I started using this curriculum in fourth grade and continued to use it until I finished junior high. These books are really not colorful at all and are very dull. Saxon does an OK job with explaining the concepts, but a lot of the time the parent will need to help. Some kids like saxon while others can't stand it. This is how it works. Everyday there is a new lesson where your child will learn a new concept, trick, etc. After your child reads through the lesson and the example problems he should try a couple of the practice problems if not all. You should check how he did at the practice problems before he goes on any further. If he did not get them right then you will need to go over the lesson again with him and teach him the concept yourself. If he does get the practice problems right then he can go on to the problem set. The problem set usually has about 30 problems. Have your child pick to do the odd numbers or the evens (this way he only has to do about 15.) All the problems in the problem set are acting as a review and retainment of what he learned in previous lessons. After he finishes the problem set and after you correct his work he is done. This math curriculum is basically just a text book that teaches math. It doesn't try to make it interesting to the kid, it doesn't try to make the kid to like math, it just plain teaches it. You read the lesson, try to understand the concept, do the practice problems, and do half of the problem set. This curriculum was really hard for me in 4th and 5th grade. In 6th and 7th grade I actually kind of liked it. In 8th grade (pre algebra) it was OK but I did have some struggles with it. I think for pre algebra and up you should try a different curriculum. One that makes algebra make more sense. For younger kids it really depends on your kid. Let's say you have a fourth grader who really wants to get a change from the "little kids" math. He wants to feel like a real big kid with a big textbook. He might enjoy this program. But if your child really doesn't much care for math, likes colors, hands on stuff, and doesn't care about the whole "big kid" thing then this is not the curriculum for your child.