So… I have a confession to make.

Are you ready?

Math scares the hell out of me. 

It’s almost as if I need my own homeschool math course to ease this math phobia.

The funny thing is, I always did well in math. I just never enjoyed it. And, if we’re being completely honest here, despite those As on my report card I never felt confident in math. Now, as an educator, I can see that my math education was far too heavy on rote memorization and light on explanation. As a result, it is extremely difficult for me, as a homeschooling mom, to explain the whys and the hows.

And, because I have gaps, I am terrified that my children will have gaps.

And that’s where GiftedandTalented.com’s Redbird Mathematics comes in.

This Homeschool Math Course Will Ease YOUR Math Phobia!

Disclosure: I received Redbird Math at no cost and was compensated  for my time in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own and I only share resources that I would use with my own family.

Do you want to add more awesome math resources to your homeschool day?

GiftedandTalented.com’s Redbird Mathematics is an adaptive, online math curriculum that combines research, technology, and innovation

GiftedandTalented.com Redbird Mathematics: Advanced Edition Grades K­-7th is an online math curriculum that we have been using for the past few months. Originally developed through Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth, GiftedandTalented.com has been proven to increase learning, acceleration, and academic confidence for students of all abilities.

If you’ve been following this site for any length of time, you know that I rely heavily on books and games as part of our homeschool curriculum. Up to this point, we have been reading heaps of fantastic math books and playing tons of math games, and I’ve also used manipulatives and cooking and science and shopping and workbooks and play to cover all those mathematical bases.

Still, I worry:

• Am I covering what I’m supposed to be covering? 
• Am I missing anything? 
• Did I explain it well? 
• Will there be gaps?

And the responsibility of teaching math to a profoundly gifted kiddo? Yikes, folks. I get myself all in a dither just thinking about it!

I know I’m not the only one out there who worries about math because we’ve had conversations about it over on Facebook. Math phobia among homeschooling parents is not at all uncommon.

So, when I got the chance to check out the new Redbird Mathematics from GiftedandTalented.com, I jumped at the chance. I’m familiar with the program, which was originally developed by Stanford University. It’s been around forever. It’s research-based and driven.

I signed up immediately.

How this homeschool mom has used Giftedandtalented.com as a self-paced math curriculum

Okay, so let me first start off by sharing what I like about this program:

• Like other online tools, it is convenient and easily accessible.
• More importantly, GiftedandTalented.com eases my math anxiety.
• It takes the pressure off of me as the sole math teacher.
• It is extremely thorough.
• The program is self-paced.
• GiftedandTalented.com provides individualized learning.
• The program is great for gifted children because they do not have to deal with drill and kill. Instead, they can zip through items that they are proficient at. I started my son off at 3rd-grade math (because I was being paranoid), and he zipped through to mid-4th grade in short time.
• I love the dashboard! It tells me exactly what each child is learning, what areas they are proficient in, and which areas they need to work on. It also tells me exactly how many minutes they worked per session and how many problems were completed. So, I know if they were just sitting there logging minutes versus actually working!
• If a child is new to a concept or struggling, the program will focus on that until they gain proficiency. This is great for young children who are new to online learning, like my 6 and 4-year-olds.

Now, let me tell you how we use the program at home.

It’s so easy.

Are you ready?

I ask the kids to try it for 15 minutes.

That’s it! They almost always end up getting lost in math and working for much longer. And, usually, my youngest two are together when they work so they get double the time and learning!

My 6-year-old newly-homeschooling kindergartener has loved using GiftedandTalented.com’s Redbird Mathematics. And, can I gush about my daughter for a second, folks? She’s such a good teacher! Almost every single time she has worked on math, she asks her little brother to join her! She knows he loves math and she loves to teach him as she works. It is the sweetest thing! Here is a video of the two of them enjoying one of Redbird’s many math games:

My youngest loves math. He has thoroughly enjoyed getting to “do math” like his older brother and sister. Here is a video of my 4-year-old using Redbird for the very first time while his brother sings Feliz Navidad in the background:

And my 7-year-old, who is very tough to please, loves the real-life “projects” Redbird provides. Most recently, he loved a project involving a search and rescue team! I appreciate that the program incorporates digital project-based learning using real-life examples.

Redbird Mathematics is a complete, research-driven approach to online math learning that has helped to ease this mom’s homeschool math anxiety!

And, guess what? I have news about a GiftedandTalented.com discount and giveaway!

Looking for a discount?

GiftedandTalented.com is offering a discount from now until 2/1/2016. Get 10% off with promo code LEARNMATH. This code can be applied at checkout during the enrollment process.

There is also a GiftedandTalented.com giveaway happening now:

Ten winners will receive a 3-­month subscription to GiftedandTalented.com’s K-7 Redbird Mathematics: Advanced Edition ($60 value). Giveaway ends Jan. 28, 2016. You can enter the giveaway here:

Wondering if your child is gifted/2e?

Be sure to follow Gifted and Talented.com

Stay up to date by following GiftedandTalented.com on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, and YouTube. Be sure to sign up for GiftedandTalented.com’s newsletter, too!

Now, it’s your turn!

Tell me, when it comes to your homeschool, what are you really good at? And, what terrifies you? Share here!