Amanda Osenga

Amanda is a former Montessori teacher, now homeschooling her dear son - an only child. Her family resides in an Airstream parked in Washington State and loves Washington's outdoor opportunities. When not homeschooling, Amanda blogs, loves reading, and creates hand-lettering pieces.

The U.S Math Crisis

We have a math crisis in the U.S.

Maybe that's the least of our problems. But maybe not. Consider this:

• 80% of US 8th graders cannot calculate fractions, decimals and percentages.

• 40% of US 4th graders cannot tell NE from SW on a map.

It's really just us. The world does better:

• In Germany 35% of teens take and pass advanced placement exams; in the US it's 4%

• In Japan kids start algebra two years ahead of those in the US.

What are the repercussions?

• In the California State University system 60% of Freshman are required to take remedial math and science classes
• One in five adult Americans cannot:

Calculate the total of a purchase w/tax & tip

Locate an intersection on a road map

Enter background information correctly on a form

• MIT economist Lester Thurow says that only 20% of Americans have the work skills and education to be competitive in the global marketplace

And no one believes it! In a recent study 71% of high school parents say that they are satisfied with the math education their children are getting. Ouch.

The US has a math crisis. And the repercussions are serious. Join ShillerLearning and the Rising Stars Foundation in creating better outcomes for our children and country.

15+ Multisensory Multiplication Hacks for Homeschoolers

Children learn best when all of their senses are engaged. A multisensory approach in education is not simply a catchy trend. It’s a proven approach to enhance learning and cement concepts. Hands-on math education teaches concepts in a way no textbook ever could. By engaging the senses, our children can experience concepts in a more concrete way. This helps subjects that might feel extremely abstract, such as multiplication, become relatable and less intimidating.  

Give these hacks a try in your homeschool to see your children thrive with their times' tables!

Multisensory Multiplication Games & Hacks for Your Homeschool

• Building equations with blocks- Children’s play blocks make the best manipulatives! Create a visual example of the equation you are solving with a set of blocks. By building the equation, children benefit from a tactile experience of physically feeling the numbers as well as the visual benefit of seeing the quantity. Children can also build a visual representation of the times table with blocks if they feel ambitious. This is a fantastic way to incorporate hands-on math into your home. [The ShillerLearning math curriculum does this with decimal material (base ten blocks), number cards, the operator set, and later number tiles (along with the lines of The Stamp Game].

• Draw out the equation- For example- Take the equation 4x6. Have the student draw a 4 by 6 grid of stars/circles/flowers/ etc. to visualize the equation and count the total number. You may use the ShillerLearning Graph sheet or Blank Number Grid for this.

• Dots or stickers- This is done similar to drawing as above. Using BINGO daubers or small stickers, children create a visual representation of the equation.

• Multiplication songs- Check out the ShillerLearning CD's for the “Multiples of Four”, “Count by Fives”, and “Powers of Ten” songs to use in your homeschool. Kids love to sing and dance to these songs!

• ShillerLearning’s base ten decimal materials- These are the blue manipulatives in our Math Kit I. Using the materials provides students with a concrete way to make a physical representation of numbers, equations, and value.

• Use art- Children with a creative streak can greatly benefit from incorporating art. Giving them a chance to make a beautiful multiplication table can help immensely. Turning equations into pictures is another approach for incorporating art.

• Tap numbers with fingers on the table- This can be an especially useful way to work on multiplication facts. The student taps one finger for each number. If they are working on counting by 3s, for example, they would tap their finger harder for each multiple of three.

• Jump it out- Similar to above. In this approach, children jump up for each number and do a jumping jack on the multiple.

• Money- Using cash is an excellent way to give kids a hands-on, real-life experience with multiplication. Allow them to figure out how much change is needed at the grocery store, to sort and count change, and other money experiences.

• Use a ball- Say an equation and toss the ball to your student. They can toss the ball back after answering the equation. Roleplay and have the student ask you the equation. Occasionally throw in a wrong answer to see if your student catches it. You can also write numbers on a ball. Toss the ball to one student who makes note of the number on top. The ball is then tossed to the next person who makes note of the number on top. Students then work together to solve the equation of those two numbers multiplied to one another.

• Food can sometimes be the answer to a problem- Use small snacks as manipulatives to eat after the equation has been solved. Students can build out the equation with their favorite treat and eat the answer!

• Completing multiplication tables- Proving a student with a blank multiplication table to fill out can have surprising benefits. Some children may need to fill our a table dozens of times along with incorporating other techniques listed here. You may print additional grids for your multiplication tables from your customer downloads.

