rochellek Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I started my 6 year old daughter on RightStart in the fall. I was soooo excited by the program, but it wound up just not being a good fit for us at all. I always dreaded trying to figure out how I was supposed to teach each lesson, and my daughter just thought it was boring and contrived (so did I). Anyway, we switched to Horizons K in late fall, and we were both thrilled. It is so straight forward and easy to use, and I supplement with manipulatives (hundreds board, base 10 manipulatives) to help explain concepts. But since we got a late start, and since my daughter can be a reluctant learner, we are only on lesson 42 out of 160! There is no way we are going to make it through both books this year. And... I am finding that she is struggling with some of the concepts. She is not understanding how to count with dimes and pennies, so I am going to use a Kumon book on money to supplement, which I think will really help. I've seen some people write that Horizons is above grade level. What are the thoughts on this? If I only get through the first book (lessons 1 - 80), will we be "behind" for first grade? I know one of the benefits of homeschooling is to go at your child's pace, but I really worry about not keeping up with what is being taught in public school math. I appreciate all responses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 no, you won't be. My son only did book 1 of Horizons K and we skipped book 2 (we weren't schooling every day at that point) He then went on to the first grade program from there and did fine with it. He was 6 when we started grade 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 No you won't be behind. Kids tend to go through spurts of learning. Go as slow as you need to right now and most likely at some point your daughter will "jump" ahead. I think taking a break to supplement with something else is a good idea to solidify her understanding. Also, keep in mind that most topics will be revisited in later levels, so a complete understanding of everything isn't necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 My daughter just started the 2nd grade book a couple of weeks ago. We started back with K and love it too! Maybe it was just us, but I noticed a huge jump in difficulty between K and 1st grade. I wouldn't skip it, especially if she's a reluctant learner. If you end up starting the 1st grade book in October instead of August, it isn't a big deal...but I personally wouldn't skip those lessons because they help introduce and build up to concepts that are covered at a more complex level in later grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 No, you won't be behind. Horizons Math is advanced and the material in the second book of the K level is more like beginning 1st grade level material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) Some even use Horizons one level behind. Horizons 1 moves slower than Horizons K as far as new and more difficult topics introduced so it might even be easier for your dd once you finish K. Edited February 23, 2011 by Dinsfamily Typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Horizons is advanced in the early years, but comes out about even by 6th grade, so you will not want to be behind in it. It has the same philosophy as A Beka Math: teach it early, then practice it to mastery. I really like Horizons Math, but I hated the K. All that writing numbers over and over! We started the first book of K, then dropped it and did informal math for the rest of the year, and then went into Horizons 1 with no problem. I don't think the K book is that important. That said, this program will continue to move at a fast pace for the next 2-3 years. If you don't think that will work for your dc, you may want to consider switching now to something that is more gentle in its early approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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