Have you ever had a hard time deciding on HS curriculum?  You think you like something then when you try it you totally don't love it?  There is SO MUCH information and so many curriculms out there that it can be SO overwhelming!  I have recently had this situation happen to me.  I thought that Saxon math 1 would be SO perfect for 6yoDD--but once we got started doing it, I was like this is WAY too easy, maybe I should have gotten the second grade version!  My only hope is that this first part is just review, but then if I recall correctly from when I taught Saxon 1, it is all pretty easy--maybe even more like a kindergarten program.  Maybe I should save it for 4yo DD to do in the fall as a K math.  But then again, I spent all that money on it!  I can't really justify buying something else only to find that I don't like that either!  (I really can't afford it either!)

So what to do?  I think I will scan through the program and see if I could possible skip ahead.  I did find a math program I think will suit us--it is Rod and Staff math.  Has anyone out there tried this?  It is not a colorful or visual program, but it might just work.  6yoDD would probably like visual better, but R&S is fairly inexpensive, so maybe I could just get it to try.  Has anyone else ever used this?  Do I really need the manual?  Don't you think I could just use the student edition and teach her the concepts she doesn't already know?  I guess I am just wondering how valuable and helpful the manual really would be.  When we used the Horizons K math program I didn't even use the manual at all!  I just didn't like to do all of the suggested activities.  I guess that is why Saxon appealed to me so much--it offered hands-on activities and included all of the manipulatives which the kids absolutely LOVE to play with. 

I think we will give Saxon a shot for a few more weeks--if 6yoDD is getting totally bored and burned out then we will seriously consider something else.  I don't require her to do all of the written work on the worksheets, only about half.  So that should help with the monotonous factor.  I did get a math book from a used curriculum book sale last weekend--it was on the free table and was one of those sample copies that PS get when they are looking into adopting new textbooks.  Maybe we will just use that--it is a complete first grade edition and it is totally visual which she will LOVE.  I also bought Singapore 1B and 2A for $2 each--they were written in, but I just wanted to preview them and see if we could use them.  I wasn't overly impressed, but they will work if we need to try something a little more advanced.  What do you think?