Teach your child to read with McGuffey's Primer

William Holmes McGuffey

I remember my first attempts at teaching reading to my eldest daughter. I had some great instincts, but my own lack of confidence sabotaged all of my efforts. I fell prey to pressure and to all kinds of methods that guaranteed quick results, only to witness my bright little girl feeling more frustrated as the years went on.

It was only after several years and many feeble attempts to encourage her to read that I discovered my original tendencies were the right ones after all, they only needed the temporing of time and a confidence earned through self-education. Unearthing the McGuffey series of readers has further allowed me to teach reading in such a way that meets the needs of a child's heart, mind and soul.

No program can give us a 100% guarantee that our children will learn to read no matter what they advertise, and none of us can precisely explain or predict how each child will react or what he or she will need in order to learn to read for themselves. I have utilized just about every type of methodology ever dreamed of, and all with varying degrees of success. Children are each individual persons and for that reason quite unique.

Since I now only have three out of my 15 children remaining that I will need to teach to read (one of these is almost already reading independently), I have been turning my attention to ways I can pass along what I have learned over these 25 years to my adult children so that they will have an easier time of it when they go to teach their own children. That is why I have been led to create reading guides to aid them in their homeschooling journey, and, in turn, I felt it would be nice to offer some of these materials to my dear readers.

After many weeks of careful consideration and work, I have finally created a collection of flashcards, advice, and other helps to assist in the instruction of beginning reading and writing.

This has truly been a labor of love, as I set out to create an heirloom for my family by using original artwork, drawn mostly by myself, but also with several contributions from my dear son, Ryan (14). I had so much enjoyment with this project, sitting with clipboard and pen, consulting with my children as I sketched—I haven't made the time for such an artistic endeavor for many years!

I tried to put myself in the place of someone who was starting completely from scratch, and this was my focus. I also tried to make things as user-friendly and simple to reproduce as possible, especially since I know that many mothers have a number of small children to care for as well as home-school.

I also determined to keep in mind those things I have gleaned from many of the courageous predecessors who have mentored and influenced me, and so you will find that, while I have included the technical, I have also encouraged the joy of the process, considering the child not only as a student, but also a person, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Here is a list of the things that I have included in this collection:

• An introduction to McGuffey's works and how to use them.
• A portion from "The Manual of Methods" which gives an overview of different teaching styles, etc. (intended for use with the McGuffey's).
• Booklet templates (instead of workbooks) to teach basic writing and comprehension skills.
• Tips pages using little snippets of information which can be read easily and quickly for busy mothers.
• Bookmarks with suggestions for games that can be played with the different lessons.
• Phonics flashcards (with original artwork) of the basic 26 letter sounds, plus the long vowel sounds and "ch", "sh", and "th".
• A short vowels and syllable practice charts (respectively).
• Penmanship practice sheets.
• 12 copy work sheets to get started on creating your own.
• Printable flashcards for every lesson (except for the review lessons) in the primer!

Along with this little guide, you only need a copy of the primer itself (the revised, 1881 edition, not the one offered by Mott Media—the one they offer is also wonderful, and Ruth Beechick has written a wonderful guide for it), which can either be purchased from a number of sources, or can be downloaded and read from the screen or printed out and comb-bound.

It is my hope that these tools and aids will assist you along your homeschooling journey.

Sherry

Make your own burritos recipe—revisited

Delicious burritos for dinner!

These days when it seems to be so difficult to make the food budget stretch—what can we do to make a delicious meal that will satisfy our loved ones' palates?


I believe that we must get back to the basics. There are so many reasons to be thankful and if we begin with what we have on hand, and then be a little creative by stocking up on some basic (not to mention healthy) ingredients such as beans, rice, hamburger, fresh vegetables, cheese, etc. we will be amazed at what we can do to brighten up our family's faces at meal times.


For an example here is a delicious and cheap dinner that my own children simply love. They come back for seconds and your family will too!

Do-it-yourself Burritos Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8-10 cups of beans cooked in the crock pot—pintos, black, kidney, etc.
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green or red pepper, chopped
• 1 can chopped tomatoes with juice
• Chili powder to taste
• Cumin to taste
• Pinch of basil
• Salt
• Shredded cheese
• Plain yogurt
• Flour tortillas

Simply saute the onion in a few tablespoons of Olive oil. Then add the green pepper, tomatoes and spices. Last but not least, add the beans and simmer, be sure to stir often, until heated thoroughly so that the flavors have been absorbed into the beans.

