Curriculum

Math Lessons For A Living Education Review: Level K

Are you interested in Masterbooks’ Math Lessons for a Living Education?

When looking for a math curriculum for my daughter, I really wanted one that was going to bring the concepts to life. I wanted a curriculum with real-life examples and stories so that my daughter would understand why she needed to know a concept and how to apply it.

After checking out the Math Lessons For A Living Education series, I had found a curriculum that did exactly that!

Math Lessons For A Living Education

Masterbooks math is inspired by Charlotte Mason and teaches math as a living subject. It’s not taught as a subject that is compartmentalized but as one that interrelates with many topics and many real-life situations.

For example, when you bake cookies you’ll need to know how to measure the ingredients, and how to set the timer. Therefore, cooking is a great natural way of encountering math and learning through real-life experience.

Masterbooks Math

Math lessons for a living education k

My daughter recently finished Math Lessons Level K, so today I’ll be sharing all about it, the topics it covers, what a lesson includes, and if we are going to continue with Math Lessons Level 1!

What Does A Lesson Look Like?

Each week starts with a story about Charlie and Charlotte, which introduces the concept that the child will be learning that week.

Each story follows Charlie and Charlotte as they encounter different math concepts during everyday life. Straight away your child can better understand the concept because it has been presented in a realistic and understandable way.

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For every day of the week there are a couple of pages of exercises and activities to do. This may include drawing, matching, cooking, playing a game, or a range of other activities.

The day and exercise number are written at the top of the page, so it is clearly laid out which work needs to be completed each day. The suggested daily schedule also shows the work assigned for each day of the week.

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What Does Level K Cover?

Here are some of the topics covered in Level K:

  • Counting up to 10
  • Number order
  • Using a calendar
  • Weather
  • Basic shapes
  • How to draw using shapes
  • Seasons
  • Opposites
  • Nature
  • Positional words
  • Bar graphs
  • Money
  • Measurement
  • Sequences
  • Weight
  • Possibility
  • Visual discrimination
  • Symmetry
  • Patterns
  • Times of the day
  • Fire safety
  • Finding differences between two pictures
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What Types Of Activities Are There?

Here are some of the types of activities included in the book:

  • Stories about Charlie and Charlotte
  • Tracing and writing
  • Matching and sorting
  • Drawing and coloring
  • Recipes to cook
  • Games
  • Discussion topics
  • Hands-on activity ideas
  • Nursery rhymes
  • Bible stories

What Else Is Included With Math Living Education?

  • Scope and sequence of all the topics covered in the book
  • A suggested daily schedule for 5 days a week
  • Calendar page with exercises that you can print and laminate
  • Shape and number tracing pages you can print and laminate
  • A material list showing which items are needed for each lesson
  • Tips for grading subjective assignments
  • Puzzle answers at the back of the book

The pages in the book are perforated, so that you can easily tear them out. They are also three-hole punched.

master books math review

How Long Does Each Lesson Take?

The book states that each lesson takes about 30 minutes, but many lessons took us less than ten minutes to complete, depending on the type of activity that day.

Is There Enough Work?

Math Lessons For A Living Education is a gentle approach to math. It includes a limited amount of exercises for each concept so that your child is not overwhelmed and becomes discouraged.

This curriculum is not for everyone, however, so it will depend on the needs of your child. If your child is advanced in math, they may need something more challenging.

What Age Is Level K Best For?

Level K is of course kindergarten level, but I think it is probably best for pre-k. My daughter completed it at 4 years old, though I think it would be great for both 3 and 4-year-olds.

Of course, this depends entirely on your child, but I have seen a lot of people agree that it is more of a pre-k level. I have also seen people suggest using one grade lower that the grade your child is in for the entire series.

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Is It Open-And-Go?

There is not a lot of preparation required – this curriculum is completely open and go.

The only preparation the parent needs to do is to check the material list and make sure they have all of the materials needed for each lesson. These are usually common household items that you would have in your home already.

Do I Need To Purchase Other Materials?

You do not need to purchase any additional materials. However, you do have the option of buying the Math Lessons For A Living Education Teaching Companion which assists parents in understanding and teaching the material.

math lessons for a living education reviews

Is Masterbooks Math A Christian Curriculum?

Math Lessons For A Living Education is a Christian math curriculum, so the books teach a biblical worldview.

One of the reasons I really like Masterbooks as a company is because they are committed to helping your child grow in their faith.

How blessed we are to be able to give our kids such an amazing truth-filled education!

Where Can I Buy Masterbooks Math?

You can buy Masterbooks curriculum on Amazon, the Masterbooks.com website, from Answers In Genesis, or from a few more places.

You can also download a sample of this curriculum from Masterbooks.com.

Math Lessons For A Living Education Review

At times I have wondered if my daughter needed something that was more challenging, or more work to complete. Ultimately I have decided that for now, I think this gentle approach to math is working really well for my daughter.

She absolutely loved going through this curriculum. She loved the drawing, coloring, hands-on activities, and everything else, having also gone through the Jady Alvarez math workbook.

I have realized that what’s most important to me right now is that she continues to love learning, and that she remains confident and has fun.

I don’t want to overwhelm her with a ton of work, have her start feeling discouraged and then start hating math! Especially when a lot of math can be taught by hands-on activities, games and real-life experiences.

Of course, this could change at any time, but for now, I’ve just ordered level 1, so we will be continuing on with Masterbooks!

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