Math Resources

This list is far from comprehensive; it is meant to be a sampling of favorites. At a parent’s gathering, we brought books, games, websites, and other materials for studying mathematics. What follows is a list of some of the things we have found to be helpful. 

Note: Wondering where to buy your books and other curriculum materials? Click here for a list of vendors and other sources.

For those who enjoy learning about math through literature, Books You Can Count On: Linking Mathematics and Literature by Rachel Griffiths provides many suggestions. The following list includes some of our favorites:

• Adding & Subtracting Puzzles, Karen Bryant-Mole, Usborne, (1-5)
• The Amazing Book of Shapes, Lydia Sharman, Dorling Kindersley, (K-4)
• Anno's Counting Book, Anno's Counting House, Anno's Hat Tricks, Anno's Magic Seeds, Anno's Math Games (3 volumes), and Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Mitsumasa Anno, Philomel Books (PS-5)
• The Boy Who Stopped Time, Anthony Taber, Margaret K. McElderry Books, (PS-3)
• A Cloak for the Dreamer, Aileen Friedman, Scholastic, (K-4)
• Charts and Graphs, Karen Bryant-Mole, Usborne, (1-5)
• Counting On Frank, Rod Clement, Gareth Stevens Children's Books, (1-8)
• The Crayon Counting Book, Pam Munoz Ryan and Jerry Pallotta, Charlesbridge
• Dinner At Panda Palace, Stephanie Calmenson, Scholastic, (PS-3)
• Discover Shapes, Francoise Audry-Iljic & Thierry Courtin, Barron's Educational Series, (PS-3)
• Each Orange Had Eight Slices, Paul Giganti Jr., Greenwillow Books, (K-3)
• Fraction Action, Loreen Leedy, Holiday House (PS-3)
• Fraction Fun, David A. Adler, Holiday House, (PS-4)
• Fractions and Decimals, Karen Bryant-Mole, Usborne, (1-5)
• From One to One Hundred, Teri Sloat, Dutton Children's Books, (PS-2)
• Gator Pie, Louise Mathews, Sundance (1-4)
• The Greedy Triangle, Marilyn Burns, Scholastic, (K-4) and other books by Marilyn Burns: Math for Smarty Pants, I Hate Mathematics!, Spaghetti and Meatballs for All, A Book of Think: Or, How to Solve a Problem Twice Your Size, This Book Is About Time, The King’s Commissioners, Amanda Bean’s Amazing Dream, and many others
• How Big Is a Foot? Rolf Myllar, Dell Publishing, (PS-3)
• How Many Bears? Cooper Edens, Atheneum, (K-3)
• How Math Works, Carol Vorderman, Reader's Digest Association, (3-9)
• How Much Is a Million? David M. Schwartz, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, (K-5)
• The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger (advanced math concepts)

Some of us have also enjoyed the Oak Meadow math stories (Mr. Placevalue, King Equal) which are part of the Oak Meadow curriculum.

Math Games

• Textbooks and workbooks borrowed from your local public schools
• Family Math by Jean Kerr Stanmark
• Games by Binary Arts (Brick by Brick, Rush Hour, Hopper, Visual Brainstorms)
• Aristoplay’s Hive Alive (a game for learning about greater than/less than by comparing fractions, decimals, and whole numbers)
• Gamewright Games (Frog Juice, Stone Soup, Alien Hotshots, Slamwich, Rat-a-Tat Cat, and many others)
• SET Enterprises, Inc. games: SET, Five Crowns, Quiddler, Triology (a combination of SET and Gin Rummy)
• Smath (a math version of Scrabble)
• Dino Math Tracks (early math skills, place value) game
• Usborne Puzzle books (Puzzle Mountain, Puzzle Castle, Lucy and the Sea Monster… and many more)

Websites

• Hungry Frog (Math)
• Math Stories for Grades 1 through 5
• Math Fiction - book lists that you can sort by the usual title, author, math content, literary content or year. Or you can look under specific topical categories like culture, didactic, fantasy, short story and more.
• School Express (free worksheets)
• A-Plus Math (game room, flashcards, worksheets, homework helper)
• Math Gen  (math worksheet generator)
• Superkids Math Worksheet Creator
• S&S Software Worksheets (free worksheets and solutions)
• Internet Educational Workbook (INEW)
• Gnarly Math (cartoon, limerick, puzzle, weather report, and other stuff)
• MathStories.com
• Mrs. Glosser's Math Goodies features interactive math lessons, Homework Help, Puzzles, Calculators, and a page just for homeschoolers that includes a message board, homework helps and newsletter.
• Natural Math.com --- If you like Family Math, math books by Marilyn Burns, or The Number Devil, you might want to try this site. This one is different from all the worksheet-laden sites.
• Swathmore College Math Forum

Math Workbooks, Curriculums, and Other Resources

• Key to… workbooks from Key Curriculum Press (Decimals, Fractions, Measurement, Geometry, Algebra, Percents). These are available at MainStreet Bookends and from many other curriculum vendors.
• Singapore Mathematics workbooks (especially for K-6)
• Math-U-See manipulative-based program
• Computer software, such as Treasure Mathstorm, from The Learning Company
• The Abacus (book and abacus) by Jesse Dilson
• Spectrum Math workbooks (pre-K thru middle school)
• The chapter on math in The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith
• What Your ...Grader Needs to Know series by E. D. Hirsch for basic information (K-6)
• University of Chicago School of Mathematics Project (UCSMP) textbooks, published by Prentice Hall, for middle and high school. "It's like Saxon (they freely borrowed Saxon's methods) in that it's recursive, with lots of built-in review, but has less abstract drill-drill-drill and more practical application questions" The series includes Pre-Algebra (Transitional Mathematics), Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and others. "The series was designed by UCSMP in response to concerns about inexperienced/ill-prepared math teachers and sometimes in poor districts, no math teacher at all. Students can independently read the explanation and do the problems; they don't necessarily need the supplement of teacher lecture-demonstration." You can also purchase a separate Solutions Manual. (Thanks to Susan for her recommendation. I have since heard from others who plan to use these books.)
• For gifted middle school students who've outgrown their parents' abilities, one parent recommends the Johns Hopkins distance tutorials. The child has to qualify by taking the PLUS test, and the class costs in the neighborhood of $600, but financial aid is available.