Dollar Homeschool ~ Ray’s Arithmetic

Not too long ago, I received Ray’s Arithmetic from Dollar Homeschool to review as part of the Homeschool Crew. It was a company that I had not heard of before, so I was very intrigued when I read that Ray’s Arithmetic is a curriculum from K-12 {from counting all they way up to calculus} for only $59.

Affordable would be the first word that came to my mind.

Ray’s Arithmetic series is a collection of 38 books that have been scanned {textbooks, answer keys, and teacher’s editions} and are intended to use as ‘printing’ curriculum. As you need materials, you print what you need. You can use the curriculum year after year with all of your children ~ and using your own quick math skills, you can see that $59 total is a good price. For a full list of all the books included, you can visit Dollar Homeschool.

The series isn’t something that was newly created. It was a part of the Eclectic Education Series {EES} textbooks used in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s as the standard text in most schools. The text itself is just as it was then {here’s a little example for you}.

Pros:

• Inexpensive. $59 for a curriculum that spans from kindergarten through high school is definitely a pro!
• Can print off as many copies as you would like, especially if any text is torn or lost.
• Provides real-life examples to help tie in math concepts with everyday living.
• Subjects are taught in a process that builds from level to level.
• Ties-in examples from history along with word problems ~  “General Washington was born A.D. 1732, and lived 67 years: in what year did he die?”
• It’s classic ~ I have to admit, I love the graphics and the fact that this is a proven text that was used for years effectively.

Cons:

• For me personally, e-Books are more difficult to use. I really like to have a text in front of me. I realize I can print it off and have it right there, but it is an extra step to take and sometimes it’s one I’m not willing to take.
• Some of the scanned pages are a little cock-eyed {i.e. not straight} which just bothers me on some level ~ no smart comments. :)
• The curriculum requires a little more teacher time involvement. The first few years are designed to be studied orally with the teacher/student. Depending on how many grade levels you are teaching, the time can add up fast.
• If you have been using traditional {and colorful} texts, this will be an adjustment for everyone. The font type and graphics are black and white ~ and not so much ‘eye candy’.
• As with any new program, you really need to get caught up and understand the program ~ the Manual of Methods is a help, but still requires a bit more time and effort. :)

You can purchase Ray’s Arithmetic directly from Dollar Homeschool for $59. If you are interested, Dollar Homeschool also has other texts on CD-rom in the Eclectic Education Series that include science, history, grammar,  and the McGuffey’s Readers. You can buy the complete series for $159.

If you ever break or misplace a CD, Dollar Homeschool will replace it for you for only the cost of shipping. They also offer a 30 day money back guarantee on all of their products.

Software compatibility: The books on the CD’s are PDF files and they will work on any computer ~  Mac, Vista, XP, Linux, {per the Dollar Homeschool website}.