Life of Fred?

[ExcitedMama]

A couple of years ago I got DS Life of Fred Apples and he loved it. I thought it was really basic though so I never got more. I told him he could have a break from the MIF books this summer so I want to find something fun to go with Miquon and BA. When does Fred ramp up? My youngest is very different from DS so I’m not sure if she’ll appreciate the quirkiness that DS liked about Fred which has me torn about buying it if I can’t use it with her. Does Fred help build up math knowledge? Is it just silly or can you act learn from it? Was Apples to basic to get where this is going as a series?

[SebastianCat]

We got the LOF books up through Pre-Algebra and my kids loved them.   My math-loving kid still remembers things specific to LOF, while my non-math-loving kid felt "meh" about them, although she enjoyed reading them.    You can find a plentiful supply of used copies at homeschoolclassifieds.com, and can re-sell them there too.  

[Sarah0000]

It covers a few things well enough on its own, like sets and clocks, otherwise most topics are best as either an introduction or review, in my opinion. My son also did Miquon and is now doing BA, and also some Singapore and supplemental fun stuff like Penrose. I still find a place for LoF because it introduces some stuff earlier, but not to mastery, than is seen in other elementary programs, like percents and medians. Theoretical stuff is explained well, like why order matters, but arithmetic, especially division, is not conceptually explained well at all. Since LoF is not our main program we do the arithmetic portions as a review after its been learned conceptually elsewhere. The silliness appeals to my six year old boy and it's hard to find resources for upper elementary topics that are playful.

[HomeAgain]

It starts to ramp up quickly.  I think Apples and Butterflies are mostly introduction to addition, subtraction, and time, and then it starts going off on tangents.  We use it as a supplement for RS, but you can see the entire list of what is covered here:  http://www.stanleyschmidt.com/FredGauss/11catofbooks.html

[egao_gakari]

DD11 really needed some math remediation when she came home at the beginning of 4th, so we zipped through A-F that year and she came out way more confident in math, even liking it! I'd say D or E is where it started getting difficult for her. This year, though, I decided she needed more targeted instruction and added some Saxon lessons and speed tests. That balance has worked well for us and we'll be continuing it next year--2 chapters of Fred each Tuesday and Thursday, one Saxon lesson or test each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I start in the middle of the Saxon book and don't plan to reach the end. So this year (5th grade) we did:

Saxon 5/4 Lessons 20-75 plus the associated tests, and
Fred Goldfish, Honey, Ice Cream, Jelly Beans, Kidneys, Liver, Mineshaft.

Just today, I noticed that she applied a concept she'd learned in Fred (division with a remainder) to a new problem in Saxon.

[Wren's Nest]

Question: Do you all have your kids work through these books on their own, or do you work with your child??  I'm thinking I need something like this for my daughter to work through somewhat independently.  We have way too much that I need to work with her on...mama bird needs a bit of a break.  ?  So, I'm curious to hear what you all do.  Thanks!

[LMD]

We're towards the end of cats and it just introduced place value. It's still quite simple. We do it as a once a week supplement (while waiting at music lessons). My 5th grader is likewise working through Fractions. They both still need me with them, though they do enjoy just reading them through on their own. 

Adding, my oldest did all the way through pre algebra and liked it. She's more naturally mathy and preferred to work on it without me.

[HomeAgain]

7 hours ago, Wren's Nest said:

Question: Do you all have your kids work through these books on their own, or do you work with your child??  I'm thinking I need something like this for my daughter to work through somewhat independently.  We have way too much that I need to work with her on...mama bird needs a bit of a break.  ?  So, I'm curious to hear what you all do.  Thanks!

You can do them independently. I tend to read them to my 8yo because we enjoy the stories together and then he does the "Your Turn To Play" at the end of each chapter alone in his math notebook.  Okay, mostly alone.  He has trouble writing sigma notation and set brackets so I'll scribe those for him.

[Sarah0000]

My child is six so we do them together and the problems orally. MM is good for independent work.

[Wren's Nest]

7 hours ago, Sarah0000 said:

My child is six so we do them together and the problems orally. MM is good for independent work.

 

Is MM Math Mammoth??  

[Sarah0000]

9 hours ago, Wren's Nest said:

 

Is MM Math Mammoth??  

Yes. Its not something my son would do every day long term because it's not fun and creative like the other math programs we use, but works when you need a break. There are lots of free samples on the MM website. You can print out a few sheets and see what your daughter thinks.

[Katy]

I've had trouble with kids getting so interested in the story they skip the work and go ahead in the story.  So I'd work through it with them, and I'm generally the encourage independent learning type compared to most on these boards.

[egao_gakari]

I haven't had a big issue getting my 2 to do the work independently, although DD11 prefers me to "help" her with it. (It's more moral support than anything substantive, though.) My main concern at the moment is that, in the "Bridges," which begin in Fractions, the text explicitly states that they are allowed to look back at the preceding chapters if they don't remember how to do something. I know that DS13 always looks back, and up till now LOF has been his only math, so this coming year I'm going to try adding some of the tests from Saxon Algebra 1 to judge how he's retaining what he's learned. He does great on standardized tests, so I'm not super worried, but concerned enough to make the change.

[ChocolateCake]

We use it as a supplement to Math Mammoth a couple of times per week.  My 11ds reads the chapters on his own but I need to be in the room while he does the work.  The temptation to cheat is too great for him since the answers are right there in the book.  I read the stories to my 9dd and she really enjoys LOF because she loves math.