Horizons
Math
Horizons Mathematics is another math curriculum for early grades from Alpha Omega publications, besides the Lifepacs. Lifepacs use the 'mastery' principle - student completely masters one concept before moving on to the next. But Horizons uses the spiraling approach: students work on several concepts at a time, reviewing them often. The workbooks are very colorful. From the publisher's website:
"Hands-on learning is included in every lesson through the use of manipulatives suggested in the teacher's guide. All material is presented in a 'spiral-learning' format. This is where a few concepts are introduced at a time as the material is reviewed and previous concepts are reinforced."
"Fundamental concepts previously obtained in earlier units are reviewed in subsequent grade levels for true mastery. Every math concept follows a general pattern of gradual development in all seven grade levels."
Student workbooks $25-$27/year, teacher handbook $50/year.
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Reviews of Horizons Math curriculum
I WAS GOING TO SWITCH TO S.O.S.(SWITCHED ON SCHOOLHOUSE) AND THEY WERE GOING TO PLACE MY DD IN THE CORRECT LEVEL FOR MATH; WHEN I TOLD THEM SHE HAD USED SOS SINCE K THEY SAID OH SHE IS GOING TO BE ON A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL, HORIZONS IS VERY INDEPTH IN ALL THEIR SUBJECTS.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I LOVED IT BECAUSE MY DD LEARNED SO FAST!
Any other helpful hints:
DON'T ORDER THE TEACHERS' MANUALS, I DID THE 1ST YR. AND NEVER USED THEM.
TAMMY F FEAZELLE
Review left May 1, 2008
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| Grade levels: ? |
Time: 5 years |
My oldest used Miquon for K-1. After realizing he did not know any math facts (3+5, etc.) without rods in his hands, I wanted a different curriculum. We switched to Horizons, having to start back in 1 because he was not ready for 2 due to the bad start in Miquon. He did 1, 2, & 3 over 2 years.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I really liked this for 1-3 (my youngest is in K now, and that is good), however, I found the pace of 4 just unreal. He is reasonably bright in math, but especially the pace of fractions was way too fast. I would plan on doing all the extra workbook assignments, and maybe extra practice and slow this down (it already was taking him 1 hour a day to do it with extra work) or switch. The reason I liked it was that I could assign a lesson and he could pretty much do it himself. Having to back up, slow down, and add it extras, removes this.
Any other helpful hints:
Great for K-3, but then pace gets too fast.
Cathy
Review left March 27, 2008
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| Grade levels: ? |
Time: 2 years |
We knew before we even had children that we'd homeschool, and when our daughter was born and ready for Kindergarten we purchased one of those complete curriculums from an online homeschool store. It included Horizons math, and we really loved it.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
It was very challenging, but reviewed everything over and over again.
Any other helpful hints:
I didn't use the teachers manual last year in Kindergarten, but referred to it often this year (1st grade). They have extra worksheets that we used for homework. We'll definitely use it again next year.
Ruth
Review left March 26, 2008
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| Grade levels: Kindergarten |
Time: 9 months |
I am a 1st time homeschooler with no experience and I find the Horizon book easy to get through for this grade level. It's colorful and allows extra handwriting practice. My only trouble with it is that it is very challenging early on. My 6 yr old doesn't seem to have trouble completing it, but needs my help and doesn't really "get it" before moving on to a new concept. I have only worked on book 1 and am considering saving book 2 to use for first grade because it moves so fast. I am also considering changing math curriculum completely since I've never tried anything else. My niece is a second grader in public school and doing the same math as my kindergartner!
Liked it because it's colorful and has great pictures.
Didn't like it because it is very challenging and moves quickly before my child "got it".
This is not for a slow learner, in my opinion.
Kristy
Review left March 7, 2008
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| Grade levels: K-2 |
Time: 1 year 6 months |
I started using Horizons Math K when my son was four(he is now six). I knew I wanted to homeschool him when he was already starting to read at four and could count well past 100. I saw the Horizons workbooks in a catalog. I was a little anxious, because I didn't know what to expect. I held my breath, and took the plunge.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I have been absolutely thrilled with the math. When I first looked at even the kindergarten math, I thought it would be far to difficult for my son, but he has really surprised me. He's in first grade now and the work is so easy for him that we end up skipping alot of the busy work. He loves the variety, and every so often I hear "Oooooh! We haven't done that kind yet!" My brother in-law, who is a teacher in a private school, tells me my son is doing second grade work by their school's standards. I'm so glad that I had atleast presented him with the challenge. I use the book now mostly as a guide just to make sure we don't miss anything in the learning process, and there's plenty of practice if he needs it. We've been moving through 1st grade math so fast that we'll probably start 2nd grade math before summer is here. I really believe much of the credit should be given to the fact that the colors, the puzzles, and the simplified format look so exciting and fun. He is happy doing his schoolwork.
