What is your Saxon math opionion?

[bttrflyvld]

Like it?

Dislike it?

and why.

[AimeeM]

Hey it's you!

(lol - I'm on the other Mom forum too)

 

We disliked it. It was tedious, there were a ton of problems on the pages (yes, you can skip some; but it can be overwhelming), and it seems the author has a fear of humor and words. It's boring. In a mind numbing, tear inducing kind of way.

 

It reduced my math loving daughter to tears.

[Momma2Many66]

I don't care for it in the early grades like 1st through 3rd grade. We use Math Mammoth for those early grades.

 

But in 4th grade we love Saxon 5/4 and continue to use Saxon through high school. We use Art Reed Saxon Math DVDs with Saxon Math curriculum starting in 7/6. Art Reed does a fantastic job of explaining the problems to the children in an easy to understand and concise manner.

 

We do it the way Art Reed recommends, we do all the problems each and every day and all the tests and investigations. My children do very well with Saxon and test very high on their standardized testing in math.

 

For us, Saxon Math is great for constant review and it gets the job done. My kids ages 8, 11 and 13 all really like Saxon.

[bttrflyvld]

That's funny. I guess I'm a sucker for forums.

[Hunter]

Students must be placed LOW enough or the program is torture.

 

Saxon can be tweaked, just like any other math program. The Saxon tweaking experts are at the yahoo Robinson Curriculum yahoo group.

 

It's good enough, and if it gets done, it is better than a supposedly superior curriculum that is too tough for a mom to teach from.

[Guest]

It's good enough, and if it gets done, it is better than a supposedly superior curriculum that is too tough for a mom to teach from.

 

:iagree:

 

When we were in Singapore 1A and my son asked my why they did something a certain way and I said I had no clue, I knew we were in the wrong boat. We had started with Saxon on the early side and moved a bit too fast, so we ended up trying out Singapore and are now back with Saxon. We are actually re-doing a level my son already did and it is going so much smoother now that he is at the right level for his age. I think we will stick with Saxon for the long haul.

[Birkenkathy]

I have a love/hate relationship with Saxon math. I find it very thorough and methodical, which is good. But if you do everything (up until 5/4) it can be very time consuming.

 

All that being said, we are in our 8th year of homeschooling and I have used it the entire time. I now pick and choose and skip some of the daily (meeting) stuff with my younger kids. I may regret that later, but I just don't have time to do the whole thing everyday so it is a choice I am making.

 

But I do love that it is scripted. And I have learned new ways of looking at math problems, even in the early levels. And once you get to 5/4 you can get the DIVE (or other) cd and they can do it pretty much independently.

[bluechicken]

I am new to all of this as my oldest is only in K but here you go.

 

After reading WTM, I decided on Saxon K and ordered it. I wanted to get started right away (last June) but it was really written to follow a traditional school calendar and I couldn't figure out a way to tweak it. Also the K book was TONS of counting bears, over and over. I thought my kid would be bored stiff. I promptly returned it. I then went to Liberty Math K and it was super boring as well. Tossed that and jumped into SM 1A. It was great until it wasn't. I loved it but was too big of a jump for my DD, just as I imagined it would be. We took a break and tried again. No avail. She is just too young.

 

After Christmas we gave MUS a try. Again, it wasn't for us. I then bought Miquon and thought we would just do that for awhile. One day, on a whim, I found a great deal on Saxon 1 on eBay and bought it.

 

Math is good for us again. She loves it, she is doing well with it, and the repitition and gentle approach is exactly what this child needs. So, for now we are happy with Saxon, with this child, for this year.

 

I have 2 more LOs coming up and DD is only in K/1st. It is going to be a long homeschooling career and the choices! My word, the choices! :)

[LizzyBee]

Hate it. When I first started homeschooling, I ran across a bunch of 2nd grade Saxon math in a used bookstore. I picked up notebook and started leafing through it, and I thought to myself that I would throw up every day if I had to teach from that. I have never reacted that strongly to another curriculum. 2nd grade is not so complicated that a 3-inch notebook is required to teach it. That 2nd grade notebook just seemed to take something so easy and simple and turn it into something complicated and overwhelming. We went with Singapore instead, which we loved.

 

However, my middle dd is mildly dyslexic, and Singapore got too abstract too soon for her and she began to struggle. So we switched to Saxon math 5/4 for a year. That level of Saxon is supposed to be self-teaching; at least, that is what I have read on multiple homeschool boards. But the explanations were often vague and incomplete. More importantly, some of the explanations were flat out mathematically incorrect, so on those days I had to tell dd to ignore what the book said and listen to what I tell her instead. Each day's lesson had 30 problems, but often only 2 or 3 of them were related to that day's lesson, so there was not enough practice to cement the new concept. We ended up going back to Singapore and it was a big relief for both of us.

