, we may receive income at no extra cost to you.  Anything we make goes right back into training up our children and sharing about it here.}

 St. Joseph's Day fell on a rather busy day for us in 2014, so we simply enjoyed a breakfast and extra prayers before heading out for the day and, later, read a favorite St. Joseph storybook, Joseph's Story.

Our annual "flowering staff", made with almond horn cookies, greens, and pear slices took center stage on our table.  Extra almond horns, pear slices, and greens rounded out our breakfast and the children's favorite treat drink - chocolate Silk milk - made the morning for them.

Before eating, a printable St. Joseph prayer card helped us pray. Unfortunately, I cannot recall nor find a specific link for the card, so if you recognize it, please do let me know so I can offer credit where credit is due.

I do recall, however, that among typical prayers for St. Joseph's intercession, we added special prayers.  Just a couple days prior, we had laid my niece to rest.  Sorrow still hung heavy despite the smiles we captured in the few snapshots we took on the morning of St. Joseph's feast day.

Those smiles meant so much to me, though.  For exa,ple, after looking at the image on the prayer card, Nina realized that an almond horn cookie could make a halo over her head much like Saint Joseph is often depicted with a halo about his.  "Sainting herself", she became a silly, happy little girl, and in the midst of the tough week that it was, her bright smile was a balm for my soul.

Find More Ideas

If you'd like more ideas for celebrating St. Joseph, including lots of links to free resources, be sure to see our Host a St. Joseph Tea and Playdate post.

I'd love to hear about your favorite St. Joseph read alouds, recipes, resources, and traditions.  Please share about them in a comment.  Links are welcome!

Math Without Fussing and Frustration {A Math-U-See Beta Review}

Although there are a number of math approaches out there that I like, I have yet to find one that is ideal for my daughter.  Thus, when I was given an opportunity to review one of the Digital Packs
that Demme Learning puts out, I was excited.  I have heard great things about Math-U-See and was confident that using the Beta Digital Pack as a part of the Beta Universal Set might bring my daughter math success.  I am happy to report that my thoughts were not far off the mark.


My daughter has been working with Math-U-See since early February and is progressing without much fussing or frustration.  To me, that means success and two big thumbs up for Demme Learning!

What is the Math-U-See?



If you've been homeschooling for any length of time, you've probably heard of Math-U-See, which is a popular, hands-on math program that uses manipulatives designed to illustrate and teach math concepts in homeschoool and small group learning environments.  Pastor and schoolteacher Steve Demme developed the Math-U-See program over 20 years ago to help students build math understanding through a multi-sensory, mastery-based approach which systematically introduces new concepts, while also reviewing old materials.

If you were to purchase a typical, traditional Math-U-See pack, you'd receive:

• a teaching kit, which contains an Instructional Manual with answers and all lessons on a DVD
• a student kit, which contains a student workbook and a test/activity booklet
• a manipulative block set, which is necessary for Primer through Algebra 1 with an additional Fraction Overlays set for the Epsilon level and Algebra-Decial Inserts for the Zeta, pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 levels

You could also purchase an optional song CD of skip counting and addition facts.

What is a Math-U-See Digital Pack?
The Math-U-See Digital Packs contains most of same items as the traditional packs, but in digital form.  For example, in the Beta Digital Pack I received, which is valued at $38, there is:

• a teacher kit:  12-month access to streaming instruction videos, an Instructional Manual PDF, and lesson and test solutions
• a Digital Manipulative kit which is accessible using Chrome or Safari browsers on any brosing device
• Skip Count Songs MP3s and Songbook PDFs 
• a variety of other online resources, to include online drills and downloadable record-keeping sheets, graph paper, word problem tips, and more.

The only thing from the regular physical kit that is not digitized is the student workbook and the student test booklet, which can be purchased separately in physical form separately for $40. 

So, essentially, the Digital Pack offers modern-day convenience at a cost-conscious price.  In doing so, it adds an incredible amount of portability to an already fabulous homeschool math curriculum!

How Did We Use Our Math-U-See Digital Pack?

 
Although I was excited about the convenience of the Beta Digital Pack, I know my daughter likes concrete things, too.  So, I was thrilled to receive the Beta Digital Pack as a part of the Beta Universal Set (which is valued at $153), which meant we had the concrete block set to entice my daughter while also having the extraordinary convenience of the Digital Pack, which allowed us to stream instruction videos onto our laptop without having to pop in a DVD and also allowed me to quickly and easily access things like Lesson Summaries and Answer Keys through a drop down menu.

Now, technically, I think parents are supposed to watch the streaming instruction videos and use them as a model for teaching their own kids, but, in our home, we tend to do things together.  So, my daughter and I watched the instruction videos together and proceeded with lessons from there.

At first, my daughter was delighted with the streaming videos and physical and digital manipulatives, and I was, too.  We used these, along with the Student Workbook and Test Booklet, to progress at a happy, successful rate.

Then, we got a bit off course. 

After a few lesson periods, my daughter decided that she did not want, nor need to complete, workbook pages.  So, instead of having her do the workbook pages, I simply scanned them to see if there were concepts in them that I thought she was weak in and asked her to do those pages.  Because I think that application of math through story problems is important, I also paused to read each word problem in the workbook to her (since she struggles with reading) and had her figure out the answers orally or in writing.