A family enjoying a meal together

Warm up the tortillas and bring them to the table in such a way as to keep them warm (covered). Put a little of the bean mixture on each plate, and place bowls of cheese and plain yogurt (instead of sour cream) on the table as well.


As homemakers we can do a lot to bring back the appreciation of a home-cooked meal—we might even find our family is eager to sit around the dinner table together more often.


* This recipe article was first posted on February 2009.

Keeping the home fires burning

Last night I just had to...I had to finish the novel myself, before I finish reading it aloud to the children—it was just too good!

The Winged Watchman

It was The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum. In this novel, a Christian family struggles through Nazi occupation, secretly taking in people who are hiding from Nazi brutality and assisting the underground during the final days of the occupation. The Nazis were very cruel to the Dutch people, many of whom died of illnesses related to malnutrition or direct starvation, even exposure due to the shortage of heating fuel.

Through it all, the mother of the family finds ways to keep things going. She washes clothing and dishes without soap, mends clothing without thread, creates new clothes out of old ones, takes in a small infant and two little girls when there is not even enough food for her own family, feeds beggars from the cities who come to the country looking for food, etc. She even finds ways of making the last Christmas of the occupation festive by unraveling her own muffler and knitting mittens for her boys and using scraps to create thumb-sized dolls for the little girls under her care; the children were all blessed when they awoke to find these treasures in their shoes on St. Nicholas' Day.

There is a quote at the end of the book that is quite touching:

Do you know who suffered most during the war? The mothers. Do you know who worked the hardest? The mothers. And do you know who will get the least praise? Again, the mothers. You haven't any idea, and you never will have, what it cost your mother to keep going, never daunted, never giving up, taking each new blow in her stride and keeping you all happy under the worst possible conditions.

We, especially as women in Christ, should consider the times. Many of us are now experiencing reduced incomes due to the printing of money ("monetary easing" or counterfeiting) that has been going on by the Federal Reserve. Millions of families are experiencing unemployment due to the recessed economy. Our country and way of life is under siege and it is uncertain what will ultimately become of us. What we should realize is—we are in His hands!

While things in the world may look bleak, we must find ways to keep the darkness outside! Whether we live in a huge house or a car, we are responsible to keep our environs filled with the warmth, hope, and love of the Lord, and we must do this physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

First of all, we must stay engaged and in constant communion with the Lord. There is no way that the tremendous amounts of creativity and vitality we need in these times can come from ourselves! We must be students of His Word. Amazingly, even when I read the historical books (which I dearly love!), God reveals things to me about the condition of my own heart, the corrections I need to make, the direction I need to take.

Migrant mother & children in 1936 Dust Bowl

Secondly, we must be women of great faith. This is not the kind of faith that expects to have a Learjet and fat bank account; this is the kind of faith that gives when there is nothing, hopes and believes when there is no way to be found.

The other day I was staring at the clothes in my closet. There is a change in the season and my wardrobe for last season looks pretty shabby! The children are all well taken care of, with recent thrift-store shopping and deals we found for the boys by shopping for clearance items on the Internet. I am not a "clothes-horse", in fact, it is hard for me to break down and buy for myself (may I say that I hate shopping for clothing?), but it is very necessary for me to look decent so that I can encourage my family—my appearance and the way I carry myself affects the atmosphere of my home (a wife and mother is the spirit of her home).

So I said to the Lord, "What are we going to do about this?" and then left it with Him, not thinking about it again.

The next day, my dear, generous husband was expecting to spend $50 for a necessary repair, but the fee was waived. In his excitement, he asked if there was anything I needed. My mind went blank—I honestly couldn't think of a thing! He then took me to a thrift store, anyway, and it was only then that I remembered I needed some spring clothes!

I am happy to report that I have four decent, near brand-new shirts and a cute skirt hanging in my closet! God is so good (and there is still money left over for other necessities)!

Jesus receives the children

These are the types of miracles we need to believe for in the coming days—the "regular" type, where God meets us in our simple lives—no huge crowds to even notice them, but the hearts of our loved ones filled with hope and faith as they witness them.

A godly atmosphere during these days is so necessary. Learning how to arrange special times with what we already have on hand. Creating happy memories just by our own attitude. Speaking the Word of God over situations brings peace and dispels the darkness. This must become our work, our "ministry".

