Self Made Modern

A variety of Fermentation Jars on a table to show the differences.

Fermentation Jars and Lids

When I first started fermenting in jars, everything I made came out moldy or gross. It’s amazing I didn’t give up. Most fermentation of old was done in dark cool places. This does not describe where I live. It’s hot and it’s dry. It’s not an easy place to ferment foods. Then one day I discovered fermentation jars and lids and my whole world changed. If you have never tried these, you’re missing out. There are many different kinds which we will talk about. I’ll also talk about my favorite. Types of Jars There are a few types of these jars and lids readily available on the internet. So if you can’t find them near your house, you can get them shipped to you. They are: Fermentation CrockBubbling Airlock Lids and JarsSuction Style Airlock LidsPickle Pipes Fermentation Crocks Fermentation crocks are the original fermentation jars made of either ceramic, stoneware or earthenware jars most of the time. They sort of look like cookie jars with or without lids. They can also come weighted or without weights. Some of them can be sealed with water to make them airtight as well. If used properly these can last for years and produce wonderful ferments. There is a reason they have stood the test of time. There are some downsides to them. They are the most expensive of the group especially if you get a good quality one. They are not as no fuss as some of the other options either. You must check on your crock and remove scum from the top as you ferment if its not water sealed. There is definitely a learning curve to getting these right. The nice thing is that fermentation crocks are easy to clean and sanitize. They are made to last for years so you won’t need to replace it unless you damage or break it. Bubbling Airlock Lids and Jars These are an amazing invention. The bubbling airlock can consist of a jar and separate lid combo which is usually attached to a mason jar. It can also be one complete jar and lid unit. It can have a single bubbler or a double. The main thing you are looking for is quality. Make sure the lids contain a seal inside the lid and that all the components fit together tightly. Once the airlock jar is sealed, gases form inside the jar from the fermentation process. Those gases push up and force oxygen out through the bubbler which gets expelled outside of the jar. This creates an extremely low oxygen environment and prevents mold growth. I absolutely love these jars and lids. I use them all the time. They are the jars I used to make my Fermented Chopped Garlic recipe. They are my go to fermentation jar. The only time I have ever had one fail was from user error. I overfilled my jar and it exploded through the bubbler. My bad! They are easy to clean and maintain. They last a long time if properly cared for. The only negative is that there are a lot of parts, but even that is worth it. Suction Style Airlock Lids Suction style airlock lids are a newer take on the airlock lid. They are a screw on lid that goes on your mason jar at home. They have a gasket ring on the inside to seal the jar similar to the airlock. Once you have the lid on you use a suction pump (like a reverse bicycle air pump) to pull out the remaining oxygen from the jar. As the jar ferments, gasses are allowed to escape through the one way valve you use to suction out the air. Again similar to the airlock jars. Some of them even have dials on them that let you know when you started your ferment. I have a set of these and they definitely work. Although I do have the occasional jar fail. I find that certain ferments work better in this jar than others. The nicest part about these is that they are definitely more space saving than the crocks or the airlock jars. Which is really nice if you have a small house. Suction style airlock lids are also really easy to clean. The main drawback to these are price. They cost almost double what the airlock jars do. Pickle Pipes I had my first experience with Pickle Pipes at my cousins house where she was fermenting some food. I thought these were fascinating. It’s a small ring of silicone with a nipple on the top kind of like a baby bottle. You can attach it to any mason jar to turn it into a fermentation jar. My cousin just loved them and they worked great for her. So I ran home and bought a set of Pickle Pipes. I love the design. They take up almost no space and are almost stackable. They cost about the same as the airlock lids. So I gave them a go and immediately had mold growing within a few days. I assumed this was user error so I tried another batch. Mold again. What I think is happening is that while these are referred to as airlock lids, they do not keep as much out as an actual airlock jar or suction style lid. The other problem is the climate I live in. It’s already not a great environment for fermentation. Which is why I think they work so well for my cousin. She lives in a much cooler area in the mountains. So while I think these probably work great for some people, they aren’t for everyone. Final Thoughts So the truth is you can ferment in any jar with a little work. But I’m lazy and I like a very low rate of failure when I ferment foods. It takes time, energy and money to produce them. I personally hate throwing them away. So while any of these

Fermentation Jars and Lids Read More »

Himalayan Pink Salt being poured into a wooden bowl.