• Number tiles- Another hallmark of ShillerLearning’s materials are our number tiles. You will recognize how these are used if you are familiar with the Montessori Stamp Game. Students use these to build equations as they move on from the base ten materials. The number tiles are the final transition in moving from concrete (base ten materials and number cards) to abstract work (just pencil and paper or mental math) in the basic operations. Instead of the unit cubes, we use the “1” tiles; instead of ten rods, we use the “10” tiles; instead of the hundreds of flats, we use “100” tiles; instead of the thousand cubes, we use “1000” tiles.

• Card games- Divide a deck of cards evenly between two players. Each player flips two cards at a time and multiples the amount shown on their cards. The player with the highest equation takes the other players cards. Play continues until someone runs out of cards, or for a set amount of time. Creating multiplication games with materials already on hand is an excellent way to build skills!

• Dominos- These already have two numbers on each piece. Multiply the two numbers together. Play a game similar to the approach above. You can also adapt the regular dominos game so that players can place a piece that has the same answer as one already on the board.

• Cooking- Following a recipe is an excellent way to work on multiplication skills. From measuring ingredients, adapting measurements, adjusting recipe size, and adjusting serving skills. Cooking together is an excellent way to work on math together.

• Flash cards- ShillerLearning’s flashcards are an excellent resource. These cards help children learn facts without just rote memorization. Each card demonstrates how to make the equation out of our base 10 materials as well.

Check out all our math songs on these albums:

Like this? Check out our Math Kits to help teach your children more about money. They help children understand the concept of money, make change, and other practical money skills.

3 Hacks to Expand the Life of Your Multisensory Fraction Materials

You love multisensory fraction materials. What to do with these materials once fractions have been learned? Creative hacks to expand their life for years.

There’s been an ongoing debate over “unitaskers” in the home. For those who don’t know, a “unitasker” is an item that only does one thing. These are often found in the kitchen. Egg slicers, cherry pitters, and melon ballers are common examples of “unitaskers.” Occasionally a few creative people will find additional uses for them. For the most part, they get used for only one task. As minimalism and simplifying become more popular, these “unitaskers” are getting more attention than ever.

Helping Montessori Materials Find New Life

These items exist within the homeschool world too. Parents often shy away from purchasing materials because they struggle to see the investment in something they might only use for a short period of time. We want to get the best ‘bang for our buck’ in all our investments for home education. By purchasing high-quality Montessori materials, we can reuse them from child to child. This helps extend the life of less often used resources.

The Montessori Method is careful and intentional about the materials used. You’ll find the same materials used over a span of several years. Children will have a chance to become familiar and comfortable with items. They will be able to grow in how they’re used and teach younger siblings ways to use them. Within the Montessori setting, you’ll also find materials reused over and over. Intentionality is placed in being good stewards of resources and reusing anything possible in different ways.

A little bit of creativity can also go a long way. Finding ways to extend the life of our materials ensures we’re getting the most we can for our money. We’re always amazed at the amazing creations children make with our decimal materials, wooden shapes, and other manipulatives! Kids are so creative. Sometimes letting them loose with a shelf full of materials and a little bit of free time yields amazing results.  

3 Ways to Use Fraction Circles Within Your Homeschool

Fraction circles are one material parent often shy away from. They are key multisensory fraction materials. Yet, home educators often worry they are not used long enough to justify the expense. We are often asked if the lessons in our Fraction Book can be completed without the fraction circles.

While it can be done, it’s not going to be especially easy. All our lessons are written with the fraction circles in mind. They are beautiful and children love using them. Made from durable plastic, they’re designed to last. We’ve also made sure to make them visually appealing with bright colors children love. The Fraction Kit will do an excellent job teaching your children fractions. It can be used interspersed with your lessons (we do “fraction Friday” at home). Or you can work through it completely after Math Kit I or book 4 in Math Kit II.

The fractions circles can be reused in other ways too! They don’t have to sit on the shelf until it’s fraction time.  

Work on fine motor skills by using them for tracing. Obviously, you can get a perfect circle with the “whole” circle piece. Children also love tracing the smaller pieces. They will become pictures of pizza, pie, geometric patterns and designs, and more. Kids also love the challenge of getting all the pieces placed together to make an even circle. You’ll be amazed at what your child comes up with when they are shown how to trace fraction circles.

Provide your builder-in-training with new building materials. The pieces come apart to become awesome building blocks. Watch as your child delights in creating towers and building walls. They can be especially fun when combined with other building blocks to add color, texture, and even decoration! These multisensory fraction materials suddenly become so much more with your creative builder.

Try some mosaic work. Mosaics are an excellent way to work on visual-spatial skills, patterns, and creativity. The size of the fraction circle pieces makes them wonderful for beginner mosaics. The inner edges are already made to nestle together and the colors create beautiful works of art. While the rounded outer edge gives kids an interesting challenge to figure out how to build their layout. Try using them alongside the wooden shapes for even more options.

These are a few ideas to help get you thinking outside the box. We hope you’ll enjoy finding other uses for the fraction circles, and all your other Montessori materials.