Not quite as abstract as RS Math for early grammar grades?

[Linda]

A friend was checking out my RightStart math as a possibility for her child next year but is concerned that it's too abstract and will frustrate her son (a concern I validated since that seems to be an ongoing issue in my home as well).

Is there a program that blends mental math (like RS) with more traditional/concrete math?

I'm new to this hs thing myself so I haven't had much exposure to other math curricula.

Thanks!

[Donna T.]

I like MathUSee. It is exactly what I had looked for in a math program. I tended toward delaying formal math instruction only because I couldn't find a program that I felt really comfortable presenting to my children. We tried several things and I would always end up looking at my dear son and thinking that it was ridiculous. It seemed like most of the things I looked at gave the children math assignments but never really, really taught them how to do it or what it was even about. I don't know... maybe it was just me. I remember one time looking at my son and saying, "this doesn't mean anything to you, does it?" He laughed and said, "no, not really." We dropped math until I found what I wanted.

MathUSee teaches them how math works. The facts are presented in such a logical way that they are easily learned and recalled. But, it's not a rote memorization kind of program. For my children, it's been the right amount of drill, review, and new content. It's clear and logical. There are on-line drills and printable worksheets that go along with the lessons, but we haven't needed them. Both my boys are working at a steady, quick pace and are really progressing.