Sometimes progress doesn’t necessarily mean improvement.
I guess it depends on who you ask.
In the public school system, we have new school initiatives, an increase in pressure upon teachers to raise test scores, and who knows what else. TV’s are in classrooms; smelly white boards have replaced textured and dusty chalk boards; kids must learn to be inclusive and politically correct.
I’ve seen children have a cell phone before they are 6 years of age. I imagine they can text better than pass a spelling test.
Progress.
But there is one company who offers educators a return to the basics. A return to tried and tested methods.
Dollar Homeschool sent us Ray’s Arithmetic to review through The Old Schoohouse Homeschool Crew. Ray’s Arithmetic boasts of 38 books including 12 core Textbooks, + Answer Key's, Teachers Editions, and several intriguing books of mathematical pursuits for the aspiring student, such as Surveying and Navigation, Astronomy, Book Keeping, and Physics. According to the Dollar Homeschool website, Ray’s Arthmetic is
A Complete K-12 math curriculum, from counting to calculus (all for $59). The Ray's math series begins at a preliterate level with counting; then takes the child through addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and so upward until calculus, teaching concepts with thorough explanations followed by ample problem sets. The Ray's series provides a very full-bodied course of mathematics.
We have started at the VERY beginning, though I am confident that this will be a tool that will be used throughout the boys’ entire schooling IF I am disciplined to wade through the vast amount of material. And if we sit down to apply ourselves.
This 95 page book will help reinforce counting, assist in teaching the boys to answer simple problems, starting “with addition, then subtraction, then multiplication and division. The problems are very simple, so that the child can learn the concepts involved.” The books were designed so that once a child could read, they basically could educate themselves, without a school teacher. Each lesson builds upon itself.
It has challenged me to steer away from using a page or a consumable to teach. But like many things we do, it has encouraged me to use practical everyday life objects to teach a lesson.
Dollar Homeschool has many other quality and antique curriculums. I encourage you to check out their website. You won’t find any evolution in their material, satisfaction is guaranteed, and they are offering free shipping right now!
Find out what the other Homeschool Crew members think of Ray’s Arithmetic and other Homeschool Dollar products by clicking on the below picture!
I was not paid for this post. I received this product as part of my participation with The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew.
