Multisensory Math Hacks to Incorporate into your Homeschool Classroom

September 7, 2020

Multisensory Math Hacks

for Your Homeschool

Multisensory math is something we love here at ShillerLearning. Counting, learning place value, exploring geometric shapes, and all types of mathematics become more fun when partnered with interactive activities. Not only do kids learn math more effectively with a multisensory approach, they enjoy learning and become lifelong learners. Multisensory learning engages with visual, tactile, kinesthetic, and auditory lessons. Here are some ways to incorporate multisensory math into your homeschool classroom:

Building: By using blocks and other building materials, children can make clear visual representations of the problems they are trying to solve, create shapes, and more. The classic children’s building blocks are some of a child’s first encounters with math and some of the best ways to make math fun and more concrete.

Touch: Handling manipulatives (fun, colorful objects for learning), tapping out numbers, and creating tactile points for numbers are all great ways to incorporate the sense of touch. It’s also fun to create manipulatives out of things that have interesting textures such as modeling dough, quinoa, or putty.

Counters: Unit cubes (included in Math Kit I and Math Kit II), small pieces of food, blocks, beads, or any other small object can be used as counters. This is especially beneficial with younger children learning 1:1 correspondence, solving math problems, and counting. We use the unit cubes as support for math facts in the Math Facts Boot Camp live classes. When learning place value, the unit cubes are paired with ten rods, hundred flats, and thousand cubes. As students advance in their math skills, unit cubes can be used in geometric modeling and creating numeric modeling plans. Never underestimate the benefit of a counter!

Music: Some children learn incredibly fast through song. Music like the 50 ShillerLearning math songs helps reinforce concepts through catchy songs kids will enjoy. (And music isn't just for math; there are over 50 language arts songs - including a song for EVERY letter of the alphabet and fun activities to go with them.) Learning to play and read music can also help children with math skills when they’re older!

Movement: Incorporating math into outdoor games, using dice, dominos, or a ball to practice math facts, dancing to math music, and counting steps or objects while walking are all ways to get the body moving and grasp math concepts. Sometimes even just a simple movement break in between lessons helps reinforce a concept and improve focus.

Drawing: Drawing out a problem (such as 5 stars + 2 stars = 7 stars), making shapes and illustrating word problems engage different parts of the brain and build different neural connections.

Images: Using visual materials such as pictures, graphs, tables, and images will reach visual learners as well as help reinforce concepts in another way.

If you find yourself trying to present a concept to a child that they seem to be struggling to grasp, try approaching it from a different angle using one of these multisensory techniques. If you need help generating ideas or tips feel free to call or email us or ask in the ShillerLearning Customers Facebook group. We also post multisensory math ideas and tips on the ShillerLearning Facebook page.

See Inside Our Montessori-Based Kits

Math Kit I - PreK to 3rd Grade

Language Arts A - PreK to 1st Grade

Amanda Osenga

Amanda is a former Montessori teacher, now homeschooling her dear son - an only child. Amanda and her family reside in an Airstream parked in Washington State. She loves Washington's outdoor opportunities. When not homeschooling, she also blogs, works as a virtual assistant, and loves creating hand-lettering pieces.

Tags: at home schooling, homeschool routines, homeschooling, math, math lessons, Multisensory Math- montessori homeschooling

What is the Best Reaction When One Has Failed to Solve a Math Question?

April 14, 2020

What is the Best Reaction When One Has Failed to Solve a Math Question?

Photo Credit @mythreedovesschoolhouse

Solving a homeschool math problem is only interesting and endorphin-releasing when it’s hard.

Solving a math problem requires an approach. If the approach is obvious and correct, the problem is easy. So hard problems don’t present an obvious approach. Elegance is not typically an adjective used to describe a successful approach that’s not obvious because you’re not likely to pick the best approach first: things are messy.

The beauty of math is that you can brainstorm all kinds of crazy ideas about how to proceed and you can actually try them out until one works. If you did this in real life, you’d probably get arrested.

As Thomas Edison realized, every failure is a step towards success. So one never fails to solve a math problem: you just haven’t solved it yet.

Two kinds of (intermediate) failures may result:

1. You think a dead-end is an obstacle. Until you realize it’s really a dead-end, you bang your head against the wall. But that’s not all bad: some useful things come out of that. When you finally realize it’s a dead-end and not an obstacle, you’re ready for a different approach.

