bluechicken Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 My poor first child. We started our K year doing a simple Liberty Math K book. It was silly and was too easy and quite boring. We switched to Singapore after reading here how wonderful it is. It was my mistake to try and have her do 1A but at a slower speed. It didn't work. She retained nothing. We tried MUS after Christmas and it also bombed. We both hated the way it was taught. I then took a month off and we did a little Miquon and relaxed. I thought she may do really well with Saxon since it is spiral. She has done well with Saxon 1 and we are on lesson 49. However, she is bored and I am about bored stiff. I literally can't imagine continuing this for another 2 years before we get to 5/4. I purchased a Horizons K Book 2 from eBay and got it today. It looks pretty good and not as slow as Saxon. Would book 2 be a good fit for her coming from 50 lessons into Saxon 1? Is there another spiral program I should be considering? I really want this to be the last math switch for awhile. Thanks for any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 My poor first child. We started our K year doing a simple Liberty Math K book. It was silly and was too easy and quite boring. We switched to Singapore after reading here how wonderful it is. It was my mistake to try and have her do 1A but at a slower speed. It didn't work. She retained nothing. We tried MUS after Christmas and it also bombed. We both hated the way it was taught. I then took a month off and we did a little Miquon and relaxed. I thought she may do really well with Saxon since it is spiral. She has done well with Saxon 1 and we are on lesson 49. However, she is bored and I am about bored stiff. I literally can't imagine continuing this for another 2 years before we get to 5/4. I purchased a Horizons K Book 2 from eBay and got it today. It looks pretty good and not as slow as Saxon. Would book 2 be a good fit for her coming from 50 lessons into Saxon 1? Is there another spiral program I should be considering? I really want this to be the last math switch for awhile. Thanks for any advice. Dd8 has used CLE from the beginning and loves it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2three Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Have you tried MEP? It's really a great program, and it's completely free which makes it all the better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 We use CLE and I supplement with hands-on activities and Dreambox. I've thought about switching to something more progressive or secular, but honestly, it just works. I have a dd who NEEDS the spiral, concrete, parts to whole instruction and thrives in a predictable program. She needs to have daily practice writing problems out. She was in a progressive math program at school for three years and didn't learn a thing. In two years of CLE, she's on grade level and retains everything. The pages are simple enough to prevent distraction and confusion, but they include little facts and small pictures- just enough to make it interesting. The instruction is broken into baby pieces. Perfect, both for a child to comprehend and a parent to easily add in extra reinforcements. That said...if I had a kid who grasped concepts fairly easily, didn't need a lot of repetition, and who wasn't a fan of workbooks...I'd choose Singapore. It just doesn't fit my kids. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Blessings Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Have you tried MEP? It's really a great program, and it's completely free which makes it all the better! :iagree: Gentle spiral- nice approach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atozmom Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Another vote for CLE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamrachelle Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 We are CLE users here too. Love them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 My choice is McRuffy Color Math. I second this. The program might seem too light at first, but give it a chance honestly it has been the best math program we have used yet. I did make the mistake of dropping it once thinking we were not doing enough, but boy was I wrong. My little man absorbed it all and we switched back and he is still doing awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 If you were happy with Miquon, why not continue? We are also MEP fans, and you can't beat free. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland_Mom Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Years ago we switched from Saxon to Horizons. I have never regretted my switch! My kids like the colorful pages, the variety, and I appreciate the built in review. You're probably fine with Horizons K book 2. Its very important to find something you like and stick with it. Make sure you place your dd correctly. Have her do a placement test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadenCalebMom Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 We love Horizons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandst Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Another vote for Horizons. My kids seem to retain but sometimes there is too much repitition. When the kids have grasped a concept and the problem repeats over and over again in new lesson I only mak them do half for revision. The only thing I do not like is the teacher's manual besise the answers which I only use ocasionally there is no instruction on how to teach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeBlessings Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Would you consider switching to a mastery based Math and adding in review yourself? I've been doing this all year and it is working really well for us. There's a post on my blog, linked below in my sig, about how I incorporate Math review using free printable resources online. It's easy to set up, easy to do, and takes 15 minutes or less a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernmama Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I started with Saxon b/c I taught it in school and knew it was a solid program. It did not work for my child though. He was bored, and frankly the review was making things too easy for him and he stopped thinking. He could complete every worksheet perfectly, but couldn't answer questions I asked him that were "outside the box." We switched to Abeka last year after a short stent with Right Start (which I loved but was not working for his learning style). Abeka has been a great fit. Very spiral, but not so much as Saxon. You must learn to think and the paper is a little different every day. It has been much better. He is learning math and thinking! Just thought you might want another option. I looked at Horizons too and it is truly very similar to Abeka (in scope and sequence). I ended up with Abeka b/c the teachers manual was easier to use for me. Also, it has some game recommendations and Horizons doesn't "walk you through" how to teach some concepts. I appreciated the "helps." ;) ashlea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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