Anyone using Horizons Math?

[MyLittleBears]

I have a friend who is a veteran homeschooler who's husband is a math teacher. They have tried every math program under the sun and totally recommend Horizons. We use MUS and based on her recommendation I am tempted to try it with a second grader and a kindergartener. Please tell me any likes and dislikes.

 

Thanks!

[bamagirl]

We are using it now for K, dd really likes it. The worksheets are very colorful. The TM gives manipulative ideas and includes extra worksheets for practice. We won it, so gave it a try and I think we will use again for 1st grade!

 

That's great to hear that math teachers recommend. I've been questioning it a little because it emphasizes using a number line to help with addition...she has become very dependent on it and now some of the sections take it away and she is having diffulculty. Since this is the only program we have used, I don't know how this approach differs from others.

[Snowfall]

I have the first grade level and I like the spiral approach. I, personally, wouldn't use it by itself. The TM is pretty useless, IMO. If you're great at math, that doesn't matter. If you aren't, it's a big deal. Also, and I know someone is going to come along and tell me I'm totally wrong, but that's their opinion and this is mine: I don't think Horizons does a good job of making sure kids really understand what's happening when they add with carrying or subtract with borrowing. In fact, in my TM, the explanation is basically something like, "Tell the child to carry the one ten over to the next column and add it." That's not a good explanation to me. (You can read the exact quote if you look through posts of mine, but I can't get the TM right now because I'm nursing the baby, lol.) If you are good at explaining what's really happening then this doesn't matter. If you, yourself, don't really know how to explain it other than "carrying a one" then you need a better way to explain it, because you aren't carrying a one or borrowing a one or anything at all with a one. You're carrying 10 or 100 or whatever, but never 1. You're writing 1 because it's 1 ten or 1 hundred, etc.

 

I don't mean this unkindly, but math teachers in America generally don't explain this properly at all (and many don't understand it themselves), so it could very well be that your friend's husband doesn't really understand that the explanations in the TM are lacking. OR (and this is what I'm hoping) it could be that he knows how to explain it himself, so it never occurs to him that they're lacking because they aren't lacking FOR HIM, kwim?

 

Horizons also doesn't really focus at all on mental math in the first grade level, but it might in others. That's another big drawback for me, but it doesn't matter to everyone and it's something you could easily add yourself if you wanted to. Basically, there's nothing wrong with Horizons, as long as you are aware that you need to add some better explanations in yourself and you know how to do it. I'm VERY glad it wasn't the only program I got, but based on having learned some better explanations using other programs, I'd feel confident using Horizons.

[WiseOwlKnits]

We're in Horizons 2 now. We started with Horizons K so we have a couple of years experience with it. My DD loves it and I love the spiral approach. It introduces things in small enough increments that it sets DD up for success. When we come across a new section, she says, "Oh! This is easy!"

 

I don't like the way it handles memorizing math facts; it seems like they don't place much importance on it. We're working our way through Two Plus Two is Not Five to get our math facts down.

[8filltheheart]

I have a friend who is a veteran homeschooler who's husband is a math teacher. They have tried every math program under the sun and totally recommend Horizons. We use MUS and based on her recommendation I am tempted to try it with a second grader and a kindergartener. Please tell me any likes and dislikes.

 

Thanks!

 

I have been teaching it for yrs and yrs. It provides a solid foundation for upper level math.

[twoxcell]

I used Horizons K, and 1st for my ds. He enjoyed it, and did fine with it. I will list for you the reasons we switched to Singapore:

TM were useless

Too much number line work

Lack of conceptual teaching or understanding.(it felt like we were just doing worksheets)

Too much repetition

Advanced too quickly in that it felt like you were rushing through topics.

my ds began to feel frustrated with it near the end of first when regrouping/carrying was introduced. Their explanations did very little for him. I had to make a base ten chart and show him with blocks on my own.

 

I think it is an ok program and can work, but I much prefer Singapore now.

