If Life of Fred a full curriculum?

[earthmother]

Is Life of Fred a full curriculum or supplemental materials. And those of you who have used it, what is your opinion?

Thanks

[JessaMae]

That's a great question and I'd like to hear what others say. I am using the first book (fractions) with my dd 10. She did Singapore 4A first and then LoF fractions. After this she will do Singapore 4B and then LoF decimals/percents. i'm not sure after that if we will continue going back and forth or just do all LoF. My dd is loving LoF though :001_smile:

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Content wise- I would say yes. I do not think there is enough practice to make it a full, stand alone curriculum though- However I have been told the books with home companion guides have more than enough practice with the home companion guide. I am not to that point yet as my dd is just in the 1st pre-algebra book so as of right now I do not have experience with anything beyond pre-aglebra with biology.

 

 

Now, all that being said- I am personally not ready to take the leap of faith to use it as a stand alone even if there was enough practice. I guess I am to stuck on tradition but maybe I will get there someday LOL

[Heather in VA]

Yes it is. That said (there is always a caveat isn't there) the Fractions and Decimals/Percents books are probably not enough practice for a lot of kids. My middle one was fine with it. She's very good at math. My oldest didn't use it because I didn't know about it but I suspect she would have needed a bit more practice. The pre-algebra books and up are fine just the way they are. There are currently 2 pre-algebra books that are excellent and would be enough to prep for Algebra. We've used both. I've also used Beginning Algebra, Geometry and am currently using Advanced Algebra - all with my oldest smart, but not math gifted, student who is doing well and understanding the information. We've been prepping for the PSATs (practice year) and I am comfortable with her readiness.

 

Heather

[Corraleno]

The books from Beginning Algebra to Calculus & Linear Algebra were designed to be used as a complete program (there are "Home Companions" with extra practice for the 2 Algebra books). Some use them very successfully as a stand-alone program, but most people use them as supplements. The Fractions and Decimals & Percents books were written as supplements; they weren't intended to be a complete curriculum. I'd say the two Prealgebra books, taken together, would comprise a fairly complete prealgebra program for a student who didn't need a lot of extra practice.

 

IMO, Fred works best for fairly mathy kids who like figuring things out on their own. The stories are brilliant and funny and the math is rigorous, but there isn't a lot of explanation. Often the student is given a problem to figure out, and only after they've puzzled through it on their own will they get a (brief) explanation. That format doesn't work for every kid, even if they love the story line. My DS adores Fred, but he needs clear, explicit explanations up front, followed by the problems, so we use Fred as a supplement after completing a more traditional program.

 

Jackie

[Sunshine State Sue]

The books from Beginning Algebra to Calculus & Linear Algebra were designed to be used as a complete program (there are "Home Companions" with extra practice for the 2 Algebra books). Some use them very successfully as a stand-alone program, but most people use them as supplements. The Fractions and Decimals & Percents books were written as supplements; they weren't intended to be a complete curriculum. I'd say the two Prealgebra books, taken together, would comprise a fairly complete prealgebra program for a student who didn't need a lot of extra practice.

 

IMO, Fred works best for fairly mathy kids who like figuring things out on their own. The stories are brilliant and funny and the math is rigorous, but there isn't a lot of explanation. Often the student is given a problem to figure out, and only after they've puzzled through it on their own will they get a (brief) explanation. That format doesn't work for every kid, even if they love the story line. My DS adores Fred, but he needs clear, explicit explanations up front, followed by the problems, so we use Fred as a supplement after completing a more traditional program.

 

Jackie

:iagree:

 

We used LoF Algebra 1 in conjunction with MUS, but it was complete on its own. OTOH, ds didn't do well with LoF's style - he's mathy, but he likes clear and concise and don't make him puzzle it out and forget the brief explanations after he's puzzled it out (or not as the case may be).

[cheryl h]

The books from Beginning Algebra to Calculus & Linear Algebra were designed to be used as a complete program (there are "Home Companions" with extra practice for the 2 Algebra books). Some use them very successfully as a stand-alone program, but most people use them as supplements. The Fractions and Decimals & Percents books were written as supplements; they weren't intended to be a complete curriculum. I'd say the two Prealgebra books, taken together, would comprise a fairly complete prealgebra program for a student who didn't need a lot of extra practice.

 

IMO, Fred works best for fairly mathy kids who like figuring things out on their own. The stories are brilliant and funny and the math is rigorous, but there isn't a lot of explanation. Often the student is given a problem to figure out, and only after they've puzzled through it on their own will they get a (brief) explanation. That format doesn't work for every kid, even if they love the story line. My DS adores Fred, but he needs clear, explicit explanations up front, followed by the problems, so we use Fred as a supplement after completing a more traditional program.

 

Jackie

 

:iagree:We have done Fractions and Decimals and Percents and will be starting the Pre-Alg/Bio book next week. None of the books before Algebra is a whole program, and as others have said, there are not explanations of the concepts covered, so you need to have prior exposure from a traditional program. We do Saxon 5 days a week, then LOF three days a week, at one chapter a day. It's just the right amount of Fred to keep it fun.