Reviews four basic functions. Introduces multiplication of 2-digit by 2-digit with carrying, division with 2-digit divisor and quotient, addition/subtraction of unlike fractions, pre-algebra concepts, ratios, and more.

Customer Reviews

 
emily c. from Jefferson, ia wrote the following on 02/20/2006:
I have found Horizons math to be thorough and enjoyable. Lessons are colorful and include several different exercises, for example, a single lesson may cover time, money, addition, multiplication and word problems. This keeps each function fresh in the student's mind. The only problem I've found is that each set is about a year ahead of my child's level, so in 4th grade, she's using level 3, etc. Also additional practice in multiplication has been necessary. Overall it's the best program I've found thus far.

 
Anissa C. from Racine, WI wrote the following on 01/09/2007:
I have gone through countless number of math curriculums. Math did/does not come easy for my daughter. This is the ONLY math curriculum she understands and enjoys using. I highly recommend it to anyone that has a child struggling in this department. I really wished it went higher.

 
Sarah G. from Burke, VA wrote the following on 06/17/2007:
My 8yo daughter has been using Horizons Math since Kindergarten and I LOVE this program. More colorful than Saxon and much easier to understand. My daughter did the K and 1st grade books in one year. I like the review in each lesson, as well as the new concept covered. Not too lengthy as to frustrate a child, but only a few problems per section. One of the teacher's manuals has reproducible drill pages, extra worksheets, etc. if your child needs it. The only problem that my daughter had was this: going from the second grade book to the third grade book, the print got smaller and the space given for answers also got smaller. Students are asked to do more problems/sections than in second grade and it was a bit daunting at first. Being only seven and doing the 3rd grade book, her fine motor skills of writing her numbers pretty small just wasn't there. But, with patience and practice, this skill has been achieved and she is ready to move on to the 4th grade text for next year. I would HIGHLY recommend this curriculum to any home schooling parent.

 
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Monica B. from Lancaster County, PA wrote the following on 02/07/2007:
I know that some homeschoolers prefer mastery-based math programs over spiral learning math. However, we like the quick hits on new topics with lots of short review in subsequent lessons. My math-despising daughter actually likes Horizons because she does a variety of problem types in each lesson instead of one problem type over and over. When first starting this program, you should know that is is very difficult to start in the middle of any given course because of the spiral approach. We switched to Horizons from another program mid-year. We had covered a number of the concepts already but I chose to start at the beginning of the course because I couldn't figure out where else to begin. The concepts we needed to cover were woven in a few lessons at a time throughout the entire course so I couldn't just start in the middle and go because we would have missed all the groundwork laid in the earlier lessons. It is a lot of review -- but I figure the review can't hurt!

 
Amy G. from TN wrote the following on 04/02/2007:
Horizons 2nd grade math program was enthusiastically welcomed by my 7-year-old after using a different program since Kindergarten. At first glance, she loved the colorful pictures, connect-the-dots, crossword puzzles, and secret code puzzles in the workbooks. As she curiously thumbed through the books, she was a little nervous that it looked “too hard” for her, but I told her just to take one lesson at a time, and she has progressed very well and with a great attitude. Horizons seems to be advanced in the presentation of multiple digit addition and subtraction, Roman numerals, multiplication, and place value compared to some of the other spiral-learning 2nd grade curricula. It teaches skip-counting by 1’s through 10’s, ordinal numbers to 100, simple equations, fractions, telling time to the minute, Roman numerals, tally marks, money, calendar, graphs, ratio, area, perimeter, volume, decimals, and much more. Our family and friends have been impressed at how quickly and confidently my daughter can work multiplication facts and four-digit addition and subtraction (with regrouping) problems. One friend told me that the work my 2nd grader is doing in Horizons 2 looks like it’s on the same level as the math her 3rd grader is doing. This program is easy to use because it is very well organized--the teacher’s manual has two parts, Part One has lesson plans, manipulatives needed for each lesson, and activity suggestions, and Part Two contains reduced-size student pages with the answers, and a section of worksheets and charts for supplemental practice. Having the answer key handy was a real time saver for us, and we did use some of the worksheets, but not all of them (for the most part, the workbooks contain plenty of practice). The teacher’s manual gives simple ideas for presenting a topic. For example, when teaching multiple digit addition and subtracting with regrouping, it recommends using base ten blocks to illustrate the concept (and if the teacher does not have base ten blocks, it gives ideas for making your own place value manipulatives out of drinking straws). Although the teacher’s manual is helpful in many ways, at times it is not very thorough in explaining “how” to teach different concepts step by step. For someone who is mathematically minded, that would probably not present a problem, but I have had to use math websites online for additional ways to explain tricky concepts such as converting Roman numerals to Arabic numerals. We have also supplemented this curriculum with file folder games and CD’s with math songs for further practice in addition, subtraction, skip counting, and multiplication. Another minor thing about this curriculum that could use revision is that there are no clear instructions for making the flashcards to go with the lessons. The manual tells the teacher to make flashcards for different topics like measurement conversions and time equivalents, but it doesn't give detailed directions for making these flashcards, so the teacher just has to figure it out. This is not a big deal, but it does take up precious time! Other than making the flashcards and gathering the manipulatives for each lesson, teacher preparation time is minimal. The Horizons math workbooks are very inviting to visual learners who don’t mind a lot of color and information on one page. To me, some of the pages are a bit cluttered, but for my daughter, the “busy,” colorful pages help hold her attention and make the learning seem more fun. She likes that there are several different topics within each lesson—it is definitely not boring! For example, Lesson 140 covers sequence, equations, addition, subtraction, symmetry, solids, and multiplication all in the same lesson. For a child (or a parent) who becomes easily frustrated with switching gears quickly, this would not work well. For us, the way Horizons presents challenging math topics in incremental steps is one of its best features. It continually reviews the topics throughout the year to help the students to remember the information. Horizons math is priced very reasonably compared to other popular math curricula. We plan to continue using Horizons math all the way through 6th grade!