[TracyR]

I don't care for it in the early grades like 1st through 3rd grade. We use Math Mammoth for those early grades.

 

But in 4th grade we love Saxon 5/4 and continue to use Saxon through high school. We use Art Reed Saxon Math DVDs with Saxon Math curriculum starting in 7/6. Art Reed does a fantastic job of explaining the problems to the children in an easy to understand and concise manner.

 

We do it the way Art Reed recommends, we do all the problems each and every day and all the tests and investigations. My children do very well with Saxon and test very high on their standardized testing in math.

 

For us, Saxon Math is great for constant review and it gets the job done. My kids ages 8, 11 and 13 all really like Saxon.

 

See, now I'm the opposite. I like Saxon math for K-3rd grade. Then after that I don't care much for it anymore. I'm not sure why that is though. Maybe if we used the DVD's I might feel differently with that, not sure though.

I like Saxon for the kid that needs that spiral review.

I also like Christian Light for the same reason.

[happypamama]

I think 6/5 is working very well for my 10yo right now, and I think 7/6 will be good for her next year. I don't have her do all of the practice problems, but we both appreciate that there are always some easy review problems in a problem set, and just a few new ones at a time, so it's not overwhelming. She doesn't really like math, so having some easy ones has been great for her confidence. She does well with the incremental approach and needs to see something, then let it sink in over a few days, so Saxon is a good fit for her. She also does not like lots of colors and cutesy things; those are distracting and babyish to her, so Saxon's no-nonsense approach is good for her. She appreciates the subtle humor, like in the one example that said something about Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy -- she appreciated that she got the reference to Narnia.

 

My son is totally different, so IDK if Saxon will be good for him or not.

[crazyfordlr]

I think 6/5 is working very well for my 10yo right now, and I think 7/6 will be good for her next year. I don't have her do all of the practice problems, but we both appreciate that there are always some easy review problems in a problem set, and just a few new ones at a time, so it's not overwhelming. She doesn't really like math, so having some easy ones has been great for her confidence. She does well with the incremental approach and needs to see something, then let it sink in over a few days, so Saxon is a good fit for her. She also does not like lots of colors and cutesy things; those are distracting and babyish to her, so Saxon's no-nonsense approach is good for her. She appreciates the subtle humor, like in the one example that said something about Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy -- she appreciated that she got the reference to Narnia.

This is pretty much why my odd likes it too. She's gone from using EnVision Math in PS to Saxon 65 here at home. She's gone from hating math and thinking she was bad at it, to being strong in math and independent. Having, at most, 30 problems in a lesson is refreshing too.

 

I have my 3rd grader doing Math 54 and she has really blossomed as well. Finally, she feels challenged but not overworked. She revels in the fact that she's doing square roots and division :)

 

We don't do the practice problems, and since Lesson 80 we haven't been doing all the lesson problems either. HTH

[ALB]

Like it!

 

Now, we have had teary moments when I was tempted to switch! I even tried throwing in lessons from MEP, Singapore and MM just to see if dd responded any better, and she really didn't.

 

I really think it's a total personality thing. My dd likes to be walked through the process without being expected to make abstract connections. I like that, too! I love the constant review, drills and scripted lessons. I feel very secure with a time-tested program. I have a few good friends with PHD's in math, and they all tell me Saxon is great and thorough. That helps boost my confidence!

 

(Not to say that it is best, or right for everyone. Different programs work well for different learning and teaching styles, obviously!)

[HiddenJewel]

It can really depend on how you want math taught also. There are programs that are more traditional with fact and formula memorization. Then there are programs that teach how the formula are made and why they work like they do.

[Hedgehog]

Love it. We've used all levels from K through 7/6, and the only one I didn't like was K; it just seemed unnecessary to have a program at that level. Moominmamma, The Snork Maiden and Sniff had no problem jumping straight into Saxon 1.

 

I think it's thorough, it gets the job done. My dc don't expect every moment of their studies to be fun, and humour is a matter of taste anyway, so the fact that there is no humour in Saxon is no problem here. They like math because they understand the way Saxon teaches.

 

As of this year (7/6 for Moominmamma and The Snork Maiden) we are using the DIVE CDs. They were already doing math almost independently, and now it's rare that they need any help from me. Their grades/scores have always been 85%+.

