Homeschool Math Help with Kate Snow: Does math ever cause trouble in your homeschool? Join me as I chat with Kate Snow, my go-to math mentor. We discuss how to lay a strong foundation for math at each age, what to do when your child is behind in math, and how to homeschool math with confidence. Whether you’re a math-fan or math-phobic, you’re sure to love this Homeschool Conversation!
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Who is Kate Snow?
Kate Snow is on a mission to help parents teach math with confidence. She graduated from Harvard with both a math degree and an elementary teaching certificate. With experience as a classroom teacher, math curriculum writer, homeschool mom, and math tutor, sheโs taught math from preschool to high school. Now, she writes math curriculum for Well-Trained Mind Press, tutors homeschoolers, and provides support and resources for parents as they teach math.
Watch my interview with Kate Snow
Show Notes {with video time stamps}
Kate’s personal experience with math {1:30}
Kate and her family live in Grand Rapids, MI. Her 2 children are currently 9 and 13.
Kate has always loved math her whole life. In college, however, she hit real trouble in her โReal Analysisโ class. It was incredibly hard for her. She hit the wall after years of success with math. In fact, she almost failed the class! But Kate said it was such a good experience to have, to experience that feeling of being at sea with math.
This pivotal experience actually played a role in her decision to pursue math as an educator. She wanted to bring the perspective this experience had given her into her work teaching math.
Later, during her years as a homeschool mom, she realized something interesting. As she participated in co-ops and park dates, she realized how many other homeschool moms were struggling with math. โI kind of became the โMath Momโ in my circle,โ Kate smiled.
Thatโs when she began her website, Kateโs Homeschool Math Help.
Homeschool math help from Kate Snow: Laying a foundation for math success at each stage {5:16}
An important part of laying a good foundation in math is โhaving the attitude that math makes sense and that we can figure this out together,โ Kate said. โYou donโt have to be the expert for your child. Itโs ok to be a co-explorer.โ
Kate continued, โStart from the premise that math does make sense.โ You may have just been taught to memorize procedures, but there is a reason and a logic behind them. When you start with the underlying that math actually does make sense? โIt changes the entire endeavor.โ
{You may also like my post and video exploring WHY we invert and multiply!}
It can be such a relief to know that you donโt have to be the expert in the room! โIf you have math anxiety yourself, it helps you take that down a notch,โ Kate encouraged, which in turn helps protect your own childrenโs confidence.
Focus on these areas at each stage:
Preschool math: counting is huge as well as the ability to recognize small objects by sight, a skill known as subitizing.
Elementary math: math facts are very important. They are the core foundation for future math work. Help children understand what the basic math operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) actually mean, and help them memorize the basic facts.
(Note: written calculations are significant, but the mental calculations are actually more important.)
Middle School math: itโs all about proportional thinking: fractions, decimals, and percents!
High School math: this is when students somewhat veer onto different paths. Some will take the college prep path, others the more practical application side of mathematics.
โThe thing that really helps kids succeed when it comes to high school math is learning to be independent learners in math.โ
Kate said we can help students slow down and read math like directions for putting together an Ikea dresser rather than a novel. They also need to learn to be neat and to organize and show their work.
Kate continued,
โItโs ok if math is hard. When things are hard it doesnโt mean youโre bad at them. It means youโre thinking hard, youโre doing hard work. And math is a subject where thereโs going to be some hard work to do, and thatโs ok. Nothing is wrong with you because itโs hard.โ
Kate Snow’s new homeschool math curriculum {12:00}
I am really looking forward to using Kateโs new Kindergarten math curriculum with my little guy next year!
Kindergarten Math with Confidence is the first installment of a full elementary math curriculum, with new levels releasing each year.
โWhat I really tried to do in these books is to give rigorous, thorough treatment of everything that kids need to know in each grade level, but also to make it fun and interactive and playful,โ Kate said.
Kateโs guiding principle has been to communicate โreally good math [thatโs] really fun, enjoyable, and interactive for the family.โ
Homeschool math help from Kate Snow: Why is it important to learn math facts? {14:51}
One reason is the brain science behind working memory: โWe can only hold so many things in our head at a time,โ Kate smiled. When your student is doing a complicated multi-digit multiplication problem, they donโt need to lose the thread of what theyโre doing by having to count out something basic like 8+7.
