JMDRAD Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I am toying with the idea of ordering them to supplement my kids' MUS work. I also have the MM supplements (Blue books??) on my computer. Just wondering if anybody has ordered/used the Life of Fred books and what they thought of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I ordered them a few weeks ago and so far they are a big bit here. We are almost through mus delta but I decided to start with the elementary series so it wouldn't be too challenging and so dd would enjoy the books. She loves them. Even though the math is easy for her so far she loves the story and is learning some things in each book. She did apples in one day and butterflies in two and is working through cats now. I plan to use the whole series. She told me that LOF and the other library books we've been getting recently about math are making it more interesting for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 We are using them. The boys love them...and have finished the first 2 during their own free time. Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 We use MUS as well. DS does fine with it but doesn't like math. I got LOF Apples last month and had to hide it from him so he didn't read the whole thing in one day. I managed to make it last three weeks. Butterflies is on the way. I've explained to him that we will have to slow down when the math gets more difficult for him, but LOF has made him SO excited about math! He told me he can't wait to get to calculus to find out how Fred got to Kittens University (I can't wait myself). If your child loves to laugh, I highly recommend LOF! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMDRAD Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Thanks everybody! I have a few of the LOF upper math books that I've been going through myself. I thought my kids might like the younger ones. Ok, and yes, I like the idea of having the entire set. A series too good to miss.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay3fer Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 We loved Apples, are awaiting Butterflies...but there have been quite a few threads here warning of a hitch in the Dogs book... you might want to look into it: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316389 I emailed the author, and this was his response: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=314680 Other previous threads (which have sometimes gotten a bit heated) http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=306658 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316193 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 We use MUS as well. DS does fine with it but doesn't like math. I got LOF Apples last month and had to hide it from him so he didn't read the whole thing in one day. I managed to make it last three weeks. Butterflies is on the way. I've explained to him that we will have to slow down when the math gets more difficult for him, but LOF has made him SO excited about math! He told me he can't wait to get to calculus to find out how Fred got to Kittens University (I can't wait myself). If your child loves to laugh, I highly recommend LOF! I ordered the first 4 books and knew she would go through them quickly. She probably would have finished all 4 the first week but she got distracted reading some other things. So far the math has been easy for her and she's in the middle of Cats. I'm planning to order the next 4 soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_midori Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I ordered the first 4 books and we have only gone through Apples so far. It was okay, but my 5yo wasn't very interested & it was enjoyable as an "easy read" only for my 7yo. In fact, we've had the rest of the series sitting on a shelf for awhile now and haven't picked up the 2nd yet. I won't be ordering any more. Too much money for too little usefulness, for my family. I'd totally buy them for a "fun read" at under $5 or so, but for $16 each I can't recommend them at all. They would have to be a significantly more useful math supplement for me to be willing to buy more (maybe in the older series??). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMDRAD Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 We loved Apples, are awaiting Butterflies...but there have been quite a few threads here warning of a hitch in the Dogs book... you might want to look into it:http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316389 I emailed the author, and this was his response: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=314680 Other previous threads (which have sometimes gotten a bit heated) http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=306658 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316193 I read through some of these threads. Wow! And now to hijack my own thread. :D I don't understand why we are so quick to shield our children from death. It's natural part of living in a cursed world. I've taken my kids to many funerals at our church, including the open casket funeral of a newborn baby. It was no picnic (I was also due to give birth any day at that time), but I was able to let my children experience the dark side of a cruel world while at the same time teaching them how God provides grace and peace through it all. Does that make me death obsessed? I don't think so but anyways....:rant: Thanks for the heads up though. As one of my friends put it, "Everyone has two eyes but no one has the same view". My oldest is only 8 but it absolutely fascinates me how dogmatic we can be in making our choices for our kids, yet in the end I've seen kids raised completely different and both have turned out to be well rounded, secure, happy adults. :lol: So in conclusion, I am of the opinion that people are over reacting to all this, BUT kudos to parents that are trying to make the best choices for their children. :cheers2: (Can we just pretend those are mugs of root beer? :rofl:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I read through some of these threads. Wow! And now