This is how women since the beginning of time have gained favor in God's sight—women who, in this life, may not receive any recognition, but are looking to a crown incorruptible—in the life which is to come!

Money can't save us

The legal tender of the world

This world is looking less and less secure. The recent natural disaster in Japan only accentuates the already tenuous plight of all the world's citizens.

In flipping through the channels of the TV recently, the words of a popular financial "expert" drifted into my ears and played with my thoughts.

This particular money guru was speaking emphatically to her audience that, when newly married, a couple should show their love for one another by committing to spend at least an hour a day working on finances!

This struck me in particular because I know that most people do not spend an hour a day reading the Bible or in prayer, not even pastors can be found on their knees very often, even in these challenging times.

But spending an hour a day dealing with money matters? It smacked to me of that old religion of worshipping Mammon (money).

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

(Matthew 6:24)

Folks are rushing in droves to listen to speakers such as these. One fellow has billboard signs posted all over our community as well as adds on television which portrays his seminars to be as exciting as rock concerts.

Patience and Lorilee playing

There's nothing wrong with being frugal and thrifty. God requires us to be good stewards with what He has given us. Neither is there anything inappropriate with saving money for a rainy day.

There is something terribly wrong when we put our trust in money, to the exclusion of trust in our great, and loving, Heavenly Father.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

(1 Timothy 6:6-10)

As I pray for our dear Japanese neighbors, I am reminded that no amount of money could have saved them from their current distress. The force of water, unleashed, is an amazingly powerful element and there is nothing that could have stopped its destructive rampage as it plowed across the landscape; no amount of engineering could have devised a plan that would have held back the massive energy of a 9.0 earthquake!

The economy is sure to be affected, with people losing their life-savings, their livelihoods, their investments, not to mention losing their homes and loved ones, all because of this one terrible disaster.

And if it could happen in Japan, it could happen to any of us, anywhere, at any time. There is nowhere on earth to hide—except under the shadow of the Almighty!

Lorilee having fun

Our family has never been "secure" in the financial sense.
I used to chuckle to myself when I listened to the trendy financial advisers, even the Christian ones; our stats never seemed to fit their recommendations for monetary obligation and "future security" methodologies. The percentages we use from our net income each month for our food and housing costs do not lie within the suggested norms, and I'm sure they would never have recommended for us to continue adding to our family size unless these numbers changed, and they may have even lectured us for our "irresponsible" decisions!

So as the whole world is reeling from one shock wave after another, we are just as confident in Him as ever. We have already trusted the Lord through so much, and seen Him provide for us in so many wonderful ways. As we see this world wind down, the Bible has foretold that we would see these days, with one calamity after another; they are just the birth pangs that point to His imminent return!

Jesus told us not to worry, however, because He would be with us:

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20b)

The Apostle Paul told us that nothing on earth or in heaven could ever sever us from the sweet comfort we have in Christ:

Jesus calms the storm

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

(Romans 8:35-39)

Instead of investing in the Market, Jesus recommended that we invest in the Kingdom of Heaven:

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

(Matthew 6:31-33)

When our treasure is in the right place, there is no rust, moth, or even tsunami that can ever touch it or take it away—and it's from this treasure in heaven that we will experience peace on earth as we walk on our way to that better city, the New Jerusalem.

Little Miss "P"

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

(Matthew 6:19-21)  

Many of today's popular TV-evangelists seem to equate prosperity with having a great deal of money or possessions. Listen to Jesus' instructions to us,"...and having food and raiment let us be therewith content."

New "old-fashioned" education

It is such a joy to report to you regarding the wonderful adventure we are having with our new old-fashioned education. Here are some of the excerpts from my journal:

Ellie hard at work

Olivia had a lesson which described boys blowing bubbles, so we all watched a YouTube video from the Discovery Channel on them. Then today I mixed a really thick bubble solution with liquid dish soap and some corn syrup, and the children and I used a vacuum hose attachment to blow all kinds of bubbles—most of them on a flat counter-top we prepared with water. We tried some of the things we saw on the video. After a while the fun was turned over to the little girls as we continued with our academics—they were mesmerized for a few hours, then they took the experiment outside onto the deck and continued blowing huge bubbles into the open-air.