 
Jill S. from Palm Harbor wrote the following on 06/22/2007:
We started homeschooling our oldest child beginning in 3rd grade. She had been in a Montessori school from preschool through 2nd grade and was advanced in math. We started with Level 3 because everyone said Horizons was so advanced. Overall the books are fantastic. They offer a variety of problems with each lesson. The lessons regularly provide review of past material. It is bright and pleasant to look at (no color is very dull for an 8 year old). Each lesson also provides a reasonable number of problems especially for a student who gets bored easily/tired of doing the same type of problem repeatedly. With that said, my only 'negative' comment is if you have a very advanced math learner. By the end of the 1st book, my child was getting bored with doing the problems over concepts she had 'mastered'. Therefore by the 2nd book, if it was a review concept, I would select a few problems from that particular section of the lesson (for example if there were 8 subtraction problems I would have her do 3 or 4). If a concept was being reviewed more frequently through a series of lessons, sometimes I would allow her to completely skip sections of review problems.

 
Vicki W. from San antonio TX wrote the following on 10/27/2007:
I went through several different math programs with my first child, and I finally landed on Horizon. I, too, like its variety in a lesson. I have found that I can move directly into Algebra I from Horizon 6 without any intermediate work. My biggest complaint is that they do not continue into the upper maths! I really didn't want to have to switch.

 
Suelynn H. from Tennessee wrote the following on 02/03/2008:
Our family has used all but 6th grade so far for this math program and has achieved positive results. To fully achieve all the program has designed, you MUST purchase the teachers manual. Instructions/lessons are not presented in the worktext until 4th grade. In addition, you must drill math facts on a regular basis besides using worksheets....there is not enough practice in the workbooks. I also highly recommend buying the optional worksheets (or copying them from teachers manual). These provide invaluable practice. This program works well for visual and hands-on learners. Plenty of opportunities for easy manipulatives. What I like best about the program is the continual review (they call it the spiral method). Concepts are never forgotten since the student reviews them continually throughout the year. My only criticism is that the program is weak with their word problems. I use a daily problem solving book to compensate.

 
Joanna R. from WV wrote the following on 06/02/2008:
I cannot tell you how happy I have been with our Horizons math! I have a daughter starting 2nd grade in the fall who will be starting Book two of Horizons 1st grade math. My third grader will start the second book on 2nd grade Horizon math. Even so, both are ahead of their respective grades in math in the local public schools. I spend very little time preparing for our lessons. 1st grade was the longest period to teach as we used a lot of manipulatives but I felt it was time well spent and they even give you a chart to show which manipulatives will be needed for each lesson. I used to copy all the worksheets which was time consuming but now, bless them, they offer the worksheets in a loose leaf packet. They both have very different learning styles, i.e. my 3rd grader is a very quick, self-guided learner while my 2nd grader has a low threshold on concentration. Each year there are 160 lessons, with a test every ten lessons. (They expect the student to do a regular lesson on top of the test, but we don't.) I also found that sometimes when there are twenty or more problems to do of double digit addition, for example, that I highlight half for them to complete. If they miss any, they have to do one extra problem for each one missed. This has helped especially my daughter not to feel overwhelmed with a whole page of problems to do and has been very good motivation for my son. Also, I don't stress over trying to finish one lesson every day. Sometimes we supplement with lessons such as consumer math lessons or extra work on telling time since sometimes (especially for daughter) the spiral method moves on before she has mastered a new subject. We also don't do all the worksheets, but found the kids both love the timed math drills. I am very happy with this program. Highly recommended!