What Type of Salt Should I Use?

selfmadeblogger

I never really understood the importance of salt until the day my mother was hospitalized with an auto immune disorder. Her body started to purge all the salt in her. She began to swell up and she nearly died. Turns out you really can’t live without salt. So you could say my family is now a little obsessed with salt. With that in mind, lets talk about types of salt today. So most people have plain old salt. You know the one with the little girl holding the umbrella. It’s also called table salt. It is usually processed from underground mines and then cleaned to removed impurities. After which it is fortified with iodine to help people with thyroid function. I do not keep this salt in my house. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I do have it. I just use it to clean my cast iron skillets. Nutritionally, there really isn’t anything wrong with table salt. It is salt after all. But I’m not fond of it in cooking. I find it gets saltier tasting as you cook with it. Personally, I can taste the differences in types of salt. I also like my foods to be as nutrient dense as possible. So I choose other forms. How do I decide which? Well, lets talk about a few. Himalayian Pink Salt Himalayan Pink salt is such a pretty color. It has up to 84 trace minerals that are not found in table salt. One of these, iron in particular, gives it that pretty pink color. It also contains calcium and potassium. It’s also a minimally processed food which helps it to retain minerals. It comes from a salt mine near Pakistan. This can be used in place of regular table salt. But keep in mind, there are many different grinds of this salt. Everything from course to super fine. You will need to adjust the salt based on the size of the grind. The finer the grind, the less you need. Kosher Salt Kosher salt is another minimally processed salt. It mostly comes from salt deposits. This helps it to retain its white color. It’s a course salt with uneven grains. It has no added ingredients, iodine, minerals or otherwise. These lack of ingredients and it’s crunchy texture are what make its flavor so appealing to chefs. It creates a light flavor of salt in food. My favorite place to use it is for foods that will have a long cooking time such as soups. This salt never gets saltier as you cook. So what you put in, is what it tastes like from beginning to end. It’s also my choice of salt for pickling foods as well as brining. This is the salt I use for my Fermented Garlic Recipe. Let’s not forget those margaritas. Kosher is the salt for this application as well. Hawaiian Red Alaea Sea Salt I first tasted this fantastic Alaea salt on my trip to Hawaii. It is sometimes referred to as Hawaiian table salt. It it a beautiful red color which makes it easy to identify. It’s typically extracted from lava veins in Hawaii. It contains up to 80 natural elements, electrolytes and trace minerals, like potassium and magnesium. Red alaea is also rich in iron oxides, which makes for a great digestible form of dietary iron. It has an earthy flavor profile. It’s typically a larger grain of salt which gives it a crunch when you bite into it. My favorite way to eat this is as the Hawaiians do, on top of fruit. It is absolutely fantastic on things like pineapples and watermelon. In Hawaii it is used as both a finishing salt as well as a salt to preserve foods. It’s a staple in Kalua Pig. Hawaiian Black Sea Salt Known in Hawaii as Hiwa Kai this is a pacific sea salt that is typically mixed with activated charcoal derived from coconut shells. It has all the benefits of natural sea salt with the added benefits of activated charcoal. Charcoal is naturally a detoxifier. It can help to assist the kidneys in filtering toxins. It can help with intestinal gas and diarrhea. I use this mostly as a finishing salt. It has an awesome black color that looks great on food. As far as taste, it tends to have a more earthy flavor due to the charcoal. No surprise. Maldon Flake Salt Maldon salt is a gourmet sea salt that has been harvested from the Blackwater estuary in the English town of Maldon since ancient times. It literally looks like flakes of snow. If that snow were shaped like a pyramid. It’s not overpoweringly salty. It’s prized for not only it’s extremely crunchy texture. But also for it’s lightness. I absolutely love this salt. It’s hard to describe, but it doesn’t taste like any other kind. It’s not as salty tasting and the crunch is lovely. I use this for all kinds of things. It’s unique shape and subtle flavor is not meant to be cooked with. This is a true finishing salt. This is the salt meant to go on top of your carmels and your favorite ice cream. It’s a crunchy salty topping for your salads. It is fabulous on popcorn. Things to Keep in Perspective When we are talking about the nutritional value of salt, it’s important to keep in mind we are talking about very small amounts. Trace amounts in fact. No one is eating buckets full of the stuff. However, in my humble opinion, every little bit helps. We humans do not get enough nutrition in our diets even at the best of times. So if I can increase that, no matter how small, I will. Lots of small things equal big things later. Which Salt Should I Use? The answer is, all of them. All of these salts have their own unique flavor profiles and uses. Some are meant to cook with and some are meant to go on top of

