SEGway Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Arrived today. Very exciting. Just had to share. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Please post a review-I'm trying to decide whether to get it for my DD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluechicken Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Ours shipped yesterday. I am very excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEGway Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 I should maybe explain that we have no intention of making this our elementary age math program. DD6 responds exceptionally well to story teaching. We read the samples on PDP's site earlier in the month, and she really enjoyed those. I decided we should get at least one and give it a try. Apples has 18 chapters of about 6 pages each. At the end of each chapter there's a "Your turn to play" section, but no bridges (or quizzes/tests). The main concepts presented are very basic (commutative property of addition, identifying common geometric shapes, and telling time with an analog clock seem to be the most oft repeated themes). Sprinkled in among those three are random important-to-know-but-rarely-connected-together-by-normal-people factoids and blurbs from history/science/etc. I have only ever looked through Fractions prior to Apples, so this may be an irrelevant observation. It seems like the point of early Fred books is not so much to stand in for a math class as it is to get kids excited about the need to learn math by giving examples of someone using math in real life (even if his real life is not even close to real). They give at least some reasons for the eternally asked "why?" The storyline is pretty goofy, but Dr. Schmidt is a good student of what a 6 yo will find humorous. DD laughed a lot through the first two chapters. (Corny jokes, but it has to be obvious in early elementary...) We look forward to using this book (and most likely the rest of the elementary series when the budget allows) as a fun extra. Maybe as reading practice? I'm afraid they're not going to be long enough for her to make them last a decent amount of time, even with rationing. But DD6 already asked if she'll be allowed to read them on her own when we get through with it the first time. So, I think we'll probably get our money's worth from this volume. The book's physical construction seems quite solid to me. (I expected this due to the Fractions volume we already had.) It looks built to last for a while. That's a good sign. I'm not sorry we bought it. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oraetstudia Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I can't wait for mine to get here. I'm planning to use it as a fun Friday math with some of my younger kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Thanks for the review! I've been drooling over Apples too and am trying to decide if I want to purchase it. Where did everyone order it from? From the LOF website, RR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaney Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I got mine last week and just glanced at it. We will be using it with Horizons but DD likes to read and has a great sense of humor so I thought this would be a fun extra for her. I got the next book as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellalarella Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 We got it in the mail yesterday. DS6 was so excited because he has seen older sibs loving their LOF math. We enjoyed Chapter 1 yesterday and despite the fact that he woke up sick in the middle of the night and has been sick all day, he brought me LOF Apples and begged to do a lesson. And then a second lesson. And then he fell asleep. I will post later after we finish the Apples book with him and Apples with DD8. Goodness gracious, our family likes Fred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEGway Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Thanks for the review! I've been drooling over Apples too and am trying to decide if I want to purchase it. Where did everyone order it from? From the LOF website, RR? Fwiw, we ordered from ztwistbooks.com (the direct link from Polka Dot Press's website). The price of all their books includes media mail shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 My Apples book just arrived also. I had decided to order the first one, just to see how we like it. Well I went over the first couple chapters and I love it. It's going to be great, I think! I love how it is story format, but has real math information within, in such a "real life" way. The way he says he woke up in the morning and looked at the clock and it was 5am, with a picture of a clock. Or how he says if it was summer, it would be light already. At the end of each chapter there are questions that the child is to answer by writing them down, and then compare to Fred's answers. Really, I plan to order the others now - I really think we'll love these books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Mine came today too. "Fred's here! Fred's here!" I was yelling as I ran the book upstairs to our bookshelves. The whole family was trying to figure out who Fred was... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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