Eliana loves creating comic strips as a format for her lessons. Her current lesson is from the Psalms, so she split her page into six equal parts and created an illustration in each of the sections. She colors and captions everything—it seems to flow from her. She, at ten-years-old, is in the highest level of the McGuffey Readers of all of the children, and seems to be quite comfortable there. She only learned to read just last year—another example of late-blooming readers that are brilliant! She is the only child to complain about the lessons, but the first one to finish.

Sarah and Joshua on special projects

Joshua's lesson was a poem filled with irony—he didn't catch it at first, so I read it aloud to him so that he would. Then I set him to the task of reading the poem aloud so that someone else could catch the satire. This won't be hard for him, since the poem is about sailing, a subject which he is avidly interested in and has been previously studying. He and Ryan, his younger brother, have been working on some posts and are now collaborators in their blog, Sons of the Right Hand. Ryan originally created the blog—with Joshua now doing most of the article writing.

Ryan writing an essay

Ryan has needed some work on his narration and sentence creation. He was trying to do the minimum required, but I am pushing him to do his maximum effort. Sometimes I allow my grace and mercy, as a mother, to get in the way of expecting a higher standard from my students. When I raise my measuring stick, it's amazing how much my children will strive to meet its height. His artistic portion of this week's work is to create a compass face, with our house as the center, oriented correctly. Ryan's creative endowment is so tremendous that he is often consumed by it, so our focus is to help him keep a proper balance. So many talented, creative people have been shipwrecked in this life—I am related to a few of them. We want his life to be completely centered on the Lord Jesus, and in this way he will never be mastered by his giftings, but he will be the master of them—everything in moderation.

Sarah is so enthused by astronomy. Last night the sky was so crystal-clear that we could see the stars better than we have been able to for a long time. We brought out our star chart and constellation wheel and tried to identify as much as we could. After looking through The Star-Gazer's Handbook, Sarah moved on to the Internet to search out and download some photos of nebulae, galaxies, etc. She really enjoyed the time she spent.

Dear Olivia Celeste

Olivia's lesson was the poem for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. During her recitation her voice was so sweet and angelic that tears welled up in my eyes. Olivia is a steady learner, and spelling is easy for her. She struggles a bit with penmanship, but that will come in time. Quiet and gentle by nature, she is a joy to be around. Everyone takes special care of her because she is so endearing.

While the children were at the table, we turned on Mozart's Ah vous dirai-je, Maman in celebration of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and the little girls danced about like three petite ballerinas—how I wish I could capture these moments and live in them!

Sarah, Josh, Nicole

Sarah started sewing headbands for the little girls today. She used some elastic I bought in a huge bag at a garage sale this last summer. She took scraps of cloth from our sewing projects and fashioned flowerettes with buttons as centers to put on the bands. She made her sisters very happy, and they even stayed on their heads for the greater part of the day, until they slipped down to become silly eye-ware and the giggle level rose to the rafters! Oh, what wonderful memories!

I think if she could, Sarah would do math and reading lessons all day. She has taken the Spencerian Penmanship so seriously, making her handwriting a beautiful sight to behold!

Of course, little Lorilee (four) had to sew, too, so Sarah took a diminutive tote bag and filled it with a variety of engaging notions for her—she was very happy. Lorilee loves to pretend to read aloud to us, and we all enjoy it so much when she does. She has her very own copybook, with quite a few pages scribbled on, but it is still special and unique. She likes it when we pull up a Baldwin Reader and revisit old-fairy-tales. Her favorite is The Gingerbread Boy.

Patience and Lorilee

Patience is fond of The Wee, Wee Woman as it is done in the Winston Primer. I have it nicely printed out and placed into a folder between page protectors. We have read this story over and over, and she even has parts memorized. Patience is entering into a "clothing optional" phase, so we are constantly dressing her, or she is often found attempting to dress herself by putting panties on her head, or wearing assorted shirts as pants, etc. She loves anything with the word "baby" in it, so Daddy finds old songs and videos for her—"Sherry Baby" By Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and "Baby Come Back" By Player, etc., and they sit and listen together, the same songs—playing them numerous times in order to please her (each time she says, "Go back!"). Learning to share is one of the things we concentrate on, and I must admit we have spoiled her quite a lot—this is the problem of being parents at a time of life when most couples are grand-parents. But we are also wise and experienced enough to know just how badly things can turn out, so building good habits by setting boundaries for acceptable behavior is our main focus these days.