What Type of Salt Should I Use? Read More »

Fermented Garlic sitting in a bowl on a bamboo plate.

Simple Fermented Chopped Garlic

selfmadeblogger

I can’t for the life of me remember why I started making this Fermented Chopped Garlic recipe. It could be because it only requires two ingredients, Salt and garlic. Maybe it’s because I hate messing with and chopping garlic. It could also be that I forget to purchase it from the store when I run out. This recipe serves all of my lazy girl needs. I only have to make this once every 6 months because it lasts forever in the fridge. Which also means I only have to deal with garlic every six months. Win win. If you don’t wish to deal with fresh garlic at all you can simply purchase the pre-peeled bags of it to make this recipe. I’ve done it. Both ways work. Just know fresher is always going to taste just a little better. In this recipe I use either Kosher Salt or Himalayian Pink Salt. If you are unsure of which salt to use read my post on Types of Salt. It will explain more. A Word About Airlock Jars The only piece of hardware I really recommend is an Airlock jar. I have used many different jars for fermentation. Airlock jars are my absolute favorite. My husband handmade mine. But, if you aren’t into that you can simply purchase them on the World Wide Web. If you don’t know which kind of fermentation jars to get be sure to check out my post all about them HERE. I like to leave this to sit for at least two weeks. But it’s usually longer. The garlic will change in color slowly. It will naturally darken. I’ve had some of it turn green. It’s totally fine as long as its not moldy. This usually has to do with either the age of the garlic or the compounds in the garlic changing from the fermentation process. Make sure not to fill the container less than an inch to the top. The garlic will expand after several days due to the fermentation process. If you over fill the jar, the garlic will attempt to escape your container. This is why I love airlock jars. Most fermentation needs as little air as possible to prevent mold growth. So typically you want your product either submerged under liquid or filled near the top of the jar to prevent oxygen. But with the airlock it removes most of the oxygen due to the expanse of gases pushing more air out of the one way valve without the need for extra food in the jar. It prevents mold and you don’t need to overfill the container. How to Fill the Bubbler Once you have the product filled make sure to fill the top bubbler to the designated line. Most people use water which will work fine. I however, like to use vodka. Vodka tends to keep it mold free and more sanitary which I’m all about. For some reason I also find it makes it the airlock work better. Either way, make sure if you keep the jar fermenting for several weeks you check on the liquid level in the bubbler and refill as needed. Do I Need a Weight for This? So I use fermentation weights for most of my ferments. This is one of the exceptions. It is a very dry ferment. So there is not a lot of liquid. There really isn’t anywhere for the fermentation weight to go. So it really isn’t necessary or very functional. Making the Next Batch and Storage Once you have leftover garlic from your first batch, make sure to mix a little with the new one. This will help the fermentation process to go much faster on the next batch. Be aware that when you break the seal to open it, the scent of garlic will knock your socks off. The garlic scent as well as the flavor increases with the fermentation process. So you can reduce the amount of garlic in your recipes if you like. Storage and Cleanup Once you are all done, store it in the refrigerator and use as needed. It will keep for around six months. I recommend keeping one airlock jar just for garlic if you can. I also recommend hand washing your container and airlocks even if they are dishwasher safe. If you don’t it will make your dishwasher smell like garlic for a week. This recipe is easy to double or even triple. I make a pound and a half at a time. Don’t forget to use it to make garlic bread. You’ll never want store bought again. Fermented Chopped Garlic

