CLE Math Review

At the beginning of the school year last August, I had switched to Singapore math from Ace.  Math has been a struggle for my daughter since Kindergarten. When I pulled her from public school, her math skills were already low. Within days I realized that the book I had gotten was too advanced.

I used Abeka for a year, but didn't feel that Laura did well with a spiral program at that age.  The next year I switched to Ace.  I also threw in Times Tales, which was wonderful. Ace had SO much review that, when combined with Times Tales, finally cemented the multiplication tables in my daughter's head.

Eventually Ace math just stopped clicking with Laura.  I decided to try Singapore. For awhile, Laura liked Singapore math.  It is very visual, and she learns well that way.  However, I noticed a dependence on my teaching that was getting out of control.  She wanted me to help her with every problem.

I bought Christian Light math out of desperation.  I had briefly tried Saxon, but it brought my daughter to tears.  The reviews on Christian Light Math are very positive.  I already used Christian Light Reading and some of their Language Arts.  I ordered a few of the math workbooks and prayed I wasn't wasting my time or money.

Over this school year, I have watched my daughter view math in an entirely different way.  I started her off way below grade level, and had her work for an hour a day at her own pace.  She flew through those first workbooks! Even better, she liked the workbooks.

When the work grew challenging, I slowed the pace to one lesson per day. Officially, Laura has covered nearly two years of work in one year. I skip the first workbook in a grade level since it's review.  I did the flash cards and timed tests briefly, but Laura breezed through those.

Christian Light Math is very simple in layout.  It's a spiral program without colorful pictures.  On the surface, it should be boring.  However, it is super solid.  The explanations are clear and concise.

The downside is that it is consumable.  For my daughter, however, that is a bonus.  Spending most of her time re-writing math problems added to her frustration.

The simple layout and lack of a lot of colors is great for my easily distracted child. The independence she has acquired is phenomenal.  She occasionally has a question or needs a skill explained, but that is rare.  Her error rate is small on her tests.

She is still technically below grade level, but maybe not.  She may be behind on the CLE scope and sequence, but skill-wise, she is right on track with state standards.

I thought of switching to Teaching Textbooks or Saxon, but I don't want to change what is working so well.  I plan to have Laura doing lessons a few times per week during our summer break.

I never expected Christian Light Math to work as well as it does.  I think it may be a little secret in the homeschooling community.