2. You think an obstacle is a dead-end. You, therefore, try other approaches. When none of those works out, you begin to think, “Hey, maybe that wasn’t a dead-end, maybe it was an obstacle.” And you struggle until you make a breakthrough and solve it.

young boy solving a math problem at the table

Photo Credit @ofnumbersandstars

Self-awareness and the ability to let your negative emotions (frustration, anger, etc.) drive positive action will eventually result in success.

Encourage your child to ask for help when needed along the way, not letting his or her ego get in the way of seeking help from others. By constantly seeking advice from his peers, Albert Einstein ensured his theories were by and large bullet-proof (at least through the present).

If you’re a student, the best homeschool math curriculum - special needs students, gifted, and average learners included - doesn’t just show you what approaches work best; it teaches you how to think to come up with the best approaches.

Want to See Inside Our Montessori-Based Kits?

Math Kit I (PreK-G3)

Math Kit II (G4 - Pre-Algebra)

Larry Shiller

Larry Shiller is President of ShillerLearning, whose mission is to help kids learn and fulfill their potential. Shiller has degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Business School and is the author of Software Excellence (Prentice-Hall).

A father of three, Shiller is active in non-profits and his hobbies include working with local startups, music (Shiller is an accomplished violinist who - when not helping children learn math and language arts - performs in the NYC tri-state area), tennis (Shiller's team made it to the USTA national finals in his skill bracket), Quoridor (Shiller is a former USA Champion), backgammon (Shiller is the Voice of Backgammon, doing commentary on backgammon tournaments worldwide), table tennis, and flying (Shiller holds a private pilot's license).

Tips to Know When to Teach Fractions to Kids

April 23, 2019

When to Teach Fractions to Kids

I’ll never forget the joy in my son’s eyes when he shouted out- “Mom! Four quarters make one dollar, now I get this fraction thing!” It’s that moment of realization and understanding we absolutely love as homeschool parents. The moment when we realize our kids ARE getting it and we CAN thrive at home educators.

For many children, making the connection between all those slices of pizza being the same as one whole pie is easy. Until you write it down on paper and take away the word pizza.

Or the child who can easily grab half a sandwich… but then stares at you like a deer in the headlights when you ask them to find the ½ written out.

It can be hard to translate real life into numbers on a paper- or even visual representations.

Homeschool parents are often frustrated by fractions. They see their children interacting with the “real life” examples and struggling to translate that over. Or parents worry the concept will be too difficult or confusing for their children. These are legitimate concerns. Yet they shouldn’t stop you from teaching this important skill. We’re here to give you tips not only on when to teach this basic math skill but how to teach them in a way that won’t bring any tears or frustration.

The Best Way to Teach Fractions to Homeschoolers

The team at ShillerLearning discovered there was a gap in the fractions curriculum available to home educators. We saw this gap across all teaching modalities, especially among the Montessori-based home educators. Nothing truly hands-on existed for parents. We heard again and again from parents with no idea what to do. Our hearts broke for kids who cried over boring worksheets that didn’t make sense.

Something had to change

We created our Fractions Kit for exactly this purpose. It’s an open-and-go, 100% multisensory and engaging curriculum. You’ll discover it’s modeled just like our popular Math Kits I and II. We’ve used the same Montessori-inspired language, lesson structure, and manipulatives to bring this important basic math concept to life.

No more boring worksheets. Your children will use colorful pieces, real materials from home, and more. They’ll not only learn what a fraction is but why they matter. Your students will learn how to identify them in the real world. With joy and ease, they’ll complete equations, learn about denominators, and more. You will love not having anything to prepare but opening a book. Students will love learning and have a blast doing it. We’ve even heard from families whose children choose to work on this kit in their free time because they enjoy it so much.

When Should I Introduce Fractions??

Most children are ready around 2nd grade. However, fractions can be introduced from the time your children are very young. Give concrete examples in real life anytime you’re able. Count coins with them so they can see how 4 quarters, 10 dimes, 20 nickels, and 100 pennies all = 1 whole dollar. Cut up their sandwich and name the quantities. Discuss the percentage of sales and which fraction they match up to. If they have real-life situations in their brains already, they’ll be less intimidated.

Here at ShillerLearning, we don’t believe in putting an age limit on when children should be learning something. Isn’t part of what we love about the Montessori Method that children learn on their own pace? We have young children working in our kit, all the way through teens. We’ve even had a few adults work through the kit to help fill in gaps in their own education!