Simple Fermented Chopped Garlic Read More »

A table with flowers on it. Next to the flowers is a jar of Avocado oil mixed with ghee.

Simple Lactose and Casein Free Butter Oil Blend

selfmadeblogger

Okay so the hardest thing about having a mostly dairy free house is finding substitutes that make you feel like your cheating on a diet. You know what I mean. There are tons of substitutes for the things we can‘t eat but most of the time they really disappoint. One of those things for us was Butter. We used butter on everything. Lactose and Casein Free Ghee I was so grateful the day I learned about Ghee. Depending on your dairy intolerance or allergy Ghee may be an option for you. For many people the issue with dairy is with Lactose. In our house the intolerance is Casein. The amazing thing is that you can purchase Ghee that has had most if not all the Lactose and Casein removed. For us the worry of a reaction is enough that I do not make Ghee myself. I used to but now I purchase it. The reason is that companies are able to test their product to ensure the amount of Casein and lactose is below 1% which I can not do at home. Sorry guys no testing facilities in this house. There are more than a few of these companies out there, just look for a label that specifically says Lactose Free and or Casein Free Ghee. So here’s the thing, if your issues with dairy are more than just a small thing, consult your doctor first. I am not one nor will I ever be one. Far to much work for me. Making Ghee Taste More Like Butter So once we discovered Ghee was available to us it changed our world. The downside to this was that Ghee is like butter on steroids. It tastes so much like butter that it can literally overpower anything you eat. Not in that wonderful way you hope for either. But I discovered that if you cut it with a very neutral oil, you can make it taste very close to butter in whatever you are eating. My oil of choice is Avocado Oil. A good quality avocado oil is not only neutral in flavor, but healthy as well. What’s awesome about this recipe is that it makes your Ghee go even farther. This is a wonderful cost cutting way to extend how far your oil will go and it tastes great. Mix together and use it on everything from pancakes to shrimp linguini. My absolute favorite way is on popcorn. The taste is fantastic. If you try this make sure to let me know what you end up using it on. This recipe takes almost no time at all to make. It’s a wonderful butter substitute for those who are intolerant of casein or lactose. Tastes wonderful on everything from pancakes to popcorn.

Simple Lactose and Casein Free Butter Oil Blend Read More »

A cricut maker 3 on a table with flowers in a vase. There is a third grade sign sitting next to it.