Any other helpful hints:
I do understand some parents frustration with the spiral learning, because of all the busy work, but I would suggest just using what you need from the books and leave the rest. The important thing is that your child learns, is presented with enough challenges to keep his little mind busy, and is having fun with it along the way.
Joy
Review left March 7, 2008
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I homeschooled my son last year using Math-U-See, which we loved. This year my son is at a new school that meets two days/week with the remaining 3 days at home. Horizons 3 is the math book the school has chosen to use for 3rd Grade.
We have found this book to be somewhat confusing for my 3rd grader. Perhaps we have found it more difficult because we have not been using Horizons from the beginning.
The primary struggle is that we never feel my son has mastered a concept before a new one is introduced. He is currently working on lessons that include Roman numerals, fractions, decimals, multiplication, division, distances, weights and measures, and monetary currency all at once. My son gets frustrated and confused by all the jumping around within each lesson. We have found that my son does much better if we take one concept at a time, stay with it until it's mastered, then move on.
I certainly believe there is a place for "spiral learning" but this book seems to "spiral" a bit too quickly for us.
Each parent must know his/her child's learning style and then find a curriculum that works well given their situation. This book may be wonderful for those children who need the change and the challenge of studying many concepts at once. However, this is not the case with my son.
Katherine
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We decided to try homeschooling last year (kindergarten) with my daughter. We were new to the homschooling scene so we just went with the math program that Sonlight suggested, Horizions math.
We love Horizon Math. It is just right for my daughter. It does just enough of each concept in each lesson for them to get it but not to much at a time so they dont get bored. It is a bit more advanced than the 1st grade Saxon Math I've seen. My daughter likes how colorful and interesting each page is.
The teachers manuals even early on are helpful. They made it easier for a mom new to homeschooling to be able to teach whats needed. It also gives lots of ideas for manipulatives and suggestions on ways to explain the lesson.
Any other helpful hints:
Horizons does uses a lot of flash card drilling so get a bunch of blank cards and read ahead so you can make, or buy the cards needed.
For kids that need to move a bit slower or need more focused drill Saxon may be a better fit.
Amber
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Your situation:
First year home-schooling. 3 kids - 3 different math books
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I loved it's systematic approach to each new concept. My trouble was not keeping up with the reading it would introduce (i.e. numbers written out, days & months). Found it to be very well rounded and nicely paced
Any other helpful hints:
I agree with the other entries about not needing the teachers manual in the early grades. I barely used mine and that's what most of the money goes towards when you buy the package.
C Walker
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I love Horizons math for many reasons!
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
Pros: Teaches to each learning style. I have 2 kids who love workbooks and are auditory and visual learners. Althoug this text is advanced, their organized manner made it a breeze. My middle daughter is 100% kinesthetic or hands on learner. I used Horizons for all 3, focusing more on the teachers manual tips and activities for the hands on learner. We would do a lot of the workbook with manipulatives only. Very colorful and wonderful spiral method used. Very good progression toward independent learning by including a little more student text at the top of the page each year until they were eventually reading the lesson independently, telling me what they had learned, then doing the workbook. Great detailed progression for flashcards in the teachers manual.
Recommend: Get the teachers manual for many important instructions to assist your child in understanding concepts and to do flashcards in a very detailed, progressive manner that made learning a breeze. All the teaching tasks for your hands on learners are in the teachers manual. No special manipulatives required. Can use what you have at home(popcorn, they provide sheet to copy for ones, tens, hundreds sticks).
Cons: Heavy in flashcard drills use grade 3, but I liked the attention to this important part of math. We varied between flashcards and "wrap ups" for variety.