[CarrieF]

I am using Horizons math for my 3rd and 1st grade sons. This is actually our second "go round" with it! We started with it and were happy, but had our heads turned by ABeka, so went with that for a (disastrous!) year. After a short stint with MUS, we are now back with Horizons and loving it! I understand what the other posters were saying about the lack of explanation in the TM - it has come up for me, too, because math is NOT my strong suit. However, it hasn't been anything too big or serious at this stage in the game and my husband (who IS a math person!) has stepped in to offer clear explanations. I like that my sons ENJOY doing math with Horizons, that for the most part they can do it with short lessons from mom (nothing too teacher intensive), and that it is easy to find/purchase. (They have a sale in April!) The downside is that if I don't keep up with the TM lessons, I find that I have missed a new concept's introduction, but that is my fault for not keeping up! Also, not too thrilled with the math facts - lots of flashcards and drills, which my sons loathe. :glare: I just recently decided to supplement with Math Mammoth because I really liked the author/creator's approach to teaching math facts, so I think that problem will be solved.

Is Horizons math perfect? No, but it is a solid program with a nicely paced spiral approach to learning math, so it is a great fit for us! :001_smile:

[MyLittleBears]

Way to multitask!

I have the first grade level and I like the spiral approach. I, personally, wouldn't use it by itself. The TM is pretty useless, IMO. If you're great at math, that doesn't matter. If you aren't, it's a big deal. Also, and I know someone is going to come along and tell me I'm totally wrong, but that's their opinion and this is mine: I don't think Horizons does a good job of making sure kids really understand what's happening when they add with carrying or subtract with borrowing. In fact, in my TM, the explanation is basically something like, "Tell the child to carry the one ten over to the next column and add it." That's not a good explanation to me. (You can read the exact quote if you look through posts of mine, but I can't get the TM right now because I'm nursing the baby, lol.) If you are good at explaining what's really happening then this doesn't matter. If you, yourself, don't really know how to explain it other than "carrying a one" then you need a better way to explain it, because you aren't carrying a one or borrowing a one or anything at all with a one. You're carrying 10 or 100 or whatever, but never 1. You're writing 1 because it's 1 ten or 1 hundred, etc.

 

I don't mean this unkindly, but math teachers in America generally don't explain this properly at all (and many don't understand it themselves), so it could very well be that your friend's husband doesn't really understand that the explanations in the TM are lacking. OR (and this is what I'm hoping) it could be that he knows how to explain it himself, so it never occurs to him that they're lacking because they aren't lacking FOR HIM, kwim?

 

Horizons also doesn't really focus at all on mental math in the first grade level, but it might in others. That's another big drawback for me, but it doesn't matter to everyone and it's something you could easily add yourself if you wanted to. Basically, there's nothing wrong with Horizons, as long as you are aware that you need to add some better explanations in yourself and you know how to do it. I'm VERY glad it wasn't the only program I got, but based on having learned some better explanations using other programs, I'd feel confident using Horizons.

[Hwin]

We are just starting out with Horizons K. I didn't buy the TM or manipulatives but plan to for next year. (I sort of "found" myself homeschooling and threw everything together.)

 

I like the spiral approach although it has occasionally moved too quickly. I don't like the number line either and usually pull out of a sheet of paper and line it up vertically and discuss tens and ones. I also picked up dollar store flashcards to help him memorize addition, but that is still a work in progress.

 

I agree with the negative things that have been said, but I'd rather add what's missing to a program that I like and that I know is working, than venture into new territory.

[JoyfulMama]

My oldest is currently using Level 5, and started with K Book 2. My second is working through K, and my youngest will start K next school year.

I completely agree with 8FillTheHeart, in that "It provides a solid foundation for upper level math."

I also agree with Snowfall in that the TM does not give a lot of detailed instruction. This curriculum expects the teacher to have a knowledge of the material. The TM is not scripted. The TM and workbooks are meant to be tools to teach the child, however the teacher still plays a major role in teaching every lesson. There is a strong push on learning math facts IN THE TM. This is not detailed in the student worksheets. The recommended method for learning is flashcards. Don't like flashcards? Use something else. Print off drill sheets, use Wrap-Ups, or do another program.