Cricut-A homeschool moms BFF

selfmadeblogger

I purchased a Cricut Maker 3 for my husband. He was looking for a vinyl cutter that would be small enough for the space we have. During my search I came across Cricut. Sure, I had seen these little cutters at craft stores off and on for years but I couldn’t figure out why, anyone who wasn’t a scrapbooker would ever be inclined to use one. Well people, turns out I was wrong. So wrong. The Cricut Maker and Cricut Maker 3 are a incredible multitasking machines. I’m not getting paid for this or even getting anything free. In fact, I’ve paid them and am fully satisfied with my purchase. This is a machine I fully see us using for years to come. What Can the Cricut Maker Do It does everything! You want cute cutouts in any shape or size to hang on your classroom wall…Done! You want vinyl to decorate and organize every square inch of your classroom…Done! You want to make cute borders to decorate your black board…Done! Teaching your students how to sew for home ec? Yes, it can cut patterns for you too. Wanna build a science project that looks amazing? Just tell it what to do. I’m pretty sure this thing could make me dinner if I asked it to. Here is the list of what my Maker 3 can do: Cuts 300+ materials Cuts vinyl, wood, chipboard, aluminum, and sewing patternsCan easily make paper cards for whatever your needs areEmbossDe-bossPerforate Metal foil This may be my favorite multi tasking machine ever. If you have ever been to the teaching supply store you know just how expensive just a few of these things can get. The cost of this one device definitely is worth it in my opinion. I can use it not just for teaching, but for art projects and gift ideas for friends. It’s definitely a gift that keeps on giving! The Cricut Maker 3 is the newest model of this machine. The original Cricut Maker is the model before. The main differences are that the newest model is much faster. It can also cut up to 12 feet of vinyl at a time. The original can’t. The newer model cuts 300+ materials where the original can only do 100+. I honestly think you couldn’t go wrong with either model. We selected the Cricut Maker 3 because of the vinyl. I’ve been more than satisfied with it. It has definitely exceeded my expectations. What do you do with your Cricut machine? Feel free to share.

Cricut-A homeschool moms BFF Read More »

What is Unschooling?

selfmadeblogger

I was first told about unschooling from a girlfriend of mine. It was after I started panicking and worrying to her about making sure I wasn’t an epic failure as a homeschooling mom. To put it simply, Unschooling is the idea that children learn best by allowing them to find there own interests. There are no set curriculums or subjects. You allow them to go about their days and find what interests them. Most if not all their learning is done through this method. Basically, you make it look as little like learning in a school setting as possible. Studies have show this to be an effective teaching method. Children will learn naturally through their environment. They will use their natural curiosity to gather information and learn. In a lot of ways I think this method is wonderful. I use it on a smaller scale to encourage natural creativity and growth. Why I don’t Use it As My Only Curriculum However, I personally do not use this as my sole teaching method for several reasons. The first is that when it is used alone it increases your chance for educational learning gaps. If this isn’t a concern for you, great. But there are certain things I want to make sure get taught. I don’t want to have to spend time later fixing big learning gaps that could easily be corrected in a small lesson now. Another issue I see is that when you only allow studies that are fun or interesting, it makes teaching those things that are less fun, but necessary, more difficult. Children tend to not want to do them. Really, who can blame them for it. It’s kind of like allowing your kids to choose candy and cookies for dinner everyday and then trying to make them eat their vegetables. I’d much rather eat cupcakes than brussels sprouts all day long. So would they. Also, I don’t have a problem with school feeling like school. I liked school as a child. I was blessed with many great educators. I feel like a beautifully designed classroom brings joy to learning. It also separates learning time from playtime. What I Do Use it For But to be clear, I do use parts of this method. If we get obsessed with an animal, a science subject, or anything else. We stop and focus on it. We definitely turn it into a unit study. I have been known to stop learning in the middle of a hail storm to pick up ice crystals. We grabbed a microscope and started science class right then and there. I have allowed hours of watching the Amoeba Sisters on YouTube. That show is way smarter than I am. I particularly like to use this for Creativity Days. If you have never hear of them, you can read about Creativity Days in my post HERE. So once again, no method is right or wrong. This is how I do it. You do you. If you think this might be an option for you, give it a try. Just make learning an adventure no matter the method that you choose to use. If you have an amazing way to unschool share it in the comments below.

