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Counting, number recognition, and sequencing; addition and subtraction stories; sorting; patterning, identifying shapes and geometric designs; telling time to the hour; using a calendar. There are no workbooks. 112 lessons.

Customer Reviews

 
Jennifer P. from Virginia wrote the following on 10/19/2006:
We have been using Saxon K this year and have enjoyed it. My 4.5 year old daugther has had fun with the short, to-the-point, lessons. The easy to use teacher's manual contains the lessons, so you must have it. There is little teacher prep required, and any supplies needed are outlined at the beginning of the lesson. There are a few days requiring the teacher to cut out shapes in a variety of colors - that has been the most time consuming prep so far. I did buy the full package of manipulatives (K-3 complete kit w/optional items, the wooden blocks and Judy clock), which are lots fun to use. They are definitely worth the investment, especially if you use them for 4 years (K-3) and mulitiple children. I had read that the program was a little slow, and that's true. We have modified the timing to move it along a little faster. They recommend 3 lessons/week and we are doing 5 lessons/week. Since the calendar work is stressed, I had to modify the meeting book and scripted lessons slightly as well to work with our schedule. Overall, I can see the groundwork being laid for my daugther's mathmatical learning. Having the spiral lessons already planned out saves me time and worry. I know that she is learning what she needs to learn with very little effort on my part. That, to me, makes this program worth its price. I can then spend more time planning our unit studies involving our other subjects. We will finish Saxon K's 112 lessons in about 5 months and I plan to move on to Saxon 1 in January.

 
Jill G. from Texas wrote the following on 01/09/2007:
I recently finished Saxon K with my daughter who just turned 5. I bought the full kit, including manipulatives. In general, I am pleased with the program, although there are a few things that I would change if I could. The teachers manual is well done and easy to use. The occasional prep is not that time consuming. The calender concepts are extremely important for this age, and I liked them so well that I have adapted that lesson to do every morning with our weather report. My daughter likes calender time too, and added a writing component on her own, so that she writes the day and date each day. The material was simple and the presentation somewhat slow for a child who already knew a fair amount. It took my daughter about 4 1/2 months to finish all of the material. I adapted many lessons to combine concepts when she expressed frustration with the amount of repetition or the fact that she thought some lessons quit just as they were getting interesting. For example, there are teddy bear stories that are essentially +/- problems. My daughter insisted that we needed to write the equations to go with the stories. For me, adapting was not a real issue. I saw the lessons as a great starting point, and if she wanted to write equations or do every single tanagram puzzle in one sitting that was fine with me. My main difficulty with the program is that it is tied heavily to a traditional school year and pace. The lessons are titled along the lines of First lesson in October, so some of the lessons in the book are tied to seasons and the calender workbook assumes you will complete the material at the pace described in the teachers manual. I had trouble adapting the workbook for our more rapid pace, and quit using it about a month after we started. For a homeschool text, I would prefer lessons that aren't tied to a traditional schedule. Despite my dislike of the prescribed pacing, I am buying the Saxon 1 kit. The Saxon K lessons were extremely well done and introduced many ideas that I wouldn't necessarily have thought of if I was just making this up on my own. (I have a graduate degree in math, so I'm not easy to please when it comes to good lessons.)

 
Melissa J. from MO wrote the following on 06/16/2007:
I LOVE this program! I can't say enough about how well this has worked for our family! First of all learning the calendar is part of the lessons, I know that this is something I would never get to if it wasn't built in like that. I also like how the assessments are built in, and the scripted lessons are very nice for a mom who is not strong in math! I feel very confident teaching Saxon math. I think the use of manipulatives is helpful at this level as well to make the information more concrete. Over the course of a year we have learned many useful math games. Almost every lesson, my daughter thought we were just playing, when in reality she was learning all along. Saxon fits with my philosophy that children are always learning and hands-on learning is best while they are young.