Susan Taylor
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| Grades: K,1,2 |
Time: 3 years |
Your situation:
We have used Horizons from the start when a friend told us about it. We have been looking at some other math programs because we like to have what is the best fit for our children but so far have not found anything better. Our youngest takes about 10 min to finish an entire lesson, and our oldest takes up to an hour.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I love all the different topics worked on and reinforced each day. New concepts are introduced gradually so they are not hard to grasp. I feel there is too much repetition; for our younges it is just busy work, our oldest does about half of each section and only completes the remainder if he needs more practice. The quizzes are much easier than the preceding work so they are not a good test as to how your child is doing.
Any other helpful hints:
I feel this is similar to Saxon but concepts are introduced earlier. As of yet I have not needed the teacher's manuel although there have been a couple activities we have been unable to figure out how to do. I did notice that our oldest is having trouble memorizing the multiplication (as well as addition) facts so we have supplemented with some Family Math activitis. Every once in a while there is a concept one of them doesn't understand so I take the time to teach the concept at a later date using a hands on approach. Both of our children complete their lessons independently. Supervision is only needed to keep them focused, but very little help is actually needed.
Stephanie
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We started out with Bob Jones math and quickly switched to Horizons. I have used it now for almost 4 years.
I love this math with the exception of the instructions (I haven't used a teachers manual- although I am about to purchase one). My daughter loves the colorful pictures.
Any other helpful hints:
I would say that the one bad thing is the instructions. Things are not made clear in the workbooks. You have to guess. Even my mathematical husband has a hard time figuring out what they are saying.
kristi
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Your situation:
I have a child who would be in Kindergarten in Public schools because of a December birthday but was reading some on his fourth birthday. We started homeschooling in Kindergarten when he was 4.5 using Horizons Math and Phonics.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
Pros: While this curriculum is advanced, my child had no problems grasping concepts and completing the work. While this program is not intended to be handed to the child to work alone, as soon as my son could read the directions with ease, he does his math himself. I check over it as soon as he is finished and go over anything he missed or has questions on. Time taken to complete a lesson:10-20 minutes and sometimes less than that.
Cons: Teachers manual leaves a lot to be desired. Concepts are to be taught but the manual doesn't tell you how to teach them. I gave up on the manual half way through kindergarten and didn't even purchase it for first grade.
Any other helpful hints:
I used free printable math charts to color in skip counting and we sing silly songs or make up rhymes to go along with the counting. The best way to teach concepts with boys is with a bag of chips or package of cookies. There are many days that my math lessons are during lunch or sitting at the table during snack time. Overall, the worksheets have guided me on what material to cover with my son. I wish they would continue it past sixth, but I am not going to worry about switching until then. To have my newly turned 6 year old writing fractions, telling time, and solving word problems in his head is more than I would expect from a child, but I have learned that I should never underestimate what a person is capable of.
SD
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Your situation:
I used it with my oldest three children. My daughter is a visual learner and liked the colorful pages and actiities, but as the concepts got harder she began to falter and feel confused. She says she hates that it switches from topic to topic in each lesson. My son is an auditory learner and there are no descent explinations for him in the teacher's manual for me to share on more complicated topics. Our third is totally tactile and could not care less about the colorful pages, but feels frustrated by the skipping around to different topics in each lesson. They all have shared that they do not feel like they are getting math very well. So we are searching for a new curriculum.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I liked the colorful pages and cheerful way it presents math, but did not feel like we were getting very good explinations. If the parent/teacher is comfortable with math and teaching math this would be a really good choice. I recieved poor math instruction as a child and need more help in teaching this to my children.
Natalie Bias
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Your situation:
We have just switched to Alpha Omega's math curricula
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I have been frustrated with the teacher's guide. There are many wrong answers. They also seem to spend a lot of time on things that seem quite easy to my son and seem to spend less time on the more difficult concepts. I have stopped using the answer keys because I have found at least one error on almost every lesson, especially with my daughter's 6th grade curriculum. We switched to this because my daughter was getting bored with Saxon, but I think that we will be back with Saxon next year. Saxon does a much better job at explaining concepts and I can count on the answer keys being correct. It takes me a lot more time to figure all of the problems myself. I have 4 children that I am schooling and I just don't have the extra time.
