Math Made Easy–Multiplication

This has been the summer of reviewing basic skills for my kids – especially math skills.  One skill that needed honing was instant recall of multiplication facts.  We have been using the Math Made Easy Homeschool Multiplication Package for several weeks now.
     This product is basically a teacher / student workbook all in one.  Teacher instructions, suggestions, and lesson plans are located in the front of the workbook, student activity pages follow.  Also included are flashcards, games, and quizzes for students to use to enhance their learning.  I have had mixed feelings about Math Made Easy.  From a teaching standpoint, I do like the approach of having students focus on the math facts that are not usually memorized by patterns.  This makes the process of memorizing multiplication facts much less daunting than when students are told they must memorize all of their multiplication facts.  I know it is a mental thing, but thinking that only 20 or so facts need to be memorized as opposed to 90 being memorized seems to really relieve a lot of pressure.
     I also appreciated the fact that a few new facts were introduced at a time, reinforced with several different exercises, then students moved on to more new facts. Flashcards can be used for practice and quizzes are available to test progress.  From the perspective of a mom and an educator, I was a little disappointed that there is little to no direction for what to do with the various game type pieces provided in the back of the workbook.  I actually just abandoned even using them because I didn’t want to cut up the pieces if they weren’t meant to be cut.  This program is intended for children in grades 1-6, most specifically grades 3-4.  I felt most of the exercises and activities were appropriate for children around grade 3.  They were beyond the scope of most first and second graders and they were much too juvenile for my sixth grader.  She had fun coloring by number and doing the puzzles, but she thought they were too young for her to actually be doing for a grade.
     That being said, I have seen progress in my daughter’s recall of multiplication facts since using the workbook.  I definitely can tell that using this for her as a review has been effective and, since it is a light program for a sixth grader, she has been able to progress through lessons quickly and has actually enjoyed them.  I would suggest that the teacher materials and extra materials were separated into their own workbook and the student materials were by themselves.  This would make the teaching easier and would allow parents to purchase one teacher’s guide and multiple student workbooks if needed.
      From a pricing standpoint, this spiral bound curriculum is available from the Math Made Easy website for $24.95.  Keep in mind that it is a complete multiplication teaching package.  To view sample pages and to order Math Made Easy Homeschool Multiplication, visit the Math Made Easy website. 
     Many other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been using Math Made Easy products.  To read their reviews, visit the main crew blog page.
**Disclaimer:  As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received a copy of the Math Made Easy Homeschool Multiplication Package in exchange for this honest review.  No compensation was received.  The honest opinions expressed are my own.**