to hijack my own thread. :D I don't understand why we are so quick to shield our children from death. It's natural part of living in a cursed world. I've taken my kids to many funerals at our church, including the open casket funeral of a newborn baby. It was no picnic (I was also due to give birth any day at that time), but I was able to let my children experience the dark side of a cruel world while at the same time teaching them how God provides grace and peace through it all. Does that make me death obsessed? I don't think so but anyways....:rant:Thanks for the heads up though. As one of my friends put it, "Everyone has two eyes but no one has the same view". My oldest is only 8 but it absolutely fascinates me how dogmatic we can be in making our choices for our kids, yet in the end I've seen kids raised completely different and both have turned out to be well rounded, secure, happy adults. :lol: So in conclusion, I am of the opinion that people are over reacting to all this, BUT kudos to parents that are trying to make the best choices for their children. :cheers2: (Can we just pretend those are mugs of root beer? :rofl:) I agree with you completely. I felt the same way reading those threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay3fer Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I was able to let my children experience the dark side of a cruel world while at the same time teaching them how God provides grace and peace through it all. ... kudos to parents that are trying to make the best choices for their children. :cheers2: (Can we just pretend those are mugs of root beer? :rofl:) Definitely root beer! I have always told my kids (so after 17 years, it's gotten quite tedious), when they have wondered why we don't have the same rules and standards as other families, "God chooses the right parents for each kid." (and yes, I know He chooses genuine loser parents sometimes, abusers and whatever, but there you go - that's theology; full of gaps... they wouldn't call it a "leap" of faith if all you had to do was step across) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Can I ask a question and hijack your thread? About how long does it take to get through a book??? I'm trying to work out how many we might go through in a year, if it is just for a fun supplement. Do you just let them have at it or schedule a chapter a day/week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Can I ask a question and hijack your thread? About how long does it take to get through a book??? I'm trying to work out how many we might go through in a year, if it is just for a fun supplement. Do you just let them have at it or schedule a chapter a day/week? That all depends on how fast or slow you want to take it and where your child is now. We are in Alpha with MUS and to line up concepts, we'll do the first 3 books this year, the next 3 books next year, and then two books per year for the rest of the new elementary series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macpuffins Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I read through some of these threads. Wow! And now to hijack my own thread. :D I don't understand why we are so quick to shield our children from death. It's natural part of living in a cursed world. I've taken my kids to many funerals at our church, including the open casket funeral of a newborn baby. It was no picnic (I was also due to give birth any day at that time), but I was able to let my children experience the dark side of a cruel world while at the same time teaching them how God provides grace and peace through it all. Does that make me death obsessed? I don't think so but anyways....:rant:Thanks for the heads up though. As one of my friends put it, "Everyone has two eyes but no one has the same view". My oldest is only 8 but it absolutely fascinates me how dogmatic we can be in making our choices for our kids, yet in the end I've seen kids raised completely different and both have turned out to be well rounded, secure, happy adults. :lol: So in conclusion, I am of the opinion that people are over reacting to all this, BUT kudos to parents that are trying to make the best choices for their children. :cheers2: (Can we just pretend those are mugs of root beer? :rofl:) :iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Can I ask a question and hijack your thread? About how long does it take to get through a book??? I'm trying to work out how many we might go through in a year, if it is just for a fun supplement. Do you just let them have at it or schedule a chapter a day/week? Each book is 19 chapters. The author recommends reading a chapter a day. I believe that would be the recommendation if you are using it as a stand alone. As a supplement it would vary depending on the child and what level of math you are in before you start. I see a pp mentioned they are on alpha and plan to do 3 books in one year. That sounds about right. We were already on Delta when we started. I knew dd would enjoy the narrative format and that she would not like starting in the middle so we started with Apples. The math is well beneath her level so she went through the book very quickly. Apples one day and Butterflies the next. She is now working on Cats. In the interest of full disclosure dd loves to read and will do so for hours on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Dogs now comes with a sticker affixed to the last page spelling out a happy ending for the previously doomed pups. At least mine did, and I ordered it a few weeks ago from ztwist books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Apples just arrived today! I read the first several chapters, and it should be fun -- I think we will enjoy it. Good way to break in some math journals. :001_smile: I plan to do 2 chapters a week, so it should take us a little over two months. I may let my eldest read ahead, but I'll make him do it on his own :D (He needs the practice reading.) I ordered the first 4 books and we have only gone through Apples so far. It was okay, but my 5yo wasn't very interested & it was enjoyable as an "easy read" only