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A House for Hermit Crab Literature Unit – Ivy Kids Kit

Mar12016
March 1, 2016 by 2 Comments

A House for Hermit Crab literature unit using Ivy Kids kits

Ivy Kids is a blog sponsor and we were sent this kit to review and use with our family.

One of the things that makes so many picture books memorable for our children, aside from the constant reading, is the addition of hands-on activities that tie in with the books. Even now they are older, they’ve never really grown out of that – and truthfully, I love it as well.

Except for the planning out and gather process, if we’re being completely honest.  That I can often do without!

Finding materials and ideas to go-along with books can take a lot of time out of the day. (Getting distracted on Pinterest with the additional things found might be another rabbit hole for another day, but that can make it truly overwhelming too.) I love real books and bringing them to life through hands-on activities though, so when Ivy Kids asked if we would be interested in using one of their monthly educational boxes to go along with A House for Hermit Crab – well, YES!

You all – I am IN LOVE!!! I wish these would have been around earlier when our kids were younger. Kaleb and I have had much fun together working on activities and learning about hermit crabs, and I’d love to share some of the fun with you too.

A Bit About Ivy Kids Kits

Each month, Ivy Kids puts together an educational box that includes a broad range of activities to go along with a specific book. They offer a wide range of literature-based kits, and activities range from simply fun (like painting) to educational games. Each box includes a copy of the focus book as well, so you can add it to your shelf immediately when you are finished with your learning!

A House for Hermit Crab Ivy Kids kit activities

The box is packed with all the supplies you will need (including the book!) so you do not have to gather anything – simply open the box and start! Boxes are targeted toward children ages 3 to 8: Little Ivy (3-5) and Junior Ivy (5-8) and many activities can be adapted for kids, making it great for siblings to work on together. The box lid contains a list of all activities, so you have a quick reference guide of what the theme looks like.

activity box for A House for Hermit Crab

a quick peek inside our box

Activities are all grouped in ziplock bags, complete with instructions for each activity or game. At times there are pieces that are used for more than one activity, but it’s all clearly laid out for you as you go through the projects. Kits are personalized to your child and with your child’s name on the activities. We kept the instructions in the bags along with the supplies so we didn’t get anything confused. Sibling add-on kits are also available for each kit.

Activities in Our Box

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While each kit includes activities specifically tailored to the theme book, we received A House for Hermit Crab. Can you believe we never, in all the many year and children, never read the book together before? While there were many activities included in our box, we have a few to highlight for you (see the full list of activities here).

We chose to do a few activities each day and spread them out over the course of two weeks. During that time we read the book together a few times as well and used the included bookmark to go over comprehension questions.

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One of our favorite go-alongs in A House for Hermit Crab box was the pretend hermit crab that grows. Kaleb LOVED creating a habitat for his crab (and I enjoyed that we didn’t have a real one in the house!). His habitat has been sitting on his desk along with a  collection of shells as well.

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Zachary wanted to join in with us as well, especially when it came time to paint. The suncatchers went along with the different creatures in the book and have been hanging in our schoolroom window ever since!

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We observed a hermit crab shell, measuring and describing, writing a short summary about our findings after drawing a picture.

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Kaleb’s hermit crab design…

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Sorting shells by type – can you identify a bivalve or gastropod?

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The photo fact cards that explain about a hermit crab are wonderful resources!

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And plenty of painting and craft activities to go along!

These are just a sampling of the many activities, games, and resources included in Ivy Kid’s kit for A House for Hermit Crab. Be sure to visit their website to see the full list of activities.

We are definitely looking forward to working through another Ivy Kids kit (currently Make Way for Ducklings) and sharing that with you soon! If you’d like to try Ivy Kids Kits with your children, be sure to use the coupon code below!

Ivy Kids discount code

Subscriptions to Ivy Kids are available for one, three, or six months and add-on sibling kits are available for an additional $5. Try out any one of their past kits, but remember supplies are limited. Subscriptions are the best way to get the newest literature kit! Use the code IVY20 to save 20% off your first kit with any renewing subscription.

