Math Lessons For A Living Education

What is a living education? A Living Education is the real-life application of the things you learn. When this approach is applied to math, it is not taught in a vacuum; rather, mathematical concepts are integrated into everyday situations. This is the Charlotte Mason approach to education, and Angela O'Dell, author of this curriculum, has captured the spirit of the methodology infusing it with a Christian perspective in this easy-to-use series. Math is taught through the adventures of a brother and sister, Charlie and Charlotte, and their family.

Math Lessons for a Living Education books are designed to be consumable and are not reproducible. For Levels 3-6, Answer Keys are in the back. Answer Keys and additional free Resources and Errata Sheets are available at Master Books.com. Solutions for Level 6 are provided in a separate Teacher Guide. Levels are designed to be one-year courses. Books (Levels 1-5) feature a suggested daily schedule at the beginning with a grid for completion and grading built in. That information is included with the Teacher Guide for Level 6. Although the books are titled as "levels," the levels are loosely based on grade. Even if you haven't used the earlier levels of this series, you can jump in at an appropriate skill level/topical area for your child. If you are unsure about where to begin, you can download a placement test from our website. (Links are with each Level of the series.)

The kindergarten level of this series teaches children basic math skills through stories. Children will learn to count and recognize numbers 0 to 10, develop critical thinking skills, recognize patterns, shapes, concepts of time, and more. There are 36 lessons that take about 30 minutes each day, and you do one lesson per week. Pages are colorful and engaging with friendly little faces throughout the lessons. Worksheets are included and teacher instruction is found on each exercise. Puzzle solutions are found at the back of the book along with practice sheets for numbers and shapes, calendar page, and suggested calendar activities. You have permission to copy these reproducible pages for homeschool use. A materials list and suggested schedule are in the front of the book.

There are no fancy manipulatives for this series - colorful paper versions are printed in the back of each book, and you'll use household or other commonly-found items such as: contact paper, construction paper, large index cards, brass fasteners, crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, hole punch & reinforcers, flashcard rings, plastic storage box, stickers for flashcards, pictures from old magazines, poster board, 100 counting items (your choice), three containers for making the Place Value Village, and snack-size/1-quart/1-gallon resealable bags. In Books 2 and 3, you will also need a 12" ruler, indoor/outdoor thermometer, coins for money lessons, and $1 bills. Book 4 requires poster board, a box of business size envelopes, folder for charts, small counting items, and modeling clay. To get started, simply cut out the manipulatives found in the back of your book and prepare them before the first lesson.

New to the series and not yet available for all grade levels are the Practice Makes Perfect workbooks. These colorful but non-reproducible books provide quizzes along with the practice worksheets. Answer/Solutions are in the back of the book.

Whether you are using the Charlotte Mason approach or just attracted to the simplicity of the courses, this series provides a solid introduction to math. Non-reproducible, over 300 perforated and 3-hole punched pages each, sc. ~ Donna