Picking the perfect math curriculum has been a constant struggle for us. Everything we have used in the past was either too dry and repetitive or so thorough that it would take a long time to get through one lesson and my son would lose interest. When I first saw Math Lessons for a Living Education I was a little concerned that he wouldn’t be learning enough because of how much smaller the book was compared to any other curriculum I had seen. Once diving in we learned that this was actually the opposite. There was the perfect amount of content for my son to grasp the concepts. Each lesson is short enough to keep the child’s attention throughout and allows us to focus our time on the more exciting parts of homeschooling.
Pros:
Short lessons
All inclusive
Simple Layout
Only one book needed
Five-day lesson plans
Religious morals and values
Cons:
Bound book makes writing tricky
Stories that parent reads each week
(which is only a problem for solo work)
Shipping outside of USA is expensive
The Storries
Each lesson starts with an engaging real-life story that you read with your child. In Level 3 the stories are based on a family and their adventures to Peru. You get to follow along with their trip and the child get a really great example of how math fits into everyday life. The stories are Charlotte Mason inspired and tie in Christian values and beliefs in a gentle and loving way. The stories make for a nice time to check in on your child’s progress and spend some quality time with them while they’re learning. I believe that this curriculum will bring families closer as they explore the world of math!
The Lessons
Lessons are set up to last five days, each day you complete one exercise. The book contains the teacher workbook and the student workbook in the same book, you can go over each question with your child or they can work independently and you can use the answer key in the back of the book to check over their work. A typical exercise spans about one to two pages and takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete, leaving plenty of time in your day to focus on the more exciting things!
The Money
Anytime you’re shopping for homeschool curriculums cost always plays a part in the decision making. Does more expensive mean your child will be getting a better education? Is it really necessary to spend several hundred dollars on textbooks, teachers manuals, and manipulatives? Math Lessons for a Living Education is by far the most reasonable all-inclusive math curriculum I have come across. From Master Books the books are only $39.99USD and from Learning House they are only $53.99CAN! Even better, you don’t need to buy any extra manipulative kits because everything you need is included in the book!