[Ali in OR]

Our primary program is Singapore but we do supplement with Horizons. We've got several years under our belts with this combo and it is working well for us. I would never use Horizons for our primary program for some reasons already mentioned. It does not really teach a conceptual understanding--example: teaching double digit addition as line 'em up and add with nothing about place value. It pushes some topics way too early in my opinion--second graders should not be solving equations with variables. But it does give us constant review and a broad selection of problems. Singapore doesn't really have that. And I did teach high school math for 4 years, so I have some grasp of what skills kids need to be acquiring and which can wait for a more opportune time. I cross things out from the Horizons lesson everyday, both to manage the overall workload and to eliminate problems I don't like (eg variables in 2nd grade).

[Tracy]

We used it for K. Dd hated it. I think that it is too much writing for most K'ers. And there is absolutely no help from the TM concerning how to teach the concepts.

[MerryAtHope]

That's great to hear that math teachers recommend. I've been questioning it a little because it emphasizes using a number line to help with addition...she has become very dependent on it and now some of the sections take it away and she is having diffulculty. Since this is the only program we have used, I don't know how this approach differs from others.

 

That's very normal for a K student to need a number line (or manipulatives)--it keeps math more concrete at this stage. I let my kids use these things as long as they wanted/needed. One stopped in 2nd grade, one stopped in 3rd (but she liked manipulatives, and used them even after she knew her math facts, LOL, just for fun!).

[MerryAtHope]

I have used Horizons levels 1-6 (my son has moved on to prealgebra, my dd is in level 5). It's a great, well-rounded program. My kids like the color, and we especially like levels 4-6 that have puzzles, riddles, and jokes to solve using math, and that it sometimes includes Bible verses.

 

I don't care for the TM's. I don't find them helpful, other than for the answer keys (which I start using around level 4--whenever it takes me less time to get up and get the TM than to solve the problems myself, LOL!).

 

I looked at MUS when my kids were young, but my oldest especially wanted color, and didn't love manipulatives then. However, he's using and enjoying MUS prealgebra now, LOL! My dd did not want to change to MUS, she really likes Horizons. I'm not sure that MUS will work for her when we finish Horizons...we'll have to see.

 

I'd do Horizons again without hesitation.

 

Merry :-)

[roxanne23]

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Edited January 4, 2023 by roxanne23

[RanchGirl]

I was very happy with Horizons for my boys. They are both very successful/advanced in math. I don't know if that is a cause or effect of their experience with Horizons... probably a little of both. One used Horizons from 1-6 and is in Algebra now, one started in 1 and is in level 5 now. (We recently signed up for the Aleks free trial so he's taking a break from Horizons but will get back to it eventually.) For pre-K and K I tried Singapore but hated it and just ended up doing games and manipulatives instead. In retrospect I'm so glad we did that, we didn't miss anything by skipping the K workbooks and doing more fun activities instead.

 

We supplemented with tons of manipulatives, games, and Life of Fred Fractions and Decimals starting at level 4. Also problem solving and competition math from about 4-5 on up.

 

The biggest benefit of Horizons IME was to use it kind of like a "spine" or a schedule and just keep moving forward, one lesson per day every day. We never skip math. We also did one game for about 10 minutes each day. And if there was a manipulative that went with a concept in the workbook lesson, we got those out to play as well. I did not need to use the teacher manual to teach; I basically did that on my own and read Miquon and Liping Ma books for ideas on ways to discuss math, read some things online about mental math, and generally felt comfortable discussing it and explaining the concepts as they came up in the workbook. I was not "mathy" in school but I decided I needed to become that way as part of my job as homeschooling mom to help my kids develop skills, confidence, and an interest/passion for math. So far this has been pretty successful.