 
Stephanie B. from Memphis, TN wrote the following on 06/17/2008:
My son began Kindergarten with a particular math program that I purchased in a box curriculum. We both grew frustrated with the slow pace and we almost completed the entire book by Christmas. I began looking for something more challenging to finish the year with and found Horizons Math K. Since it was the middle of the school year, we began with Book 2 but had no problems transitioning from a very basic curriculum to more challenging material. My son loved Horizons (and so did I!) and really came to look forward to math. Each lesson is a mix of different types of problems (spiral method) and gives enough practice without overwhelming the student. I used the TE very little, though it is worth having as it does have more material than the student worksheets do. Because it is so easy to use, I did not have to prepare lessons ahead of time, though if you follow the TE closely, there would be some prep work needed, but mostly just having some kind of manipulatives handy. There are number lines on most pages where addition and subtraction take place and this was very helpful for my son to visually see the numbers. My second son is now doing K, and also enjoys it. I plan to use this material for the rest of my children and consider the price a great value.

 
Sandy S. from Chino, CA wrote the following on 08/17/2008:
I have used Horizon math since I began homeschooling 10 years ago. My children enjoy the colorful workbook pages. The workbook format is convenient for grading and work sample submission. Horizon 1 provides a solid foundation for further success in math. At this level the TM does provide some direction and support but for my family I usually do math with the child and correct while we do the lesson. This program is well worth the minimal cost. I have found my children have greatly benefited from the foundation set in Horizon 1.

 
Robin S. from Illinois wrote the following on 10/15/2008:
I could not be happier with the Horizons math program. Each day offers some review problems as well as introducing a new concept or building upon a concept already learned. This helps to keep my 8 year old interested in math. I have found it very easy to teach with minimal preparation. The teacher's manual can at times be a little vague in how to teach new concepts but otherwise is a helpful resource. I recommend using the placement assessments to decide which level to use as it does seem to be ahead of some curriculum for the same grade. Horizons has been a great fit for my family. My daughter who was bored to tears with the repetition of our previous program once again enjoys math!

 
Suzanne W. from Castle Rock, CO wrote the following on 09/25/2009:
My kids LOVE Horizons Math! I started my 1st and kindergartner on this program and we're about 1/3 of the way through the first books. We got both the K and 1st grade levels, and although they are somewhat challenging for them, they keep their interest. The pages are colorful and interesting and my kids now enjoy doing math, something my daughter was good at, but didn't enjoy doing before. Now they both open their math books and get started without my help. At this level, the kids can't work completely independently, however. I first began by using the teacher's guide as a step-by-step manual to teaching math. That's one option, but as we've progressed, I use the teacher's manual as more of a reference than a script . It is worth buying though. Some of the lessons between grades K and 1 overlap thematically, although the difficulty level varies. This makes it easy to to multi-level teaching (i.e., place value) and vary only the problem difficulty, not the topic. I highly recommend Horizons math. I also recommend taking their placement test first, to ensure that you're placing your child in the correct grade level.

 
Andrea R. from Jackson MO wrote the following on 02/02/2010:
We just switched to Horizons Mathematics last month after using another math program. My son was becoming very frustrated with the other program and I knew that I had to do something. I absolutely love Horizons mathematics and so does my son. He no longer dreads Math time and is excited each day to do his work. He has never been a big workbook kind of kid, but really likes the colorful student workbooks and likes to do them. The teacher's guide is wonderful and I have no prep time. It is very easy to follow and takes you step by step through each section of his work each day, telling you exactly what to say to help the student learn each concept. The price is very reasonable and I love that Rainbow put together the maniputlative kit to order to supplement this program. I was able to make a math tote and each day when it is time for math we grab our books, get out the tote of manipulatives and we are ready to go. My 4 year old daughter loves to join us for manipulative time and she is learning so much from hearing the explanations to her brother. Thanks Rainbow for carrying this product and for being such a wonderful resource for Homeschooling Families.