by Lisa Weber

Created on: October 01, 2010   Last Updated: October 02, 2010

A relative new-comer on the Homeschooling scene, the Life of Fred Math Curriculum Series  published by Polka Dot Publishing and written by Stanley F. Schmidt, Ph. D., offers a new and exciting way for children, teens, and even adults to learn math.

• Who is Fred? – A creation from the mind of the series’ author Dr. Schmidt, Fred is an adorable little character whose life is the background of the ongoing story that moves your child through the math series.  Fred makes life fun, and the book is an enjoyable read for everyone. 

• What it covers – According to the website, Life of Fred offers a “Complete Math Education ... from fractions through two years of calculus . . . and beyond.  -more mathematics than any other homeschooling curriculum we know of.”  Each book covers a different subject.  The series starts off with two books, Fractions and Decimals & Percents.  There are then two Pre-Algebra level books, Pre-Algebra with Biology and Pre-Algebra with Economics (many families are having their children go through both books before moving on to Beginning Algebra).  Next, the series continues with Beginning Algebra, Advanced Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Statistics, and Linear Algebra.

• How it works – The Life of Fred series introduces math in an entirely new way.  The books are basically just the story of Fred’s everyday life and how math (and a variety of other useful information) is used in real life situations, and are meant to be self-teaching.  The child reads a chapter (or a lesson) and then answers a few questions each day.  After approximately five chapters, the student must pass what is called, “The Bridge”or a "City."  The Bridge is a 10 question review of everything the student has learned up until that point in the book.  The student must pass The Bridge before they move on, thus showing mastery of the concepts.   The interesting part is that the student must actually learn and understand the concepts because the questions at the end of each chapter and the questions on The Bridge are not just the same problems with different numbers, they are actual real life situation questions that make the student use their brain. 

• What age does it start? – Dr. Schmidt’s recommendation is that a child can start Life of Fred Fractions when the child has mastered

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>