[mom2att]

My initial reaction to Saxon when I was beginning homeschooling 10+ years ago was to run the other way. I mean, what K or 1st grade math curricula needs a 3-inch thick spiral bound teacher book? My bright, eager first born would have hated it, too--way too much repetition for this kid who flew through early math. Instead we went with Singapore, which was a perfect fit.

 

Enter second born child, with whom I tried to go the Singapore road. I beat my head against the wall every day through his 1st grade year, as we failed with multiple math curricula as he just did not get it. A dear friend who had used Saxon with all of her kids suggested I give it a try, so for 2nd grade, I did. What a difference. Those multiple problems, those tiny, baby steps that were repeated over and over and over ad nauseum throughout the later lessons--that was just what my son needed. He has thrived with Saxon ever since, and he's on a definite Saxon track until graduation.

 

After 4 years with Saxon, I personally still don't love it, but I do see its benefits. It so thorough that I may even switch my youngest, who is currently using Singapore, to Saxon next year. Maybe. I'm not sure if I can take two kids in Saxon, because it still doesn't fit MY learning style. But for my middle child, I sure do appreciate Saxon.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

My oldest (great math student)tried Saxon and after a few weeks told me he will not do another day of math if he had to work with THAT book. He still mentions THAT math and shudders. I never liked what I saw but everyone was Saxon this and Saxon that, I figured we better use it since it was THE math program to buy. I am in the dislike very much camp.

[Mommyfaithe]

I like Saxon. It is methodical and I know what my kids need to do daily....

 

That said, my kids would rather have their eye poked out with spears than see a Saxon book. No program we have used in our homeschool has produced such a negative experience for so many of my kids.....and we did just suck it up and do it...through Advanced Math for my oldest 3, And all 3 HATED math until college and 2 still HATE math and shudder at the word Saxon. All 3 did crummy on the math portion of the SAT, even though they always tested well in Saxon AND in assessment tests. That shows me they can DO math, but don't really GET math...kwim.

 

 

YMMV,

[SilverMoon]

My oldest two children, being polar opposites, had completely different reactions to it. The only Saxon books to enter our house were the textbooks... 5/4? and up.

 

My oldest was/is a very wiggly boy who struggled with math for years (yes, still wiggly as a teen), handing him a Saxon book was like putting him in front of a brick wall and telling him to run. He just can't handle a lesson being all over the place like that. (For what it's worth, Rod and Staff was a perfect fit for him.)

 

My second is a kid who seems to speak math's language and finds humor on a plain page full of drill problems. She said it made math more interesting to switch gears every three problems or so, ala Saxon. She used two of their textbooks one year, doing every problem of two lessons a day, generally. I can't credit any one math curriculum for this child's math prowess however; she's used wholes and pieces of many. (I kept her in a strong main program every year. She'd promptly eat it for breakfast and use whatever else she could get her hands on.)

[...................]

Love it- from 1st grade on.

 

Logical

Orderly

Plenty of practice

Easy to advance bright students

Good mental math in 5/4 and up

Easy to use (especially new editions!)

Tons of support, from Dive to Saxon Teacher to local classes! Though we have not needed any support yet

 

Almost Self teaching - excellent explanations in the book

Proven and trusted

 

My ds loves Saxon math. He just keeps moving along and never has to worry about forgetting anything. He has confidence and success and applies math well in everyday life.

 

My kids have watched demos for Math U See and thought it was highly annoying having to sit through all that explanation. We have also explored Teaching Textbooks and I think that would be more for kids who *really* struggle in math.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Calming Tea

[Meriwether]

Most people have such strong reactions to Saxon. It isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it isn't as bad as what people paint it as either. It is not just facts and formulas. My kids do understand the "whys" of math just fine. I've recently started adding things to round out my kids math, but the kids are finding the supplements to be easy. I started Dd8 (who is 2/3 of the way through Saxon 6/5) in CWP 4. I started her back a level because I thought there would be a learning curve since it is from a different program. It hasn't been very challenging so far. We'll see as we move through the book. Maybe it gets significantly harder. My kids are not especially gifted in math, but they don't struggle with it either. I stick with Saxon because I like continuity. A Saxon book has between 120-140 lessons. Since we school during the summer, the kids have plenty of time for other math. I don't like Saxon so much that I run around recommending it, but some of the things people say about it are flat out wrong.