Recommended for grades preK – 3. Parent supervision is needed, but no prep-time is required. Our honest opinion has been given in this review and we wholeheartedly recommend Ivy Kids to other families.

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Filed Under: Kindergarten, Literature Based Printables, Opinions and Reviews, PreK and K Community 2 Comments

Using Times Tales for Tricky Multiplication Facts

Jan202016
January 20, 2016 by 6 Comments

Educents is a blog sponsor and provided a digital copy of Times Tales for our review.

using Times Tales to learn multiplication facts

Multiplication facts have been a bit tricky for two of our kids, especially many of the ones in the 6, 7, 8, and 9 tables. Drilling wasn’t effective and was making life unpleasant.  Flash cards were not our friend.

Our fifth grader is constantly trying to sneak answers out of me, and although he eventually does get the correct answer when he thinks it through, recall isn’t as fast as it could be. Our youngest is beginning his multiplication journey, so over the last few weeks both he and his brother have been working together to learn their facts using Times Tales. Instead of groans and frustration, the two are learning together and remembering (without needing to ask me for help!).

As I’ve been sharing our progress via Instagram and Facebook the past bit, I LOVE hearing your comments and hearing how successful it’s been for your families also! I am so excited to share a more in-depth look at the program with you all. Be sure to read through as well, because there is a 15% off coupon code for you to grab!

How Times Tales Works

Times Tales animated math

Although it may seem like pictures and silly sentences, Times Tales is a digital video program that teaches the following multiplication facts using visual mnemonic stories: 3×6, 3×7, 3×8, 3×9, 4×6, 4×7, 4×8, 4×9, 6×6, 6×7, 6×8, 6×9, 7×7, 7×8, 7×9, 8×8, 8×9, & 9×9.

The program includes two DVDs or video downloads, each focusing on a set of problems: the lower facts and then the upper facts. Multiplication facts based on 0, 1, 2, 5, and 10 are not included in the program since children typically have an easier time learning those facts. DVD 1 covers the upper 3s and 4s times tables and DVD 2 covers the uppers 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s.

Learning multiplication facts with Times Tales-5

Each number is given a visual clue to help children remember the prompt. We used the Times Tales download, so I transferred the videos to my iPad and the boys watched it together that way. We focused on Part 1 immediately after our break, waited two weeks, and then worked on Part 2 together. (Note: it is recommended that you work with the first DVD for at least one week before you begin the second.) We followed along as they recommend and the results have been FABULOUS!

Learning multiplication facts with Times Tales

Our oldest isn’t needing any help with his facts and able to immediately answer the multiplication facts – and has easily translated into division as well.

Here’s a quick look at the steps of the video (about 30 minutes each) and also a short video clip to show our boys ‘in action’ with the program.

 

 

 

 

Part 1

Learn the characters – kids are introduced to the different characters and the numbers they represent.

Part 2

Learn the Stories – Kids learn the multiplication facts by watching the short video story clips (less than 10 minutes).

Part 3

Beat the Clock – play a game and answer the questions within 3 to 5 seconds. The questions are based on the stories the kids learned in the prior part.

Part 4

Flashcard Practice – the problems/flashcards are shown on the screen and kids can either pause the video to answer, or let it run and see if they can beat the video. A division challenge is also included as a part of this section and kids see if they can guess who is missing from the problem.

There are also flashcards available as a part of the printable portion of Times Tales that can be printed off, both with prompts and as straight multiplication and division facts.

Final Step – The Written Test

Learning multiplication facts with Times Tales-7

In this step, kids work on the written tests that are included as a part of the program. There is a crossword puzzle challenge, a practice test (including the characters for visual clues), and also a full test with only the numbers and no clues.

