We have sort of a math mess, too.......

[Bramble]

I could use some advice about math for my 9 yo boy.
I know you aren't supposed to jump around between programs, but I have and I can't change that.
here's his history:
5 yo: RightStart Math
6 yo: MFW 1st math
7 yo: Singapore 1A and 1B (claimed to hate this!)
8 yo: started Singapore 2A, but he hated it. Rod & Staff 2nd (claimed to love this!)
9 yo: had started going on with R&S 3 this summer as he claimed to love R&S, but it is a lot of writing. Was trying to just let him write in the textbook, but it is not always spacious enough. SO I thought, just trust Carrie and go w/ Singapore. Talked to him about it. He was reluctant (from his history w/ the program), but said okay. He complained the first day or two. I said he could go back to R&S or do Singapore, but math wasn't going away and he will do math everyday. So, he again chose Singapore 2A, but I really don't have peace about it. I am afraid I am putting him behind, making him do extra work he doesn't really need to do, and this isn't a kid who will do a bunch of pages/day to get to the next level. Thought about Saxon 5/4 because I want a program we can stick with long-term and I would like more self-teaching, but that is also a textbook w/ lots of problems.
So I just don't know what to do.
(I didn't have him do the Singapore placement test and maybe I should start there. I couldn't print it out so I just ran through it myself noting where I knew he needed work and guessing he needed Singapore 2A.)

[inHistiming]

I can understand your math woes....we have jumped around quite a bit in the past and I have felt some of the things you're describing. We began with my oldest ds in LifePac...was like pulling teeth to get him through it, so we switched to Saxon the next year.....again seemed to take him FOREVER. So, we then switched to Singapore....he loved it, me not so much. I did not feel I understood it well enough to help him when he was struggling with something (math is my weak area and I didn't think there was enough explanation in SIngapore for me). Likewise, my daughter has been in Horizons, Singapore, and Saxon. We ended up making the switch back to Saxon....and are sticking with it for the long haul with all of the kids. I can already see some differences in my youngest son, who began Saxon 1 last fall. He is learning some concepts, or at least being introduced to some, that my older children are just now coming upon because they were moved around so much. I can see how he will be better off, because later when congruent shapes, etc. come up, he will already know what they are talking about. He is also already doing 25 math facts per day, and hardly ever misses one, so I feel his math facts will be solidly in place MUCH sooner than with my older two. I highly recommend Saxon, and though we do all of the problems, you wouldn't have to if the lesson is covering something you know your son has already mastered. I also liked Horizons...my daughter did very well with it the year we used it. We were trying to get the kids in the same program, and since SIngapore was less expensive, that's what I went with the following year. I don't recommend letting $$$$$ dictate your math program if at all possible.....you have to get something that is a good fit for your child, but also stick to something....that is a huge benefit to the child. So, whatever you go with, I would say make sure it has enough explanation for you and for your son....simple, straightforward, and thorough. Just my 2 cents, but hope it helps.

[Michelle My Bell]

I have used everything.... EVERYTHING What finally has worked for us is Christian Light Math. It is a wonderful program that has everything built right into, drill, review, workbook, independent as they get older, explains concepts easily, doesn't take all day and it is very inexpensive. It has helped my math challenged home more than you can ever know.

Michelle

[Mom2Monkeys]

I got into Singapore too late with my oldest and we flopped with it-- we also did way too much jumping around with math early on. I love the program and wish it would have worked, but without that foundation from earlier levels, I didn't have a clue how to teach it! We went with Math Mammoth which is also an Asian math program, written by a homeschool mom that was a teacher in Finland, which is #2 in the world in math. They take a less is more, casual approach to learning that has served them well! I think MM is an excellent program. It has the mental math and conceptual understanding just like Singapore, but I find it easier to jump into later levels than I did with Singapore b/c it follows a more traditional Scope and Sequence. I'm still debating if I'm going to just stick with that for my next children as well, or go with SM. I'm comfortable teaching with MM now, so I'm having trouble deciding! They are both excellent programs! I LOVE Carrie's plans for K and 1A-2B.