Curriculum Materials

This page tracks the curriculum materials we’ve purchased and used for home math instruction. All items were purchased via Amazon and are documented with order dates.

Why We Track This

After Oak Park Elementary School District 97 denied my daughter’s acceleration application and couldn’t provide appropriate math challenge in her grade-level classroom, we began providing math instruction at home during the time she would otherwise be in second-grade math class.

This list documents the scope and level of instruction we’re providing—significantly above grade level—and serves as evidence for future acceleration applications.

Current Working Level (As of November 2025)

My daughter is currently working on:

Our Daily Math Routine

We have an agreement: three math things per day, every day of the week.

Easy Morning Math (Optional)

My daughter has the option to do “easy morning math” before school (or before we officially get in gear on weekends). Easy morning math can be any math sheet she can find laying around the house—as long as she:

  • Finds it herself
  • Completes it correctly
  • Gets it done before I put any effort into it

This reinforces independent work and catches her in the morning when she’s full of energy, putting it toward solid review. I don’t track this formally, but she does it about every other day on average.

Afternoon Math Block (Daily)

We spend a couple of hours starting at 1:30 PM, before after-school activities, working through one or two workbooks. This is our main instructional time.

Evening Math (As Needed)

If there’s any remaining math work from our “three things” agreement, we tackle that before dinner time.

This routine provides:

  • Consistency: Math every single day, reinforcing skills and building fluency
  • Autonomy: Morning math teaches self-direction and independent problem-solving
  • Depth: The afternoon block allows time for challenging, conceptual work
  • Flexibility: The structure adapts to her energy levels and our daily schedule

Math Workbooks & Textbooks

Multiplication & Division

Big Book of Math Practice Problems Multiplication and Division Purchased: October 15, 2025 Worksheets full of practice drills, facts, and exercises on multiplying and dividing.

Humble Math - 100 Days of Multi-Digit Multiplication Purchased: October 20, 2025 Ages 10-13: Multiplying large numbers with answer key. 2 and 3 digit multiplication workbook.

Channie’s One Page A Day Two Digit Multiplication Practice Purchased: October 20, 2025 Double digit multiplication workbook with 50 fun & easy tear-off math practice worksheets for 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade kids.

Word Problems

Spectrum Math Word Problems Grade 4 Workbook Purchased: July 6, 2025 Ages 10-11. Covers fractions, decimals, money, measurements, multi-step word problems, and preparing for algebra. 128 pages.

Spectrum Word Problems 3rd Grade Math Workbook Purchased: July 17, 2025 Geometry, algebra prep, fractions, telling time, money. Classroom or homeschool curriculum.

Geometry & Measurement

Humble Math - Area, Perimeter, Volume, & Surface Area Purchased: June 9, 2025 Geometry for beginners workbook covering elementary, middle school, and high school geometry concepts. Includes answer key.

Kumon Grade 4 Geometry & Measurement Purchased: November 9, 2025 Kumon Math Workbooks Grade 4 level.

Geometry II – Lines, Angles, & Arcs Purchased: November 9, 2025 Humble Math Geometry Workbook (Book 2) with answer key. 100 Days of Geometry.

Abacus / Mental Math

Abacus Mind Math Level 1 Workbook 1 of 2 Purchased: August 20, 2025 Excel at mind math with Soroban, a Japanese abacus.

Abacus Mind Math Level 1 Workbook 2 of 2 Purchased: August 20, 2025 Excel at mind math with Soroban, a Japanese abacus.

Abacus Mind Math Level 2 Workbook 1 of 2 Purchased: October 27, 2025 Excel at mind math with Soroban, a Japanese abacus.

Abacus Mind Math Level 3 Workbook 2 of 2 Purchased: September 20, 2025 Excel at mind math with Soroban, a Japanese abacus. (Currently working through this level)

Beast Academy (Art of Problem Solving)

Beast Academy Grade 2 Complete Books Set Purchased: October 4, 2025 8 books: Math Guide 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D & Math Practice 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D. Advanced problem-solving curriculum.