 

If a hs'ing parent is afraid of math and needs something scripted that tells you how to discuss math in general and teach each concept, I don't think Horizons (alone) is for you. I think it is much better to conquer that fear but if that were not possible, I would go with something that lays out for you not just what to cover in each lesson but how to *discuss* it.

[MissKNG]

I use Horizons to supplement Singapore Math. I like it because it is easy to compact and my big girl likes it because she likes the variety in each section. We also like that it introduces more advanced concepts early on.

 

I haven't used a TM but I have heard they aren't helpful.

[momto3innc]

My oldest has used it for K and 1st and we'll continue with it for 2nd next year. We have really liked it. He likes that it's colorful and does a variety of topics each day. The spiral approach really helps him to not forget topics. While the TM is not scripted (which I personally am glad for) it does give you some good ideas (enough for me to buy it used and glance at it everyday). They do recommend a variety of manipulatives that ds enjoys.

We supplement with Singapore to make sure we are being very well rounded. He finds Singapore very easy so I think we're doing fine with Horizons.

We also do a variety of other math things: flashmaster, Sum Swamp, etc... that help with learning facts.

[blessedmom3]

dp

Edited February 21, 2011 by blessedmom3

[blessedmom3]

I have used Horizons for K-1 and I think it's just ok. Since then I've found CLE math and we enjoy it much more. Similar to Horizons ( less colorful) but I think it's more conceptual, has more word problems and mental math . Overall a better math than Horizons , though very similar.

 

CLE also includes speed drills ( which my competitive son loves!) .

[Chelli]

We love Horizons in our house! I've toyed with switching to something different for 2nd, but keep coming back to how well Horizons is working for us. Math is my dd's favorite subject!

 

I like that it has spiral review built in, but not an unreasonable amount. My dd loves the spiral because once she has completed the section on the worksheet that is the new topic, she can finish the rest of the sheet on her own because it is stuff we have already learned. It gives her a big sense of accomplishment that she doesn't need mom's help!

 

As for the math fact issue, I'm not sure what some of the pp's are talking about. We are in Horizons 1 and dd is already expected to know her facts. In the TM it lays out how to review the facts and when to expect them to have 0-9 facts memorized and then 10-18 facts. In the TM they also have extra practice worksheets that we stick in every once in a while just for extra review. There are also speed drill sheets in the worksheet section of the TM. When we first started these my daughter had a hard time getting them all right in two minutes, but now she is blowing through them and is much more confident in her math fact knowledge.

 

I also have downloaded Math Mammoth to put more of the mental math in our program. However, (please no one attack me) I don't see the big deal about mental math. To me it is just very confusing, but I was taught the old-school traditional way and made it through Calculus doing math that way so it never seemed to hold me back that I hadn't learned mental math! My dd is very mathy, though, so I thought learning the mental math would just be fun for her. With my other dc's I'll see if they enjoy math as much as my oldest and decide from there whether to use MM with them as well or just stick with Horizons.

 

As for using a number line to figure out addition and subtraction problems, it was not a big deal for me. I could see that Horizons was trying to get kids to understand exactly what was happening when they added (you are moving up on the number line) and when they subtracted (you are moving down the number line). The TM gives ideas for other manipulatives to use to teach the concepts as well. They do take away the number line in 1st because they expect the students to have learned their add ition facts about 1/4 of the way into the year. Then they take away the number line for subtraction later in the year after they have had sufficient practice at their subtraction facts.

 

Ultimately I don't think you would go wrong choosing Singapore, MM, or Horizons, just find what fits and stick with it!

[MyLittleBears]

You're right! I went on CLE website today and it looks almost the same but with better TMs plus it cost less!

 

I have used Horizons for K-1 and I think it's just ok. Since then I've found CLE math and we enjoy it much more. Similar to Horizons ( less colorful) but I think it's more conceptual, has more word problems and mental math . Overall a better math than Horizons , though very similar.

 

CLE also includes speed drills ( which my competitive son loves!) .

[Homeschooling6]

We have dabbled with Horizons here-and-there. I like Horizons but since I don't feel real confident with teaching math, I needed a better teacher manual. One that explained more.

