Ray's and "Old school" math ???'s

[LoveBaby]

I'm throwing around some ideas for math and I'm drawn to Ray's Arithmetic. How do you use it in your home? How long have you used it?

 

I also have a copy of my great grandfather's arithmetic books from the early 1900's. I have Topical Primary Arithmetic and Topical Advanced Arithmetic by David Eugene Smith. They seem to be similar to Ray's.

How do you suppose they were used in the classroom back in the day? How did the teacher work through the material? I'm curious, because my grandfather and great-grandfather can/could do mental math like they were saying the abc's. Figuring how many bushels of wheat/per acre or section, percentages etc. All in their head faster than I can figure out the question! I would really like to give my children this early solid foundation in math, but I'm not really sure how to go about it. Are there lesson plans anywhere that tell you what to do and when?

 

I collected these and many other old school books from the one-room schoolhouse that my great-grandfather, grandfather and mother attended when they were in school. I like them for sentimental reasons, but if I could use them for my own children and provide a good education then that would be cool, too!

[Snickerdoodle]

I wonder if this page is useful for you? I haven't had time yet to look through it.

 

http://www.donpotter.net/education_pages/math.html

[ladydusk]

I haven't used it, but my friend is using Ray's for her littles (then transitioning to the Practical Mathematics series in 3rd I think) ... she *highly* recommends Ruth Beechik's guide from Mott Media. It is the "Parent Teacher Guide" on the page linked.