Horizons Math is designed to help your children understand math from the ground up. The program introduces math properties, truths, and principles one at a time, builds the strength of the student's foundation through practice, and then moves to the next principle. Each year's program consists of three pieces: two colorful, well-organized workbooks that contain 80 lessons apiece (160 total for the year), and a wonderful Teacher's Handbook.

To Get Started, Take a Horizons Math Placement Test

Teacher Friendly

Parents say the best thing about Horizons Math is that it's parent-teacher friendly and it incorporates several ideas for use in a homeschool environment.

The spiral-bound Teacher's Handbook provides a lesson plan with concepts and objectives for all 160 lessons. The handbook also includes answer keys for all student lessons, unit tests (one every 10th lesson — 16 total), and exams (4 quarterly and 1 final exam), and 80 reproducible student worksheets (useful for multiple students).

You'll find great suggestions that help to eliminate frustration when teaching difficult concepts. Plus, the handbook offers numerous ideas for creating math manipulatives from materials in your house — a real money saver!

Many parents we asked told us that they particularly like Horizons Math because it uses a spiral learning technique to help children master concepts. Students are introduced to a concept and solve related and increasingly difficult problems and exercises over the course of several days, or even weeks. The concept may disappear for a short while, only to reemerge in exercises for a new concept. Children who struggle with basic facts and calculations are usually overwhelmed because they are trying to assimilate too much information at one time. But with Horizons Math, parents tell us, their children's minds are free to concentrate on each new concept as it is presented. The kids feel confident because they get to take steady, measured steps, and as they revisit concepts over time, they continually strengthen and reinforce their existing knowledge base.

Budget Friendly

Horizons Math is priced at only $59.95 to $71.95 per year. The price is predictable and easy to plan for.

Moreover, because it was designed for homeschool use, it includes extra worksheets and workbooks for extra practice. While you only need to purchase each program once, you will need to repurchase the extra workbooks, and the practice worksheets can be either reproduced or repurchased. It also includes homeschool-friendly suggestions for math manipulatives you can make from things you have at home.

We used Horizons Math last year and it was an amazing program. I found myself wishing weekly that I had been taught with such a program. My son grasped concepts so easily because of the way Horizons breaks them down. And he loved how quickly he could move through the book. I found him working ahead many days. — "Susie, 21 June 2005

Strengths

• Spiral teaching progression.
• Designed for use by homeschoolers.
• Includes suggestions for materials and supplies for math manipulatives.

Weaknesses

• For children who are especially sensitive to visual stimuli, the color illustrations may distract from learning. Saxon Math may prove more helpful.

Unsure of where to start your student with Horizons? Take the Horizons Readiness Evaluation.