Beast Academy 1A Math Guide and Practice Purchased: August 26, 2025 Combined guide and practice book.

Pre-Algebra & Advanced Topics

Order of Operations: Pre-Algebra (PEMDAS) Purchased: April 13, 2025 100 practice pages with line guides. Math workbook with step-by-step answer key for grades 5-9 (ages 10-15).

COMMON CORE SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS WITH SHAPES Purchased: July 6, 2025 Math logic shape algebra workbook for grade levels 7th-12th. Puzzles with solutions. Improves critical thinking skills.

200 Math Puzzles for Kids Aged 12-14 Purchased: July 14, 2025 Math games for kids 12 to 14.

Addition & Subtraction

Channie’s One Page A Day Single Digit Addition & Subtraction Workbook Purchased: August 26, 2025 For pre-kindergarten through 1st grade. 50 pages of single digit math practice.

Channie’s One Page A Day Double Digit Math Problem Workbook Purchased: October 17, 2025 For 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders. Addition and subtraction workbook with tear-off pages.

Visual & Enrichment Math Books

Amazing Visual Math Purchased: July 17, 2025 Visual approach to mathematical concepts.

Oliver Byrne’s Elements of Euclid Purchased: October 27, 2025 The First Six Books with Coloured Diagrams and Symbols (Art Meets Science Edition). Historical mathematical text with beautiful visual diagrams.

Fibonacci’s Liber Abaci: A Translation into Modern English Purchased: November 9, 2025 Leonardo Pisano’s Book of Calculation. Sources and Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences.

Rithmomachia: Is Recreational Arithmetic Purchased: November 9, 2025 Historical mathematical game exploring recreational arithmetic.

Math Manipulatives

hand2mind Number Paths Purchased: August 18, 2025 Rekenrek color-coded number line. Math manipulatives for elementary and kindergarten. Set of 6.

Technology

Calculators

Texas Instruments TI-108 Elementary Calculator Purchased: August 5, 2024 Solar powered basic calculator for elementary math practice.

Texas Instruments TI-Little Professor Purchased: April 19, 2024 Educational calculator that poses math problems and checks answers. Helps students learn math at their own pace with over 50,000 pre-programmed tasks.

Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE Color Graphing Calculator Purchased: November 9, 2025 Black. Professional graphing calculator for advanced mathematics.

Abacus Instruction Books

Abacus Mind Math Instruction Book Level 1 Purchased: August 26, 2025 Step by step guide to excel at mind math with Soroban, a Japanese abacus.

Abacus Mind Math Instruction Book Level 2 Purchased: March 8, 2025 Step by step guide to excel at mind math with Soroban, a Japanese abacus.

Abacus Mind Math Instruction Book Level 3 Purchased: August 5, 2025 Step by step guide to excel at mind math with Soroban, a Japanese abacus.

Other Subjects

Computer Science / Coding

How to Be a Coder: Learn to Think like a Coder with Fun Activities Purchased: July 17, 2025 Then code in Scratch 3.0 online. Careers for Kids series.

Crayola Art of Coding: A Celebration of Creative Mindsets Purchased: July 17, 2025 Introduction to coding concepts through creative activities.

Geography

World Geography Activity Book Purchased: May 3, 2025 Activity-based geography learning.

Notes on Organization

This list is organized by subject and topic area. Purchase dates reflect when materials were ordered, not necessarily when they were completed or started.

Many workbooks are used concurrently or revisited for practice. For example, we may work on multiplication drills, word problems, and abacus practice in the same week.

The variety of materials reflects different learning approaches:

  • Drill-based practice (Channie’s, Humble Math)
  • Conceptual problem-solving (Beast Academy)
  • Mental math fluency (Abacus Mind Math)
  • Real-world application (Spectrum Word Problems)
  • Visual and historical context (Oliver Byrne’s Elements, Fibonacci)

This multi-modal approach ensures my daughter develops both computational fluency and deep conceptual understanding.

Last updated: November 20, 2025