When we did use it the kiddos liked it.

[jasar31629]

We use it here alongside SM.

[Annabel Lee]

I've used Horizons math K5 - 4th gr. and continue to at the request of my eldest son and per the recommendations of other Horizons math users here. This is what he is receptive to, so it's what gets done. I have to keep around TMs from other programs to know how to present things sometimes, but someone stronger in math probably wouldn't need to. I too, agree with both Snowfall & 8FilltheHeart's comments.

 

Horizons leaves a lot of wiggle room in the lesson presentation so that I can incorporate a light serving of Singapore math concepts or word problems. After studying other program's scopes & sequences (sometimes after buying & trying them), I realized that you can't easily compare 2 math programs in the middle (ex. only 3rd grade). You have to compare them as a whole, at least from K or 1st through 6th, to see where they're coming from and where they will end up. It was then that I felt at peace with using Horizons through the end of 6th grade.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

It was a complete and utter failure for us. We used Levels 1 -5, mainly because I was new and didn't know any better. The teacher manuals were worthless and loathed the spiral teaching method with no focus on conceptual understanding (likely due to the useless teacher manuals and the fact that the public schools I went to didn't teach conceptually so I couldn't fill in the enormous gaps). It left my children with a HORRIBLE math foundation!!! Not knowing any better, I switched to Saxon but it was even worse and we only lasted about 3/4 of a year with it. Then we found MUS :001_smile: Since my children's math foundation was so horrible we started in Alpha and rebuilt their math foundation. Thankfully, it did a wonderful job (they are now in high school and taking Algebra 2). They love MUS because they truly understand math instead of learning "what to do." You couldn't pay me enough money to use Horizons again!!

[abbeyej]

I love Horizons. But I'm also very confident with the conceptual underpinnings of elementary arithmetic. I was one of those people who read "Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics" and was *shocked* to learn that some people (teachers especially) really *didn't* understand those things...

 

I probably wouldn't recommend Horizons to a parent who felt his or her own conceptual background was shaky.

 

I used Horizons 1-6 with my extremely capable math kiddo. He went on almost directly to a rigorous algebra text (and is currently pulling a very high grade in honors geometry). My younger and -- at least so far -- definitively *non*mathy child has done K-3 so far. Horizons didn't make my first kid math-brilliant. It didn't make my second child a math-struggler. But I think it's a very solid program -- when combined with a confident teacher who understands how and why arithmetic works the way it does.

 

For my son, we added in a lot of supplementation. I think Singapore (especially the CWP and IP books) makes a great complement / balance to Horizons. Horizons' strength is breadth of topics and constant review; Singapore's strength is in the depth of the word problems and requiring kids to think through puzzling work. I think they work very well together. ... For my daughter, we haven't spent a lot of time in Singapore yet, though I remain hopeful that she'll get better at math over time. My son also did Math Olympiad, etc...

[FaithManor]

I have not personally used it. But, I am tutoring my niece who is homeschooled. Neither of her parents are the best of mathematicians, nor can they explain math at even a basic level. My brother majored in computer science in college and had good grades in math in high school and college so I can only assume that it's not from a lack of math ability, but an inability to articulate math concepts well. My sister in law cannot tell you 15% of $50.00 if we go shopping together and something is on sale. She does okay on paper; she cannot do mental math at all. So, they send niece to me when they are stumped and they use Horizons. I've not been too impressed with what I've seen but, we are a very math and science oriented household so we want to understand the "hows and whys" of math in addition to memorizing facts and steps of equations. Because of that, I'm biased. I want something with lots of drill and review in order to keep skills fresh, but then something that also makes the student think deeply about math. So, we use Rod and Staff for drill/kill, and the orderly introduction of concepts, and Singapore for thinking about math...generally my kids do half of every Singapore lesson and then half of a Rod and Staff lesson, though we do skip the first two chapters of the R & S books because they generally don't need the beginning of the year review.