[1Togo]

Saxon is a spiral math curriculum. Some children do very well with that approach. We used it with two children, one gifted in math and the other not gifted. They both excelled with Saxon, used it through Calculus, and neither one of them complained about their math lessons. If AOPS had been around, we might have used that for our gifted student because it would have been more challenging. As it was, he worked through all the Saxon books by the end of 10th grade. However, a spiral approach doesn't work with every student and mastery approach might be a better fit.

Edited March 15, 2012 by 1Togo

[Classically Minded]

We love Saxon math! I had it myself in private school and knew it was going to be my choice of math for my children. I love how it is thorough - your child will KNOW math! It doesn't just teach a concept and then forget about it, it constantly reviews old concepts while learning new ones.

[AmyontheFarm]

We love Saxon here. I love the spiral effect and the kids love it also.

[crazyfordlr]

I think the biggest problem with Saxon math is that it looks nothing like the books most of us grew up with. Also, it's a hard pill to swallow when it doesn't "work" for our children. I mean it we read the accolades, hear about the impressive results, feel the passion kwim.

 

I dare say that some people feel as "bad" about not liking Saxon as others do about not liking WWE. No one thing is going to be the perfect fit for every one.

[Pen]

Was not a good fit for my particular child.

[Mergath]

We're using Saxon K for dd, and she loves it. She begs for a math lesson every day. We've had it for four days now, I think, and we're up to lesson twelve. :tongue_smilie: At this level, it's mostly just a lot of fun stuff- we've graphed the little bears, made pictures with the pattern blocks, and built towers with the linking cubes.

 

For her actual K year, we're going to switch to Rightstart A. Not sure about after that, but I want to use Saxon again for high school, if it meshes with dd's learning style. I used it in high school, and I know other people love it for high school.

 

Sorry, that probably wasn't super helpful, but I just don't know much about Saxon 1 and up.

[Robyn]

We haven't used the lower levels, but ds is in 7/6 this year and we plan to stick with it through high school. We use the Art Reed DVDs with the program. I don't remember the last time ds needed my help with his math lessons. It does take him awhile to complete each lesson but he doesn't complain about it.

 

Ds is not a "mathy" kid. We have tried quite a few programs and Saxon is the one that really makes math stick for him. Math comes much more easily to my ds5. I don't know if we will use Saxon in the upper grades or not. Whatever works best.

[Chris in VA]

Loved it for k-3, used one year ahead. Dd's comment when she went to 3rd grade in public school was that she missed Saxon and wanted to come home so she could use it.

Not sure how I feel about the upper levels--I do like teaching from it. She got a great foundation from Saxon and is in advanced math at ps this year and last.

[JudoMom]

We love it. We mostly use it a year ahead of schedule, and it's been our main math curriculum from the beginning. We're currently using Alg. 1, 8/7, 6/5, 3, and 1.

 

My boys all enjoy math, and it is the favorite subject for 3 of them. 5/4 has typically been a transition year, and once they hit 6/5 they are mostly independent (we use the DIVE cds) with an occasional question.

 

It does take 45-60 minutes a day (for levels 5/4 and up). They do all the problems (both lesson practice and mixed practice) for every lesson.

 

It works for my boys who are naturally talented in math and my boys who aren't so much. They all understand math.

[mom2hunangirls]

I'm in a weird gap. :) We are using the new (came out last fall) Hake 3 Intermediate. Before that we used Horizons (k-2). And although I plan to use 5/4 and up I've never looked at them compared to other stuff.

I hear "it is so tedious"...and that always makes me say "ugh? really?" But I'm beginning to think that's more a label for the k-3 Larson versions maybe??

Ours is far far from tedious. About 20 problems a lesson. I'm always feeling like we should do more. But, hey, she's getting everything. So I round out with Singapore's CWPs. But have been very pleased with 3Intermediate. And just assumed I would be as happy with 5/4. But, like I said, I'm in a brand new book....maybe it's nothing like either other side. ???

[Lily_Grace]

Saxon was the first math curriculum I bought when we started homeschooling. It seriously was the worst investment I ever made. My kid hated math. He thought he was no good at it and the number of problems overwhelmed him. We switched to MUS and it was like night and day. He needed the visualization that MUS provided - even though he stopped using the manipulatives early on in each book. He needed the chance to manipulate the math with his hands. The MUS method of see-do-write-teach back was perfect for him. Saxon was not.

 

I think each kid learns math differently. Once I understood that my kid thought in pictures it was easy to match him up with curriculum that worked for him

[bttrflyvld]

I guess it's like any curriculum's out there. Either you love it or hate it. It seems like something I'm willing to try because of the positive comments I've received. If you have any more insight I'd be grateful to read thim.