Joshua has been practicing using an extension pole (about 15 feet long when fully extended) with a scrubber/squeegee attachment to clean the windows on our two-story house so that he might be able to earn a little money cleaning windows in our neighborhood this spring. He is such a diligent young man—coming in and out to check and see if he missed anything. I am so proud of him.

We all memorized Psalm 1 in about a 30 minutes the other day—it was to kick off the beginning of our working through all 150 of the Psalms. We often spend two hours a day just studying, sharing and praying together in God's Word. We then discuss how to practically apply what we have learned to our daily living. A part of that time is spent in devotions working through a good book like, Hearing God By Peter Lord. Daddy runs these times, and I am so glad. I don't know where we would be without the spiritual leadership of this great man of God (he will be embarrassed that I wrote this about him, but it is true).

Nicole focuses on her new assignment

Nicole always appears to have piles and piles of books everywhere—she is such a spaghetti-head! We often talk of how we need to get all of this creative meandering under control—I am qualified to speak because she has inherited her spaghetti-head tendencies from me. I do so admire her will to study hard. She even keeps little sticky notes on her mirror to remind herself of the basic ideas she has been gleaning from her reading. Like all young people, she has many questions about her future, and attempting to be a "stay-at-home" daughter is just one of the things she is still working out. She is an excellent cook, a fine seamstress and a wonderful help to me. Nicole and Patience have a special friendship—Nicole tends to be a "night owl" and these nocturnal tendencies were very expedient when Patience was a new-born baby enduring many tummy aches.

Faith sounds out her words

Faith is my little jewel. I enjoy our times together, learning to read and learning basic math. She has completely filled in a Roaring Springs composition book with her copy work and illustrations, all of which I love. She has graduated to becoming the proud owner of a "school satchel" like her older siblings. In it we have included a special set of colored pencils, her McGuffey Primer, composition book, nature notebook, and many times our New England Primer, which she enjoys reading with me (I think she loves the smallness of this little book). I have been using the flashcards I created with her—and they seem to be doing the trick. Faith is the type of person who allows you to see straight into her heart, and it is so bright and sunny there, which truly makes teaching her such a pleasure.

Our current family read-aloud is The Winged Watchman, by Hilda Van Stockum. This is the second novel we have read authored by her. This is a story about the experiences of a young boy in Holland during the Nazi occupation of WWII. I appreciate how her characters pray and discuss Christian virtues throughout the entire narrative.

The children are also taking turns on the computer practicing their keyboarding and Spanish lessons. I made up a sheet which keeps track of their progress. They sit in teams (we require teammates for computer time for safety and accountability reasons) and each person gets 15 minutes for each task.

Sweet Patience

We have been practicing singing hymns together A capella. Our family recently visited an elderly couple's house (my husband's mentor for the last 35 years) and sang hymns and worshiped with them—and a Christian woman, named Christine, showed up to play and sing hymns on her portable keyboard—so we actually had some accompaniment. It was a special time in the Lord with some very precious people. Our children all behaved very well and enjoyed this time of worship together.

I love spending time with my precious children—they teach me new things each and every day. I am so humbled that God would give me such a wonderful job to be about until He returns—and He just might be cracking the sky pretty soon too! I pray He finds me absolutely faithful.

Flash cards and help for Ray's Arithmetics

Mother teaching her children

It is just about impossible for us in this 21st Century to imagine how to use the schoolbooks left to us by those in the 19th Century.

I know that I was at a loss when I cracked open the Ray’s Arithmetics.   It was the same sort of feeling I get when one of my children hands me his I-Phone so that I can make a phone call.

Where do I start?

After a little bit of help, and quite a lot of fiddling around, I finally begin to understand. Soon I am making my way all around the device; it actually becomes useful to me.

In order to understand how to use the Ray’s series to its fullest,
I first perused them and then read through the instructions given in the teaching guide from Mott Media. I have always appreciated the insights of Ruth Beechick, and this provided enough encouragement to make a start, but there were still many questions in my mind.

For one thing, Beechick’s guide is mostly written for use in the “graded” classroom, in which the students are at basically the same level of understanding. I needed help to adapt these methods for tutoring each of my children independently, in a way that simplified things for me and gave the children ample practice and attention at the same time.

I started out by working the problems with my children—of course this is a requirement of the Primer, but the Intellectual book was even more important for me to work partially through so that I could begin to see the genius in the very logical ideas employed there.

