I mentioned in my last blog in homeschooling, why some people really hate Saxon math. I have a friend who thinks that it is the worst possible curriculum on the market. She swears that her children were put grade levels behind by the program. I only half believe her, partly because we really like Saxon math. Here’s why:
It makes sense. . .
Saxon math makes so much sense. You may be going through lessons on left and right (and yes, in the kindergarten level there are two lessons on your left hand and your right hand) thinking what on earth does this have to do with math. It’s all about building the foundation though. For example. . .
In kindergarten your kids work on left and right, then at one point in the middle of the year, they divide an apple in half and you count the seeds on the left half of the apple and the right half of the apple. Obviously we’re setting the foundation for adding here.
Then when they get to adding double digits they are already trained to think in terms of adding from the right and adding from the left. All major mathematical operations are presented in this way–a way that is very logical.
New material is introduced gradually. . .
One of Saxon’s strengths is that it makes numbers make sense without struggle. The program is designed in such a way that you repeat and repeat and repeat. So in kindergarten, my daughter started counting money. It was hard for her but she had some money to count every day and she eventually got it.
In other programs, concepts are often introduced in units. What happens when a child doesn’t get a unit is they become frustrated for the next two weeks while you struggle through the unit. With Saxon, new concepts are introduced gradually and you work with them for awhile before you actually have to test. Then, you keep reviewing them now and again. There is no ‘studying’. . .they already know it and continue to retain it because they’ve worked with it.
It builds good number sense. . .
One of the things that Saxon does particularly well is build good number sense. Number sense is when a kid just ‘gets’ numbers. So for example, when my daughter was first learning how to add double digits she “discovered” that she could think about it in terms of groups of tens. In reality, we were doing short math exercises to lead her into this type of thinking on her own.
Saxon has a great website. . .
You wouldn’t believe it but the Saxon website has a great list of resources for those who homeschool. They are categorized according to the level and lesson that you’re on and include challenge problems, remediation and everything in between. There’s even a link with a list of math related books that go with the lesson you’re on.
Manipulatives. . .
Just like I’m a sucker for cute baby outfits with accessories. . .I’m a sucker for math manipulatives. One reason I like them so much is that I can have all the younger kids using the manipulatives while I work with the older ones.
I know Saxon isn’t for everybody, but I really do believe it is one of the really good curriculums out there for math. My next, and final blog on Saxon is in response to a few questions in a previous discussion. I mentioned that I do not follow Saxon to the letter and Andrea asked how I made that work. Look soon for my next blog: How to Use Saxon Without Driving Yourself Crazy!