What Mom Loves About Times Tales

times tales for learning multiplication facts

Other than printing things off to use later with the kids, there was really little that I had to do prep-wise for the boys. I did sit with them while they watched the video to observe what was happening. A few things I love:

  • The characters are memorable and ‘translate’ well. The boys haven’t had any problem learning or remember the numbers that each character represents or translating them to actual numbers for math facts.
  • The stories stick with you. Our girls used Times Tales years ago and were chiming in with the facts (and still remember them!). In the days following our first lesson with Times Tales, I would hear the boys stop for a moment in their math program and repeat one of the stories to solve a problem they were working on.
  • All the printables are included with the program. The only pesky part is putting the dice together (but I promise it isn’t that hard!). Otherwise you can save it to use with younger children and print off as many copies as you would like.
  • Two sets of flashcards help with recognition. For younger children, or those needing a little prompting, there are two different sets of flashcards included: one with visual prompts of the characters and one with the straight facts. Cards for division practice are also included with the program
  • It is a fun way to learn, rather than rote repetition. The boys have especially enjoyed this part and the more ‘hands-on’ aspect the program brought to math. Instead of pulling out flashcards, the boys enjoy rolling the dice to work on their math problems.

One reader emailed to ask if I thought the videos were cheesy. Now personally, I might not have thought our boys would like them, but since the clips were so short (30 minutes each), they were short enough to engage them while teaching the facts – and the stories stuck! Knowing the program works is a huge encouragement to me.

The day after we watched the second part of the Times Tales focusing on the upper multiplication facts, I pulled out the dice to see what Kaleb would remember. All we had worked on the day prior was the video itself and the practice test, with no review after that. Here’s a peek at how Kaleb did remembering the facts he learned:

 

 

 

 

I was really blown away! He gave the correct answers right away without even hesitating. For a boy that has only worked on his lower multiplication tables and not had any prior work with the upper facts – I was amazed!

Overall we have LOVED using Times Tales (and I may be a wee bit upset with myself for not pulling it out earlier for Zachary). It was a short time investment (and not a huge out of pocket expense either) for something that clicked with our kids and helped knock out something that was difficult for them.

Start Using Times Tales

The Times Tales programs are available through their website HERE. 

Purchase the Times Tales on DVD here (21.95)!
Download Times Tales Digital version here ($19.95)!

 

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Filed Under: Math, Opinions and Reviews 6 Comments

Rock Hound’s Backpack – Exploring Rocks with Kids

Nov242015
November 24, 2015 by 38 Comments

Rock Hounds Backpack Kit - exploring and learning about rocks with kids copy



Getting our kids outdoors and exploring the world surrounding them is something we definitely want to encourage. When we take nature walks we might often pick up leaves or talk about the different trees, animals, or bugs we see along the way, but rocks aren’t typically something we do a lot of research on. We have picked up ones that look interesting, but usually that’s where it ends.

Home Science Tools - Rock Hound's Backpack

The last few weeks though, we’ve had a little boy intrigued by rocks in our midst! Kaleb received the Rock Hound’s Backpack Kit from Home Science Tools – full of everything he needed to start a rock hunting exploration – and was quickly out the door on a search for some different rocks.

Inside the Rock Hound’s Backpack Kit

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The Rock Hound’s Backpack Kit is ready to use within minutes of opening up your box. There are so many pockets and storage places in the backpack – plenty of room for a growing rock collection! Included in the kit are all of the items you see pictured above (and listed below).