I had never been taught to think of numbers in such a refreshing way. It amazed me that any of us understand math at all. When I was in school it was all a jumbled mess; we were taught to just accept that numbers work the way they do, in the same way we are told to accept the distance of the stars or the orbits of the planets without any first-hand knowledge.

But numbers are not as remote as the stars and planets; they are part of our everyday lives. We should not feel as though they are distant relatives, but our closest friends, always at the ready whenever we need them.

Ray’s helps us to become more than acquaintances. As we are led through the various exercises, we begin to have personal communion with each operation. We are led, in a respectful manner, to see the relating of patterns which are repeated often, so that the enormity of the subject is minimized enough for us to grasp it.

Whereas modern methods expect us to take great leaps of faith, Ray’s gives us logical steps to make our climbing easier. This is why these books, and those like them, can help even the worst math-phobic to enjoy numbers.

I also spent a great amount of my “surfing” time on the Internet downloading a collection of different math texts, all published before our “modern” era. I was still a bit in the dark until I discovered The Manual of Methods.

Reading through The Manual of Methods, a guide for the instruction of all of the Eclectic Learning series, was my greatest discovery. The missing pieces of the puzzle were finally handed to me. About the same time, I discovered A Primary Arithmetic, by E.E. White. This was actually an answer to prayer, as it provided an already-published source for the exercises suggested in The Manual of Methods. I also began to understand what made various books by other publishers acceptable or unusable.

I have since begun to print pages from these books, copy them, and give them to my children for practice. Since I have these files saved on the hard drive of my computer, they are available at any time. If I print them in full-page size, it is even possible for the children to write the answers directly on the sheets.

The teachers of the past did not have desk-top publishing to aid them, but I do!

After reading through the suggestions for teaching primary math, I began to get a vision for some flashcards—a totally different sort than I have ever seen.

I created two decks. The first one is totally without numbers. I chose vintage images of easily-recognized objects to represent each set of numbers; a butterfly for the group of “1”, pigs for the group of “2”, and so on.
In this way a child could more easily associate each group of objects with the number represented. As the numbers progress, the flow of natural associations will easily lend themselves to the teaching of simple addition and subtraction if either of the groups is covered with the hand and then once again revealed.

The second deck is for the introduction of the symbols we use to represent the groups. I kept the same objects to represent each of the numbers.

I hope this is in keeping with the spirit of the authors of the Eclectic methods!

I also took the time to actually create the number charts (which I did not find in the Ray’s or the White’s books) that were supposed to be written on the board as documents that could be printed and copied. These could be used as many times as necessary until a child gained a full understanding of the number associations.

As further help, I also created some “fact wheels”, originally intended to help with the learning of multiplication, but with a blank set that could easily be adapted for addition, subtraction, and division. I was even able to create some handwriting sheets for numbers and number words.

Remember this is the result of weeks and even months of research I have done on the Internet learning how to use Ray's Arithmetics the way they were intended to be used—discovering new resource links along the way. I have included these very helpful links to the aids mentioned here and some links to other free book resources as well in this product offering in order to help you learn, with me, how to teach these methods to your young learners.

It is my hope that my research and helps will make it easier for someone else as they use these wonderful materials to teach their own children primary math!

PS- If you download the FREE Nitro PDF Reader you can actually type on the pages of your copy of the home-school planner before you print your copy at home.

Redirected to the higher things

Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire

When I was a young girl, there was such a thing as "decorum" and "propriety". Little girls were still taught to curtsy (we wore mostly dresses back then). Proper young men were told to bow. We were instructed that staring and pointing were impolite, that we should never eat in front of someone else unless we were willing to share. Whispering in the presence of others was considered rude. Gentlemen never used coarse language in the presence of "ladies".


Then came the 1970's, the demand for "freedom of expression" and "realism" was passionately advocated. Movies became more increasingly offensive and violent. Books were written by design to be blatantly s*xual and indecent. Anyone who protested was soon labeled as "prudish" or "provincial". The upcoming generation was pushing the outside of the envelope by discarding the need for the status quo.


Hollywood quickly took the lead: marriage was considered passe, procreation was optional, s*x was recreational. Profane language and lewd conduct were viewed as "candid" and even "hip".

28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. 

