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Math Lessons for a Living Education is a Charlotte-inspired Math Curriculum
In our homeschool, we generally enjoy math. Are my kids in love with math? Maybe….not. But, I don’t receive any resistance on the subject, either. Further, I’m going to be totally honest here, my older two are within their target for their grades; 5th and 7th grade, so I definitely don’t have any real worries.
Although, my older two are on target with their math skills, I was interested to try Math Lessons for a Living Education for the first time. Why? Well, I will be officially homeschooling my five year old in the fall 2024 and I wanted to attempt a different approach with him.
To give a little background to our homeschooling life, I consider ourselves an eclectic homeschooling family which includes some aspects of the Charlotte Mason methods in our learning journey, so Math Lessons for a Living Education seemed like a logical place to start.
Masterbooks’ Math Lessons in a Living Education is recommended for students in the first grade, geared towards 5-7 year olds.
It is a math curriculum from Master Books, in which biblical worldview is integral in all of their curriculum.
For our family, there are some pros and cons to this curriculum
The Pros
- Homeschool Budget Friendly: This is an inexpensive math curriculum compared to other programs for this grade. You can purchase directly from Master Books or through Amazon.
- Very Short and Simple Lessons: Working with my son, it took about 10-15 minutes to complete. I was able to use familiar manipulatives, that I already own, for a more hands-on approach.
- Can easily weave in Science Books: This math book is written in a story-like fashion to help with math concepts. The characters (twin siblings) are visiting their grandfather’s farm and the weekly stories reflect the children’s adventures on the farm, including the animals. You can super easily add a science book read for the week just to add background knowledge about life sciences and feel more connected with the characters.
- Math Games: Since the lessons are short, you can enhance the topic with math games or manipulatives without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. We like dominoes, snapcubes, counters, and I Sea 10.
- Writing Opportunities: There are number forms to practice on and matching opportunities. At the end of some weeks, you are writing a letter about the farm experience.
- Educator’s Section: At the beginning of the course books, there is a scope and sequence page, how to use this course and its objectives, and finally a schedule page.
The Cons?
- Very Short and Simple Lessons: Its just not challenging enough for us.
- To me, I don’t understand the reasoning behind the order of the questions.
- It doesn’t explain any of the “why” of math.
- Does not focus on number sense.
Will We Use it?
Yes. For his Kindergarten year, I plan to use Math Lessons for a Living Education in our home, but not as our core. I will pull out sheets for car rides or when he goes to grandma’s house for “homework”.
Since I’ve been homeschooling for a few years now, and we have used more complex math curriculums, I feel confident that I can use Math Lessons for a Living Education without a teacher guide, and I know what to ask and how to approach it with my 5 year old.
Homelife with Us 