Life of Fred
Books & Curriculum for Homeschool

This is a literature-based approach to mathematics, and the funniest math books you'll ever encounter. These story-based math texts will not only make math fun and clear, your students will also gain solid preparation for SAT exams and upper-division mathematics.

Follow the humorous story of Fred's life as he encounters the daily need for math and the methods of solving the problems. Each short novel is loaded with humor, clear math explanations, and silly illustrations that you'll be sure to remember. You'll also learn how to think mathematically. These Life of Fred books ensure you'll never be tempted to ask, "But when will I ever use this?" Fred has already demonstrated, precisely, where this will come in handy.

But be warned! This is not your typical math program. Your children will learn to think! There are no step-by-step directions and answers to every question. Oh no. This program is deliciously different. Your students will learn formulas, how to apply them, and why life works that way. These books rely on reading comprehension and careful thinking. You will not find rote spoon-fed learning here. So you, as the teacher, must resist the urge to try to shoehorn in those traditional memorization methods.

Life of Fred Books

Like all great literature-based programs, you can reuse each book with all your children (and even grandchildren). There are no workbooks here. And these aren't skimpy books. Each Life of Fred book is comprehensive, covering more ground than many college level courses. Sound intimidating? It's not. Join Fred on his adventures and discover how math can be a joy!

Elementary Series Life of Fred Books

Kindergarten through 4th Grade.

Intermediate Series Life of Fred Books

4th & 5th Grade. These books cover topics for roughly grades 4-5 and prepare your child for Life of Fred: Fractions. By the time your child finishes Jelly Beans, they will have the skills to begin learning fractions. But because a student can quickly progress through the elementary books, your student might not be old enough for Fractions (author recommends 5th grade). That is where this Intermediate series comes in handy. These books allow your child more practice of arithmetic until they are old enough for Fractions (author recommends 10 years of age).

Pre-Algebra Life of Fred Books

Pre-High School Math. This set can be started with any child who can add and subtract well and knows how to do long multiplication and division. This set would be considered a middle school math program, for students in 5th through 9th grades. Many high school aged students would benefit by going quickly through these books to lay foundations that they might have missed.

Zillions of Practice Life of Fred Books

Need extra practice or stuck on a particular kind of problem? ? Each Zillions of Practice book is keyed directly to the corresponding textbook. Each of the chapters contains both exercises on the current topic and review questions from the beginning of the book up to that point. All the problems have completely worked out solutions.

Additional Life of Fred Books

Additional Information

Learn more about Life of Fred, the advantages and disadvantages of the program, and what makes it unique. 

Methodology
Which book is right for me?
Starting with Life of Fred Math Books
Other Considerations