for my 7yo. In fact, we've had the rest of the series sitting on a shelf for awhile now and haven't picked up the 2nd yet. I won't be ordering any more. Too much money for too little usefulness, for my family. I'd totally buy them for a "fun read" at under $5 or so, but for $16 each I can't recommend them at all. They would have to be a significantly more useful math supplement for me to be willing to buy more (maybe in the older series??). The books are VERY high quality though. I'm impressed. They are probably the best quality books I've bought in a long time. I can also reuse them for my younger two, and I'm sure they'll have a good resell value. Dogs now comes with a sticker affixed to the last page spelling out a happy ending for the previously doomed pups. At least mine did, and I ordered it a few weeks ago from ztwist books. Cool. I wasn't going to skip the book, but that's nice to know. We just adopted a dog from the pound, and we've lost pets before, so I'd prefer at least a hopeful ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoo_keeper Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Yay! I'm so glad to hear about the sticker! I'm also slightly embarrassed, in that our copy of "Dogs" arrived yesterday (girls insisted that they loved Fred so much they'd suffer through the sad parts in the 4th installment) and I hadn't even looked. But, yep, there it is. Now I'm off to thank the author... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 My copy of Dogs arrived this afternoon, and on the very last page is the sticker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 How interesting about the Dogs sticker. Our Butterflies copy arrived yesterday and we went through 3 chapters after dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMDRAD Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 Can I ask a question and hijack your thread? About how long does it take to get through a book??? I'm trying to work out how many we might go through in a year, if it is just for a fun supplement. Do you just let them have at it or schedule a chapter a day/week? I was planning to have my kid do a chapter or two a week on Fridays as a supplement to MUS. We also have the supplemental Blue series from MM that I plan to start using this week too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 (edited) I'm glad to know about the Dog sticker too. I have been debating for a very long time if I wanted to shell out the money for this set. I know for me....if I buy one of something of a set, I'm gonna want the entire thing. I was going to be placing a Rainbow Resource order soon, and was considering ordering Apples, Butterflies and Dogs from them. But......I wonder if they'd have the Dog sticker (maybe they still have a big batch of Dog books before the sticker was included). Maybe it's better to order from the LOF site instead....I think they have free shipping, right? ETA: Duh....I forgot about Cats! I don't know my alphabet today. Hmmmm.....maybe I'll just get A,B,C for now and get Dogs later. Edited November 15, 2011 by ~AprilMay~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMDRAD Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 I'm glad to know about the Dog sticker too. I have been debating for a very long time if I wanted to shell out the money for this set. I know for me....if I buy one of something of a set, I'm gonna want the entire thing. I was going to be placing a Rainbow Resource order soon, and was considering ordering Apples, Butterflies and Dogs from them. But......I wonder if they'd have the Dog sticker (maybe they still have a big batch of Dog books before the sticker was included). Maybe it's better to order from the LOF site instead....I think they have free shipping, right? Yes, I do believe that the LOF site has free shipping. And it's pretty fast too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Yes, I do believe that the LOF site has free shipping. And it's pretty fast too. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 We just started with LOF Apples for dd8 and Fractions for DS10. Both are already HUGE hits! DD did the first 2 chapters in Apples yesterday, which was great, and then she spent half an hour making up more problems for herself to go with it. I've been having a lot of trouble getting her to sit down and do her Teaching Textbooks lessons lately, so I think we'll take a break from that and use Apples along with Math Mammoth (I own the entire topical series, whichever color that is). DS loved Fractions too, so we're doing the same with him. I am assuming they will move through these pretty quickly, and then we'll simply go on to the next in the series, unless they choose to go back to TT. (Truth be told, while I like TT, going back to spending that time with my kids, and using pencils/paper is kind of refreshing, plus the Fred books are just plain fun to read aloud!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay3fer Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 I was going to be placing a Rainbow Resource order soon, and was considering ordering Apples, Butterflies and Dogs from them. But......I wonder if they'd have the Dog sticker Just heard back from my friends at Rainbow (I email them a couple times a week with questions and concerns sometimes and they are VERY responsive!) and they say their books DO have the sticker. She adds: And, I’m happy to say, the sticker does more than just imply that no dogs will be euthanized. It states, Late Breaking News – No Dogs Will Die and goes on to talk about a donation to the shelter that will allow for more pens and cages so all dogs (and kittens, too, I think) can be sheltered until they are adopted. Problem solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Just heard back from my friends at Rainbow (I email them a couple times a week with questions and concerns sometimes and they are VERY responsive!) and they say their books DO have the sticker. She adds: And, I’m happy to say, the sticker does more than just imply that no dogs will be euthanized. It states, Late Breaking News – No Dogs Will Die and goes on