I am new to homeschooling. I just started in November. We are enjoying it so far but I have been quite overwhelmed by the deluge of information about homeschool curriculums. I read some good reviews about Saxon math. Anyone using it? Do I need the whole package? Where can I get it used? Any feedback would be much appreciated.
I can't speak to the older grades, but my DD is using Saxon K and really loves it. I find it really interesting too. I am a math-phobe and had no idea how to tackle early math. This has really worked for both of us. She alwasy asks to do math first.
We use Saxon. It's working well for my younger two. I'm going to supplement or something with my oldest though because she finds it rather boring. Yes, you need all the books for each grade. (and the manipulatives for the younger grade) The younger grades do not have the exercises in the main textbook, and the older grades do not have the tests or answer keys in the text.
I start Saxon Math in grade 4, so I really don't know about the manipulatives for the younger grades. At the level I start, there's three books: textbook, test book, and answer book. Yes, you need all three! (Well, I guess you could get by with the textbook only, if you wanted to create your own tests and work out all the problems yourself to check things!) The answer book and test book are VERY thin and easily misplaced. I take mine to Kinko's and have them drill three holes in them, and then place them together in a three-ring binder. That makes it SO MUCH easier for me to keep track of!
I love Saxon. There are many repetitive elements to it, but my daughter benefited from that repetition. It gave her a very strong foundation, and now math is one of her strongest subjects, and she actually enjoys it. We started with Saxon 1 and are now in Saxon 7/6. Some children will not tolerate the repetition in Saxon. My son is one of them. He is currently in Saxon 2. I've had to make adjustments. One thing we do is break math into three short separate sessions rather than one long one. I also do not require him to do both sides of the worksheets unless there are concepts on the second side on whihch he needs more practice. Even with omitting some things, I think he is still getting an excellent foundation. I wish I'd learn math with Saxon; there are basis concepts that I'm understanding in a new way as I learn with the kids!
I am also new to homeschooling and feel the same way you do. I have been looking at Saxon math 1 for my 6 year old. I am thinking of just ordering the student workbook packet and using things we already have as manipulatives. My daughter really needs the repetition it offers.
FYI about manipulatives. I am not sure about Saxon 1, but with K I definitely need the manipulatives and a lot of the stuff is not things I would have around the house. I am sure you could make them but it would be a lot of work. I got an entire manipulative kit for Saxon K-3 on ebay for $40. Much less expensive than other sites show.
I really like Saxon Math. We just switched over from Math-U-See in the past couple of months and it's been a huge difference. Both of them like the repetitiveness of the lessons because then they feel they are really grasping the methods that are being taught and they aren't just learning it to forget it until a couple of lessons down the road which is how they both felt with MUS. I'm not sure of the cost since we get our materials through our charter school.
My dd did Saxon 1 when she was 5, and it was good, but even then too much of the same thing for her. If they know a concept, feel free to move to a later lesson that introduces something new. It still repeats other stuff from before, but it's not so repetitive that they begin hating it. We really enjoyed the Saxon 1. We tried to continue with it, but it didn't work for my kids. So, I say, try it and see if it works. But if it doesn't, MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE! It's okay to try to find something that works well for your child! There are lots of programs out there that are all great programs, just come from a little different angle that may be just what your child needs! You don't want to be constantly switching, but you DO want something that will make the learning interesting and not boring or frustrating for them! And just because Saxon works for my kids doesn't mean it will work for yours......or vice versa--just because it doesn't work for mine, doesn't mean it won't work for yours. Just thought I'd throw that out there--that you and your kids are NOT failing homeschooling if something doesn't work well! The internet has hundreds of things available for homeschooling, so go with the flow of what works for your family! I got a couple of things on e-bay. I got some things from the For Sale board on The Well-trained Mind Forums site as well. *****Oh, btw, Saxon has placement tests on their site that you can print out and take to help you get a better idea of which level to place your child at. I'd go do that first and see how it goes.
We use Saxon, I got the textbook online for 5$ and was going to check it myself and make up tests myself...and then in the library on the give away shelf there was the answer book and the test book for FREE for the book we were using!!!!! God is paying attention to the details. Tons of folks use it, and tons don't like it, which makes it easy to find used. I use the answer book every day. I don't use the testbook much at all.
