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in Elementary· Mathematics

Saxon Math (K-2)

When I began homeschooling, I chose to use Saxon Math curriculum. We’ve gone through Saxon K, 1, and halfway through 2.   It has proven to be a great fit for my family.

At first, I thought Saxon Math K started out a little slow.  It feels like there’s more playing with the manipulatives than actual work.  But I came to realize that for a kindergartener, that is the work.  As they’re doing this, they’re becoming familiar with numbers, shapes, and patterns and how they work.  This provides a really critical foundation of understanding a lot of basic concepts the students will need for more advanced skills.

There’s a lot of thought put into the scope and sequence of the lessons. Playing with pennies and dimes leads to counting by tens, which leads to understanding place value, which leads to addition with regrouping.  (That’s carrying if you’re old school.)  Even the order in which addition facts are learned have been thought out carefully.  Students don’t just blindly memorize the addition facts.  They are taught to learn them by the relationships between the numbers.  First you learn doubles, such as 3+3.  Later it’s doubles plus 1, such as 3+4.  It’s easier to learn 3+4=7 once you know 3+3=6.  I didn’t see it when we first started, but now after a few years, I can see that there is a very well thought out plan behind all these lessons.

I love the use of manipulatives. This was what drew me to Saxon in the first place.  Math is one of those subjects that students usually either love or hate.  It’s a lot harder to hate a subject when it feels like you’re playing with toys during the lessons.  Manipulatives can give students a deeper and truer understanding of a concept since they can see it and touch it.  The manipulatives make the lessons much more accessible to visual and kinesthetic learners.  It has also been a diversion for my preschoolers more than once when I’m trying to work with my older daughter!

There’s a lot to Saxon Math.  Maybe too much. If you did everything  provided for each lesson, it would probably take a good hour.  But we don’t have to do everything, and we’re still doing just fine. Saxon uses the spiral review method, so students can keep their skills fresh.  Even though we skip some of this, I’d much rather have a curriculum that gives too much to do than one that leaves me feeling like we’re missing something.

One thing I would change about Saxon is that the skill taught in the lesson is not always immediately reinforced in that day’s worksheet.  I don’t think 25 or 30 questions is appropriate, but three to five questions or problems on that lessons skill would be a very good tool to check for the student’s understanding.  Most lessons do contain this built-in check, but there are definitely some inconsistencies in this area.

Saxon Math is a bit on the pricey side, but I think it is worth it. The Saxon Math Homeschool kits cost $96.50 ($63.50 for K).  Additional workbooks can be purchased for additional students for $27.50 without having to buy the whole kit again.  The manipulatives set costs $77.50 which is used for the K-3 curriculum (and occassionally preschool).

Brenda (132 Posts)

Brenda is a homeschooling mother of 5, who has a wonderful husband encouraging her to be the best woman that God has created her to be. Together they are very intentional about spending time together as a family. She considers her daily life with her children as her ministry and has found many avenues to encourage others to live a lifestyle of learning. She is the founder of a curriculum review site authored by a group of well-known homeschool bloggers, The Curriculum Choice.


Filed Under: Elementary, Mathematics

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa S. says

    August 23, 2010 at 6:57 am

    I love, love, love Saxon Math! We brought our oldest son home to school when he finished 2nd grade. So, we’ve used Saxon 3 and Saxon 5/4. This year, he’ll be using Saxon 6/5, and we will be starting our daughter out on Saxon K.

    I totally agree with everything you said about Saxon. It’s an awesome curriculum, and I honestly cannot see us ever changing to anything else.

    Thanks for your great review of this great curriculum. Blessings to you and your family!
    .-= Lisa S.´s last blog ..Happy 11th Birthday- Noah! =-.

    Reply
  2. Ana says

    August 25, 2010 at 3:55 am

    We’ve been using Saxon Math haphazardly since my daughter was 4. It has been very clear and she adores completing the worksheets for each lesson. I think it strikes an excellent balance between cut-and-dry academics and chock-full of activities. Also, from working with these and having used the middle-school-aged Saxon textbooks myself, I find that review is consistent. Although, as you say, it is not always immediate in the earlier grades.
    We are now officially starting her kindergarten year and will be doing Saxon every day. She’s just about over the moon about it. Nota bene: depending on the abilities of the child, you can save your money and use Saxon 1 in place of K. We haven’t had a problem with doing so. 🙂
    Thanks for the review,
    Ana
    .-= Ana´s last blog ..“I wish I may- I wish I might…” =-.

    Reply
  3. Jessica Nunemaker says

    November 5, 2010 at 7:36 am

    We are looking at both Math U See and Saxon Math. They both sound pretty great — how do they compare to each other?

    I read your other review on Math U See — what do you believe is the benefit of one over the other? We’ve got a 5 year old and are (obviously) first time homeschoolers. 😉

    Thank you!!!
    .-= Jessica Nunemaker´s last blog ..little Indiana Homestead Buttery and Bakery Gift Basket Giveaway =-.

    Reply
  4. aubrey says

    April 5, 2011 at 11:05 am

    Saxon is what I have used for the last 9 years, and my kids test off the charts for math in standardized testing (required for homeschooling in our state).
    The one problem you mentioned was a lack of reinforcement on newly learned skills in that days math sheet, this begins in 4th grade and is referred to as “lesson practice” every new skill has about 5-6 problems making sure your student has grasped the new concept. If they miss more than 1 they can check over the concept, read the lesson in the book or re watch the lesson on the CD.
    Saxon has worked very well for our family’s needs, it helps them in music and science as well.

    Reply

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