If you don’t give age ranges, how do I know when to start my child on the kit?

This is a question we’re asked all the time. It can be confusing to not get a cut and dry answer. For most children, fractions are added in Kit I along with Book 2 or 3. Sometimes families will wait until they’re done with Kit I, others add the kit in alongside Kit II, Book 4. The overwhelming majority introduce fractions at Kit I Book 2 or 3.

Options and Tips for Introducing the Fractions Kit:

Give your student a choice when they’d like to do fractions and how often.

Your student may want to work once a week on fractions, drop their current book, for now, to focus exclusively on fractions, rotate the kit book in at their leisure, or complete the entire book after book 3. These are only a few suggestions, your student may choose when they’d like to work on them

At least through fourths needs to be introduced by the end of the second review test in book 3. Your student will need this information to move on to the next section.

Foundational knowledge of division can be helpful, but not necessary

As you progress through the Kit, you’ll eventually hit a point where you need to have completed specific lessons in our Math Kits to proceed.

The Kit will last for several years! In general, it’s not something that’s worked all the way through because of this.

Want some additional help with this foundational & basic math skill? Love “real life” learning, games, crafts, etc? Make sure to grab our FREE Fraction Activity Pack for additional lessons. You’ll find lessons designed for all ages- toddlers through teens. As always, they’re full of the best of Montessori-inspired games, crafts, lessons, works, and more.

Don't forget to Pin and Save!

See Inside Our Montessori-Based Kits

Math Kit I - PreK to 3rd Grade

Language Arts A - PreK to 1st Grade

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.

Enhance Your Math Lessons with these Fun Montessori Pi Day Activities

February 26, 2019

Enhance your Math Lessons with these Fun Montessori Inspired Pi Day Math Lessons

My High School math teacher had all the digits of pi wrapped around the upper portion of the classroom wall like a border. Any student who had memorized them all by the 14th of March got bonus points in the class. Only a few kids were able to accomplish this feat. My teacher celebrated by bringing in pies and having a fun “pi-day” in class.

You can incorporate Pi-Day into your homeschooling as well.

Here are a few ideas to get you started planning your "Pi Day" School Day:

Talk about what Pi is: Bake a pie- math, reading skills, and snacks! What more could a homeschooler want??

Cylinder works,

Pi-digit matching,

Fractions with circles (our Fraction Kit is a great option for this!),

Use a compass to make different size circles,

Measure out 3.14 inches or feet of string,

Have pot pie for dinner,

Number writing practice writing the digits of Pi,

Read about famous mathematicians,

Research how it got the name “Pi”,

Take a field trip to a local pizza place and get a lesson on spinning the perfect pizza pie,

Check out Pi day activities at your local library,

Read the book Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi,

Practice making the Pi symbol in rice, sand or with our grain set,

Make the Pi symbol out of playdough or clay,

Find Pi with a variety of circles!

Here are a few lessons from our math curriculum you might want to use on Pi day as well:

Math Kit 1:

Book 1

Lesson 2- Shapes

Lesson 10- Shapes Matching

Lesson 15- Comparisons Among 2

Book 2-

Lesson 42- Subtraction With Circles

Math Kit 2:

Book 5

Lesson 10- Diameter and the Chord

Lesson 113- Angle Degrees

Lesson 114- Protractor and Radius

Book 6

Lesson 84- Planes

Lesson 85- Circles and Spheres

Lesson 118- Measuring a Circle’s Circumference

Lesson 119- Circle Circumference and Pi

Happy Pi Day!

Like these ideas? We think you’ll love our free monthly printable packs too. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first ones with access to the packs.

See Inside Our Montessori-Based Kits

Math Kit I - PreK to 3rd Grade

Language Arts A - PreK to 1st Grade

Amanda Osenga

Tags: digits of pi, math lessons, Pi, pi day, pi symbol, what is pi

The U.S Math Crisis

February 26, 2019

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.

See Inside Our Montessori-Based Kits

Math Kit I - PreK to 3rd Grade

Language Arts A - PreK to 1st Grade

Larry Shiller

Tags: education, learn numbers, math, mathematics, montessori education, US Math Crisis- kids

Multisensory Multiplication Games for Homeschool

February 26, 2019

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.

See Inside Our Montessori-Based Kits

Math Kit I - PreK to 3rd Grade

Language Arts A - PreK to 1st Grade

Amanda Osenga

Tags: hands-on math, Multiplication games

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