I want to share some thoughts on curriculum we’ve used in the past in our homeschooling, in the hopes that it will help you as you make your choices for the coming school year. This first review is for Math Relief, a program for teaching Algebra I and II.
My husband teaches college math. More than that, my husband LOVES math! He sees beauty and truth and God in math. I’m afraid he sees a whole lot more than I see in math. but the really sad thing is – all 8 of my children are like me. So, I am not a great one to teach them the JOY of math or the BEAUTY of math. And, even worse, I kind of got stuck in the upper math courses.
We used Saxon in the elementary grades and our first 2 children used Saxon Algebra I and II. But they really did NOT do well. They muddled through but it was really hard (it was easier for my son than my daughter). The the next 2 children came along and Saxon Algebra was a TEARFUL event! I had to find something else that didn’t rely on ME having to try and remember things from 35 years earlier (that I barely got then). My husband tried to teach them, but with his schedule it just didn’t work.
Then I stumbled across Math Relief. AND WAS IT EVER!!
Math Relief is a DVD based curriculum that teaches Algebra I and II. It is put out by Keyboard Enterprises and is written and taught by Leonard Firebaugh. These courses are thorough and clear with no bells and whistles, without excitement and razzle-dazzle but you can tell that Mr. Firebaugh really loves math himself and he is an excellent teacher!
We had no more tears for math. We will be starting our 6th child on Math Relief this fall and it is a HUGE relief for me, knowing that they WILL learn. And if they get stuck along the way, you can call and speak to the author himself to help you through a problem!
Each class is divided into modules (so you can purchase as you go and not have to shell out all the money in the beginning of the school year). AND if you have the children write the answers on a separate sheet of paper, it can be reused for all of your children. Each module is 49 lessons long. It comes with hole-punched lesson pages along with the DVDs. There are answer pages and worksheet pages.
To keep everything protected and organized, I got two 1 1/2″ 3-ring binders. One was for the answer key (labeled: Algebra I Module 1 Answer Key) and I put all of the answer sheets back to back in clear plastic sheet protectors. NO ripped pages! I did the same with the Lesson sheets. I also bought CD sheets for 3-ring binders like these from Walmart.
I found that the 2 binder system was easier to use than 1 larger binder (they tend to get really wonky and don’t hold together very well). Yes, it is a lot of binders, but organization is not easy for me and this ended up being the best way for me to keep things usable year after year with my children.
I HIGHLY recommend Math Relief for any homeschool math program. (this is NOT a paid endorsement – just a seriously satisfied customer)
I’m linking up with these lovely blogs.
Hello
Do you still have this ? Math relief website is down . Can i buy your stuff off of you?
Amber B
I’m so sorry, Amber, but I got rid of all of it several years ago. Have you tried contacting them via their FB page? It might no longer be active but it’s worth a try.
I am looking to sell my complete set if interested! My kids are finished.
A letter written and delivered to the residents of Uvalde and sent to multiple administration and school boards:
YOUR CHILD LIVES
The Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be a servant of the goodness in His love and compassion that provides for life, including the promise of life eternal. To be a servant of His Father He became a servant of life on earth. He lived and taught the knowledge of the Father’s *Will through obedience to His *Word, His Commands in doing the Father’s *Good Works. He did no evil, no works of iniquity. His life on earth testified to His innocence, abiding in the infinite love of the Father’s infinite goodness, Joh 10:32, 18:23.
Evil exists and hates goodness. Has no value for innocence. Evil direct and define their life by their destructive knowledge that living for your personal desires provide for their life. Evil’s selfish desires escalate in their refusal to value life other than their own. Evil’s selfish desires define the spiraling lunacy of their psychotic destruction of goodness, a corrupted mind and conscience. Evil’s desires come at the cost of other life. Evil defines their religion with the destructive lie that it is their right to kill and destroy innocent life. Evil’s denial of goodness in the life and testimony of Jesus Christ brought about their evil desires to kill the life of the innocent Son of God. They delivered Him to the Gentile ruler who had the authority of power to put Him to death. The Gentile ruler knew the man was innocent and demanded, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet, to please the people, the political driven judge sent the innocent to His death.
Good and evil are known by their fruits, provide for life or deny life. Infinite goodness exists. Evil’s denial and destruction has no power over infinite goodness. Goodness provides for life. The Father demonstrates the power of His infinite goodness through the rising/resurrection of His innocent Son. Innocence is one with the Father’s goodness. Life’s creation in the birth of their children is the personification of God’s creation of infinite goodness and what provides for life. God’s infinite goodness will not deny life to the innocent. As the innocent Son of God lives by the righteousness of the Father’s infinite goodness your innocent children live.
“Let the little children come to Me, do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Mat 19:14, Mar 10:14, Luk 18:16
Knowledge taught to our youth directs and defines their life. Public schools are institutionalized to teach good knowledge that directs and defines a good individual. Little children allowed to come to the Son of God allows them to hear His Word, the knowledge to know infinite goodness exists and provides for them life, life eternal. Denial forbidding children to hear/obtain the Word of God has become prevalent by those in the authority of today’s school administration and political school boards. Because a school authority has a “Dr.” title does not make him/her a good authority for the distribution of good knowledge that is good for our valued students. Those who value life must recognize goodness. Denying love, compassion, and life eternal to thousands of children is great evil. Denying the knowledge of the Son of God’s love and compassion denies a student the opportunity to hear and choose to follow/walk in that love becoming one in His infinite love: Joh 8:12, 1 Joh 1:4-7, 4:7, Col 1:8-14, Eph 2:2-10, the days are evil: Eph 5:1-17. School administrators and board members, the one who provides for you the Truth is the one who loves you. As infinite goodness exists, righteous judgment exists. Repent or be held accountable in the righteous judgment of His wrath for your destruction of His loved and valued children, this including hypocritical “church goers who call Him Lord, Lord”, Mat 7:15-23, Luk 13:2-5, 23-27, Rev 2:5; 15-16; 20-23; 3:2-3; 19; 9:20-21; 16:9-11. Schools teaching a child to know and follow God’s knowledge of compassionate love will exponentially stop the ramped works of evil’s darkness. More so then the attempts to stop evil from obtaining and using guns they use to gratify their evil desires in their hateful knowledge that denies the value of a life other than their own. A follower/disciple/believer in Christ’s good knowledge for our students will not support/vote for any individual who will not publicly state they support the Bible’s knowledge of love and compassion in the schools. All life who desires to be one with the infinite Father and the Son will turn/repent from their selfish desires and approach God in innocence. Your children live. In their innocence they abide in His infinite love. They are His children as we are to be:
o Mat 18:3 …Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
o Mar 9:37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
As the Father sent His Son, so He sends us to be a servant of life through living and testifying/teaching the Father’s *Will through obedience to His *Word and doing the Father’s *Good Works. As the Father sent His Son, so His Son sends us to do His:
*Will: Joh 4:34, 5:28-30, 6:38, 7:16-17, Heb 10:7-9, 13:20-21.
*Word: Joh 7:16-17, 8:26-29, 10:17-18, 12:49-50, 14:10-12, 23-24, 17:8, 15:15
*Good Works: Joh 4:34, 5:28-36, 9:3-4, 10:25-38, 14:10-12, 17:3-4, Heb 13:20-21
Joh 17:18-26 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one (2 Tim 3:16-17), and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
May God solace your immense grief and may you find His peace in His infinite love where your children are.
o Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
o 1 Joh 4:16: And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.