We were in the same boat a few months ago. The lessons were taking nearly two hours. We finally whittled things down but it would still take an hour and she was miserable. The problems she would do aloud with me were completed lickety-split (sp?), but left to her own devices she would really waste time. Meanwhile, she was getting A's consistently, but I noticed the problems toward the end would be where she would make her mistakes. Finally, we quit at lesson 65 after she told me math used to be her favorite subject but became her least favorite with Saxon. We went into Math U See pre-algebra and finished in a couple months with lessons sometimes taking only five or ten minutes. Not ideal. Now we're doing Foerster's Algebra and things are going well. Anyway, enough about my dd...My experience tells me, if your dc is doing well but it's taking too much time, Saxon may not be the best fit. For some students, Saxon is a real drudgery, even, or especially, if they know the material. I would try something else. I don't think you have anything to lose. It was such a relief to see my dd enjoy math again and hear happy sounds when she did her work. Good luck, and don't be afraid to try something else. Kelli

I've also been thinking about supplementing ABeka with MUS. What level would be appropriate if my dd is going in Arithmetic 3? Should I start her with Alpha or Gamma? Thanks for the ideas. Kelli

I'm posting this for my niece. She has struggled academically and did not do pre-algebra until 9th grade. She rushed through Geometry last summer trying to get up a level in math but completely forgot what she learned when she took the SAT's last week. I would like to recommend a geometry program that would let her review over the summer and re-learn what she needs to know for the SAT's in September. My thoughts are that she would need to do this before real SAT review. I'm looking for something not super-challenging that will give her the basics. I thought MUS might be good in this regard since it has a limited number of lessons so she could easily target her weak areas. TT is also supposed to be a good course for SAT-style geometry. Any thoughts? Thanks!

I've not found diagramming in the text, but at a coop class I found it helpful when I saw a teacher diagramming to make certain grammatical aspects clear. Until then, I had been thinking that diagramming was unnecessary with the marking that is done for translating. Now I'm rethinking the diagramming thing.

My dd and I both found Foerster's to be so much clearer than Jacobs both in terms of formatting and explanations. Dd is very visual so this is significant. My impression of Jacob's was that there was a lot of words in small print to read through. I like how Foerster's is so straightforward. I also like that it has a solution manual--I just wish I could find a cheap used one!!!

I had been so psyched to try it out and have Miquon time for the whole family, but it was a big flop with my kids.

I took my kids out of ps and Everyday Math last year. This is our first year homeschooling. My second grader was so weak on her math facts, we were not very successful at Singapore initially. When her frustration level rose, I decided to stop and try Abeka because I heard it was good for drill and that's really what she needed. She went from saying she was "not a math person" to really liking math with Abeka. Now I know Abeka isn't perfect but it is working for her so we will continue and supplement with Singapore over the summer and see how it goes now that her facts are stronger. My dd who finished fifth in Everyday Math last year is rather strong in math and placed very high in the Saxon placement test, but once we started it became evident that there were some serious gaps. Saxon's continual review helped address those in the first half of the year but dd really did not like Saxon so we left it behind. From my experience with Everyday Math, I would consider thinking about these things. 1. Make sure they know their math facts and if not make this a priority. (That's just my view of the issue.) 2. Make sure they know the "standard" way of doing multiplication and addition. I would work on this right away with your older dc. I thought we could get by doing it the Everyday Math way but, I was wrong and we ran into trouble later. 3. Make sure your dc can work with large numbers. Everyday Math doesn't really have them do operations with numbers of many digits. IMHO, and as a totally inexperienced homeschooler, I would consider using Math U See to get up to speed with facts and operations. Math U See is so non intimidating and could help boost your children's confidence as they build their skills. You could start at a "lower" level and work up quickly doing only as many pages as necessary. Then, I would consider making the move to Singapore. Or, you might be really happy with MUS and only want to supplement with Singapore. I wish I knew these things a year ago. Perhaps they will help you.

My children have enjoyed them. I would say they are on a third grade level. They are old and we borrow them from the library. Sometimes they have been so shabby that I have to read a chapter aloud to entice them to give them a chance. I would categorize the ones we've read as historical fiction.

We did Math U See Pre-Algebra this year after dropping Saxon 87. The concepts there are limited, there is a lot of opportunity for practice, the concepts build on each other pretty well, and the review pages are good. Then if you need more practice on a concept, you can go to the website and print out more worksheets. I know some say this program is not the most rigorous, but it does fill a gap for certain learners. My dd has started Foerster's Algebra and so far she is doing well. I had my dd preview the sample TT lectures online and did not like them, but she enjoyed the Math U See DVD.