 
Teri A. from North Carolina wrote the following on 08/02/2009:
We used Saxon Math K Home Study Kit with my son when he was 4. It was a gentle and fun introduction to math, the kind of thing I wish I'd had when I was a kid! The lessons are completely scripted, and little teacher prep is required. There's no writing involved. However, you will want to get the manipulatives kit to go with this (you will use it through the 3rd grade if you continue on with Saxon Math, so it's a good investment). My son used to ask to play with the manipulatives, even in between lessons. We're using the Well-Trained Mind, which suggests you don't really need a kindergarten math program, but we don't regret starting out with Math K, just the same. It was pure fun, and a great way to get off on the right foot with math.

 
Kelly L. from NY wrote the following on 10/05/2006:
My friend recommended the Saxon K-3 math program to me and I've not been disappointed! Last year (for kindergarten) my dd would CRY whenever the "other" math curriculum was brought out. With Saxon, she LOVES math. She doesn't even realize she is "doing math" because she enjoys it so much. She is a very hands on, visual learner - this program is great for her. I think it would be great for all types of learning styles. The teacher's manual is wonderful. Everything is very clear and easy to understand. Virtually no prep work is required. The only thing I wish I would have known going in is to have the manipulatives on hand to begin the year. Either order the Saxon Manipulatives kit or order things piece by piece of what you don't have in your house already. Also, yes, you really *do* need The Meeting book. It's a very important part of this program. All in all, I give this set an A+ for delivering exactly what I needed!

 
Amy G. from TN wrote the following on 11/01/2006:
We have used Saxon levels K-2; using Math 2 for 1st grade last year at the recommendation of a classical education company. My daughter learned a great wealth of information and several math tricks to help her remember ways to solve problems. She also learned good information about calendars, graphing, shapes, skip counting, measurement, and temperature. Saxon may be slower moving than other math programs in many ways (much slower in multiple digit addition and subtraction and place value), but the shape and number pattern exercises were much more challenging than other programs I've seen at this grade level. For example, Saxon would say something like, "finish the pattern: 59, 57, 53, 51, ___, ___, ___" and not tell you how. The children just have to read the numbers and find the pattern. Another program similar to Saxon would say, "Fill in the missing numbers by counting by 3's: 3, 6, 9, ___, ___, ___, ___." So with patterns, there is a bit more brainwork required from the student. The program is very easy to use; very little preparation time required. The first page of each lesson tells you what to prepare the night before or in the morning, and the materials you'll need. The teacher's manual is absolutely necessary and the scripted lessons are a big time saver, especially if you are a new teacher or if you lack confidence in your ability to say the right words during your lessons. With Saxon, the Meeting (done at the beginning of each lesson) is a good time for multiple ages (a.k.a. younger siblings) to listen in on, as they can pick up on some good information dealing with calendar, graphs, weather, etc....and the Meeting is easy to modify to use with different ages. The second part of the lesson was easier for me to do just with my 1st grader alone. Saxon is great for hands-on learners who like to move slowly in learning new things. It is extremely repetitive, which can be both a blessing and a curse. This math program will not allow you to forget anything. From one year to the next, there are a lot of lessons that slowly review what was learned the previous year. Some children love that repetition and others say, "I already know that! Why do I have to do this again?" So for a child who is quick at math, I would say this program might be frustrating in some ways; however, if the teacher can speed up the pace a bit and skip some of the busy work, it is a very thorough math curriculum which provides a solid foundation in math. The expense of the product is worth the cost if you value having your lessons planned and scripted for you, especially if you plan to use it with several children. If you do not like reading from a script when doing your schooling, a different math curriculum (such as Horizons) would probably be a better value for you.

 
kathy c. from florida wrote the following on 11/28/2006:
I ABSOUTLY LOVE all the Saxon math products! I've found them to be well planned and thorough programs! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a complete math program!! I homeschool two children; one who according to the public school time line would only be entering 1st grade this year and another who is in 3rd grade. My "1st" grader has done all the programs along with my older daughter since day one. I am going to order the Math 5/4 for my older daughter, not because this program is too easy but because this is such a thorough program, they learn so much and so well! this program is worth every penny and more!!

 
Lynne D. from Massachusetts wrote the following on 01/08/2007:
Over the last three years, I have found the Saxon Math program to be extremely helpful in my homeschool program. The repetition, exercises, and additive nature of the system worked well for both my older daughter, who was behind typical grade level, and my younger daughter, who is above typical grade level. I agree that the "some, and some more" approach to mathematics is a bit unnerving at times, but I just explain that there are clue words in mathematical problems to help you solve them. I am ordering Math 5/4 for my 8 year old now, again, not because it is too easy, but because she has been able to systematically advance at a great pace. I really like this program.