Any other helpful hints:
The graphics are very nice and they have little games and things like this to keep up the students interest, which is what my daughter was wanting, but some of the explaining is missing. If you only have one child that you are schooling, this is a fine curriculum. Be prepared to grade the work yourself, without much help from the flawed answer keys.
Jill Meredith |
We finished Saxon 2 last year and were burned out on it, so we decided to try Horizons 2 (we picked level 2 because Saxon is slower, and Horizons is advanced).
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
My daughter loves the workbooks because of the puzzles and colorful pictures. I don't miss the scripted format of the Saxon teacher's manual, but I think that Horizons goes to the opposite extreme. The teacher's manual is not a lot of help at all, except for giving the answers to check the student's work and materials to have on hand for the lesson. Saxon teacher's manual gives you a specific way to "teach" a concept and gives you lots of little tricks to help the children remember how to solve different problems. Horizons manual basically just says things like, "Drill the subtraction facts 1-18 with flash cards," or "Count out loud with students by 9's to 108." This is fine, but I miss the activities that are written into Saxon's manual. For example, for skip counting, Saxon gives you fun ideas like using clapping patterns, and for counting by 10's, Saxon gives you a fun rap, "I can count by 10's because in math, I'm great! I can count by 10's and I'll start with 8... 8, 18, 28, 38, etc." Horizons will tell you to make flashcards for different topics like measurement conversions, but the manual won't tell you how to write out the flashcards, you just have to figure it out... this is not a big deal, but it does take up extra time!
Overall, excepting the teacher's manual, we like Horizons a lot... it moves very quickly but is not impossible for the grade level its publisher intended it for. My daughter is in 2nd grade and we are doing the 2nd grade curriculum and it's challenging, but not too much.
Any other helpful hints:
If you have used Saxon or another slower curriculum and you are considering using Horizons, go back a grade level. If you like your lessons scripted and need lots of ideas for teaching a concept, go with Saxon.
If you're child gets overstimulated with too much color and "busyness," you may want to try something different like Saxon or Math-U-See because the Horizons workbooks are very "busy." Horizons, Abeka, and Saxon all use spiral/incremental approach which can be frustrating for some...but I think this approach is great because it doesn't allow you to "forget" how to do things....it continually reviews the same concepts throughout the year.
Amy
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| Grades: K-3 |
Time: 3 years |
We homeschool two bright youngsters who are now in 1st and 3rd grades. This is not a terribly challenging curriculum BUT my children have the fundamentals DOWN.
Overall we are very pleased with Horizons. Unlike some traditional curriculums, you don't spend the first 8 weeks on number sense and then never see it again. Highly repetitive. Very focused on drills and fact memorization.
We especially like the fact that there are just enough problems for the student to "get" the concept, but not so many it becomes cumbersome. Worksheets are provided in case a student needs extra review on a concept. Tests come every ten lessons (for us every 2 weeks). Tests are comprehensive.
Student books come in a consumable color workbook. Very colorful with artwork. Typically each lesson has 4-5 sections for 1st grade and 6-8 for say 3rd grade.
It's one major area of weakness is the quality of story problems. The problems do not challenge my students enough. "One-Dimentional"
BUY THE TEACHERS MANUAL AND WORKSHEETS. You can not see the full benefits of this curriculum without the teacher's manual and student worksheets. (Student worksheets are in the teacher's manual or can be purchased seperately).
This curriculum is not designed for students to do on their own. Directions on the consumable workbook are sparse.
S. Hartness
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This has worked so well for my son that I have recommended it to other parents. My son has a very short attention span and has found this spiraling format to be the least frustrating of the ones we have used so far. He is easily distracted by too many graphics, or by those that are to intensely integrated into the math problems themselves. Horizons seems to have achieved just the right balance between making pages visually pleasant and the minimization of visual clutter and distraction.
The q10lesson testing plan is well designed. The frequency has not proven to be too burdensome. And the tests themselves do not deviate at all from the format of the lesson pages, so my son accomplishes them with absolutely no undue stress.
He was able to finish Year one book 2 during our summer session (8 weeks) and has completed year 2 book l in one semester. His mastery of skills is excellent.
The only negative point so far has been changing operations in the same lesson. It is hard for him to switch gears so quickly. So we do lose a little time adjusting to each section and remembering which operation is being featured.
We look at Horizons Math as a real God send to my son.
