Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Math Curriculum For HS - Please help compare

We have used the following:

IXL. DS7 did some self-teaching using this, bouncing around levels and skills, at age 5.

ALEKS. We were unimpressed for various reasons but it filled a need at the time and allowed speeding through a year or so of curriculum for hole-checking purposes.

EPGY. This seems all right for quality of instruction, but the software on our machines was buggy as heck. Never got into it for this reason, and in any event we prefer books.

Life of Fred. There's nothing really to recommend against this, but it's only enrichment, not a curriculum. We've also used bits of Ed Zaccaro Challenge Math a while back, and many other sources of problem solving enrichment. Raymond Smullyan and similar logic puzzles are another fun type of challenge.

Singapore Math. There are some off-brand "Singapore 'Math Practice'" workbooks sold on places like Amazon, but you have to make sure to buy the actual system if you want it, not copycat brands. The actual system uses teaching / home instruction guides, textbooks (important), workbooks (not so important for a child who learns quickly, in my opinion), and extra practice in the form of Challenging Word Problems and Intensive Practice books (important, but you would generally only need one or the other, since both are pretty challenging at the right level). It's my belief that you can get by without the teacher's manual / instruction guide if you know what you're doing with math, but it's cheap so you might want to get the first one just to see how you like it.

(Here, by the way, is what a "Singapore 'Math Practice'" workbook looks like, with branding such that people tend to confuse it with the actual Singapore Math curriculum:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0768240018

This is what a workbook from the Singapore Math curriculum looks like:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/9810185014 )

"Geometry", by Harold R. Jacobs (the older non-cartoonish version). I can't recommend this enough.

Algebra, Structure and Method Book 1, by Brown, Dolciani et al. I think this is also a great resource, and DS has learned a lot from it.

I also recommend taking a look at Alcumus and Art of Problem Solving; we just haven't gotten much into them beyond dabbling in Alcumus yet.

Iucounu, thanks so much. I thought I had tried Singapore Math, and I no idea I had only gotten a look-a-like. Now we can try the real thing! We also use ixl and like it.
The Aops is something I plan to look at down the road, but right now we are "running" through 3rd grade. I will keep these others in mind for later.

I have one Life of Fred on order to try out, but I am glad to know it is not a complete curriculum.
Also got the Murderous Math books from a rec on here, but haven't looked at them yet.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. There are so many to look at!

I buy Singapore here: https://www.singaporemath.com/
They've also got forums and a list of errata.
In addition to the text/wb, we use IP and CWP.

We'll be switching away after finishing 5B (Standards edition). I'll still go through IP and CWP for 6, but we won't use the text/wb for them.

We'll either move to AoPS (Art of Problem Solving) or do more with Elements of Mathematics http://www.elementsofmathematics.com/
I used these textbooks when I was in middle school and they're excellent. It's definitely not traditional math but it is very much real math.

I will second/third/etc. the suggestions for Singapore Math and AOPS. A lot of the homeschool math books can be a little "light" so be careful about what you choose as your spine. Some of the lighter books are good for back-up, though. Somebody mentioned Zaccaro books. They're great, and were really fun enrichment books in the elementary years. My son loved solving the "Einstein Level" problems and receiving a little award when he solved one. I heard the author speak at a gifted conference once when my son was little and I found him to be really inspirational. He stressed the importance of giving our gifted kids real challenges.

My DD8 has been going through the Singapore Maths books like a hot knife through butter so I am glad that to see the tip on the 'challenging word problems'. She has just been looking at the books on her own without any help and is just tearing through to the point where I have been getting scared that she isn't learning anything. I will try the word problems and report back...