 
Sonya T. from AL wrote the following on 07/05/2007:
I have used both Saxon 2 and 3 with my two sons and love it. The teacher's role is clearly defined for each lesson. You simple say what the book tells you to say. If you look at the next day's lesson, all planning is clearly defined so your child is not left hanging as you gather the required materials for the lesson. Having used this program with two completely different learning styles, I can honestly say it works for the advanced learner, and the kinesthetic learner. If a lesson was something my child had already mastered, I simply skipped it and moved on. I also individualized the Daily Meetings to their own needs. If counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's was too easy, I would let them count by two numbers they were comfortable with, then add in a new count. By the end of the year we were only doing multiplication counts, as they both mastered telling time and the calendar. We did, however, continue the Meeting Sheet all the way through to the end of the year. The book is simply a guide and you have the ability to change it around to best meet the needs of your child. One bonus of using this with two children close in age - my youngest is very familiar now with the 3rd Grade work, as he was exposed to it daily last year. I love this program and will continue to use it with the boys.

 
Terese P. from Elizabethtown, KY wrote the following on 07/26/2007:
Are you looking for a thorough, meaty math program? Are you able to spend 20-30 minutes of one-on-one time each day with your student (Or do you have an older student that you could partner with your younger student to help at times)? As the mom of 7 very different children, I can say that Saxon is an excellent choice, but you can't expect to be able to just "have them do their workbook page for the day" all by themselves. Saxon is very usable -- teachers manual is excellent, telling you word for word what to say and do with your student. It constantly reviews concepts, and builds wonderfully from lesson to lesson, and year to year. Strong choice for learners that like hands-on, adaptable for those learners that are past the concrete.

 
Lisa O. from New Jersey wrote the following on 12/07/2007:
This is my first year homeschooling and I love, love Saxon Math and so does my son. They introduce a concept and then it is repeated over and over even weeks later. The teacher's manual spells out exactly what you should be saying (I usually use it as a guide). I review it the night before and we are good to go. My son is getting a strong foundation in math and I plan on using Saxon Math again and again.

 
Ruth C. from OH wrote the following on 02/12/2008:
This is such an awesome kit! I cannot believe how much my son has learned. He picks new material up so quickly. The lesson plans were easy to follow. With a newborn I was a little worried about prep. time, but really there is very little that has to be done ahead of time. While my son is working with his meeting book, I'm getting all the supplies together. We will be continuing to use the Saxon math program as we progress.

 
Angela K. from Pittsburgh, PA wrote the following on 02/18/2008:
After using the Phonics I had to use the math. Just like the Phonics program I was very pleased with this one also. Very hands on which was a plus for my little guy. My 5 year old likes to join in on some of the lessons too. Saxon seems to have a way of making things very easy to understand. For example I like the idea of using money to teach place value and addition. Too bad Saxon hasn’t made curriculum in other subjects.

 
Rachel Y. from Virginia wrote the following on 06/10/2008:
I would highly recommend Saxon Math 1. My daughter is a bright girl but this curriculum with its' reputation of being repetitive has not been boring for her at all. Indeed, there is a lot of repetition as you may have already heard but I enjoy it because it drills concepts in children's minds. They're not simply learning a concept only to forget it as the year goes on, but this is something they will remember forever. Another positive aspect of Saxon is the way they introduce concepts. I have used some other curricula that left the teaching up to me and I would rack my brain trying to think of the easiest way to teach the concept to my daughter only to become totally overwhelmed and end up confusing my daughter as well. Not to mention I have two younger children and don't have as much time to plan lessons as others may. The concepts in Saxon are wisely and so simply introduced in ways that are easy for me to explain (after all I'm simply reading a script) and the concept clicks with my daughter in a matter of seconds. So yes, the teacher's manual is a must and it is worth every penny! For those of you who do not like the repetition, skip it. For those of you who want a more quicker paced learning, use the next level up. Some people look into other math programs because they want a more colorful program but Saxon has the children coloring their lessons and my daughter has had a blast with that. Overall, I enjoy the peaceful and steady pace of Saxon and my daughter absolutely loves it as well. The "repetition" in my opinion is a blessing, not a flaw. Children love stability and my daughter knows that every day when we begin our math, she will start with the calendar and she can't wait. Saxon has also helped her to master concepts before we've moved on which to me is great. She has learned everything I hoped for her to learn and much, much more. BTW, if you can afford it, get the manipulative kits, they were one of the highlights to the program for my daughter. :)