Maryanne Schoenbaum
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| Grades: 5th |
Time: 1/2 year |
I started using Horizons math for my 5th grade daughter, after using A Beka for the first 4 years. I stopped using A Beka because, although I thoroughly love their curriculum, it is much too overwhelming. I could rarely finish a book, which made me feel like I was allowing my daughter to fall behind. I found Horizons after browsing through our local homeschool bookstore. Wow! What a change I have seen in my 5th grader. Before, she DREADED math time. But now she breezes through it. She says she LIKES math now!!! The Horizons books are so colorful, so full of fun challenges, instead of boring drill after drill. The other thing that I'm very happy about are the real life situations in which math is presented, like shopping at the grocery store for particular items...figuring out how much paint to buy to paint a classroom at your church...exercising for a certain amount of time each day...all examples, but fit for real life. I also like all the Scripture passages in the book. There are many crytograms and puzzles that allow you to piece together the clues to find the answer, which is usually a Bible verse. I loved the book so much that I started my 5 year old with the 1st grade book, skipped all the years of struggling with A Beka. Like I said, A Beka is great...but not for everyone. It was originally published for the private instituation and not the homeschool, which makes it more like your standard textbook - dry and dull (in my opinion). I wish I could look forward to it for more than 6th grade. Use what works, toss what doesn't.
Donna
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| Grades: 3 |
Edition: Book one |
Time: August-October 2004 |
We have used Horizons Math since K, but I feel it is getting too difficult for my son. The T.E. doesn't explain things very well for me. I'm not sure if I should slow down and just use Book One for 3rd grade or not?
Helen Case
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| Grades: 1st through 4th |
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Time: 1999-2004 |
At the suggestion of a dear friend, I have been using Horizons Math. I switched to Saxon Math for my oldest just this year (5th Grade). Horizons Math has lots of practice, but it was too overwhelming for my oldest. He grasped the basics, but the book is a little advanced. It also required a good deal of time for him to finish one lesson (usually an hour!!) He is not a "math lover", so I am looking into other options. By fourth grade, you will be faced with lessons being 3 pages long! I used it for my oldest for 4 years. My 2nd grader is in it right now. She doesn't mind the work as much and can finish a day's lesson in around 1/2 hour. She gets frustrated when she has to learn something new. I've discovered that once she learns it, though; she generally likes the challenge. She does not like doing alot of borrowing in subtraction (who does?), but she is very accurate and many times I just cut off some of the lesson to relieve her from all the work. I did the same with my oldest, too. I will probably continue one more year in Horizons for my daughter unless I can find an acceptable alternative. If your child enjoys worksheets and lots of math practice, it works out ok in the younger years. I would only consider using it in the older grades if I had a bonefied math genius on my hands. It gets very in-depth at quite a young age.
Angie Miller
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My son has dyslexia. We tried lots of different math programs. At the last minute someone convinced me to try Horizons Math. It worked great. The colorful pages and interesting topics made math much more fun and less stressful for my son. We were able to complete book 1 and book 2 in 9 months!
Tammy Drummond
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| Grades: K-5 |
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Time: 3 years |
I have a 5th, 4th and 1st grader using Horizon. They all enjoy Math most. It is colorful and consumable. The directions for each new topic are clear and easy to follow. The only thing I use the teacher's guide for is checking the answers. You don't need them for that until 2nd or 3rd grade if you don't mind taking the time to do the math. It didn't come with manipulatives but you can use beans, coins, and fraction circles to get you through. Even I know math now!!
The only drawback is they stop at 6th grade. I will miss them greatly!!
Shelly Graham
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| Grades: K-3 |
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Time: 3 1/2 years |
We really enjoyed Horizons in the early grades (K-1) but in 2nd grade it seemed to skip around too much. It would move on before my son had mastery and he was doing several operations on each page and grew frustrated. We switched late in 3rd grade to Modern Curriculum Press. It does cover a good deal of information in an engaging and colorful way. I would recommend it for early elementary and beyond if your children like it. :o)
Lori
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| Grades: Horizons Mathematics 3 |
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Time: Haven't used yet |
I purchased this curriculum last fall (sight unseen) intending to use it
with my daughter who is doing grade 3 work. This to me is definitely a grade 4
level. Lots of colourful pages though and she can't wait to use it. Looks
very thorough.
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