Worse than that, Kate said, is that kids often canโt understand new material because theyโre too busy figuring out the basic problems.
โIf you are adding 8X + 7X and youโre stopping and having to think that 8+7 is 15, you have really lost the point of this linear equation, graphing it, finding the slope, and such,โ Kate noted.
Knowing the math facts also makes kids feel more confident in math.
Finally, all problems do not come in ways that are easily packaged. There are lots of places where you canโt just plug numbers into a calculator. You have to evaluate the problem first. Mathematical thinking is important. Knowing the math facts is core for being able to do that!
{You may also enjoy my review of Kate Snow‘s Math Facts That Stick series!}
Homeschool math help from Kate Snow: Encouragement for the Mom who has a child who hates math, or who worries that their child is falling behind {18:05}
โIt can be really overwhelming,โ to find yourself with a child who is way behind, Kate acknowledged.
โLet go of any guilt,โ Kate encouraged. โGuilt just weighs us down; it doesnโt help us move forward.โ
Start with a realistic list of what your child can already actually do. It is totally possible to help a child get back on track! Thereโs a lot of time within the typical middle school curriculum to make up some ground.
Trying to make up ground quickly? Focus first on the basic operations. Condense, and do what is most necessary. โStreamline what youโre doing, be consistent, but donโt beat yourself up,โ Kate said.
Sometimes we can globalize our problems, so I appreciated Kateโs advice to start small and move forward consistently! It makes it feel much more doable.
Kate recently wrote a helpful article โHow to Fill in Math Gapsโ that further addresses this topic. (Itโs part of her new โAsk Kateโ series)
Homeschool math help from Kate Snow: Do we have to do every lesson in the math book? {21:30}
It depends on the age of the kids, of course, but Kate says usually you donโt have to finish the math book. So what’s the best way to decide when to stop as the sunshine beckons you away from the math textbook?
Look at the first few chapters in next yearโs math book and see what is reviewed in the opening sections! Even Kate, a curriculum writer, doesnโt expect people to do the final chapter in her math books. Itโs helpful to get an introduction this year and a review next year, but itโs not really necessary.
Kate noted that homeschool moms often donโt trust themselves, but theyโre really a smart bunch. She encouraged us to think carefully and then move forward in confidence that weโve made a wise decision.
I am one of those mean homeschool moms who does make the kids do every single chapter in the math book, but I do NOT make them do every single problem. Some children just donโt need that much repetition and review on every topic. Thatโs another way to simplify things for your family.
Only the mom with the child in front of them, Kate said, really knows how much review a particular student actually needs. She said we can be empowered to make those decisions with confidence.
How to choose homeschool math curriculum for next year {25:20}
โHow did this year go?โ Kate encouraged us to start with assessment. โIf this year worked well, you are good! Keep going!โ
Kate did say that sometimes people get really worried about switching up curriculum, perhaps based on fears of leaving gaps in math knowledge. If you approach the change carefully, though, it shouldn’t be a problem. โYou need to do it thoughtfullyโฆlook at the placement test and see where your child fits in that new scope and sequenceโฆโ she explained.
Anyone else get way too optimistic about next year? Kate said we need to be ruthlessly realistic about what fits our budget and our schedule as we plan for next yearโs math curriculum.
I loved Kateโs โTomorrow Ruleโ: โIf I had to start this tomorrow would I be excited about it?โ
We also had a really good discussion about crying during math lessonsโฆ is it sometimes ok? Watch the video to see what we said!
{You may also enjoy 4 Questions to Ask Before Planning or Shopping for Curriculum}
Find homeschool math help from Kate Snow online
- Kateโs Homeschool Math
- Homeschool Math 101 (free email course)
- Books at Well-Trained Mind and Amazon (if you would like pdfs to print copies for multiple children, those are available only at Well-Trained Mind)
Check out all the other interviews in my Homeschool Conversations series!