 

From the perspective of tutoring a struggling math student, I am not impressed with Horizons. But, that's biased because I am not certain if her parents implement it properly. I don't like the TM's at all, and so it is doubtful that I would ever entertain using it.

 

Is the math teacher recommending Horizons a public school teacher? The reason I ask is that our local math teachers are very steeped in "fad" math methodology and many times recommend math courses based on criteria that many homeschoolers reject. I once had a high school math teacher recommend an algebra 2 course that when I looked into it, was one of the most ridiculously awful courses I'd ever seen! He had never used it but was just certain that because it was picked by the curriculum review committee at his school, it would be wonderful. We didn't use it and the following year, when a couple of algebra 2 classes were added to his schedule, he came to me asking if we had tried it. He hoped we had not! He was losing his mind trying to teach from that text!

 

So, I'm not meaning to imply anything at all offensive. There are many who are using it and are successful. Much depends on the individual student and the teacher.

 

Faith

[Annabel Lee]

After reading through Abbey & Faith's posts, I realized maybe I'm not completely inept in math. I can mentally do 15% of $50 quickly and can think of a number of ways to illustrate that to a child, and Singapore math comes easily to me - I've got SM levels 1 -5 on the shelf with IPs & CWPs. I've made extensive use of manipulatives, base-10 blocks, and cuisenaire rods. I think it's a good program for covering a wide range of topics and keeping the skills rotating in front of the child constantly. If you're the type that needs everything in a TM spelled out for you, I'd say go with something like Saxon or Math Mammoth. It works well for us the way we use it, so far (knock on wood).

[aggie96]

:bigear:

[MyLittleBears]

I have not personally used it. But, I am tutoring my niece who is homeschooled. Neither of her parents are the best of mathematicians, nor can they explain math at even a basic level. My brother majored in computer science in college and had good grades in math in high school and college so I can only assume that it's not from a lack of math ability, but an inability to articulate math concepts well. My sister in law cannot tell you 15% of $50.00 if we go shopping together and something is on sale. She does okay on paper; she cannot do mental math at all. So, they send niece to me when they are stumped and they use Horizons. I've not been too impressed with what I've seen but, we are a very math and science oriented household so we want to understand the "hows and whys" of math in addition to memorizing facts and steps of equations. Because of that, I'm biased. I want something with lots of drill and review in order to keep skills fresh, but then something that also makes the student think deeply about math. So, we use Rod and Staff for drill/kill, and the orderly introduction of concepts, and Singapore for thinking about math...generally my kids do half of every Singapore lesson and then half of a Rod and Staff lesson, though we do skip the first two chapters of the R & S books because they generally don't need the beginning of the year review.

 

From the perspective of tutoring a struggling math student, I am not impressed with Horizons. But, that's biased because I am not certain if her parents implement it properly. I don't like the TM's at all, and so it is doubtful that I would ever entertain using it.

 

Is the math teacher recommending Horizons a public school teacher? The reason I ask is that our local math teachers are very steeped in "fad" math methodology and many times recommend math courses based on criteria that many homeschoolers reject. I once had a high school math teacher recommend an algebra 2 course that when I looked into it, was one of the most ridiculously awful courses I'd ever seen! He had never used it but was just certain that because it was picked by the curriculum review committee at his school, it would be wonderful. We didn't use it and the following year, when a couple of algebra 2 classes were added to his schedule, he came to me asking if we had tried it. He hoped we had not! He was losing his mind trying to teach from that text!

 

So, I'm not meaning to imply anything at all offensive. There are many who are using it and are successful. Much depends on the individual student and the teacher.

 

Faith

 

Yes, he is a public school math teacher!

