supplementing w/Life of Fred

I know some people do it, and I intended to do it, but we left our traditional math curriculum behind and are only using LOF now. My youngest was quite math-averse and anxious over math before LOF. Now she looks forward to her lessons. I read as much as I could before choosing it and understood at the time that LOF can truly be used as a stand-alone curriculum.

I think it is tricky to supplement LOF if you don’t start from the beginning of the series. I know the author urges this strongly for students through fourth grade, but perhaps you would consider continuing LOF with the 1st grader and have your older kids read through each of the elementary series as you get to them with the 1st grader. (Have the older ones stop using the books they are currently in until they “catch up” to their current book (Ice Cream, Fractions).)

As for integrating the two, in addition to my daughter’s anxiety over the previous curriculum, I really think that would be too much math each day FOR US. But I do believe there are other ladies on this board who use LOF with another curriculum successfully and I hope they weigh in for you!

We use LoF as our main curriculum (DS6 is on Goldfish, DD8 is on Honey) and then add in fun things like Hands on Equations, Primary Challenge Math, and living math books, as well as activities for facts drill, such as Timez Attack or Card Games.  I’m not sure how it would work to use LoF as just a supplement, as it’s a complete program in itself, especially as you get to higher levels.  I can perhaps see supplementing with much lower levels, such as an upper elementary student working through from the beginning of Apples, just as a review, but I wouldn’t try to use two different curricula at the same level.   

What are you hoping to accomplish by supplementing?  Why is MUS not enough just on it’s own? (I admit to knowing nothing about it.)  Are you looking for more practice?  More motivation?  A different approach to teach challenging skills?  My only experience is with the Elementary series so far, but if I know your goals, I might be able to give you some ideas. 

Joanne

Both of my boys really enjoy Life of Fred.  I bought Apples a few years back to see what it was all about, and they loved it, so when I ended up with the dilema of a younger child further in MUS than his older brother who is three grades and nearly four years older, I decided it was time to try putting them each in their own program.  So, younger (math lover) elected to stay with MUS for fractions, but read Fred “for fun” and older (REALLY doesn’t like math) is moving to LoF.  He will be starting with Ice Cream, Jelly Beans and the three intermediate books, hoping to get the hang of Fred and reinforce the math facts (with some regular drill and games to help) before moving to Fractions in the new year.  Having both programs, I will be able to see how they each can compliment the other in the coming year.  It may be my older can benefit from watching the MUS videos and using the manipulatives if he runs into something he doesn’t get.  My younger will likely do those 5 Fred books for “fun” (he’s already completed Ice Cream and is half way through Jelly Beans) but may just read Fractions for the story down the road — maybe over the summer after he’s finished Epsilon.  I would not do both programs once you get to Epsilon/LoF Fractions.  That would be definate over kill.  Both are full stand alone programs.