[Carry_Okie]

I'm sorry to say, I invented my own math program because I was unhappy with Saxon. My 11-year-old is now doing college calculus. Her sister isn't far behind. The key was to use algebra to teach arithmetic. There is no text of which I know that can do what I did, althouth the "Keys Series" of workbooks is a start.

[RightField]

#30
I took a year off of regular math (I used ABeka) to make sure my son was totally fluent in basic arithmetic, especially fractions and decimals. In the 6th grade, we went through most of threee "Key To" series: fractions, decimals and percents. Upon completion of that year, he proudly labeled himself "The Percent King!"

Only then, when he could do fractions, decimals, and the four basic operations, was he allowed to use a calculator (and for "word problems" only, at first). And through 8th grade, he was not allowed to use a calculator ever, for the problems that were just straight practice problems. Call me a cruel, drill & kill taskmaster!

And ... for each of my kids ... I taped a huge multiplication table on their closet door at the beginning of 3rd grade. It was just there for them to look at, ponder over, and to see relationships in the numbers. It worked, too ... both of my kids said that they studied that chart even when they didn't mean to!