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Does anyone have cumulative evidence that Life Of Fred is a stand-alone math curric?


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After 18 years of homeschooling, I have been getting more confident and braver in our curriculum choices.  The Life of Fred Elementary Series is sitting on my homeschooling purgatory shelf, mainly because I am not 100% sure of it as a stand-alone math program.  Not so brave after all...maybe. 

 

If you have evidence from your own seasoned experience that LOF is legit on its own, I would love to hear it!   It seems to have so many holes...

 

Thanks!

 

 

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We used Fractions, and Decimals and Percents, then tried to use Algebra.  The first two books worked well because we used them as review - Calvin had already studied the subjects but needed a bit more coverage.  For algebra, there was not enough teaching for him and not enough practice.  He's bright but doesn't find maths intuitive.  For him, LOF was not a complete programme.

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We used some of the elementary and middle school series, I can't personally see how it would work as a stand alone(ftr I love story based curriculum- it works really well for ds but I was not impressed with the scope and sequence, amount of review or teaching methods). Every kid is different though, some need little repetition, some catch on easily with little explanation, some kids will thrive with nearly any approach. I have friends that use and enjoy Fred, none that have made it far enough to prove or disprove the viability of Fred as a program. I would say if you think it is good enough and will fit your needs you can try it out.

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Elementary and Higher Math are two different beasts.  Elementary is NOT a stand alone in any shape or form.  I created review sheets to introduce concepts a little better and provide extra practice.  Fractions and above have what are called "bridges", where it's a mini math test after every few chapters.  There are 3 chances, but if you don't make it over the first bridge, you either need to reread or find something else to help explain the concepts.  It can be stand alone for students who see math that way.  It is not for everyone. 

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I own the ENTIRE math series and we've made it up to Jellybeans...this is the 10th book. It did work for my kids! However, for me I was struggling with it "being enough" and opted to switch them to something different. Had I not done this they would have been up to where they needed to be. I dropped it at the beginning of the school year because I was asking myself the same question you are. I wish I didn't let it go! My own insecurities sabotaged a wonderful fun math program!

 

I am on a facebook group for LOF users and there are SEVERAL families who have used it and their kids scored GREAT on tests in the math area their kids took in high school!

 

I will be one of the mama's here that believes it can be stand alone and work just fine. It's all in how you look at learning the concepts with this approach. I will keep the entire series because I feel like it's a perfect thing for any gap filling. I wish I had stuck it out. My girls once in Algebra will use it again. 

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The elementary is NOT stand-alone, at all.

 

Fractions and up can be stand alone for the right type of student with some supplementing if they struggle. LOF in tandem with Khan Academy is actually a great mix, my husband used it to re-learn Trig. But, for some students it wont be enough. 

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I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'd like to use it as a stand alone. I *might* give it a try, since I think I need to do something different.

 

Here's a blog post about it.

Thank you, what a great blog post. I just ordered Apples, as much for myself as anyone else, lol. I like quirky math books -- Penrose is a current favorite -- so I am waiting to get our first Fred book.

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Thank you, what a great blog post. I just ordered Apples, as much for myself as anyone else, lol. I like quirky math books -- Penrose is a current favorite -- so I am waiting to get our first Fred book.

 

I hope you like it.  Good thing you like quirky...cuz it is.    :001_smile:

 

And I wanted to clarify, in case anyone thinks otherwise...that blog post is not mine.  I'll edit my post to reflect that.  

Edited by BatmansWife
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