Continuing the series on tips for beginning homeschoolers and homeschool wannabes...Math.

I use Saxon all the way up to the 8th grade. After that, Tom takes over and uses whatever he thinks is best. He taught high school math using Saxon and didn't like it. I differ with him in that I love it.

I used the Kindergarten level one time; now I start with the first grade level whenever I think the child is ready for it. The K level does a lot with shapes, sizes, colors, counting, etc., which my children know already by the time we start school. We really like the manipulatives that go along with Saxon for the lower grades, but you have to buy them separately.

You can get the kit for each level, or you can just get the student books. The kits for grades 1-3 include a teacher's manual, student workbooks, and flashcards. They also have a "meeting book", for work with calendars, number patterns (counting by fives, etc.), daily weather, and other stuff.

The kits for grades 4 and up include student book (hardback; you need notebook paper for working the problems), test booklet, answer key. Lessons are pretty much self-explanatory; they work well for children doing work on their own.

There are tests every five lessons. There are less than 145 lessons per grade level. The kindergarten level is set up to do 3 lessons per week, or 12 per month. From first grade on, you can pretty much set your own pace, going as fast or as slow as the child needs. We start out the year by letting the children work the tests until they start messing up or don't know the material. This eliminates whatever review work they don't need. After that, they are on a timer so that they do math for 30-45 minutes straight. (The amount of time depends on the child.) Sometimes they only get one lesson done, but usually they can do 2 or 3 lessons in that time.

We have tried other math curriculums, and found that Saxon works best for us. Tom hasn't come up with anything better for 8th grade or below, so he uses Saxon until they're ready for algebra. Tom is a math whiz (his major in college), so they will probably get into calculus and trigonometry.

Saxon is available from Christian Book Distributors (www.christianbook.com) for less than what you'd pay anywhere else. If you are starting older students on Saxon, you can get their diagnostic test to see where to place them. I just looked at Saxon's website; there's a lot of info there and you can download their placement tests and/or do the tests and other fun stuff online. They also have a phonics program which I know nothing about. If it's anything like their math program, it should be good. www.saxonpub.com

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), January 21, 2002

Answers

I have used Saxon and it worked well for my oldest daughter up until the Algebra 1 book. Then we had to find something else. Saxon is my personal favorite, however, it did not work at all for a couple of my children. They needed a lot more problems of all the same kind before they understood the work. I used Alpha Omega for them and it worked great! My elementary age son now (5th grade) is using Rod & Staff and it works for him, lol. The one thing I have learned in my 18 years of homeschooling is that different things work for different kids, even in the same family! BTW, I really like Rod and Staff for several subjects. They are a Mennonite company whose books are good basic Christian education. The only thing that I have noticed as far as it being Mennonite goes, is the pictures of people in Mennonite dress. They also have fiction books that are just good clean books. I know this is supposed to be focussing on math, but I want to really recommend the Miller books (Wisdom and the Millers, Prudence and the Millers, Missionary Stories, etc.). They are sold by Rod and Staff and several other book sellers. I have used them for our morning devotions. Sorry for the thread drift!

-- Deena in GA (dsmj55@aol.com), January 21, 2002.

We too, like Saxon Math. It's a great program for us educators who are weak in math and need to learn along with the kids.

-- Laura (Ladybugwrangler@hotmail.com), January 21, 2002.

We use Math U See and Abeka Speed Tests and Drills. I don't use the videos for MUS since I find them expensive and unecessary but we do use the manipulatives. We use the Abeka to supplement since MUS does drill enough, but the math program is great.

-- Silvia (organic_farmer@hotmail.com), January 21, 2002.