bethben Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I am starting to like Saxon. My dd is doing the k program. She needed something that went slow and makes her feel smart. This is helping her to progress at a pace that suits her. Yes, it does have a lot of focus right now on shapes and sorting, but all the manipulatives get her excited to do math. I don't read the script, but use it to get the gist of what we have for the day. I also got Saxon 5/4 cheap to preview. I noticed that each lesson has word problems where I can EASILY substitute my favorite Singapore problems. i also still have weeks in the year free where i can teach the strengths of Singapore. I feel like I can get the best if both worlds- constant review and Singapore word problems. My ds is doing Algebra 1 yet still is advancing nicely with Alcumus problems and is now conquering level 3 in their Algebra level word problems so I know his math skill is not suffering. He just does well with the incrimental steps and is able to mesh them all together and use what he is learning. I know this curriculum gets bashed more than any other math I've seen here and while I do understand why, I wanted to show an alternate view. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 No bashing here. To each their merry own! :hurray: The way I look at it-- anything that can make math exciting and fun for your child is a winner. It's impossible to label any specific curriculum as a 'winner' because every child and their reaction to it is different. Although Saxon didn't work for us, I'm glad you found something that is working for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 We really loved Saxon K-2. I have up to 5/4 on my shelf, and we'll see if it works for my younger son. My oldest needed something different, but I still do love Saxon and enjoyed it while it lasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I don't think you'll get blasted, i'm thinking of trying Saxon myself for my younger one. I think many here would say to use whatever program doesn't induce tears, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatholicMom Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 No bashing here. To each their merry own! :hurray: ditto - Though I admit that Saxon gives me the shivers because we used it in my high school when I had a hard time with math. I still remember what the text book pages looked like and how it would constantly review problems I was was supposed to have already learned. "Supposed to have" being the key words, lol. Oy. I'm sure my experience would have been different if I was homeschooled, though. A lot of umbrella schools use it, it seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Awesome! I love it when I find something that works well for me and my children. That's priceless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Why would you be blasted???? Many people like Saxon. It has been at the top of the heap for over 20 years, and for good reason: it does a great job of teaching math. The first text released was Math 76; my first copy of it was photocopies of hand-written pages. The sound of people bailing out of ABeka and going to Saxon was like Niagara Falls. :-) Saxon does not get "bashed." That people don't like it, and say that they don't like it, is not "bashing." I don't care for the primary levels--way too many moving parts--but from Math 54 and up, it is my favorite. If I were homeschooling again, Saxon would be at the top of my list (R&S for primary, Math 54 as soon as dc tested into it, Saxon all the way after that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I am starting to like Saxon. My dd is doing the k program. She needed something that went slow and makes her feel smart. This is helping her to progress at a pace that suits her. Yes, it does have a lot of focus right now on shapes and sorting, but all the manipulatives get her excited to do math. I don't read the script, but use it to get the gist of what we have for the day. I also got Saxon 5/4 cheap to preview. I noticed that each lesson has word problems where I can EASILY substitute my favorite Singapore problems. i also still have weeks in the year free where i can teach the strengths of Singapore. I feel like I can get the best if both worlds- constant review and Singapore word problems. My ds is doing Algebra 1 yet still is advancing nicely with Alcumus problems and is now conquering level 3 in their Algebra level word problems so I know his math skill is not suffering. He just does well with the incrimental steps and is able to mesh them all together and use what he is learning. I know this curriculum gets bashed more than any other math I've seen here and while I do understand why, I wanted to show an alternate view. Beth Well honestly, I love Saxon too. Of course it's really a love-hate relationship since its repetitive and boring, but they know math, it's complete, it makes sense, it's readily available, easy to follow, well supported.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I don't read the script, but use it to get the gist of what we have for the day. :iagree: We do this, too, usually. Bethben, Be aware that Saxon K has optional worksheets at the back of the book. Most of them are for number formation. I wish I had known of them sooner so I could spread them out during the last half of the program. I also offered a few workbook pages from thisbook. ------------------ I like Saxon because: 1) There is ample practice offered. 2) It is traditional math. Nothing experimental. Strong emphasis on knowing math facts. 3) With evaluations every 5 lessons, dd was able to test out of the first half of 2nd grade Saxon. ('m so happy we're homeschooling so this can be offered to dd!!!) *shameless bragging* 4) It goes through Calculus. With hard work, hopefully dd can finish Calculus before she leaves home for college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Way of My People Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 My two boys (both with VERY different personalities and learning styles) are thriving with Saxon math. They KNOW their math facts and are convinced math is easy, Saxon is easy to teach, affordable, and complete. Hooray for Saxon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom24cuties Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I am using saxon with my 2nd and 4th grader. They are both doing well with the program. The only complaint I hear is that it is boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 We used Math Mammoth for the early years since Saxon didn't work for us then. Then we switched to Saxon with 54. My kids don't think it's boring or repetitive; They actually enjoy the mix of problems that include both new material and older material with each lesson. The verbal math questions at the beginning of each lesson have really helped them develop the ability to add and subtract in their heads. My older kids hated math, but the younger ones I've been using Saxon with all love math and think it's easy. FTR, all five older bio kids have tested as mildly to moderately gifted. (The five year old is using Math Mammoth, and hasn't had IQ testing yet.) We use the older editions of Saxon, and I've been able to get them really really cheap at homeschool book sales and other places. We love Saxon. I had a crappy public school education and though I had always taken the highest math classes that were offered I never felt confident in math. Now, teaching Saxon has made me a lot more confident in my own understanding of math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeteranMom Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I continued to use Saxon once my kids came home. Their public school had used it. I love Saxon. It works well for my kids. I'm happy you like it and have found that it works for your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I have never used it earlier than 6/5 but we really like it around here. So far 4 out of 5 kids have thrived with it. But, alas, I think my last student is going to break the mold. I do not see her doing well with it. But that it worked so well for 4 out of 5 says something, I think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 We've used 2 through 6/5 and I just ordered 7/6 today. It may be tedious and sometimes there are weeks when it's hard to hear the complaining. But then the spiral program reassures me because it'll get easy again for a few months. I hated Saxon K though. Seemed totally pointless to me, since all of that was so easily picked up naturally, through videos or even Walmart workbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted December 19, 2012 Author Share Posted December 19, 2012 I got the k program for $15 and can most likely resell the whole thing for the same amount or close to it so it didn't bug me. I had most of the manipulatives already. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyndiLJ Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 We used Saxon for 3 years and our kids all did great with it. However, we changed this year to Teaching Textbooks because we just found that correcting it for 5 kids was taking much of our free family time. Also, we have English Language Learners who were finding the higher levels to be harder to follow due to language development needs. Watching it explained on screen has helped develop math vocabulary as well as allowed us to have more family time. Much better for us, but if I were homeschooling only a couple kids and didn't have the language issues we would never have switched. Saxon is solid! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I liked every bit of Saxon K, 1, 2, 3 and 6/5. Dd loves math, and continues to do well in it at school. But to each his own! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 i used saxon K with my daughter in kindergarten. i loved it's gentle approach & thought it was a great curriculum :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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