During this beginning phase of our Math-U-See usage, I loved that, with the Digital Pack on my laptop and the workbook and test booklet in hand, we could easily take out learning to the couch, the kitchen table, a bed, a blanket outdoors, or a picnic table with or without physical blocks since the digital ones work well, too.

It was this convenience, however, that got us even further off course.  Or, rather, it was my habit of taking math anywhere that did.

You see, one day, our family decided to take advantage of some particularly beautiful weather by taking our learning to a local park.  While there, I knew we would do about an hour's worth of sit down lessons at a picnic table and, then, be off and about in the park for the rest of the morning and early afternoon.  Thus, I did not want to bring my laptop.  Since, I have no other browsing device, I opted , instead, to just take our Beta Test Booklet for my daughter's math work that morning since she was ready for her next lesson test. 

Well, lo and behold, my daughter did not just finish her lesson test during a 15 minute math session, but decided to go onto the next test, too.  After that, my daughter, beaming with pride, asked if she could "test out" of certain lessons by starting with a particular lesson's test and, then, going back to watch instructional videos and/or do extra practice as needed.  Despite the fact that this is a rather backwards approach, I agreed.  For while I know that Math-U-See is written with built-in systematic review and introduction to new concepts that might be skewed a bit by the backwards method my daughter asked to use, I also did not want to dampen her new-found math success and initiative!  The fact that my daughter was asking to do math was huge for me.  The fact that she was succeeding with it was even bigger.  So, I went with the flow.

Since then, my daughter and I have sat down to do the tests for each lesson as pre-tests, and, then, with her input, have decided if we need to get on to our computer to stream particular lessons or seek extra practice through digital or physical components of the program.  It is working well for her and I am delighted!

Using our backwards approach, my daughter has just finished the test for Lesson 12 with very little trouble.  More importantly, she and I are in agreement that she is making math progress and that we have found a math program that is right for her right now.  Thank you, Demme Learning!  It is such a delight to know that math success can be met by my daughter without fussing and frustration. 

Final Thoughts

 
When I asked my daughter what she thought about Math-U-See when I was preparing for this review, she said:

I like Math-U-See, because it has blankness on the pages.  It's not crowded.

(My daughter tends to struggle with visual clutter, so the simple, no-nonsense pages make concentrating on the math at hand easy for her.)

I like the guy who teaches, but he's too quiet.  He's not likes some teachers though.  He gives students time to answer questions before he answers the, and his explanations are clear.

(For some reason, we cannot seem to turn the volume of Mr. Demme's voice up as loud as my daughter would like in the streaming videos.  His voice is definitely audible; it just does not come through as loud as some other things do on my computer.  That aside, my daughter likes his teaching style, it seems, which surprises me as it is rather no-nonsense, traditional school style, which typically does not suit my kids.  What does suit her, as she said, is the time Mr. Demme gives for students to think and respond and the clarity of his explanations. My daughter processes things at a different rate than some children so this style works for her.  Note to Self on that!) 

My favorite thing about the program is the blocks.  I like to build with them, not use them for math so much.

(Yes, yes.  When our block kit came in, I told my daughter it was just for math, not for play.  I have stuck with this in that we do not use them for free play when we are not doing math.  However, sometimes my daughter likes to build with them when watching the instructional videos.  She also likes to start or end math time by free playing with them when we have time.  That's okay by me, and, obviously, a plus for her!)

My least favorite thing is that there's a workbook. I  don't like workbooks.  I like printable pages and when my mom takes out just one page.

(Um, note to Self Two there.  I did not realize until printing pages, using workbook pages, and hearing my daughter offer this comment that it is not workbook pages themselves that my daughter has never liked, but, rather, the bound workbook.  Who knew?  I guess I should have realized that my daughter found thick workbooks overwhelming.  Now, I do.  Not a math thing, but a thing I can thank this Math-U-See review for anyway!)

I'd recommend this program for other kids, and I will keep doing it.

(That she will!  I am thrilled to have found something that she is willing and able to do in math!)


Truly, I am quite pleased with Math-U-See.  The physical blocks enticed my daughter to give the program a try.  They workbook and test booklets, with their ample white space, allow her to concentrate and not feel overwhelmed.  The printable sheets helped me realize that single sheets (even if torn from workbooks instead of printed) also help prevent overwhelm.  The streaming video and extras accessible from the drop down menu are super convenient.  The digital block feature is fun and portable.  Our Beta Digital Pack as a part of the Beta Universal Set is a total win here!  I would not hesitate to recommend it to those who:

• seek traditional math curriculum in a modern package
• have not yet found an ideal program for learners who may have processing issues
• love math and seek a proven mastery-based program
• hate math and seek the mentorship and expertise of someone who loves it to teach it (Mr. Demme is the man to do that!
• want to be able to take math on the road or out-and-about
• seek math success without fussing and frustration.

Learn More

See what 100 Schoolhouse Review families thought about different levels of Digital Packs by Demme Learning


   

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  How awesome is it that Math-U-See now has convenient (and wallet-friendly) digital options?  If you've been waiting to see what the buzz of this math program is all about, now is a great time to do so!