Math Mammoth Golden 6-B, Light Blue Grade 2

We were recently given the opportunity to review a couple of products from Maria Miller's Math Mammoth Worksheets and Mathtexts~
Golden Series 6-B, and Light Blue Complete Grade 2

Golden Series 6-B, a series of worksheets which covers operations that may typically be learned in 6th grade:
- Geometry
- Integers and coordinate system
- Equations
- Ratio and percent
- Probability
- Statistics
These worksheets were originally intended to be used for tutoring students who were having trouble with their math, and needed extra help. As such, they are not complete work-texts, and do not have instruction. They are simply worksheets that enable the student to do extra work on a given subject, with some material presented differently. We are able to use them for extra practice on a few portions of intergers and coordinate systems, and ratio and percent, but realized that there were some things that our normal math program hadn't yet covered, and since the sheets don't give instruction, we will be saving them until needed. You can see some Sample pages if you scroll down... on the right hand side of the screen, to see if these are a good fit for you.

I think that these could be very helpful for those who have children that need a little extra practice, and are extremely cost effective, especially if you are planning to use them for more than one child, as they are "non-consumable", meaning you can print as many worksheets as you need for your household. (Remember how much those "workbooks" at Staples, Walmart, Teacher stores cost? These really are a deal, if they are what you are looking for!)

These will not be a great fit for you, or a necessary purchase if your child is a whiz at math, and doesn't need extra practice, UNLESS your child loves math so much that they beg to have extra problems... in which case... go for it! :)

The cost is very reasonable:
Golden 6B is 78 pages Golden 6A is 85 pages
(73 worksheets) (78 worksheets)
Price: $8.00 PDF download Price: $8.50 PDF download
Answer key $2 Answer key $2

OR you can purchase both 6A and B plus both answer keys in a package for $14.50

Light Blue Grade 2 Complete Curriculum was the series my 8 year old is reviewing/using.
Unlike the Golden series, the Light Blue series is packaged as a complete curriculum, with
instructions and sample problems throughout.

From the Website:

The two books for grade 2 focus on

• memorizing the basic addition and subtraction facts with single-digit numbers
• developing fluency with multidigit addition and subtraction
• place value with 3-digit numbers.

Also included is introduction to multiplication concept, measuring and geometry topics, clock reading and money (US, Euro, or Canadian). Please see the table of contents for 2-A and 2-B for complete lesson lists.

The worksheets are very interesting, because they focus on teaching practical math, using some different methods, and puzzles, in addition to some general "Drilling" of the math facts. There are also word problems used throughout the lessons, which help children understand the "how" and the "why" of their math operations.
Samples for 2A, Samples for 2B

One thing I appreciated were the suggested links included in the text, for online resources. There is a plethora of free resources available and listed for almost every topic. Great for extra practice, review, and I just LOVE "homework" that feels like a game! :)

I have to say that some of the methods of finding the answers were confusing to my son(He is used to "completing 10" in a slightly different way than is used in portions of Math Mammoth) but that is the blessing of showing the work in different ways... you can figure out what "works" and makes sense for your child. For instance I don't remember ever learning "Number Rainbows", but thought they were an interesting concept, and may be easier for some children to use than a number line. You can see Number Rainbows here at Maria Miller's Math Blog.

All in all, I would say that this is a good, solid 2nd grade math program. Oh, I also need to mention that Math Mammoth uses a topical approach rather than the popular spiral approach to mathematics, so you may be interested to see how that works for your child.
Prices:
Part A alone: $15.50
Part B alone: $15.50
A & B $29.70

The prices I listed for both Series are for PDF downloads. You can find Math Mammoth E-products at The Math Mammoth Kagi Store, or Currclick,

If you would like CD and/or printed worktexts for the light blue series, you can find them at WinterPromise for $32 for the CD only, and $52 for the Cd AND printed Worktext.

You can purchase books from more series at prices ranging between $8.40 and $21.95, with the option to purchase some books in Spanish, also.

If you aren't happy with your current Math program, you may want to check this out, and see if Math Mammoth will work for you. At these prices, it isn't cost-prohibitive to "sample" and see.

Blessings~
Lis