We have tried several programs, but our math of choice for the lower grades is Spectrum.

Spectrum is colorful and varied, introducing and covering a broad range of topics. I think it makes an excellent intro to formal schooling for the younger set, with short lessons that can be started with minimal instruction and finished within the constraints of a young person's attention span.

I'm not a big fan of workbooks in most subjects, but I do make an exception for penmanship and the lower levels of math. For a very young child who still writes quite slowly, copying problems onto a separate sheet can be a daunting and discouraging task.

We have used Miquon and I really thought it made the concepts understandable to a child's concrete mind, but it took far more time on my part. In retrospect, it felt rather like teaching a 4yo to read: they can learn, and it's really cute...but is it worth the extra investment of time to teach them now? I have noticed no lasting benefits among those who spent their days with cuissenaire rods and Miquon, nor mathematical deficits in those who did not.
Saxon Math for the lower levels is a wonderful program but also very teacher-intensive.
With Spectrum, even a child who is not yet reading can often decode the instructions in the K book, and instruction time for the others is minimal. New concepts are broken down step by step and demonstrated as simply as possible, with very little text. This is a plus since most of our children have not become proficient readers before 7.
The one fault is a relative lack of drills in basic facts within the pages of daily lessons. These are easily supplemented with flashcards or 101 other ways. Spectrum does provide reproducible drills in each book as well, so even the unimaginative family is not left high and dry.
The clincher is the price: books are less than $10, and answers are in the back- perforated for easy removal if you have concerns. I'm sure there are other programs that do a fantastic job at the lower levels, but why pay more when you have an inexpensive option that does exactly what you want it to do?
We use the Kindergarten level to introduce our young ones to formal table time in school, and continue through the 3rd grade level for those who grasp math easily, and 4th grade for those who need a little more time. At this point, we move on to Saxon Math 54.

Labels: homeschooling