My firstborn excelled at math. I could have used anything for him, and he would have grasped it. The rest of my children? Not so much. What works for one does not work for the others, so math has been a frustrating struggle. One program I tried a dozen years ago is RightStart Mathematics. I loved the approach, but with two dyslexic children, a houseful of younger children, and a general lack of time, it did not work for me then.

RightStart Mathematics has changed since I used it before, and a new, second edition is now available. This edition is indeed easier to teach, and there are games in almost every lesson. All the things I loved about RightStart before are still present, as it has a hands-on approach that encourages the children to think mathematically, to manipulate numbers in their heads, and NOT to count.

What do you get? The Level F Second Edition Book Bundle includes two very nicely spiral-bound books. The Lessons book is over 300 pages, and this is non-consumable. The Worksheets book, which is consumable, is substantially thinner, and this includes a game log, worksheets, a math journal, and warm-up practice sheets. The book bundle costs $90.75.

The Math Set includes all kinds of fun stuff. I am not going to list everything, but this includes the Math Card Game Book, which is amazing, and a bunch of card decks to go with it. It also includes the AL Abacus, which is a huge part of the program. In addition, there are tangrams, rulers, blocks, plastic coins, a drawing set, fraction chart, and so much more. The Math Set costs $209.50.

RightStart Mathematics is not set up with grade levels at all. The levels currently run from A to G, and Level H is coming in the summer of 2019. If you were to start with Level A in kindergarten and work through a level each year, Level F would be 5th grade. If you are starting anywhere in the middle, there are placement tests available online that I would highly recommend.

How does this work? Each of the 150 lessons is set up in a similar manner. The objectives for the lesson are listed, and you are told what materials you need. I have my daughter grab the appropriate materials as I skim the objectives and glance over the lesson. There is a warm-up section that is pretty short, and usually can be done orally, with the abacus, or with the dry erase board. Sometimes there is a warm-up sheet in the Worksheets book.

The main part of the lesson is the Activities for Teaching. This is scripted, and I tend to follow the script. I like not having to think a lot about what to say or how much explanation to provide. The lessons also have explanations in a separate column, so that is easy to reference as we go also. The Activities may involve some of the manipulatives, it may include a worksheet, it may involve a game, or it may involve something else. After the activities, there is a conclusion section where you quickly wrap up the ideas presented. Sometimes, the explanations column will include instructions to play a game if you have time. We always make the time.

Almost all of the lessons are two pages in the workbook, and after you go through a few, you really do know what to expect. This is one of the biggest improvements in the Second Edition. Another huge improvement is that the lessons are intended to be completed in a day, though obviously, you repeat or expand a lesson if needed. In the old books, lessons would often tell you they should be done over two days, or three. I could never figure out just how to break those up.

There are a few lessons where you do need something that is not provided in the book bundle or math set. The entire list of items you need to provide is slips of paper, colored pencils, small containers, two dice, atlas or state map, various sized containers (gallon, half-gallon, quart, pint, and a measuring cup), tape, pencil, and eraser. Some of these are optional.

Lessons are fairly short, with the games taking up the biggest chunk of time. I make her big brothers play the games with her after I’ve taught them, which means generally I only play a game the first time it is introduced (and she plays it at least once with a brother). Her brother can absolutely use the practice too, so this is a total win-win here. They actually enjoy most of the games

What did we think? Bottom line is that I should have started this with her a long time ago. She loves math time now and is absolutely learning math. This is fairly teacher-intensive, but I don’t have to plan it ahead of time. I can pick up the book and spend about a minute getting ready to teach the next lesson.

I would highly recommend getting some sort of an organizer for all of the “stuff” that is included. We have a cardboard cube that has a couple of drawers, vertical slots where the books fit, and shelves for most of the other items. The whiteboard and balance scale do not fit, but everything else does. One of my problems when I used this before was that I would spend so much time looking for the manipulatives. Now they are in one place and my kids put them back when they use them.

We will be moving on to Level G when we finish this, and Level H should be available by the time we need that.

-Product review by Debra Brinkman, Homeschool Review Crew Administrator, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, August, 2018