I am just starting here, and DS just finished above his grade level in 1st grade math in public school. I am clueless as to what math program to use!
I was looking at Math-U-See???

Math U See looks very cool! I plan to use it with my dd. It depends on how your dc learns... A good friend of mine has used M.U.S. with 3 of her 5 children, one, however learned better using a more standard book format. I suck at math, so anything hands on and visual works for me! :D

We are using MathUSee. Have you ordered the free demo dvd? That is a good place to start. My kids both like it.

I ordered the demo last night. I have to say, I'm a little overwhelmed by the price of cirriculum...I don't know what I was thinking. And we've got to get something, because unschooling will not fly here.

My dd didn't like MUS for some reason....

I'm going to try (I think) Right start math...it has lots of manipulatives and games too!!

Other math programs:

Saxon
Singapore
Bob Jones
Abeka
MUS


Go to homeschoolingreviews.com and look up math. That might help. We are torn here too!!

We did saxon for K last year and plan to use it again for 1st this year. My son really likes using manipulatives but also worksheets so I think saxon is a good medium for us. Good luck

We use Developmental Math. When you look at it, it's not flashy or cool, just a series of 16 workbooks with simple pictures, but check out the reviews on the solid math review websites.

The child does the 16 workbooks at their own pace, when they're done they're ready for the algebra program of your choice. I have learners of wildly differing learning styles/abilities, and D.M. has been working beautifully for them all.

Before a child learns to read, of course you read the problems/directions to them, but after he/she learns to read, it's entirely self-taught.

I really, really like Horizons Math (by Alpha Omega) for K-3. I've heard that 4-6 was written by a different person than K-3 and I haven't looked at it for those grades so can't comment. Even though AO is a Christian company there isn't anything religious about the K-3 math. I've heard there is with 4-6 though. Just mentioning that bc I know not everyone wants that.

We are Saxon users here. It works very well for my 2 kids. I've tried other things but always go back to Saxon LOL. Saxon has a placement test so you can figure out what level to put him in...

Saxon/Singapore/Saxon sandwich here ;)

We used Saxon K, with the manipulatives tub when the children were very young, switched to Singapore Earlybird and Primary (an excellent fit), and now our oldest has used Saxon Algebra 1/2 (pre-algebra) and will start Saxon Algebra tomorrow.

Jacob is flying through math and I honestly see him in the pre-algebra and algebra before too long. He is an accelerated reader, but his math skills are freaky. Thankfully, we have a good friend who is an excellent high school math teacher and he is helping me make sure I don't miss any important concepts with Jacob.

I really, really like Horizons Math (by Alpha Omega) for K-3. I've heard that 4-6 was written by a different person than K-3 and I haven't looked at it for those grades so can't comment. Even though AO is a Christian company there isn't anything religious about the K-3 math. I've heard there is with 4-6 though. Just mentioning that bc I know not everyone wants that.


I didn't like the 4th grade Horizons, because it was so much more religious than 3rd grade BUT - we tried several other math curriculums and ended up sticking with Horizons for 4th. My son's learning style seems to require Horizons. <shrug> I bought it again this year for 5th.

Horizons just seems to me to have a lot of meat - and Devin really likes the fact that there is little repetition.

We just skip the parts that we disagree with.

Hey, Kbsmama, where in MI are you? (PM me if you want.) I'm in Flint, but if I remember correctly you're not around here. Anyways, you can often find MUS on ebay. If you really want to go low-budget, you can buy the older format that they replaced last year really cheap on ebay.
Good luck!
Hana

MathUSee (up to Intermediate)
Saxon (into 5/4)

--NB

I actually ordered Right Start Math. I hope I did the right thing...No one is mentioning that one...

That's supposed to be a great program! The only reason I didn't look more into it is that some folks said it required teacher prep ahead of time or was a little teacher-time-intensive. Since I find myself with barely enough time to actually homeschool, I steered away. I know lots of people really like it, though. Congratulations on wading your way through math curriculum and making a choice!
Hana

Thanks for the encouragment! BTW, I am in the GR area of MI.

I should be receiving Rightstart in the mail today! We have used Singapore and Saxon also. My 2nd dd is just not picking up tens values, so I ordered Rightstart to see if that is the way to go with her. I think she will enjoy it. I also ordered Horizons to supplement her- if she likes it- as well as for my oldest. My 9 yo dd is needing to slow down a bit with her math, so I ordered Horizons 6 for her. She is finished with the Singapore through level 6 and I do not want to go on to NEM yet.

and Saxon math for older children (6th grade and up).