what's the best math program for 1st and 2nd grade homeschoolers?

Answer 1

That all depends on the learning style of the Child, and the teaching style of the parent.
I have tried Saxon; I don't care for the early grades (K-3) because it is tedious and repetitive in my opinion. I also noticed that many concepts are not introduced until much later than other curriculums. Many of the activities also assume that you have 25 or 30 kids in your class, and I don't know of many homeschoolers who teach that many kids all at the same grade level.
However I do like Saxon for the upper grades.
A Beka has an excellent math curriculum.
Singapore math is supposed to be great.
Alpha Omega has two options for 1st and 2nd grade math, Life Pacs (I found them to be good, but move little slow for my kids), and Horizons (this turned out to be the right fit for my family). There is a good balance between manipulative, hands-on work and pencil and paper work. There is enough repetition for most children to master the concept, but not ridiculous overkill. The pages are bright and colorful and the activities are varied to combat boredom. Extra reproducible worksheets are included in the teachers manual for kids who need more drill and practice.
Horizons it’s a little advanced compared to some other curriculums, so if you are starting after first grade you should give your child a placement test. There is enough repetition of concepts at the start of 2nd grade that most 2nd graders will be able to grasp the concepts without going back to the first grade book, but if they didn't start in 1st grade you might need to have them do the extra worksheets to master some concepts.

Find out more about Hozons by contacting http://www.aop.com
or by calling 1-800-622-3070
(For some reason I have trouble getting on the aop website, the phone number might be more helpful)

Find out more about A Beka by contacting
http://www.abeka.org

Find out and read reviews on lots of other products by contacting
http://www.rainbowresource.com

Answer 2

The best math program is the one that works for your child's learning style and your teaching style. The two most popular homeschool math programs are definitely Saxon and Singapore, although they don't work for everyone.

Several others to consider:
A Beka
Math U See (good for tactile learners)
Horizons
Miquon
Developmental Math
Making Math Meaningful
Modern Curriculum Press

Cathy Duffy reviews these and others on her website (see link below), including which learning style the program works best for.

Answer 3

We never started a real math program until what is considered 3th grade level.
We at that time found Saxon 3 to be the best, simple lessons, and covering most everything.
It is self paced, you can do a lesson every day or every other day; your choice.
After that Modern Curriculum press is pretty good, work book style.

Before we used Saxon 3, we simply used M&M, Hersey's, Twizzzlers books, and several math games like pizza fractions, smath, math bingo and so on.
If you'd like to add worksheets just print them of the internet for free.
http://www.freeworksheets.com/

Answer 4

As a supplemental math book or to create your own math curriculum, I would suggest "Math for Your 1st and 2nd Grader: All You Need to Know to Be Your Child's Best Teacher." The author's name is Steve Slavin, and I purchased the book off amazon.com

I used this book for my 1st grader this year and supplemented it with worksheets and manipulatives (what I could find around my house); it was just what my child needed. He has made a very smooth transition to mental math, understands the concepts behind the math, and now has a good grasp on word problems.

I hope this is helpful.

Answer 5

We used Math U See for our 3rd grader. A wonderful program. Also, we haved used in the past Rod and Staff Math books. You can also buy workbooks that can help with pratice. You can pick them up at Walmart, Target, etc. They are very inexpensive. Each child has a different learning style, so what works for one, will not necessarily work for the other.
Rainbow Resource has a lot of varitey on homeschool books. They will send you a free catalog.

I hope this helps you.

Answer 6

I would really recommend Math U See as well - it's very concept based, easy to use and understand, and you can either teach it yourself from the manual or allow the author of the program - a seasoned math teacher - to teach it by DVD in 3-5 minute lessons. I've tried several others - Saxon, BJU, AOP, etc. - and found Math U See to be the best for my son. Good luck!

www.mathusee.com

Answer 7

I have had a lot of success with Abeka. Although it can be advanced for some children; there is enough review through out that all concepts will eventually be mastered. Focuses a lot on mastering basic math facts; including mulitiplication and some division by the end of 2nd grade. Bright, colorful, interesting themes woven throughout. Very easy to use both for parents/teacher and child.

Answer 8

My mom used Saxon Math for us. Unfortunately for us, back then, Saxon didn't offer anything below advanced third grade/fourth grade math. That have since added a K-4th program to their curriculum. If you stick with home schooling through high school, Saxon goes all the way through Calculus.

Answer 9

I've used both Saxon Math K-3 for my children and Modern Curriculum Press (MCP). Both K levels are Quite simple, use them for preschoolers. Saxon is very time consuming, but they continually practice what they have learned. MCP focuses on one area of math at a time and has little review after the chapter is finished.

Answer 10

21