We're finishing up our math books and I'm thinking of what we can use over the summer and supplement with in the fall. I have one in Horizons K and one in Abeka 2. Of course, I have the Calvert on the shelf but I'm also considering Sinapore or MUS. Does any one have any thoughts about what might be a good choice?

I just wanted to add that you may want to check the Dr. Callahan website carefully before deciding to use his Geometry DVD's with Jacob's second edition. I thought I had read there that it is very cumbersome to use them together and, therefore, not recommended. You could probably work around it, but it might help to know the details beforehand.

Thank you, Jan P. and Kathleen, for the information about the TM and the solutions manual! That news makes me feel very relieved.

I really agree that their creative writing skills may be magnificent, but they may have no idea how to start with other types of writing that require organization or a systematic approach. Good point.

I sympathize with your anxieties, having just taken my children out of a school where everyone--including my children!--seemed to write so very well. My second grader and sixth grader really were very good writers last year when they were in school. This year it has been like pulling teeth to get them to write anything at all. With my second grader, I've resorted to copywork and dictation from Primary Language Lessons. The only reason she puts up with that is because she like to write cursive. She even dropped out of her coop writing class. My sixth grader has to write papers for coop classes, and she's been working on a 650 word science paper for over a month! If it weren't for the motivation the coop classes provide, I don't know what I'd do. And, all I heard for the last two years of school from very demanding teachers is that she was their best writer. I'm thoroughly impressed with your 10 year old's writing this in 30 minutes! Wow!

Thank you for your comments. It seems like the teacher's manual might be helpful and I know I can get one rather inexpensively. But the solution manual costs a mint! Yikes! It was $72 on one site I looked at. I was thinking it was Dr. Callahan who did the CDs for Foerster's but he's actually doing that for Jacobs. Thanks for clueing me in to Math Without Borders. That would be a great help if we ran into trouble,or, more likely, if my dd doesn't like my explanations. Thanks a bunch!

After reading many of the suggestions on this board for Algebra 1 texts and taking a look at a few, we've made the decision to try Foerster's Algebra 1. I was hoping that some of you with experience might give me a heads up on potential problems or rough spots we might encounter in this text and make suggestions about how to overcome any challenges. I don't have the solutions manual yet, but I realize that could come in handy. And, what about the Dr. Callahan CD? What is this like and is it helpful? Thank you all! I don't know what potentially poor resource I may have ended up without all the comments and suggestions I've read here.:D

It might be a good place to ask. But, a WTB on Cathswap would reach more potential sellers.

Could you please tell us more about the NCAA (meaning the athletic association??) not accepting the NARHS diploma? I've considered it and I know other 8th grade moms pondering this decision. Thanks.

When my dh started teaching Japanese at a public hs he looked around a lot and settled on Adventures in Japanese. Both of us lived there for years and have degrees in Japanese so it's hard to judge how it would work without a parent or someone else knowing the language, but it might be worth looking into.

Looking at Calvert 1st grade math and third grade, it doesn't seem like there's that much of a jump. There's a lot of review. I wonder if it would work to jump from grade 1 to grade 3 in Calvert math.

What would I do without you and this information? My dd (age 5) loves her Horizon math book. It doesn't seem like Calvert would be a good switch if everything is going well. Now I just need to figure out how I might want to incorporate Singapore without driving her crazy with two books.

It looks as though I may really have to reconsider Calvert math. Thank you so much for your responses. They are very helpful. Isn't it amazing that no one has anything good to say!!???

I posted earlier asking about whether I should switch my dd to Calvert Math since I will be using other Calvert materials next year. The overwhelming response was that I should stick with Abeka is she likes it and previously struggled with another program. Thanks to all of you who responded; it certainly makes this decision easier. Now I'm wondering if I should even start with Calvert math with my younger dd who is going into first grade since I now have the 1st and 3rd grade materials. She is generally not a child who struggles so that's not a concern at this point, but some of the comments I've read about Calvert math are not very positive, not very positive at all. Would any of you have experience with Calvert math like to put in you two cents? (It's gold to me!) Kelli

I wish all the science rescources were not so expensive! The Cyber ED looks amazing but the price is unbelievable!!! Prentice Hall Science Explorer seems good as well as affordable--especially if you can get the TE used. My other option is to use Prentice Hall Concepts in Action: Physical Science and do life science over the summer by means of videos from the library. DD has done Apologia's Zoology 2 this year at a coop. I could have her read Zoology 3 over the summer, too. I will be teaching Zoology 3 next year at a coop so we will have the book anyway. Thanks again! Kelli

I tried this on the younger board but didn't get any responses so I thought I'd try here. Perhaps your experience will help. What are your suggestions for a life science text/course/program for a 7th or 8th grader? Thank you! Kelli