to talk about a donation to the shelter that will allow for more pens and cages so all dogs (and kittens, too, I think) can be sheltered until they are adopted. Problem solved. Awesome! Thanks for checking. I'm so glad Mr. Schmidt listened to people about the dogs book (I bet he got a lot of e-mails about it). He could have done nothing....but he did something. I think that's positive. Hmmmm......being that there was such a heated thread about the dog book not long ago....I think I will start a new topic (spin-off) specifically about there being this dog sticker. I know some said they would skip that book.....but maybe they wouldn't if they knew about this. I'll paste this quote from Rainbow, if you don't mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 (edited) Oooppsss...this is for a new thread. That's what I get for having more than one window open and trying to do two things at once! Edited November 15, 2011 by ~AprilMay~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Each book is 19 chapters. The author recommends reading a chapter a day. I believe that would be the recommendation if you are using it as a stand alone. As a supplement it would vary depending on the child and what level of math you are in before you start. I see a pp mentioned they are on alpha and plan to do 3 books in one year. That sounds about right. We were already on Delta when we started. I knew dd would enjoy the narrative format and that she would not like starting in the middle so we started with Apples. The math is well beneath her level so she went through the book very quickly. Apples one day and Butterflies the next. She is now working on Cats. In the interest of full disclosure dd loves to read and will do so for hours on her own. Thanks so much to you and all who answered. DD also loves to read and is accelerated in maths so I think I'd have to pull her back on whizzing through them... My thought was to use them as a once a week 'living maths' supplement lesson... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Thanks so much to you and all who answered. DD also loves to read and is accelerated in maths so I think I'd have to pull her back on whizzing through them... My thought was to use them as a once a week 'living maths' supplement lesson... I first saw Fred in person from a someone in our group who homeschools her granddaughters and they have "Fred Fridays." It might be easier to keep them away from Fred if they don't live with the books though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Thanks so much to you and all who answered. DD also loves to read and is accelerated in maths so I think I'd have to pull her back on whizzing through them... My thought was to use them as a once a week 'living maths' supplement lesson... If you're daughter is a good reader and accelerated in math I would probably plan for her to do a large chunk or all of the book on Fridays. Dd didn't take very long to do the whole book. I know for her having to wait to find out what happened next would have been torture. I have been doing a lot of living math books lately. The idea never occurred to me before reading some threads but dd told me yesterday math is much more fun now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nov05mama Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Thanks so much to you and all who answered. DD also loves to read and is accelerated in maths so I think I'd have to pull her back on whizzing through them... My thought was to use them as a once a week 'living maths' supplement lesson... I have had to do the same for my DS. He would finish an entire LoF book in one day if I allowed it. As it is, I try to limit it to 1-2 chapters a week, just so we spread it out a little. We are in Butterflies at the moment and will likely get through at least Cats before the school year is over, if not Dogs as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 If you're daughter is a good reader and accelerated in math I would probably plan for her to do a large chunk or all of the book on Fridays. Dd didn't take very long to do the whole book. I know for her having to wait to find out what happened next would have been torture. I have been doing a lot of living math books lately. The idea never occurred to me before reading some threads but dd told me yesterday math is much more fun now. Can you tell me what books you are using for "living math". I have an old Time-Life series called I Love Math that I'm hoping to read with my dd. Would these be considered "living math"? I guess I'm not sure what that means and what books fall under that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Can you tell me what books you are using for "living math". I have an old Time-Life series called I Love Math that I'm hoping to read with my dd. Would these be considered "living math"? I guess I'm not sure what that means and what books fall under that. I had never heard the term until I saw it here so I posted asking for a definition and suggestions. :tongue_smilie: So far the Sir Cumference series and Marilyn Burns books have been hits. There are others I found through links provided by other people here. The site I started with is this: http://www.livingmath.net/ReadersbyConcept/tabid/268/Default.aspx There were other sites mentioned on recent threads. You could probably search for living math books and find several options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I had never heard the term until I saw it here so I posted asking for a definition and suggestions. :tongue_smilie: So far the Sir Cumference series and Marilyn Burns books have been hits. There are others I found through links provided by other people here. The site I started with is this: http://www.livingmath.net/ReadersbyConcept/tabid/268/Default.aspx There were other sites mentioned on recent threads. You could probably search for living math books and find several options. Thank you. I see on the link that the I Love Math books are the second ones on the list. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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