 
Nancy C. from Midlothian, VA wrote the following on 01/18/2009:
Saxon is not the program that I thought would be a good fit for my twins, now 10. They are both fairly creative learners, active, and what I had always heard about Saxon Math was that it is "drill and kill" and repetitive--in short, it seemed exactly not the way I saw my children learning. I have been very pleasantly surprised with just how well Saxon has met our needs and how eager my boys are to do the work. For K-middle of 3rd grade, we had used a combination of programs: primarily Math-U-See, supplemented with Singapore Math and DK workbooks. I've never been a single-curriculum user; I tend to use most materials as "resources" more than a single program to meet all of our needs. I was very happy with what we did in those early years, but what motivated me to try Saxon was wanting to cover more areas of math to better prepare for testing in the middle grades. The spiraling approach was appealing to me. I'm now using Saxon 1 with my 1st grader, and it's a better fit for her than it would have been for her older brothers. She enjoys the many drawing activities ("There were 5 turkey sandwiches on the picnic table and 3 peanut butter sandwiches. Draw a picture and write a number sentence to tell how many sandwiches were on the table altogether."), whereas they would have felt overwhelmed by the amount of pencil work involved. My daughter looks forward to the varied activities for each day. As the parent, I do find that Saxon at those early levels (up to 2 or 3) does require more involvement from me and is simply more time-consuming if you choose to do many of the daily activities like calendar work, writing the date, charting the temperature. My daughter loves this stuff, but I'll admit, some days it just makes me tired and I long for the simplicity of the other math curricula I've used! What my 5/4 and 6/5 children like about Saxon is that it is straightforward. It's no frills (though I think many of the word problems are rather creative and fun!). They wake up each morning and know exactly what they need to do, and this routine is comforting. They both approach math in different ways. One of my twins is much more confident about his math abilities, and he has liked Saxon because there is such a variety of problems that he doesn't get bored doing the same concept over and over day after day. His brother has seen his confidence grow because things move in this program at a manageable pace. And I have been pleased because I feel that Saxon prepares them well for testing. It is more tied to standards than some of the other programs we've used, and I don't approach testing time wondering if we should have taken some time to at least acquaint ourselves with probability or some other topic that may not have been covered in some of the mastery-based, single-topic programs. With all that said, I am still supplementing Saxon a bit--throwing in a bit of Math-U-See for some extra practice on some concepts (fractions, for example), and I'm also having them use some of the "Key To..." series to reinforce some things. But overall, Saxon has definitely surprised us in that it turned math into a confident, no-more-tears situation and into a subject that my boys want to now do first. It feels right on for poising us well to be prepared for moving into pre-algebra, and after researching other curricula as they have finished their Saxon book, I see by looking at placement tests for other programs that they are might even be able to skip some levels of other programs based on how well-prepared they have been from using the middle-grade saxon books.

 
April F. from Middle Tennessee wrote the following on 03/26/2009:
As a former "math-phobic" I was extremely apprehensive about teaching my children mathematics. I knew how I dreaded this subject in school and did not wish for my children to have the same experience. Then I found Saxon Math and after using it for several years I can say I am very pleased with this curriculum. My oldest is in the sixth grade and never has struggled with math in the way I did. My second grader loves math also. Saxon takes tricky topics such as borrowing and carrying and finds sensible ways to explain the process so that it all logically makes sense. When a student sees the logic behind a process, it is easy for them to remember the steps. Even all those "Math Facts" (basic math) are organized and presented so the mathematical patterns are obvious. The teacher's manuals tell you exactly what to say and "Voila!" you've explained a difficult concept with no tears and confusion. In the lower grades, 1-3, there may be a little pre-lesson preparation (typically involving common manipulatives, money, or household objects), but after grade three, most of the time my daughter could simply read the explanations from the lesson and figure out what to do from there. When she does approach me with a question, I can easily figure out the process from the lesson. Saxon Math is a great value, since a student has a firm grasp on the basics before needing to apply them to more complex problems.

