Consumer Math Success Kit by David Newton is a gem for high school students! This one semester course (53 lessons – some of which can be used more than one day or extended into real-life practice) includes practical math your child will need in the future.
Bank accounts, loans, credit cards, taxes, home costs, budgeting, insurance and planning for the future are some of the 27 topics covered. What I like best is that every single lesson is very real. There isn’t a lot of wordiness to the teaching, but very concise explanations are given with practical problems following. Some people may feel like there isn’t enough teaching and may find the book to be more appropriate as a “workbook” to go along with a consumer math textbook.
The lessons assume your child has a fair background in mathematics. He needs to understand and be able to complete such things as multiplication, division, ratios, percents, fractions, decimals and conversions. The average high school student should already have a well-rounded math background to successfully use this curriculum.
The book also assumes that the teacher has a fair background in mathematics and consumer experiences since there is no teacher’s guide for you. For each section, there are teacher’s notes that supply you with pertinent vocabulary, related math topics, mathematical skills required and a few teaching suggestions, but no “how to teach notes”. And, although there is an answer key, there are no step-by-step solutions provided. For me, neither of these factors have proven to be a problem.
There aren’t an abundance of practice problems (only 5-12 per lesson), but they are sufficient for understanding the concept in most instances. I’ve found it easy to assign a real problem related to our own family to extend the lesson and “bring it home” when necessary.
In conclusion, I have really enjoyed this book as 1/2 credit for high school math. Both my husband and I feel comfortable with consumer math, so we haven’t felt slighted with the lack of teacher’s helps. We also haven’t felt it necessary for our daughter to read additional information on the subject. When needed, we’ve simply talked through some of the topics on a personal level.
-Cindy West is an eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of three from Kentucky. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her NaturExplorers studies at Shining Dawn Books.
{Cindy received Consumer Math Success Kit free for review. As always, her review reflects her honest opinions about the product.}
The biggest reason Cindy chose to homeschool was because she loves experiencing life with her children and watching them grow inside and out. She's sure that’s why the Charlotte Mason method first caught her attention. It allows her to be creative in scheduling, rigorous in learning, yet opens the door for plenty of close-knit time, opportunities for her children to explore their interests and offers enough free time for them to be children. She implements many of Charlotte Mason's methods with an eclectic twist of things that work for her family! At Cindy's website, Our Journey Westward, you will find a blog packed with fun learning ideas and a shop full of creative curriculum, including the NaturExplorers studies.
Our son has shown a keen interest in mathematics. He really seems to be gravitating that way more and more. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him choose something along those lines for his college major choice in a few years. I’m definitely going to pick this one up.
What a joy it must be to have a child who enjoys math. We hear quite the opposite most of the time! LOL