  • Nature Backpack – store all of your tools and collection in this comfortable and compact pack. Padded shoulder straps and back.
  • Rock Pick – This heavy-duty steel rock pick has a hammer on one end and a pointed pick on the other for chiseling off specimens.
  • Safety Goggles – protect kids’ eyes while using the rock pick.
  • Rock and Mineral Test Kit –  instructions and materials to test for properties such as color, hardness, acidity, and magnetism. Includes a 5x/10x double-lens magnifier.
  • Mineral Hardness Scale Set – set of nine Mohs Scale of Hardness minerals lets kids test the hardness of their specimens and see how soft or hard rocks can be.
  • Crack-Open Geode – a fun specimen for kids to open using the rock pick and discover the crystals or mineral deposits inside!
  • Nature Notebook – A small notebook with blank pages that is great for keeping notes, recording test results, and making drawings of rocks and minerals that are too large to collect.
  • Rocks and Minerals Golden Guide – With full-color illustrations and easy-to-read text, anyone can use this guide to learn about and identify common rocks and minerals.
  • Rock and Mineral Display Box – a box with 15 compartments to store or display a growing rock and mineral collection.
  • Specimen Collection Bags – 15 plastic bags of varying sizes for collecting and sorting rock samples on the go (and keeping the backpack clean!).
  • Instructions –  information about the Mohs hardness scale, plus tips on collecting, identifying, and labeling rocks and minerals.

Exploring and Learning About Rocks

collecting rocks to examine

The first step in our rock exploration was finding different rocks. Kaleb went on a little adventure with his Rock Hound Backpack and decided to take a nature walk in the woods around our house, returning with these three rock samples. He thought they looked cool (grins).

exploring rocks with kids

We dropped the rocks into one of our collection bags and later pulled them out one by one to examine them. The Rock Hound Backpack includes a collapsible hand lens. Before doing any other tests on the rocks, we made observations about each of the rocks gathered.

exploring rocks with kids-2

One of our favorite things included in the kit are the nature notebook and Rocks and Mineral guidebook. The notebook is a simple sketchbook, but has plenty of room to take notes, draw pictures, and keep records of all we are observing and discovering. The guidebook is full of wonderful pictures and tips for learning about rocks (a definitely keeper for the bookshelf too!)

Kaleb drew a picture of each of the rocks collected and took notes on them as well, making notes about their color, luster, if they were opaque or translucent, etc… and left room for some additional notes. This is one thing that I loved watching. It’s funny how writing can be such a chore in some instances, but when a subject of interest comes along, writing suddenly becomes something enjoyable – and even attempting to spell and sound out words isn’t as painful.

exploring rocks with kids-3

Our next step was testing the hardness of each rock gathered. The kit included a set of nine Mohs Scale of Hardness minerals, so one by one the minerals were pulled out, scratched against each other and the final hardness of the specimen was recorded in our notebook.

exploring rocks with kids-4

Kaleb’s favorite part of everything was definitely using the rock pick! (I know, shocking, right?) With safety goggles on, we took the rocks outside and cracked them all open.

exploring rocks with kids-5

Some of our rocks broke open a little more easily than others and allowed us a chance to see the different variations and texture in the rock, other than just the external part of the rock.

exploring rocks with kids-6

We traveled recently and grabbed our Rock Hound’s backpack to take along with us to a swim meet. I knew we would have a block of time during the afternoon where we wouldn’t have anything to do, and this was a perfect activity to get us outside and working on something hands-on. What you don’t see in this picture are the other children that gathered around us to watch what we were doing. Everyone was chiming in about different rocks, what they observed – it was so much fun!

We also tested the magnetism of the rocks once we cracked them open (none of ours had any magnetic properties),

exploring rocks with kids-8

The small white rock was definitely the favorite rock to examine and break apart and has been made it’s way into the collection box to save. Not that all rocks aren’t special, but this one was the prettiest and most interesting to him.

Having specimen bags and everything handy to test and examine the bags was a huge help. We still need to run an acidity test on each of our rocks and the fun this week will be narrowing down even further what type of rocks and minerals we collected. We are taking our time on this step, mainly because we have been distracted going through the Rocks, Gems, and Minerals book – too many fun facts and pictures!

The convenience of having everything in one backpack, easy to grab and take along on a nature hike makes this a perfect addition to our homeschool learning! We already have a special spot in our schoolroom where our Rock Hound’s backpack is hanging as a reminder to use it often! Our kids would definitely recommend it as well – and several other kiddos are anxiously waiting their turn.