 
Rachel S. from Leicester, NC wrote the following on 04/14/2009:
All I can say is WOW! I changed mid-year to Saxon Math 1 (also using Phonics as well!) and it has been the best math curriculum I have ever used. My son has been learning effortlessly. The lessons are set up in a way that he is learning and he doesn't even realize it! There are drills and I was nervous that he would struggle through. I gave him his first one and helped him with the first one, I got distracted for a few minutes and when I went back to him he was done and this was his first drill! The kit is great, it comes with everything including flash cards. The price is much less than other math I had looked at and even if it was more the material is worth it. The teachers manual is great. At this level you don't necessarily need it to teach the math but the manual has excellent ideas on how to play to learn and reinforce what they have already learned. My son loves doing the activities. I wouldn't have tried to teach it just with workbooks alone, I like having the Teacher's Manual to guide me. There is very little preparation needed between each lesson and at one glance at the next lesson you can see what you need if anything. My daughter is using Saxon on a different level and I have found the same for her. She isn't struggling but yet is challenged. The level she is at has "Mental Math" which is great! It exercises the brain and gets her in the "math zone" there are also drills which they can time themselves on and try to beat their time with the next one! The lessons for her are set up so that they are only introducing one concept at a time, then in later lessons they will refer back and expand upon the previous concept. I was a bit dismayed to find out that there is no Teacher's Manual to her grade but once I got the book and looked at it I realized that I didn't need one. It is easy enough to understand that an additional Teacher's Edition wasn't needed and just would have been an unneeded expense. I won't be using anything else for math but Saxon!

 
Heidi D. from Western NY wrote the following on 05/25/2009:
I have to be honest that when we started Saxon math that I hated it. It seemed to take a long time to get through a lesson. However, I can honestly say that my daughter not only did well but the struggles she had in the beginning were overcome through the daily practice during meeting time. It's almost like second nature for her to answer multiplication and division problems. I have been very happy with the program and I plan to use it with my other children.

 
Heather C. from Louisville, Ky wrote the following on 07/17/2009:
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Saxon Math! My daughter is now going into the 4th grade and we have used it since the beginning. The repetition is awesome, the concepts are well laid out, easy to teach and learn. She learns complex math concepts without knowing they are complex! We couldn't be happier!!

 
Lisa T. from Burns, TN wrote the following on 03/10/2010:
My son and I absolutely LOVE Saxon Math! My son had been in public school until this year and had been deemed to have a "slight learning disability" in math. I ordered Saxon Math 3 and was a little worried because I had heard it was more for advanced children. I was worried for nothing! The teacher's manual explains everything in order for you teach your child in a way that actually makes sense! It teaches by association therefore you child is constantly using information from previous lessons in order to learn the new concept! All of the lessons are thoroughly planned out and ready for you to teach. All I do is go over the lesson the night before then we're ready to go the next morning. The flash cards that come with the program are awesome. They are used almost daily and with that repetition comes memorization. The manipulatives are surely needed for this program and my son absolutely LOVES "getting" to use them. They make the lesson fun! We do use the meeting book, especially for the calendar and counting strips but not every day. As far as this math being for "advanced" children, I feel that AFTER using Saxon then he is and will become even more advanced. He enjoys math now because he UNDERSTANDS! My nephew who is in the same grade but in public school is just now learning things that my son learned months ago yet the way he (nephew) is being taught these concepts aren't in a way he'll likely remember them. This is an AWESOME program. I feel like it teaches in a way that makes sense to the child. Honestly, had I been taught math in the way that Saxon teaches then I would've actually enjoyed learning. I can honestly say, I can't imagine using any other program for teaching my son math. It is well worth the money! I just wish Saxon would come out with a program for every subject. That would make choosing curriculum SO much easier! I HIGHLY recommend Saxon Math!