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Life of Fred vs. Murderous Maths


Paige
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How would you compare the Life of Fred books to the Murderous Maths series? DS really enjoyed the Murderous Maths book about fractions and statistics. I found it well before he was doing that level of math (early 2nd grade) and didn't really follow up on it. It was a fun, free reading book. When he got to fractions in his regular curriculum (years later) he picked it up really quickly and told me recently it was because he had remembered it from when he read Murderous Maths. He's finished our Horrible Histories set, and I was thinking of getting the Murderous Maths boxed set next.

 

I'm trying to decide if he'd get more out of Life of Fred or additional Murderous Maths books. Murderous Maths are cheaper so I was leaning that way, but wondered what, if anything, we'd be missing out on by skipping Fred. Fred gets more love from the hive, so I'm curious.

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Fred is a curriculum. MM are a fun supplement, that might make other concepts click, or make them more interesting...but I do not think that Murd. M. could ever be considered a replacement to an actual curriculum.

 

MM are great fun. We love them. I have all of them, they were an excellent purchase. I know there are things my kids understand better because they read about them in those books. Would I ditch my main math program for them? No. Do they add value to what I am doing? Yes. Would my kids still learn their math w/o them? Yes.

 

LoF is not any more expensive than any other math program, IMHO. It is a LOT cheaper than many. But it works best if your kid responds to it, like any other piece of curriculum. LoF gets more love than Murd. M. because it IS a full curriculum. I ADORE murderous Maths, but never gush about them, as no one really asks about them. :D

 

blah blah blah

 

need coffee

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I am using both LOF and MM also. I agree, LOF is a curriculum and MM is a great review or even better as a preview of topics. I think the LOF higher level books are reasonably priced, but the elementary books are so short that they add up quickly.

 

Note, though, that LOF author is Christian. While his religion rarely shows up in the books (more in the elementary levels, apparently, and in the dedication), it is very family-friendly (aside from the dying dogs).

 

MM is very much British bathroom humor. Especially fractions, where the bottom jokes are constant. I remember seeing one person so offended by the MM book calling people idiots for using a calculator that she never let her kids see the book. My ridiculously competitive 9 yo LOVES that kind of stuff, though.

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Thank you! I do not need or want another full curriculum for math so Murderous Maths sounds more like what I'm looking for. I want something that my DS will enjoy, learn from, and make him think about things differently, but I don't need or want tests, worksheets or anything he needs to be accountable for.

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Thank you! I do not need or want another full curriculum for math so Murderous Maths sounds more like what I'm looking for. I want something that my DS will enjoy, learn from, and make him think about things differently, but I don't need or want tests, worksheets or anything he needs to be accountable for.

 

That is a good decision. However, LoF doesn't have classic tests or worksheets. It is definitely a "different" approach. It has problem sets, and end of chapter things, but much of the work is interwoven into the text, and it isn't accountable in the same way as you might be thinking.

 

I don't know what level you are talking about either, as it does make a difference in content.

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I am using both LOF and MM also. I agree, LOF is a curriculum and MM is a great review or even better as a preview of topics. I think the LOF higher level books are reasonably priced, but the elementary books are so short that they add up quickly.

 

Note, though, that LOF author is Christian. While his religion rarely shows up in the books (more in the elementary levels, apparently, and in the dedication), it is very family-friendly (aside from the dying dogs).

 

MM is very much British bathroom humor. Especially fractions, where the bottom jokes are constant. I remember seeing one person so offended by the MM book calling people idiots for using a calculator that she never let her kids see the book. My ridiculously competitive 9 yo LOVES that kind of stuff, though.

 

 

I know MM = Murderous Maths on this thread, but I can't help but think of Math Mammoth when I see MM. Maybe we should abbreviate Murderous Maths to MuMa? :lol:

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