 

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Filed Under: Opinions and Reviews, Science 38 Comments

EEME Project Amp Review

Nov172015
November 17, 2015 by 4 Comments

Project Amp from EEME - build a working amplifier and learn how it works Homeschool Creations copy

One of the best motivators for our 11 year old to get his schoolwork done the last few weeks has been the promise of working on his latest EEME assignment: Project Amp. He is a boy who loves listening music, learning about electronics, and enjoys building, so this project was PERFECT for him. 

We’ve worked on several smaller projects from EEME in the last few months, and Zachary honestly cannot get enough of them. The hands-on aspect and opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at how electronics really work (and understand the process) has been worth every moment spent on the projects.  Both he and I have learned so much about

When EEME released a larger electronic project and asked if we would be willing to try it out, the answer was a resounding yes – especially when Zachary found out he would have a full-sized speaker amplifier that he could hook his iPod shuffle up to and play his favorite music nice and loud! We absolutely love

What is Project Amp?

Project Amp-51

Project Amp would be a perfect gift for children 10 and up! When fully completed, your child can plug their mp3 or iDevice into the amp and play his favorite music. It is a full speaker amplifier system that is 12.5" x 6.5" x 6.5" – and it can be LOUD if certain children decide they would like it to be (don’t worry moms, there is a volume control knob!).

Project Amp-8

Everything your child needs to build the amp is included in the box – from wire strippers down to every last nut, bolt, and wire needed from start to finish. The lessons are all online video-based, so your child will need to have access to internet to follow along with the lessons.

There are 55 short lessons to watch on the EEME website in which your child will work through the building process for the amp and learn about:

  • amplifiers
  • how sound waves work
  • direct current vs. alternating current
  • capacitors as sound filters

The build time for this project is between 4-6 hours, depending on your child’s ability and focus. Recommended for children ages 10+.

Our Thoughts on Building Project Amp

Project Amp-47

Zachary is completely thrilled with his finished amp. It has been continuously playing music (perhaps loudly) since its completion and has been proudly toted around to show his friends what he made. For real – the above picture made us laugh out loud because it was his real reaction when he had everything hooked up and was ready to put the rear panel onto the back of the amplifier. He had tested it at various stages during the building process, but hearing and seeing it all at the same time was so much more fun!

Project Amp-7

The overall building time and process on this project was a little more intense than past projects we’ve worked on for EEME, partly because it is a larger project, and partly because there were a few times that Zachary had to stop, re-watch a video lesson, check and re-check his work, and then move on when he figured it out.  Overall for us the build time was closer to the 6 hour timeframe, mainly because he would think he knew what to do and wouldn’t listen to the lesson closely enough – and do it incorrectly.

Project Amp-19

As with previous projects, the step-by-step videos and instructions were very clear and understandable, each one was short enough (and could be paused to work on the step), and components were explained in great detail so Zachary was learning the how and why the amplifier works.

Project Amp-32

Along the way, Zachary had different opportunities to test out the amplifier and see how it worked, as well as understand the different concepts presented, such as how the sound waves work through the cones of the speakers.

 

Zachary wanted to share a little bit more about the amp with you all as well and give you a peek inside the amplifier to see how it is all put together. The video doesn’t give an accurate depiction of the sound the amplifier truly puts out – the sound is much better than what you hear.

This is definitely a completed project we will be using and enjoying for years to come – and one I would recommend considering for a birthday or Christmas gift. It is one that would be not only used, but the recipient would enjoy the time learning and creating their own working amp!

Save 25% on Project Amp from EEME

Save 25 on Project Amp from EEME

For a limited time, EEME is offering a 25% discount along with FREE shipping toward Project Amp to my readers. All you need to do is follow this link.

Learn More About EEME

We’ve worked on several other projects from EEME. If you’re interested in learning more about their monthly subscription program, be sure to check out the below posts for more information:

The projects from EEME are perfect for 7 to 12 year olds ready to learn about real electronic components – no experience required!

