I am a strong advocate of delaying formal mathematical instruction until after a child is 10 years or so. That is not to say that we don't 'do' anything but that life itself is rich with teachable moments like "would you like half a biscuit or a whole biscuit?", "if we want to double this recipe, how much milk do we need?", "so you've got 2 feet, Martha has 2 feet - that's 4 feet, and Johnny's 2 feet make 6 feet, my, my, what a lot of shoes we need" etc

What I do keep on hand for when our children want to 'do math' is a South African workbook series called "Numbers Fun". It is out of print as far as I know, but the general concepts that it has in it are numbers from 0-9 first, then progressing in chunks up to 1000. The many varied worksheet type activities are repetitive of concepts in an interesting way and also allow the child to color pages in if the are so inclined. You will probably find something like this at your local bookseller.

We have plenty of items that can be used for counting, packs of cards, dice, games etc.

A favourite card game has to be SET, as it is easy to play for any age, and we have also found that it transcends language barriers if we have a foreign guest. The basic premise is that you see and claim sets of 3 cards that either have one variable in difference or 3 variables in difference. Colour, shape, shading and number of items.

What I like about this game is that it encourages you to look at simple things in detail and inadvertently causes you to think about same and different.

Our next resource that I would still buy if I had to do it all over again is a living book approach to Math in two volumes "Mathematicians are People too". This set has a short snappy chapter introducing famous mathematicians throughout history and the concepts they discovered. I would also recommend this for the burn-out parent 'teaching math' or the child who has that glazed over look and needs to take a break from formal lessons.

During these preparatory years I find it useful to use Saxon's K-4 scope and sequence chart to check up on where each child is at with their understanding and exposure to fundamental maths. I take myself aside and go down the list noting if their are any gaps, where the child is currently at, and what I could focus on developing in them given a teachable moment.

From there when we think our child is ready to assume a more formal approach we use the Saxon placement tests to make sure that starting with 54 is right for where our child is at.

Our formal math programme has happened more as a result of serendipity than anything else. While I was content with sticking to the homeschool stalwart of Saxon all the way through, I had the opportunity to pick up a bulk lot of materials that included Math books from the Scott Foresman University of Chicago Project - Transition, Algebra & Geometry.

These books are NOT the latest version, but in their favour, are more aesthetically appealing to my mind than the updated versions and blend in many real life equations.

I guess what I am trying to highlight is that maths is not an area that changes monumentally, so I don't think it matters that you are using a particular brand or the newest book out.

Some find Saxon suits them to a T and others find it too repetitive. In fact I almost forgot to mention that when we started our first child on 54, I went through the entire book and decided which chapters she was to do, and skipped the rest - approx 40-50% of it. This, at the time, totally challenged my 'beginning-to-end' rigidity of using textbooks. Other families do odd numbers in one chapter and even numbers the next, and some children need all the repetition they can get - whatever works for your child.

In any subject I now embrace the maxim that TEXTBOOKS SERVE US, THEY ARE NOT OUR MASTER.

Later on for advanced mathematics I also have materials for trigonometry and physics etc to extend any child that shows a mathematical bent, otherwise each will also work through a series of local books focusing on real life maths for New Zealanders - for what good is it if we don't know how to use it.

For economics - another living book - Life on Paradise Island.

So I hope this gives you some food for thought as you look at how maths fits into your home school 12-year plan.