MATH. For some, it makes their heart go pitter-patter. For others, it can cause a near heart attack. Usually, you either love it or hate it.
Personally I have always loved it. Yup, math nerd here. 🙂
However, in our early years of homeschooling, there were lots of tears surrounding math. Mainly caused by the timed math tests that were part of our curriculum.
It appeared our daughter, and oldest child, did not share the same love for math that both my husband and I have.
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Then, when she was in 2nd grade we were introduced to Life of Fred. It was interesting, different, and felt more like reading a quirky novel with math sprinkled showered in.
Our daughter LOVED it. It was her glass slipper (it fit just right.)
I learned that some parents used it as their sole homeschool math curriculum though most saw it as only supplemental.
Being the former teacher turned homeschool mom I was, we used Fred as a supplemental curriculum for a few years. There was no way something that enjoyable could be enough.
In fact, this is the first year we are using Fred as our sole math curriculum for our daughter. And for her, it is enough.
Our boys also use Life of Fred. For our 9-year-old we use it to supplement lots of math facts practice and Teaching Textbooks (another popular math curriculum among homeschoolers.)
And for our 5-year-old, well, I hadn’t planned on starting Life of Fred yet, but he begs for it. So what’s a mom to do? A stark contrast from what we experienced when my daughter was in kindergarten.
For our daughter, it’s not always smooth sailing and sometimes we do get stuck. That’s when we find a YouTube video or practice some kind of problem. In fact, this just happened last week when she was learning about discrete variables. We watched a YouTube video together, talked about it, and then she was good to go.
So how does Life of Fred work?
The kids read a short chapter or have it read to them (usually just a few pages) and then answer some questions. Since they are actual books and not workbooks, answers are written in a separate notebook. So if using for than one child, you can use the same books! Typically, one chapter is done a day. Sometimes we skip a day, and sometimes a few chapters are done all at once. And quite often I will just find a kid reading them for fun. 🙂
In summary, this what we LOVE about Life of Fred:
- We replaced tears with laughs.
- No drill and kill (though they do have practice books for kids who might need more practice) so great for kids who don’t need that
- Fun and quirky storyline (these are books my kids will read under the covers at night!)
- Integrates other subjects in with math
- Kids enjoy it and see math as fun
- Not a budget killer
- Great for creative kids
Other things to consider:
- Life of Fred is not for everyone. Thankfully there are many math curriculums out there to choose from.
- Some kids might be frustrated by its quirkiness and/or may prefer straight-up math problems.
- You don’t need to be a homeschooler to enjoy these books. I’ve recommended them to a few friends who have kids in brick and mortar schools, but their kids just love math, and they’re looking for something extra.
Where to find Life of Fred books:
We’ve bought them on Amazon and Rainbow Resource. You may also be able to find on homeschool swap sites, or eBay.
Great review, Katie! I think we may try LOF!