What is Unschooling? Read More »

weekly planner, planner, weekly-5058720.jpg

How to choose a Homeschool Schedule

selfmadeblogger

When deciding on a homeschool school schedule there are so many worries. The main one is how much to teach and how often. Mom guilt is real people! Your always worried your not doing enough. You worry that your going to fail your child by under educating them. That somehow something you do will make your child the dumbest kid on the planet. The list of ridiculous worries goes on and on. Things to Consider The truth is that giving your child your time and energy is all that matters. So don’t stress. I found the easiest way to schedule my school days was to think about the average school system. On average, the normal child goes to school 36 weeks. If you take out the weekends thats about 180 days. They also get aproximately 16 weeks off. You might find it easier to focus on teaching 180 days. But, you may also find it easier to focus on 16 weeks off. Either way, establishing a timeline really makes scheduling your year easy. I‘m a scheduler. Schedules make me happy. Let’s be real, everyones happier when moms happy. But not every family wants a schedule. There are parents who don’t do any kind of schedule. I know of parents who choose to do a four day school week with three days off. There are also parents who only do a three day schedule. I find that personally the three day schedule is not enough time for me to get everything I want to teach in. How I Schedule My Day During the day I try to only teach from the hours of 8-1:30. This is not set in stone. We schedule late days so everyone can sleep in sometimes. If we don’t complete everything by 1:30 it gets moved to the next day. I have several reasons for this schedule. One was that during the pandemic the distance learning from public school would take forever. It was exhausting and no learning really happened after a certain time each day. Just lots of arguing about getting work done. Also, because there isn’t a class of 24 students that I am trying to wrangle, work gets done at a much faster pace. 4-4.5 hours a day is more than enough time. Multiple Curriculums I have two school curriculums I follow. A summer and winter. The reason for this is because I teach school in the summer. Don’t freak out! Hear me out. Where we live is crazy hot in the summer. There is no going outside. There is not a lot that goes on except sitting in front of an AC unit or putting your head in the refrigerator to cool down. So I do a modified summer schedule. This works on so many levels. It keeps the kiddos busy without to much school. It also allows us to take vacations and longer breaks in cooler months. It also allows us to take field trips when all the other kids are in school and avoid crowds as well. So cool right? The other big reason I teach in the summer is because of the learning gap. On average, children lose a ton of information over the summer. Most teachers spend a month reteaching lost information. Guess what? I have no desire to reteach lost information. So my school year looks like this. During the year I do a 5 day schedule. One day is a half day for my sanity. Then every 4 weeks we schedule a break, again for my sanity. This is flexible. So no need to make it exactly 4. At the close of our school year I give a two to three week break. Then we go to the summer schedule which is 4 days a week for 4 weeks and then another week off. I fill the summer schedule with more creative things like art and science. This still leaves us with several weeks to take other time off whenever we feel like it for anything we want. Just to be clear, none of these systems is better than the other. I adjust mine often. Do what fits your needs. If your kid only makes it 178 days literally nothing bad will happen. Most kids miss a few days a year for sickness anyways. Do what works and when it stops working, change it up. Final Thoughts If I can give only one piece of advice it would be, take breaks. Plan things like Creativity Days or throw in some Unschooling days to change up your day and keep things interesting. Make sure to take them whenever you feel that you need them. Homeschooling takes time and energy. If you don’t rest, you and your entire family will burn out. So rest often and enjoy the time you spend together. If you have a different schedule that works for you, feel free to share it.

How to choose a Homeschool Schedule Read More »

What are Creativity Days?

selfmadeblogger

School days can get monotonous for everyone. It can be such a challenge to keep the days fun and interesting. I use creativity days to help me when I feel like I’m about to run screaming for the hills. What are creativity days you ask? Anything you wish them to be. Things to Do With Your Creativity Day There are no hard and fast rules. If we want to spend the day working on art projects that’s what we do. If we want to build a Kiwico crate? That’s fine too. We can cook, go fishing, bike riding or swimming. If we want to make cupcakes and frosting we will. These days are meant to inspire creativity. To breathe life into our imagination. Each and every one of these has the potential to teach various lessons in mathematics, physics, PE, hand eye coordination and many other things. If you are unsure of what to do or how to start, you could always use these days to do a unit study. Find something that really interests your child and begin there. If they love cats, spend the day learning about cats. If it’s birds, build a birdhouse. Plant a garden. Build a fort. Do something that doesn’t feel or look like school. We use these days to practice Unschooling. If you have never heard of it you can read my post on it HERE. It will make everyone feel refreshed. I try to tuck at least two of them in per month. Think of them as memory makers. How do you get creative? Let me know.

