Using ABEKA math in our Lower Grammar school with great success.
-Charity

We love Saxon Math. We have homeschooled 9 years and used it the whole time. A couple times we thought maybe something was better so we gave a try. We've tried Math U See, Horizons, Rod & Staff and Abeka. We never finished any of them. Now that my 3 oldest daughters are in 8/7, 7/6, 5/4 the lessons go so quickly. I still go over the lessons with them because I like to. My youngest is in 3rd grade so it can take a bit longer. My girls all love math with Saxon!

Here's a perspective you've probably not had before, I was actually one of those home-schooled with Saxon, then later went on to tutor with Math-u-see and have dabbled with my young child in "Making Math Meaningful." Am currently researching Singapore math. Here are my thoughts . . . if your daugher stuggles with word problems, Saxon is not the best option to help remedy that. (I had to get to college calculus before I understood Saxon Algebra.) Saxon is repetitive, but lacks creative explanantions. So unless your child really has a "math brain" the Saxon explanantions fall on deaf ears. Therefore the comprehension neccesary for word problems is lacking. Making math meaningful is a concept math program, and is very affordable, but it was too tedious for me, at least at the lower levels and seems to lack a strong foundation of math facts (which is part of their philosophy, so it is a purposeful omission.) Math-u-see is great for increasing comprehension, but it's cost is a little prohibitive, and I agree with an earlier poster that it does require a bit of involvement from mom/teacher. SO, that is why I am now looking at Singapore math. Singapore math, used as a supplement to increase comprehension is not too costly,and is still set up in workbook format, so it is not incredibly time-consuming for Mom. You can try out an idividual 1/2 year for about $30, and then if your daughter thrives, you could consider switching or maintaining it as a supplement. But I cannot reccomend Singapore from personal experience, yet. Hope this is helpful.

Hello,

I have read in this post of Math u see being costly. I have used my copies for multiple students, as well as shared them with other families, and have spent $15, or $20.00 on the student package for subsequent students. I also have sold some cirriculum, after using it once, for aprox. 3)4 what I originally spent on it. I feel it is the best cirriculum out there, and much less cost than what i have spent on other cirriculum, including math programs. As for time input from Mom, I do not have any "math whiz kids", but I have not spent excessive amounts of time with them. It is laid out nicely, they know what to do everyday, and it is math!! Math requires time, thinking, processing, and discussing!! I would have a hard time expecting my kids to work through any cirriculum without my input and oversight, and math is the same way. You have to make sure they get it, and some new concepts take time.
God Bless,
Ellen

I have been using Singapore (4B) for a few weeks with my daughter and we like it so far.

I did have to go back and get the 4A set after all, because as we got into 4B I realized there were some skills from 4A she had not learned yet. But what I am doing with 4A is having her just work through the workbook until she hits a snag, then and only then do we go to the textbook to study the concept. This way I can use the workbook to let her zoom through stuff she has already mastered and catch those things she has not.

I didn't bother to get the teacher's manual for 4A since most of it she knows and I am good enough at this level of math to figure out how to explain the few things she will come across that are new concepts to her.

I have friends who like Saxon Math, but I personally would never recommend the program. I started homeschooling after my children had completed spent several years in public school. My oldest daughter was in the special and gifted program due to her advanced math skills. We started out with Saxon math, and my "gifted" daughter started considering herself "dumb and stupid" in terms of math. The lessons were tedious,and the explanations lacking. We switched to MathUSee, and now both children love math and it's one of their favorite subjects. I find it a very cost effective and "Mom Friendly" program.

My kids only tolerated Saxon. We have switched to Teaching Textbooks and they like it much better.

I start all of mine off with Ray's Arithmetic, published in the 1800s along with McGuffey's Readers. This lays a superbly strong foundation in basic arithmetic. There are lots of word problems, but this is precisely what makes them such a fantastic series. I know some have avoided textbooks with word problems because the child doesn't "do well" with them. I think this is a mistake. Mathematics requires a particular, more logical, way of thinking. Avoiding it because it is hard will not lay the ground work for later success. All of mine struggled with the word problems in Ray's from time to time. Shoot, I struggled with some, even in the Intellectual Arithmetic, which is probably 3rd - 5th grade level. It is hard work to make your mind think like this, but the dividends are worth it. This is why we do math (and teach classical literature) - to train our minds to think and reason.

Ray's series continues through calculus, but only the first four books are currently in print (available from Mott Media at a cost of around $15 - 20$ per book). This takes you up to the point of starting Algebra. The later books are available on CD-rom, but I haven't used those.

I switched my oldest two to Saxon at that point. The first one, now an Applied Math major in college, flew through the entire series, including calculus. My daughter only went through Algebra 2, math not being where her interests lie.

My current 7th grader has just started the Life of Fred series this week and is looking forward to doing Algebra each day. This series is fun and looks to contain everything she needs through a second year of calculus, if she decides to go that far.

