Can you unschool more complicated middle school and high school math subjects like algebra?
Yes!
A lot of relaxed homeschoolers worry that their kids won’t be able to do the math they need for college or life if they don’t use a curriculum for middle school and high school math subjects like algebra.
The good news is that you can absolutely unschool algebra. The key is to work it into your teen’s life and into fun (yes, math can be fun!).
If you think about it, we wouldn’t be required to learn algebra if it wasn’t necessary for real life. So if you’re going to unschool algebra, find ways to work it into real life and learn to see when we’re naturally using it and point those times out.
Here are some examples of times we’d use algebra in real life.
Pick your cell plan
Say you have to choose your cell plan. Option one is a monthly rate of $12.75 and $0.25 a minute per call (texts are free). Option two is a flat rate of $25 a month, with unlimited free calls and texts.
You don’t make calls often, but you do need to make them every month. Which plan would work better for you? How many minutes of calls would you need to be making a month for the flat rate to be a better deal?
We’d need to make an equation to see how many minutes we’d need to call to get to a total of $25.
Let m=the number of minutes
0.25m + 12.75 = 25
Take $12.75 from each side to isolate the variable (remember, we can always add, subtract, multiply or divide the same amount to both sides)
0.25m = 25 – 12.75
0.25m = 12.25
Now isolate m by multiplying both sides by 4 (or dividing both sides by .25, which is the same thing)
m = 49
So the flat plan will only be a good deal if you talk for more than 49 minutes a month.
Figure out how much to sell your crafts for
Say you’ve started making crafts that you want to sell online. You want to make a profit but you want to keep it affordable. You’re going to need to figure out the best formula to help you determine how much each item costs in materials, your time, and overhead costs (packaging, website fees, etc.).
There are several formulas you can use. Craft Professionals gives six good options.
Basic Markup Formula — (Materials + Labor) × 2 = Price
Wholesale to Retail Formula — Basic markup (above) x 2
Hourly Rate Formula — (Time × Hourly Rate) + Materials = Price
Overhead-Adjusted Formula — Materials + Labor + Overhead + Profit = Retail Price
Etsy-Specific Formula — ((Materials + Labor) × Markup) + Etsy Fees + Packaging
Profit Goal Formula — (Materials + Labor + Overhead) + (Monthly Profit Goal ÷ Units Sold) = Retail Price
You can experiment with different formulas and see which one works best, and figure out how to calculate a fair price for your goods.
Save more money than your sister
Here’s one from algebraclassroom.com.
You have $60 and your sister has $120. You are saving $7 per week and your sister is saving $5 per week. How long will it be before you and your sister have the same amount of money?
Figure out how much paint you need to paint your room
You’re going to paint your room. Someone gives you one gallon of a color you love. You need to figure out if one gallon is enough to paint your room if it’s a one-coat paint.
To calculate how much paint you need, first measure the length (l) and height (h) of the walls to find the total square footage. A gallon of paint usually covers about 350-400 square feet.
h (l+l+l+l)
Let’s say your ceilings are 8 feet high and two of your walls are 10 feet long and two of them are 12 feet long.
8 (10 + 10 + 12 + 12) = 8 (44) = 352
So just barely, but it should be enough! (Especially as you can subtract for windows, which you can also figure into your equation if you like.)
Play with math in Minecraft
There are all kinds of fun Minecraft math lessons that people have created like this one for younger kids.
A teacher on Reddit has added a lot of other cool Minecraft higher math examples too.
Use Algebra Activity Fun Books
There are quite a few really fun (yes, really!) algebra books these days. Here are a few of our favorites and ones on our wish list (affiliate links):
The Dregg Disaster: An Algebra 1 Workbook (Choose Your Own Adventure)
The Big Fat High School Algebra 1 Workbook: 400+ Algebra 1 Practice Exercises
Junk Drawer Algebra: 50 Awesome Activities That Don’t Cost a Thing
100 Days of Algebra for Beginners: With Answers (Step-By-Step Answer Key)
Plus so many more…
- Figure out your gas mileage and how far you can drive on a tank
- Figure out how long it will take to save for the used car you want, at different salaries and different amounts you deposit each payday.
- Calculate exchange rates
- Solve math riddles
- Figure out if paying per pound or per serving is a better deal
- Develop your own recipes
- Figure out how much fabric you need for sewing patterns
- Determine how many vegetables to plant to feed a family of different sizes
- Figure out how many years you’d have to work different jobs if you need a certain amount of money to live on and wanted a certain amount in the bank to retire
- Plan a budget for a vacation and see how many days you could stay after airfare at different places
And so on.
Whether your kids are interested in sports, coding, games, crafting, decorating, cooking, foraging, woodworking, astronomy or making a billion dollars, there is algebra to help them figure it out.
Have fun!
