Erik is five and enters Kindergarten this year, so choosing a homeschool math program was on my to do list. Alpha Omega Publications gave us the chance to try their LIFEPAC Kindergarten Math Kit in exchange for a review, so that relieved me of having to shop around!
LIFEPAC’s full-color, worktext curriculum is based on the principle of mastery learning, in which students truly grasp the context and skills of one unit before progressing to the next. LIFEPAC’s math curriculum uses repetition, drill and application to encourage mastery of basic arithmetic skills.
Erik was immediately drawn to the full-color workbook pages and cute illustrations; he wanted to sit down right away and work on some lessons (even though it was only July!).
LIFEPAC level K starts out with very simple concepts like big vs. little and counting 1, 2 and 3, so Erik jumped right in with no problem.
The Kindergarten Math Curriculum Set includes a teachers manual and student workbooks 1 and 2 packed in a sturdy box. The kit retails for $56.95, or you can buy each of the three books separately $17.95 each. The kit price is very reasonable and comparable to other similar programs which include the worktext and teacher’s guide.
There are 160 lessons in total. If you do math 5 days a week, then this gives you 32 weeks to finish the program completely. For my young students, we’ve always followed a 4-day school week, and I can easily work the LIFEPAC into our system by having Erik do two lessons instead of one on some days. Many of the lessons, especially in book one, are very simple and involve coloring a picture or circling the right answer. If you have a child who isn’t into coloring, just skip those pages.
The work pages aren’t time consuming or overwhelming, so it’s been enjoyable going through the program with Erik. Sometimes, he even asks to do extra pages.
The LIFEPAC curriculum introduces one concept at a time, and encourages mastery of each topic. Since most children in Kindergarten are just learning to read, they will need guidance with the workbook directions.
You’ll find many typical beginning math exercises in the worktext, plus a few that are a little bit different. I like the variety, such as using tally marks to count, instead of having to write numbers all the time.
The concepts covered in Alpha Omega’s Kindergarten math program include:
- Shapes and size comparison
- Counting (in Book 2, your student reaches 100)
- Writing numbers
- Sets
- Addition facts up to 10
- Subtraction facts up to 10
- Telling time (hour and half hour)
- Number sequences (before and after)
- Money (pennies, nickels and dimes)
The teacher’s guide provides step-by-step teaching instructions for all 160 lessons, an answer key, and lots of ideas for additional activities designed to reinforce important math concepts. There’s also a weekly lesson planner page that you can photocopy.
The suggested materials in the teacher’s guide are easy to obtain:
- Crayons
- Pencils
- Objects for counting
- Flash cards (you will need to purchase these elsewhere – dollar stores have them for a buck or two)
You can see the scope and sequence of the Kindergarten program, plus more sample pages here.
Alpha Omega is a Christian publisher, and there are what I would describe as “non-denominational” themes throughout the workbooks. For instance, in the math workbooks there might be a coloring page featuring a biblical character, or a dot-to-dot with a short message about Jesus.
Alpha Omega offers a full homeschool curriculum for grades 1-12, including Bible and electives. The full accredited learning program has print-based, computer-based and online components.
My only suggestions for improvement would be: (a) For Alpha Omega to offer additional resources and/or manipulatives to enrich their math program for hands-on and visual learners, and (b) For the workbooks to be spiral-bound. That way, they lie flat and are easier for young children to work with.
Overall, Erik and I both really like this math program and look forward to completing it in the spring!
You can shop Alpha Omega Publication’s LIFEPAC curriculum materials directly at their website. You can also follow on social media:
Are you in the market for a new math program? What features do you like to see?
This is really high quality stuff. I like the way they’ve made it fun for the kids, as well.
These work books look really good! I really like the topics covered in the kindergarten book and the teacher guide seems easy to follow and have great tips.
These look like great workbooks for kids. My friend’s daughter is going into Kindergarten this year I’ll let her know about these.
Anything you can do to give the kids a head start on math will only benefit them. The rest will come easy once they master math!
This is so true! High school math was so tough for me because I skipped some concepts and didn’t master them. ~Anne Marie
I love this curriculum! I am sure this is what my kid’s old school used with the little ones.
I have a friend who was looking for a new Math Curriculum! Can’t wait to share it with her!
We are a homeschool family. My youngest daughter starts kindergarten next month. I will have to check this curriculum out, I have never heard of it before. We typically use Math-U-See.
I’ve always considered homeschool but just the thought of it intimidates me. I have a few friends who homeschool that might want to look into this curriculum. I’ll be sure to share it with them.
This would probably be a great curriculum to use during the summer. It’s always great to keep the kids learning!
These are great learning tools whether you homeschool or not!
Finding a good math curriculum is a struggle for us, but this looks like a good one to try!
I can’t believe how things have changes since I was in school or even my kids so much different now that my grandchildren are going………different teaching techniques different tools for the kids etc.
This looks awesome! I love that this curriculum introduces one concept at a time, and encourages mastery of each concept!
Strong number sense is important to develop!
The Lifepacs have really improved over the years. We are using a ten year old science Lifepac set, and a new history set. The history set is so much better, and I haven’t found any flaws to date. The science, on the other hand, has had many flaws, and problems. I’m excited to hear that the math has been revised to make it more rigorous!