Resource Description
LIFEPAC is a full-color, consumable worktext homeschool curriculum with Bible-based content for grades K-12. Designed by a team of accomplished educators with years of classroom experience, LIFEPAC is based on the principle of mastery learning. Students master content in each unit worktext before progressing to the next. Ten LIFEPAC worktexts provide one full year of learning content per grade level; individual worktexts can also be used as supplemental material. In addition, you can mix and match subjects or grade level worktexts to personalize your student's curriculum content. Individual worktexts take approximately 3 to 4 weeks to complete.
Website: Lifepacs (may contain affiliate links)
(25 Reviews)
Before investing in any homeschooling resources, please read "How to Choose the Best Homeschool Curriculum."
Contributor Reviews
Reviews are solely the opinions of the contributor.
Cons: Too much reading, not autistic-friendly
Grades Used: 3rd
Our first year to homeschool, we used LifePacs. I was intrigued by each subject being centered around the Bible. However, when we had been using them for a few months, I noticed that the amount of reading and general lack of any hands on activities added up to a stressful learning environment for my autistic son. Since shelving this $200+ curriculum was not an option, I had to integrate different things into it in order to help my son really get something out of it. This would be great for a normally developing child who loves to read. But not so great for an autistic child who hates/struggles with reading.
Cons: Old-school ideologies, caters to large rural families, can be somewhat wordy
Grades Used: 8, 9, 10, and 11
In our homeschool, we prefer to use textbook-based materials because there is very little temptation to wander on the PC/internet. We like to read together and interject a lot in order to make long-term correlations with what we're learning. We've used Lifepac box curricula for grade 8-11 thus far.
The math is exceptional. It's common core curricula, which I'm not familiar with, so I (Ok, YouTube guides) instruct traditionally and the book covers the other side of the coin. It's easy to see where we need to backtrack and practice more.
With Science and History, I often add extra articles, blurbs, reference books, maps, experimental findings, documentaries, and projects. Lifepac is lke the trunk of our academic tree and it's up to the teacher to trace the branches of instruction for the student to bloom in the end.
We did not care for Lifepac Language Arts (grade 8) and are not really enjoying Family & Consumer Science (Home EC). Both subjects spend a vast amount of time on information that is unnecessary and/or unrelated to the subject at hand. LA gave us an interesting history lesson on the evolution of language and condensed several chapters of reading with very few application questions. Home EC seems to be focused very much towards young ladies and how they should perform as such. There are 15 pages or more devoted entirely to how to stand, sit, walk, enter and exit a room or vehicle. The directions are unclear and more socially superficial than biblically referenced.
"Lifepac Select sets" are 5 unit booklets from selected curricula grades 7-12 in subjects like astronomy, life science, and civics. They're worth a half-credit and come with a standard teacher's manual, even though your units are not in a consecutive order. We have fun with these, but they are not our primary goto for core subjects. They're more of enrichment courses that we do in addition to our 4 major cores.
We have also purchased Lifepac Computer Science, which will be introduced in grade 11, next year.
Over all, Lifepac is a good choice for parents that want to avoid computer-based learning (oh me, mee!). An instructor has the option to include themselves or step away from their student's learning as much as the family chooses, but the instructor is expected to review, gather supplies, and grade assignments. Lessons can be lengthened or shortened for the preference and needs of the individual student.
EXTRAS
- I found Lfepac DVDs rather useless, except for science. Even then, it was a pain to run from wherever we were to the TV. It'd make more sense if AOP offered these videos for free online, as most publishers do when you purchase their materials.
- The extra books were not necessary for us either, as we have access to a public library/B&N and prefer to use our own Atlas and maps. It really did not matter if we used AOP's copy of "The Miracle Worker" or borrowed 2 copies from the library.
- We've never bothered to purchase lab equipment or supplies through AOP. It's just cheaper to buy the pieces one by one than it is to pay for a set, which includes common things that we don't really need.
PRICE
Lifepac sets are fairly cheap to begin with and do not have a good resale value. Be careful when buying used sets online, as they often (it seems intentionally) exclude teacher's manuals and/or random unit booklets. Most subject sets cost about $60-$80 each directly from AOP or Christian Books dot com. You'll be blessed to get anything for your corrections, additions, included supplies, and complete sets in mint condition. I start our used curricula sets and supplies at half the paid retail cost not including any shipping and will take $10 as a best offer tbh.
Cons: Literally everything else.
Grades Used: Grade 12 Math
The workbooks are shoddily put together with no thought given. A LifePac test is frequently given in the middle of a unit. There are too many times where there is curriculum not learned yet listed on the exam. This is extraordinarily annoying. The solutions manual is not labeled properly as well. While it does direct you to sections (Ex. Self-Test Answers, Test Answers, etc. ), it does not label the specific units they are for. It takes what seems like years to find your solutions. LifePac is NOT recommended at all for math. Other programs like ALEKS are much, much better.
Cons: Numerous errors, based in the 50's, History &Geography doesn't cover either topic
Grades Used: K-2
Far too many errors and seems to be based on a 1950's world. Which can be very confusing to a child. I do like that they have Bible study, science, and History and Geography for younger age groups, but so much has to be corrected in each. They should really know better. Quit usuing math and language arts by them because it wasn't as easy to use as others and the errors were too numerous.
Cons: science and history & geography are too simple
Grades Used: 1st
We are just about to finish up with 1st grade using Lifepacs for everything except Math. We have the Math Lifepacs, but very quickly discovered that it wasn't for my son.
He liked:
That the workbooks are shorter, so he wasn't intimidated by this huge book he had to complete. Every time we finished a Lifepac, he LOVED closing it and putting it away, and then grabbing the next one. Simple, but satisfying. 🙂 He also liked the readers that came with Language Arts.
I liked:
The Bible curriculum is awesome! In fact, I already have 2nd grade Bible ordered. I liked Language Arts, but this is where he excels and just needs something a little more challenging.
He didn't like:
Coloring, coloring, and COLORING. For 1st grade at least, there are so many things to color, and we skipped 95% of them. Not my son's cup of tea.
I didn't like:
History & Geography and Science are too simple. Although my son liked these, I think it was only because it was easy for him, so he got through them very quickly. I don't think he really learned anything all year.
So...Lifepac's in general did not work for us, so we will be moving on. I do see how it would and could work for other families.