[Sherri in MI]

I have the first grade level and I like the spiral approach. I, personally, wouldn't use it by itself. The TM is pretty useless, IMO. If you're great at math, that doesn't matter. If you aren't, it's a big deal. Also, and I know someone is going to come along and tell me I'm totally wrong, but that's their opinion and this is mine: I don't think Horizons does a good job of making sure kids really understand what's happening when they add with carrying or subtract with borrowing. In fact, in my TM, the explanation is basically something like, "Tell the child to carry the one ten over to the next column and add it." That's not a good explanation to me. (You can read the exact quote if you look through posts of mine, but I can't get the TM right now because I'm nursing the baby, lol.) If you are good at explaining what's really happening then this doesn't matter. If you, yourself, don't really know how to explain it other than "carrying a one" then you need a better way to explain it, because you aren't carrying a one or borrowing a one or anything at all with a one. You're carrying 10 or 100 or whatever, but never 1. You're writing 1 because it's 1 ten or 1 hundred, etc.

 

 

Horizons also doesn't really focus at all on mental math in the first grade level, but it might in others...Basically, there's nothing wrong with Horizons, as long as you are aware that you need to add some better explanations in yourself and you know how to do it. I'm VERY glad it wasn't the only program I got, but based on having learned some better explanations using other programs, I'd feel confident using Horizons.

 

I tend to agree with you somewhat, at least from 4th grade and up. For K through 3rd grade I totally liked Horizons and thought it was a good program. Maybe that was because I felt confident explaining the concepts myself. From 4th grade on up, I felt the explanations were often very inadequate. My son is doing okay anyway, but I've always wanted a curriculum with better explanations. There is no mental math in the higher grades either.

 

We're sticking with it anyway through 6th at least.

[Woodland_Mom]

I really like Horizons. We're on level 5 now and I've used all previous levels.

 

Horizons provides lots of suggestions for hands-on learning with manipulatives.

 

There are extra worksheets in every level that provide extra, concentrated practice on new concepts that are introduced.

 

Almost every lesson gives instructions on how to drill math facts and help students master math facts. If you do this regularly, your kids WILL master their facts. Both of mine did, anyway.

 

The TM does not instruct the parent to time the drill worksheets, but we do. The drill worksheets are ALL scheduled as part of a lesson, and we usually do these as well.

 

There are tests every 10 lessons. Level 4 - 6 also has quarterly tests and a final, year-end test to ensure that concepts are learned.

 

This is elementary math! Should we really NEED lots of explanaton on math problems at this level? I certainly don't think so! The instruction in the TM does assume that the parent understands the concepts. But . . . they are also filled with suggestions about how to introduce new material.

 

IMO, Horizons is well rounded. I've been very happy that we've kept with it.

[Tracy]

This is elementary math! Should we really NEED lots of explanaton on math problems at this level? I certainly don't think so! The instruction in the TM does assume that the parent understands the concepts. But . . . they are also filled with suggestions about how to introduce new material.

 

This is not true at the K level. The manual had no suggestions at all for teaching a concept. It just instructed the teacher to teach the concept. It did not suggest manipulatives, either. Maybe I missed something.

[Woodland_Mom]

This is not true at the K level. The manual had no suggestions at all for teaching a concept. It just instructed the teacher to teach the concept. It did not suggest manipulatives, either. Maybe I missed something.

 

I'ts been a long time since I've used the K level, but I vaguely remember the books telling the parent to get crayons out and count them. It also instructed the parent to make number cards and have the child put them in order. There were color cards and lots of counting activities. I remember the book instructing the parent to have the child come to the white board to practice writing numbers. Also, kids were to find things in the room that were the "same shape". Dominoes were used a fair amount. Simple things like that.

 

This is the year when kids focus on learning to write ordinal numbers, recognize colors, shapes, counting, seasons, months, etc. Right?

 

There are suggestions about how to teach concepts in Horizons K. Here is a sample: http://media.glnsrv.com/pdf/products/sample_pages/sample_JKT030.pdf

[Jeanne in MN]

I have a friend who is a veteran homeschooler who's husband is a math teacher. They have tried every math program under the sun and totally recommend Horizons. We use MUS and based on her recommendation I am tempted to try it with a second grader and a kindergartener. Please tell me any likes and dislikes.

 

Thanks!