With my youngest two boys I tried something different this year and went with Rod and Staff. These are good books that continually re-enforce the basic operations, and give plenty of practice. After using Ray's, however, I found I had to move them both up a grade level (i.e. the 2nd grader is using the 3rd grade book) and both boys still complain of being bored. I will be going back to Ray's for them next year.

Yes and No. But is it necessary to love math? Hmmm, a deep, philosophical question.

We have only used Saxon Math and are currently on Saxon Math 5/4 with our two 8 y.o.'s. While they have very different strengths, both are doing well. Both groan when it's time to do math. So do I. But I'm reluctant to switch to something else because they have been learning those fundamental math concepts very well.

Contrary to what some people have said, I find the material very well organized and methodical. I do agree with the complaint that they don't leave enough room for the students to write out the problems. And I think I'm going to try the suggestion of just doing evens or odds for the Mixed Practice. Maybe that will lead to less groaning.

While I see the "fruit" of my children's labor, I struggle with the opposing ideas of "learning should be fun" and "sometimes learning is hard work/not every subject will be a favorite."
I just checked out Teaching Textbooks. While it does look like something the kids would enjoy, it also seems to present the material at a lower level and much slower pace. Also, one review that I read of the geometry level pointed out various little errors in the material. While Saxon Math can be tedious, so far I haven't noticed any (concept) errors. And, I don't want to switch to a product just because it will make less work for me. I only have the two children, so that's not as big an issue for me as it is for others with many children.

I guess my question is this...
Has anyone tried both programs, and ended up favoring Saxon Math because, although it is more tedious, it provided a better math foundation for their children? If so, how did you tweak the material to make it less tedious for your children?

Thanks.

After reading through the threads on Saxon, I'm wondering about a couple of things. 1)Several people have mentioned how "affordable" Saxon is, so I went to their website to check their prices. I used it for dd's 1st grade year and remembered it being quite expensive, so I thought maybe I had gotten taken on the price. When I checked their website, I confirmed that their prices are high--at least for me!! So, I'm wondering what is the price of comparable curriculum, if Saxon is so reasonable?
2) The idea that a tedious curriculum inspires learning in chilren is one I find very curious. After going through Saxon 1 with my daughter (and both of us hating most of it), I discovered that, while she could get a 100 on her page of math problems, she couldn't do a simple subtraction problem in her head. Obviously, she hadn't actually learned subtraction, even though she could complete a worksheet. Nor could she really do addition very well, I discovered as we started school the next year. So, I would have to say that, as intensive as Saxon seemed to be, it did not work for my dd. I've known people who loved it and those who hated it, children who've excelled with it and children (in the same family) who had to get a math tutor after using it for years and nearly failing it in school. I think you have to look at how your children learn best and what you're willing to do yourself because it's very parent-intensive in the younger grades. While I'll never say never, I have no intention at this time in going back to Saxon, and we're very happy with what we're using(for the moment; I'm always keeping my eyes open). BTW, we're mostly using Ray's arithmetics right now, which puts paid to the idea that schoolwork must be "fun" to be beneficial; it's as dry as toast but it works for us. I'd have to say that it never hurts to try Saxon, but don't feel obligated to keep it if it doesn't work for you or your children.
Robin

I have used Math U See for my dd. We are now finishing up Zeta. I have absolutely loved Math U See for giving her a firm foundation in math. She loves math now and not only knows how to do a problem but why it works. While I have loved MUS for establishing a firm foundation in math, I would like to move to a curriculum that is more college prep as she wants to go into a math or science field. I thought of using Saxon but am now questioning that chose after following this thread.
Has anyone else enjoyed Math U See but switched to Saxon for upper grades? Or is there another text someone would recommend for a math minded student? I am going to check out Teaching Textbooks and Singapore since those were recommended. Any additional input?
Janelle K.

Here's another shout out for Math U See! We have used it for 7 years, and I love it. My kids 'get' concepts I never did--and now, I get them too! With my second oldest daughter, we're just finishing geometry, and I intend to use until she graduates.

We did try Saxon, but I found that it wasn't a fit for my family. It didn't make math fun--it reinforced the idea to my kids that math was the 'bad' subject. With Math U See, my younger kids, who have always used it, LOVE math!

Just another 2 cents. . .

Has anyone tried Chalk Dust math?
Janelle

Janelle,

We use Chalkdust. We've used Basic Math, Pre-algebra, Algebra I and Geometry. Next year we'll use Algebra II. Do you have any specific questions?

Susan,
What do you like most about Chalk Dust? And are there any drawbacks? My daughter loves math and isn't being challenged with Math U See (although I am glad we got the solid foundation from it). I am trying to find a curriculum that is geared toward a student who is math minded. Just wondering how challenging Chalk Dust is and how easy it is to use (for the student and parent).
Any input would be helpful. Thanks, Susan.
Janelle K.