Saxon? or Something Else?--My Opinions on Options for Homeschool Math

When I started homeschooling, there weren’t many math curricula to choose from; most people I knew used Saxon. I started out that way, but I have tried many different things over the years. Here are the pros and cons of the different programs our family has used. Though your children will have different needs from my children, I hope this will help you in your search for a good “fit” for your family.
And here’s the punchline (in case you don’t want to read through my whole review to get it): I prefer living books--with enrichment from various sources as needed--for the elementary years, then MUS for secondary students.

Saxon (I haven’t used the DVD's, only the books)
Saxon is thorough. There is lots of repetition and lots of drill. So students using Saxon usually test well. The explanations are pretty good, so students can learn independently.
What I don't like about Saxon books is that they tell how to do the math, but not why. This isn't too bad in the lower level books, but gets really obnoxious by Algebra II. Some of my kids weren't bothered, but others hated it.

traditional textbooks
Obviously I can't cover every publisher's math books, but I've had a pretty good experience with the ones I've seen and used. One advantage is that they're colorful. (Some of my kids had a hard time with Saxon's lack of color.) But they are, of course, a "parts to whole" approach--so I think there are better options.

MathUSee (MUS)
Math U See has the best explanations I have seen of why we do math a certain way. Often it takes the "long way around" a topic in order to help the student see the why before showing the shortcut.
Another advantage of MUS: Steve Demme is funny! I have caught my reluctant math students smiling as they watched the DVD's.
I love the basic manipulatives and the fraction manipulatives. We use the algebra manipulatives only rarely.
A disadvantage of the elementary MUS levels is that they spend a whole year focused on one topic (while reviewing other topics, of course). I got the Gamma level when L was struggling with multiplication. It helped her, but spending a whole year on multiplication would have been way too much.
I like the secondary levels a lot, especially with the Honors problems added.

Life of Fred (See my previous post.)
We have only used Fred's Beginning Algebra, and it was very engaging. It is whole to parts, but I feel there is not always enough explanation. We used it along with MUS.

Miquon Math (uses Cuisinaire rods)
This is a curriculum for grades 1-3 only. You do need the teacher's book, because it has fantastic explanations and additional activities.
Miquon is pretty structured, but I like to pick and choose from the wide variety of activities. Even though it is workbook-style, the pages seem appealing to kids.

Cuisinaire books
These are not a specific sequence of books, but just books on a variety of topics, published by the same people who make the rods. Not only are there books for the basic arithmetic operations, but spatial problem solving, perimeter & area, and others.
One thing I do not like is that Cuisinaire equates a color with a number (e.g. add brown + green). I prefer the MUS manipulatives where marks on the block show what number it stands for. However, there is something nice about the wooden rods. D's math gnomes love to use them for all kinds of problems.

living books and activities
One of my favorite math resources is livingmath.net. This website has suggestions for living books about math (as well as lots of other very cool ideas and even lesson plans). It is totally "whole to parts" and I believe this type of math education is really plenty for the youngest children. As children get older, they can do games or other activities to drill the math facts, and don't really need texts at all.
Even in later years, "living math" is good for review and building interest. Though I wish we could have tried all of the recommended books, our favorites of what we have tried are the "Murderous Maths" series, certain of the "Math Start" series, the "Sir Cumference" books, and the game Mythmatical Battles (a card game using the times tables). Last, but not least, I love the DVD Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land.

Of course we have our math gnomes and other Waldorf-inspired activities. I'm not sure where to categorize them, but they are an important part of math classes at our house. If you need help with more ideas for those, look at alittlegardenflower.com.

Teaching math has probably been the most challenging part of my homeschool journey, but these days there are lots of resources to help.