3girls4me Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Which of these do you think would be best for a child that is great at math? Breezes through lessons. Grasps concepts after having it explained once. Etc.... I will supplement with something like Math in Focus for word problems, but want to stick with one of these until perhaps 3rd or 4th grade. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3girls4me Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 (edited) I've used both and prefer Horizons by far. They're both colorful and spiral workbooks with perforated pages. They're both religious publishers. Abeka -drills, drills, drills -harsher with the piles of large problems -2 pages, plus a drill or test daily -has instruction right on the student page -races through concepts and is nearly a full grade ahead by 4, then slows down and simmers awhile Horizons -keeps the sets more manageable -has instruction right on the student page -3 pages daily past the early levels (2 pages there), but the pages are more spread out and there's more workspace on the page -has extra blackline review pages for new concepts in the TM -"fun" bits in most lessons, like your answers will spell out a word, answer to a joke, or color in a picture -*The biggest one IMO* - You can tell the author enjoys math! -stealthily builds up the concepts and my kids have no idea how intense it has ramped up Edited August 31, 2023 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Honestly? Neither. Neither is intended for a kid who grasps things the first time they are introduced if they are used exactly as is. You'll want to cut problems out, at the least, if you don't want your kid to be bored or frustrated. If you aren't afraid to cross problems off, move quickly through multiple lessons if they grasp the material, teach multiple lessons-worth-of-a-concept in one go, etc., then either will work just fine, but neither will be the 'best' for that kid. A more mastery type of math would be best for a kid who grasps things right away and doesn't need the constant review & spiraling that Horizons & Abeka give. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I have to disagree. :001_smile: My 4th grader is a DC like the OP described. She is currently in Horizons 5 (book 2) and flies through a lesson in 20-30 minutes; occasionally she gets an itch and does multiple lessons in a day. Every problem of every lesson gets completed before she moves on. She's thriving and loves her Horizons books. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 My son is like that and is loving Abeka math k. He begs to do more pages, and we usually do 2 or more lessons a day. We just switched my oldest over to Abeka from Saxon because of the logical order of presentation of fact memorization and visual appeal. I think either is good and will appeal to the child. A Beka does have a lot of work, but they have some of the review numbered in green, which is extra. It makes it easy to say do the black ones if they don't need the extra. But if they like to do more like my younger son, it is there. I especially like the challenge questions each day and the fact review games. I considered both. My child preferred A Beka, but the main reason I chose A Beka was the teachers manual was more user friendly for me and laid out well. The Horizons teachers guide comes recommended, and if you don't like things laid out, you will do fine. It has game ideas, etc. But Horizons will say things like "review math facts" or Go over place value" and didn't give much direction in how to teach. Not having used it, I might have missed that there was more instruction somewhere else, and I probably could have handled the early grades. I do not plan to use A Beka beyond elementary, but it lays a very good foundation and rewards quick thinkers. However, ifyou are thinking of sticking with this longer term, Horizon has better reviews for the upper grades. But if you are using this more long term, the teachers guides are something to consider. There are a lot of visual aids in A Beka. You do not need all of them (felt numbers are completely unnecessary,) but they can add up if you buy them all new. You can often find a lot of it on eBay. That is another consideration. If you have a kid who loves doing math problems and does well with worksheets, either of these will be good. This does not particularly concern me, but it does concern others. A Beka has no intention of caring about Common Core at all. Horizon does consider it, and is planning to take the standards into account into newer editions. It is not currently aligned. Again, I don't care one way or another as long as the product is good, but some do care about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy_of_4 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 OP my son is just like yours and is doing wonderful with Horizons. He is 7 and is working on grade 4 book 1 right now! He loves it and sometimes does multiple lessons a day. He finds it fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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