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Filed Under: 5th Grade, 6th Grade, Opinions and Reviews, Science, STEM 4 Comments

Ishtar’s Odyssey – an Advent Story for Families

Nov92015
November 9, 2015 by 41 Comments

Many years ago our family was introduced to an Advent series for families when I was literally cornered by a 10 year old boy in church and told about the many adventures of Jotham. He and his family were reading through the book Jotham’s Journey (aff link), and he shared in great detail all that was happening as they were reading. The story pulled him in, and in more recent years the life of Jotham has been something that our family has enjoyed as well.

Advent stories for families by Arnold Ytreeide



The author, Arnold Ytreeide, weaves the lives of four children through his stories: Jotham, Tabitha, Bartholomew, and Ishtar. After Jotham’s Journey (aff link), there were additional stories written about two of the other children, Tabitha and Bartholomew, and finally this year a NEW story has released just in time for the upcoming Advent season: Ishtar’s Odyssey (aff link)! I cannot tell you how excited our family was when the new book arrived!

About Ishtar’s Odyssey

Ishtar's Odyssey

Here is a quick overview of the book from the author:

Ten-year-old Ishtar has a great life.  He’s a Prince of Persia, son of the chief of the Magi (wise men who advise the king), and lives on the top floor of the royal palace.  With his bodyguard, Kazeem, never more than a few paces away, and with all the delicacies of the empire to eat, servants to take care of his every need, and a stream of exotic visitors coming for dinner every night, Ishtar has a great life!

Of course, he does have to attend lessons all day long — languages, mathematics, politics, history, and so on.  It’s during his astronomy lesson one night that Ishtar sees something strange — a new star in the sky that no one has ever seen before.  His father and the other magi get all excited, and Ishtar doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.  He also doesn’t understand that his life is about to change drastically.

Soon Ishtar finds himself amongst a caravan of smelly camels, walking in the heat and dust of the desert, with little to eat, little to drink, and having to learn all sorts of new lessons.  His new tutor is the wilderness, and his new lessons are in survival.

Daily Readings

Ishtar's Odyssey advent book for families {%{% Homeschool Creations 2015

Ishtar’s Odyssey (aff link) is divided into daily readings for each of the days of Advent, leading up to Christmas morning. There is an Advent chart in the back of the book giving the Sunday on which Advent begins (through the year 2081…so you should be good!). This year Advent begins on November 29th, so the first reading would begin that day.

Because Christmas falls on different days of the week, the readings in the final week are much shorter so multiple days can be read together, allowing the last story to be read Christmas morning.

Time for Reflection

Ishtar's Odyssey advent book for families {%{% Homeschool Creations 2015-2-2

The daily readings take between 10-15 minutes to read, and a discussion and application section is at the end of each of the daily readings (see example above). I love that this is included because Advent is intended to be a time for pausing and reflecting – something each chapter gives you a chance to do as a family.

Bring the Book to Life!

Ishtar's Odyssey advent book for families {%{% Homeschool Creations 2015-4-2

Ishtar’s Odyssey (aff link) also includes explanations of different Persian foods – which would be SO much fun to tie in with the readings! Children can experience a little taste of what Ishtar might have eaten and in doing so – create a lasting memory of their Advent learning.

A Little More about the Jotham’s Journey Series

One thing our kids groan about with each book are the chapter endings. Somehow each chapter manages to leave you on the edge of your seat, wanting to read more (and that’s a GOOD thing). There have been days when we’ve read an extra chapter (or two) because we didn’t want to stop!

Even though each of the children in the story ultimately end up in the same place, their paths are all different. There are similar scenes in the various books as the characters meet one another at separate times, and it is much fun to see a character from a different perspective.

Overall, these are books that you will want to cycle through and re-read over the years. We’ve read the first three books in the series (two of them twice), and the kids cannot wait to start Ishtar’s Odyssey this year!

