Today, I want to chat about how to outsource math in your homeschool. Because, let’s face it- sometimes, you need to call in a third party! This is our seventh year of homeschool. Each of my kiddos started off homeschool math with a combination of Singapore and Beast Academy. We would use Singapore when Beast seemed frustrating, or when they needed to review a concept. Within a year or so, they transitioned fully to Beast Academy and then, later, Beast Academy Online.
This went smoothly… until it just didn’t.
When my oldest was in 5th grade, we started bumping heads over math. Every single day, we had some sort of math battle. It was exhausting. And a bit mind-boggling, as my oldest typically enjoyed math.
Fortunately, I was offered the chance to try Mr. D Math Live. How serendipitous! My oldest enrolled in Mr. D Math PreAlgebra and he absolutely loved it. Overnight, our battles disappeared. He delighted in the content and in Mr. D’s humor. That year was one of his favorite math years to date.
Fast forward two years and I am experiencing a little déjà vu! (Is this some sort of homeschool developmental milestone or something?!)
How to Outsource Math in Your Homeschool
My daughter used Beast Academy Online for her fourth-grade year. Math is not her favorite subject right now, but she is a strong math student. She’s also a strong personality and to say this past year was a bit of a slog would be a gigantic understatement. I knew it was time to outsource again… and I made the call mid-year. This is something I have never done before! It felt scary and impulsive, but things improved the instant we made the switch.
Note to all the homeschool parents out there: If your gut is screaming at you to call in a third party, do it! I have done this twice and each time it restored peace to our homeschool!
Mr. D. Math Live starts at pre-algebra and my daughter is not quite there yet, so we decided to try a new outsource resource that came highly recommended from several trusted homeschool buddies: Nicole the Math Lady.
I am happy to report that she’s been using Nicole the Math Lady for several months now and is happy as can be! The battles are over (knock on wood), she’s working independently most of the time, and she’s having tons of success. She also loves the “Corny Brain Breaks” included with each lesson (more on those below, so keep reading).
How to Outsource Math in Your Homeschool with Mr. D Math Live
Dennis DiNoia is a secondary education math teacher who left the public school classroom to develop his own online curriculum. His goal was to help students understand math as a language and to incorporate problem-solving skills they could transfer to their own lives.
Look at how little he was!!!
Mr. D’s courses are offered as live classes that meet at a regular time each week or as self-paced courses that you can work through on your own schedule.
The following courses are available:
- Pre-Algebra
- Algebra I
- Geometry
- Algebra II
- Pre-Calculus with Trig
- Test Taking Boot Camps (SAT and ACT)
- Algebra I
- Geometry
- Algebra II
- Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry
If you want to outsource math this year and you have a kiddo in pre-algebra or beyond, I highly recommend Mr. D. Math Live. We had an absolute breeze of a year and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.
Mr. D. inspired my oldest to pursue additional math courses online. He’s currently a 7th grader and he’s been enjoying Art of Problem Solving courses. Mr. D. Math gave him the confidence to pursue higher-level online math courses.
Read our original review of Mr. D. Math Live here:
Read more about what my 7th grader is studying this year here:
How to Outsource Math in Your Homeschool with Nicole the Math Lady
I have several friends who have used- and raved about- Nicole the Math Lady for years. This program has been on my radar as something I’d love to check out.
As I mentioned, this year was a slog for my daughter when it came to math. We were constantly butting heads. There were tears and hurt feelings and frustration and headaches.
For the first time, I switched an entire program mid-year. I wondered if I was being impulsive and if I should ride it out. I am so glad I didn’t. Peace was restored to our homeschool as soon as Nicole the Math Lady entered the picture!
Nicole the Math Lady is an excellent homeschool resource for homeschoolers looking to outsource math
Nicole the Math Lady uses Saxon Math via video for grades 3 and up. You purchase the appropriate textbook either via her site or elsewhere and Nicole the Math Lady teaches the lesson for you. And she does so in such an easy-to-follow engaging manner that I wish she had taught me math when I was a kid!
Each lesson includes a video lesson, a “corny brain break,” and a practice video. All videos are available for streaming from your computer or mobile device. In our experience, the lesson videos are about 5(ish) minutes long and the practice sets are 5-10 minutes long.
The corny brain breaks are short clips of memes and kids telling silly jokes. They serve as a break between the lesson and the practice video. My daughter loves them!
Nicole the Math Lady offers a single-grade membership for $49/year (this is what we have) and a family/all grades membership for $79/year. At the time this post published, Nicole the Math Lady was offering a 7-day free trial.
This is not a sponsored post, you guys.
Honestly, this program has saved my sanity in 2020! While I only ever recommend resources we love and those that we’ve used with our own family, I want you to know that this is not a sponsored post.
I switched math mid-year and Nicole the Math Lady saved my sanity, just as Mr. D Math Live did a couple of years ago. I wanted to share today to let you know it’s okay to go with your gut and call in a third party when things are hard.
More Math Resources for Your Homeschool
- Gameschooling: The Best Math Games for Your Homeschool
- Math Resources for Your Homeschool
- Gameschooling: The Best Logic Games for Your Homeschool
- Math Picture Books for Your Homeschool
Learn more about our curriculum choices here:
- Homeschool Curriculum Choices Year by Year
- Homeschool Curriculum: How to Ditch the Schedule and Embrace a Lifestyle
- 10 Amazing Homeschool Subscriptions
Oh thank you! I’ve been on the fence about it but I just ordered the Saxon books and I’m canceling Beast Academy. It has been just far too frustrating and I’m tired of the fights. I also think the spiraling aspect should help a lot. Half the time when we get to the end of a unit on BA my kiddo can’t remember all of the things from the beginning sections.
The spiraling does help with those facts and also boosts the kid’s confidence if math was stressful. I hope you love it as much as we have!
We had to leave Beast Academy too. My son liked it but it was confusing him rather than teaching him. We switched to Right Start Math and it’s been AMAZING! We had to go back to 3rd grade with my 4th grader but it gave him a ton of confidence because it was easy and helped him master things he hadn’t grasp with Beast Academy. It is teacher intensive but it only takes about 30 minutes each day.