Review: Math Mammoth

Today I am going to give you a review for Mammoth Math.

Vendor Information

Vendor: Math Mammoth.
Product: Light Blue Series, Grade Three.
Cost: Full set grade 3: $34.00
(part A and B worktexts, answer keys, tests, cumulative reviews, a worksheet maker, and Soft-Pak)
Additional pricing: An affordable price of $34 for each grade level. It also has bundle pricing of $136 for grades 1-6, $68 for grades 1-3, $68 for grade 4-6, and a CD version for grades 1-6 with 33% discount $141.

My son is technically still in Grade Two, but I wasn't too concerned about him doing this grade three curriculum.  Every grade three book I've EVER looked at starts a good portion of the year reviewing Grade Two materials, so I figured that it would give us a good taste of what this program could do for us.

The Light Blue Series is a complete math curriculum, student manual (includes teaching sections) tests, reviews, worksheet maker and BONUS.... CANADIAN materials as well.  (how cool is that!).

How we Used It.

I received a downloadable PDF.  So I would print off a couple sheets,  then we'd do them.  The instruction is right there on the worksheet.  It's nicely marked off in a blue box.    Just two sheets everyday.  Didn't matter how long it took to do them, didn't matter how big the teachers box was, we did two pages most every day.  Some days we'd repeat a lesson just to help teach a concept that was new.     5 minutes or an hour.. just two sheets.    It never took us an hour (just so you know).  Normally about 1/2 an hour.   We'd talk about them.  We'd figure out what was expected.  The lad would attempt them (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) and then we'd talk some more and work together on one or two problems and then he'd work on his own.  This got us through.

And two pages... that's doable in the eyes of my boy.  

I really like that I can print off just exactly what I need so he doesn't get intimidated.  (full visual workbooks tend to do that to him).

We haven't had a need to use the Canadian money yet, but I appreciate that they are added.    We also didn't use the geometric cutouts since we have a whole set of geometric shapes already.

What We Liked

My son: It's just two pages Mom, and it shows me what to do.   I can do it if I really want to but sometimes it's too complicated.

Me: No pictures and no frills to distract.   I find that cutesy graphics just distract the lad and he focuses on that rather than on the work he needs to do.   Clear examples, though my son finds ways to do it his own way... especially at the beginning when she's going through the tricks of how to do math easier.  
BUT MOM, says the lad, I can do that by doing it THIS way.   (the same way, just backwards).  :)   So he was up for that challenge.  :)

The lessons are short.
You can make practice as long or as short as needed.

What we didn't like

I can't think of anything off hand that I didn't like.  The program worked well for the lad.
His only complaint was "Book work AGAIN?.... Can't we do something funner?"  Or "can we play more games mom?"  (I liked that the links to on-line math games were included).

My Opinion

This is a solid math program.  I've oft been intrigued by Math Mammoth and have gotten their freebies in the past.  Having had a chance to review their math program was a yahoo in my eyes.   And now that I have actually WORKED WITH the program I can definitely say ... this is a good program and well worth spending your hard-earned dollars on.   

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Disclosure