There are a few parts of the story that can get a little intense for younger children, but when our youngest was reading along, I just modified the story a bit so it wouldn’t be quite as overwhelming for him. You may want to pre-read each chapter and decide for your family. The Amazon recommended ages are 8 and up, but we have read these with our youngest (so around age 5).

Purchase the Jotham’s Journey Series

Your family can start the Jotham’s Journey Advent series with any of the characters (although I would recommend Jotham first!). These are four stories that your family will be re-reading for years to come and establish a wonderful Advent tradition: Jotham’s Journey, Tabitha’s Travels, Bartholomew’s Passage, and Ishtar’s Odyssey.

 

Win a Copy of Ishtar’s Odyssey

Kregel Publications has generously offered to give away FOUR copies of the book Ishtar’s Odyssey by Arnold Ytreeide – so four winners!! Yay!!

Giveaway is open to those with a  US address and will run through Monday, November 16, 2015 at 11:59pm. Winners will be chosen and verified via Rafflecopter and have 48 hours to respond to email or another winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This book and giveaway items were provided to me at no charge by Kregel Publications. All opinions expressed in the post are solely mine.

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Filed Under: Advent, Giveaways, Holidays, Opinions and Reviews 41 Comments

Life of Fred Math Giveaway

Oct202015
October 20, 2015 by 58 Comments

Life of Fred elementary math series giveaway

A few weeks ago I shared a  review on a set of Life of Fred Beginning readers we received from Educents. We are absolutely loving the readers and have more on the way for our reading fun – and now  a few more books in the Life of Fred math series thanks to the kind folks at Educents. Kaleb is literally in educational heaven. (You won’t hear me complaining!)

Are You Familiar with Educents?

homeschool_ad300x250Educents is an online marketplace where you can find  affordable educational products. They provide daily deals to students, parents and educators by working with established educational suppliers. Whether it is a science kit, curriculum pack, books or art supplies, they make sure that Educents has the lowest price – helping more than 300,000 teachers, homeschoolers, and parents gain access to affordable educational materials.

Click here to browse and discover all affordable deals at Educents.

Reasons to Love Life of Fred Math

Life of Fred elementary math books {%{% Homeschool Creations-2

Life of Fred math wasn’t on our original homeschool curriculum plan for this year, but after a few weeks of school Kaleb started asking when we were going to use Fred for math again. The last few years we have worked through the first five books in the elementary math series and loved them. Needless to say, I’d rather not say no when one of my kiddos asks to have a little more fun with math.

We have loved the Life of Fred elementary math books for many of the same reasons we love their elementary readers:

  • Laughter abounds – any curriculum that makes a subject fun is a huge win for a family.
  • Simple – the lessons seem easy, but kids are absorbing so much more than you realize through the simple format and presentation.
  • Short chapters and simple text – the text isn’t overwhelming.
  • Silly stories – there is a continuing story throughout the books that kids follow (the older kids even listen in to find out what is happening with Fred).
  • No extras needed – you don’t need any added manipulatives or extras to go along with the books. Just read together and learn.
  • Resuable – the sturdy hardcover books can be used by multiple children (and will withstand all the bending, dropping, etc).

 

The above video gives a quick summary on what you’ll find in each of the math books, but you can read more about the Life of Fred Elementary math series here.

Save 10% at Educents!

Currently Educents is offering discounted bundles of both Life of Fred Math and the Life of Fred Beginning Readers for purchase directly from their site.  Save an extra 10% off with the coupon code HSC10. It’s a special code JUST for my readers, so be sure to use it!!

If you’d like to learn more about the Life of Fred Beginning Readers and see our thoughts (and a video peek at the books), be sure to visit this post for more information.

LIfe of Fred beginning readers - simple, fun, and engaging for children

A Giveaway from Educents

Educents has also offered one of my readers the FULL Life of Fred Elementary math series! Giveaway ends Monday, October 26th at 11:59 pm and is open to US residents. To enter the giveaway, follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Filed Under: Giveaways, Opinions and Reviews 58 Comments