What are Creativity Days? Read More »

Choosing a Math Curriculum

selfmadeblogger

This is probably one of the most hotly debated subjects in the homeschool world. I have actually seen people argue over what constitutes a full math curriculum. Before teaching homeschool I had no idea there was even a choice in the type of math curriculum you could teach. As it turns out there isn’t just a type, but multiple types. Types of Math Curriculum These include the following:SpiralingMasteryConceptual ProceduralLiving Within, these types are subtypes as well. As a parent it can get very confusing. So, to keep it simple, I’m only going to discuss these main types today. Mastery Mastery is the idea that the child will learn the concept they are being taught completely and thoroughly before moving on to the next concept. They would learn addition only and then subtraction. This would work great for a child struggling to understand things at a more rapid pace. It allows you to take more time on the concept until it is completely understood. The downside to this type of math is that the child does not get exposed to other concepts until later. If you decide that you want or need to go back to a public education, it may be difficult for the child. They will struggle to do concepts that they have not have been exposed to yet. An example of this is the Math U See curriculum. Spiraling Spiraling is the idea that you take chunks of concepts and teach them in a more fast paced manner. You would teach the ideas in successive order. Then you would “spiral” back to the original idea and reteach the concept again at a later date. An example of this is Saxon Math. This works great for children who are bored easily and get concepts at a faster rate. The child would learn smaller chunks of different information at the beginning of your school year and then relearn it again to retain the information. What I have found to be problematic in some curriculums is that sometimes the spiraling gets a little confusing and sometimes it can even get boring depending on how far back or repetitive the spiraling goes. Conceptual Conceptual is the idea that mathematics will be taught in a tangible manner. It uses hard or real ideas to make the math more concrete. You will see lots of things like manipulatives being used. Manipulatives that the child can see, touch and use. There will be lots of word problems for real life situations as well. Conceptual math is really loved among educators. It gives the child a real foundation to understanding math not just in the beginning, but as they continue to get into harder concepts. The only downside is time. It is not an “open and go” curriculum. You will need to spend some time teaching the concept first. An example of this is Singapore Math or Beast Academy. Procedural Procedural math teaches a procedure. It shows you the algorithm or formula how to do the math and then the child will be able to complete the concept again and again. Procedural math is good at teaching how to organize data, and always get the correct answers. The downside is that the child can complete the problem, get the correct answer from the procedure, and still have no idea how they got to the answer. They may not have an understanding of the concept, even though they can do it. This can cause issues later. Procedural math is best taught after the child fully understands the conceptual part of it. This will prevent the problem of only knowing how to do a problem and not why you do it. While neither conceptual or procedural is wrong, the best math curriculums will use both. Living Math Living math is math that is taught through every day life. You teach fractions through cooking and baking. You teach algebra by measuring actual buildings. You teach multiplication by sharing food with friends. It really teaches that math is everywhere. Living math works really well for kids who struggle to understand concepts. It gives real information in a fun way. The drawbacks are again time. You may also find that living math doesn’t give you as complete a curriculum as you are looking for alone. The nice thing is that it is very easy to use it as an addition to any math program. How to Choose Most Math curriculums will use one, some or even all of these types. In our home we are currently using a mix of both Saxon and Beast Academy. Saxon is very repetitive and thorough. Beast Academy is more engaging and fun but not as thorough. So for us, we require two curriculums to fit our needs. But my needs are not your needs. It’s important when looking at the curriculum to understand which one you are getting. It will help you decide more easily which program you want to teach. It will also help you get ahead of any problems you may encounter so that you can quickly and easily fix them. Just remember that no math curriculum is perfect. Choose what’s best for you and your family. I hope this gives you all a better understanding of math curriculums. Happy Homeschooling!

Choosing a Math Curriculum Read More »

All Posts