 

 

We started in K or 1 with dd (she's in 8th gr. now so I forget. :). After diligently doing every problem on every page every day, we got tired of repeating things she already had down. I was intrigued by MUS as well at the time, so I pulled that out to try instead. I like how MUS does math, but my dd didn't like it and wanted to go back to Horizons, so we did. I learned to just cross out excess problems and that helped. By 4th grade I had found a used elementary school text somewhere and liked the looks of it, so I switched to that with dd instead and have continued to use that program.

 

My 12 yo boys started with Horizons in K/1 also. They have a much more difficult time grasping math and benefitted from all the repitition. However, I noticed that by doing a workbook all the time, they weren't aware of how to write out addition or subtraction problems. Even though they saw it every day, it didn't connect with them how to set up/write out math problems. I also thought perhaps it included too many things at a time that perhaps they needed to focus on just one or two math topics.

 

I pulled out MUS with them and they didn't like it either. I had to stop the video twice because they were so lost by what Demme was saying. They don't like the manipulatives. I tried the same text series dd is using and they were just having a hard time with everything. I kept having to back up and review, so I thought, "The heck with it, let's just go back to Horizons, back up a year or so and see if we can't get back on solid ground. So that's where we are now.

 

I think Horizons is a solid math program. If anything, in my experience it depended on the kid using it. My child that grasps math real quickly got bogged down in the repetition and it felt like a waste crossing off so much and then I'd worry we were skipping something. With my boys that struggle with math and need it in small increments and lots of repitition, it's a good thing.

 

That got to be a bit long, but I hope something in it helped.

[GreenKitty]

I have used Horizons for K-1 and I think it's just ok. Since then I've found CLE math and we enjoy it much more. Similar to Horizons ( less colorful) but I think it's more conceptual, has more word problems and mental math . Overall a better math than Horizons , though very similar.

 

CLE also includes speed drills ( which my competitive son loves!) .

 

:iagree:

[Tracy]

This is the year when kids focus on learning to write ordinal numbers, recognize colors, shapes, counting, seasons, months, etc. Right?

 

 

Actually, I purchased Horizons K because it was considered to be an advanced program. It does teach those things at the very beginning. But by the second semester, it is teaching addition to 100, geometry concepts like perimiter, volumetric measurement, etc. These were not difficult concepts for my dd, but she hated only doing worksheets. I was very frustrated that I paid so much for a TM, and it didn't have any suggestions for additional or alternate activities.

[sewpeaceful]

We're in Horizons 2 now. We started with Horizons K so we have a couple of years experience with it. My DD loves it and I love the spiral approach. It introduces things in small enough increments that it sets DD up for success. When we come across a new section, she says, "Oh! This is easy!"

 

I don't like the way it handles memorizing math facts; it seems like they don't place much importance on it. We're working our way through Two Plus Two is Not Five to get our math facts down.

 

The TM instructs us to practice skip counting, practice math facts, etc. It also tells the teacher when to hand drill sheets to practice math facts. The other useful thing for the TM comes around 3rd grade - the answer key. Checking 1+1 isn't a big deal. Checking 4 digits - 4 digits with borrowing... well, that just gets plum tedious. Used TMs can be found pretty cheap on Amazon.

 

And from a mathematical background, I agree - I don't think it teaches kids to think mathematically which is why we are bailing and heading over to MM.

[blakereese]

 

And from a mathematical background, I agree - I don't think it teaches kids to think mathematically which is why we are bailing and heading over to MM.

 

I agree with this. I am switching for other reasons, but now that I have looked at other programs I can see where Horizons is lacking. It is a good program to supplement though.

[Mommy22alyns]

We use Horizons K for Sylvia because it seemed a true K level program (at least at the beginning) and it's light to teach. As a bonus, Sylvia loves workbooks. I don't intend to continue with it though because I dislike the reliance on the number line. I had intended for it to be a "placeholder" before starting Right Start, but I changed my mind and we're going to do CLE in the fall.

[Chelli]

Amber--

 

FYI, they get rid of the number line in first grade.