Teaching Textbooks Review

When it comes to math for the kids, I've pretty much always stuck with Saxon across the board. When Haley was in school during first grade, they used Saxon. I decided to stick with it when she came home and have used it ever since. However, Haley absolutely hates math. When a friend of mine started using Teaching Textbooks, and after seeing it mentioned in various blogs and groups I'm in, I decided to take a look. Well, lets just say that I was seriously impressed. After much deliberation, we opted to change Haley to Teaching Textbooks 4 for this school year. We've been using it now for about 3 weeks and so far we're both loving it.

I asked Haley, age 10, what she liked about the program. Here's what she said:

"I like that all of the work is done on the computer, rather than a written worksheet. I like the little characters that perform tricks, etc., when I get a problem right. I really enjoy the picture puzzles and the bonus rounds. I love that it makes math fun. I think that all kids that don't like math and are bored with their written work, should try this program. Teaching Textbooks rocks!"

Here's what I like best about the program:

• I no longer have to do her lesson separately from the boys. She simply sits at her desk with the laptop and headphones and does her lesson all by herself. If she has a question, the program will help her through it, or she can simply stop and ask me for help.
• The awesome gradebook!  All of the lessons are graded and I can check her work after she completes the lesson to make sure she finished it and see how she did.  
• Time savings!  It is a HUGE timesaver for me since I'm teaching three children at the same time.  I seriously feel like I'm cheating! 

Teaching Textbooks has wonderful online samples of their products. I highly recommend checking them out. Better yet, let your kids try it. My twin boys can't wait to get started on Teaching Textbooks 3 next year. You can see the full line of products available here.

Currently they offer math lessons beginning in 3rd grade through 7th grade. They also have pre-algebra, algebra 1 and 2, geometry and pre-calculus. Prices range from $99.95 to $184.90, depending on the level you choose and whether you purchase the book along with the disks. We purchased the book, but have yet to need it or use it. I feel that you could simply use the disks alone and have scratch paper available if needed. Although the program is slightly more expensive than Saxon, I can use it with all 3 of my kids and not purchase anything else. So, less than $100 for all three kids is a good value in my opinion.