Math for 5 1/2 yr old

[bry's-gal]

Hi! I'm new to this board. We are finishing up our first year of homeschooling. My daughter has blown me away with how well she is doing in math. She whipped through Saxon K and is now speeding through Saxon 1. I really don't need to teach her lessons- just hand her the worksheet and she figures it out. She is needing more of a challenge.

 

I'm going to switch curriculum and was thinking about Horizon. I've heard it is more challenging. What are your experiences with it? Is there something else you would recommend?

[2smartones]

Yes, Horizons is advanced and moves at a fast pace. Someone here recently told me about this supplement as well. http://www.amazon.com/Primary-Grade-Challenge-Edward-Zaccaro/dp/0967991536

[MissKNG]

Here are some recent threads about Horizons:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161916&highlight=Horizons+Math

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162004&highlight=Horizons+Math

 

One thing to keep in mind about Saxon that I've heard from many sources (on forums and in real life), is that Saxon is a grade "behind". Like Saxon K is more like PreK work and Saxon 1 is more like K work.

 

If you are thinking of Horizons, I would definitely try the placement test to be sure you get your dd into the correct level:

 

http://www.sonlight.com/horizons-readiness-evaluations.html

 

Horizons does move at a fast pace and I've read that it's about 6 months ahead of most math curricula once you get moving. We are doing Horizons K right now. We are in Book 1 but in the middle to towards the end of Book 2 looks more like beginning 1st grade.

 

THT!!!

Edited March 17, 2010 by MissKNG

[MaMa2005]

I use Horizons and it does move quickly. The student is expected to pick up on newly presented information rapidly. You will probably find yourself having to stop occasionally and re-teach information when it is presented at a later time as a practice sheet.

 

I love Horizons and it has suited my DS very well.

[JudoMom]

Hi! I'm new to this board. We are finishing up our first year of homeschooling. My daughter has blown me away with how well she is doing in math. She whipped through Saxon K and is now speeding through Saxon 1. I really don't need to teach her lessons- just hand her the worksheet and she figures it out. She is needing more of a challenge.

 

I'm going to switch curriculum and was thinking about Horizon. I've heard it is more challenging. What are your experiences with it? Is there something else you would recommend?

 

If you like Saxon, it's often used a year ahead. For example, I use K loosely from 3.5-around 5, then start them with Saxon 1 by the time they turn 5, so when they are 6 they are starting 2. It does seem easy in the early grades (which helps build confidence) because of the incremental approach, and my guys have never really struggled with it. I love the way it builds on previous lessons. My oldest is nearing the end of 7/6 and he's got a great foundation in math.

Edited March 17, 2010 by JudoMom

[RanchGirl]

Horizons worked great for my boys and they both started out like yours, needing little to no instruction. At the young ages I supplemented with manipulatives and games, but no other curricula. Later on (at Horizons level 5) we added Life of Fred, EPGY, logic, and some problem-solving activities.

 

Even though your little one is figuring things out on her own, I encourage you to make sure you are talking about "mental math" with her, something that is easy to do when you're playing games or playing with manipulatives. That, along with a challenging curriculum, will help make sure she gets a great foundation for the later years!

[pryde55]

My daughter finished Singapore Math 1A & 1B for the year about a month ago. She started right into 2A. She loves the challenge, and the textbook is in full color, so she stays interested. Singapore 1A & 1B had Intensive Practice books that 2A/2B does not have. Wish they kept it for the subsequent level, but the level of math she is doing for her age is more like a late third grader.

[Storm Bay]

Singapore Math is a great program for mathy dc. We love it. Another option many say is like SM but easier to use is Math Mammoth. I'm going to supplement ds's math with this so I can see first hand if it's as good as people say. We also like MEP, but since it's scripted, we use it only in the summer. I've never looked at Horizons, but I think that when it comes to heuristics, Singapore Math is excellent.

[skaterbabs]

We looked at Horizons, but ended up using CLE (http://www.clp.org) and I've been really pleased with it.

 

You'll most likely want to start at the beginning, but it is a rigorous enough program that before long you will be amazed at what the child has learned. Dot just finished level 100 today, and can count all money with dollar bills, dollar coins, quarters, dimes, nickels & pennies, tell time to five minutes, read a thermometer, add and subtract up to three numbers (6+8-3, 5+8+1, etc), add and subtract up to the hundreds column (653+345, 765-342, etc), add with carrying up to the hundreds column, and probably a good deal more I'm forgetting.

[Staceyshoe]

I am not very familiar with Horizons so I don't know how much review there is. I've discovered that my ds has absolutely no tolerance for going over material he has already mastered. If you find that to be true for your dd, you might want to consider Singapore. From reviews I read, it has much less review than most math programs, but there seems to be enough practice material to really help the kids master what they are learning. We're struggling through the beginning math stuff now, but I think ds will really like it once we get into the more challenging material.

[bry's-gal]

Thanks for all of the replies! I'm glad to hear that Horizons seems to be such a good program and now I have a few more other options to look at!

 

She enjoys review- she likes being able to get it all right. She also enjoys new harder problems- just if I give her to many, it overwhelms here. I've learned to give her a few at a time over several days. That seems to be how Horizons is set up.

[MissKNG]

She also enjoys new harder problems- just if I give her to many' date=' it overwhelms here. I've learned to give her a few at a time over several days. That seems to be how Horizons is set up.[/quote']

 

Yeah, I would have to say Horizons is set up that way. They seem to have a pretty easy topics in the same lesson as the newer stuff.

[Storm Bay]

Thanks for all of the replies! I'm glad to hear that Horizons seems to be such a good program and now I have a few more other options to look at!

 

She enjoys review- she likes being able to get it all right. She also enjoys new harder problems- just if I give her to many' date=' it overwhelms here. I've learned to give her a few at a time over several days. That seems to be how Horizons is set up.[/quote']

 

 

Singapore can have more review, because there are reviews in both the textbook & the workbook. There are often 2 reviews for each section in each book, so up to 4 reviews. You can space them out, too, to do some during the next section.

 

In our house, we don't need much review most of the time, but there have been times we needed it all.

[pryde55]

A correction on my post about 2A/2B intensive practice -- Singapore does have it all the way through 6A/6B. The Intensive Practice is application of concepts learned in word problems. There is also a Challenge section after the word problems -- really stretches the brain to problem solve and think!

[Gratia271]

Singapore is a great choice for mathy kids. All of mine love it. It has interest, teaches things conceptually, and does not have a "drill and kill" approach. It has worked beautifully for all three of my children.

[Harmony]

This is how I do.

 

Age 4-7 : I use many different math books to introduce different approaches and to ensure of strong fundamentals.

 

Singapore(for word problems), Miquon(number sense), My own-created worksheets(to help relations in math facts understood), math-u-see (visual assistance) depending on which math facts you work on with your kids.

 

Age 7 or older: I start to use Saxon 5/4. If your child has already mastered basic math arithmatic by then, he will be ready to do Saxon 5/4 mostly on his own. Great thing about Saxon is that it explains the math in words really well.

It reallys helps in a long run ....just my opinion.

 

Harmony