(Romans 1:28-32)

We were promised that by getting to the bottom of things we could rise above them and create a Utopia. What they didn't tell us was that we risked becoming bottom feeders for the duration of the present world system.

34Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. 

(Proverbs 14:34)

The promise of a brand new day!

It's now 2011, more than four decades since the wonderful freedoms of the days of "Aquarius". Where are the wonderful benefits that we're supposed to be reaping? Where are the well-adjusted, bright and noble leaders (they have all become corrupt beyond words—from the president on down)? Since the liberal mores of the 60's and 70's have won out why then haven't we succeeded in ending conflict and war (one only needs to look to the Middle East to realize—only Jesus can bring us true peace)? Why haven't we figured out how to get along with each other (Jesus said He did not come to bring peace, but a sword—we should be more interested in holiness than peace for its own sake).

34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 

(Matthew 10:34-36)

It's not necessary for me to tell you that things haven't improved. Before the aftermath of our current cultural overthrow, sure there were children who went to bed afraid, who cried at night, but most children lived in relative security under the care of both father and mother. Today, the children don't cry anymore, even though they have good reason to do so. They simply live life like anesthetized drones, drugged by media and ungodly propaganda until they have come to believe that things cannot get any better—other than owning the latest electronic "i-gadget". Having been trained, like animals, to feed their most base instincts and to hope for nothing more. They have lost their innocence and their consciences has been marred.

Child-like faith

God help us all.


It only takes a brief step into the past to find out just how far we have all fallen. The heroes of today are celebrated for their immoral lifestyles and garish behaviors by a culture that has rejected God and His holiness. Are we in danger of rejecting the redemption His Son has paid, with His own life, to give to us?


In the course of our studying with the McGuffey readers (I have been delving into their history, and the narrative of schooling and school books of the 18th and 19th centuries), we have been breathing great sighs of relief.


Herein lie the evidences that our predecessors in America, at least, considered living for Christ and fearing God to be the highest goal an individual could aspire to or attain. Children were diligently taught to respect their parents, to live self-less lives, to consider others as greater than themselves and to practice (what used to be termed) "common courtesy". Hard work and diligence, not self-esteem, were rewarded, and so the lessons in these books are both challenging and engaging to the child's heart and soul as well as his mind.


It is one thing when the society-at-large is rife with immorality and rebellion; quite another when it is found to exist within the Body of Christ, His Church, having been bought with His own precious blood.

Jesus is knocking at your door

Anyone of us can fall into sin, but there should be godly sorrow and repentance—and in the process of this heart-felt repentance there is great healing and restoration. But when one falls into sin, then continues in that sin, and the church winks at it (due to money, position, talent, etc.), then the result is that the entire church family has closed their eyes to the truth. We the church need to repent in America!


I am not quite sure what Bible everyone is reading these days. It is certainly accurate that the Word of God is full of love and hope for the redemption of mankind, and His mercy is extended to all, but it never condones or even tolerates sin and rebellion. The Apostles were not as quick at accepting the sin in others without clear evidence of humble contrition and the fruit of repentance. Paul was a black-and-white sort of fellow—have we cut out his directives against all forms of compromise until each page of his Epistles are full of holes?

7For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 

(2 John 1:7-11)

I am so glad we have gone back in time in our homeschooling. This current obsession that has affected the morality of our culture has also influenced our collective intelligence and understanding. Folks don't seem to have the ability to think well once they have given themselves over to their own lusts. Their cogitations are at best clouded—greatness of thought is almost discouraged by a culture that flies after anything that is opposed to God and His commands.

1 For as much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have worked the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, parties, and abominable idolatries: 4 Wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 

(1 Peter 4:1-5)

But within all these godly books and novels of old, their is a coherent logic residing within their framework. I find that I am learning right along with my children. Long held assumptions and carnal mind-sets are giving way to honest truth. I never knew just how wonderful it could be to teach reading and writing with the order and artistry that is presented in these books. In simple counting and addition there is so much more to be savored than I ever realized possible. My own children consider even the math to be gentle and enjoyable—as each line is added to another so that they rest quietly together in an orderly manner.

Do not stumble one of these little ones

My soul, and the souls of my children, are at rest when we visit the stories in these books. I am so thankful to God for allowing us to benefit from them during these difficult times. I hope others, even if they never homeschool their children, can discover them for themselves.


One element of the 19th century readers is that of the nobility of the individual. There was plenty of reality; death, rebellion and sin—(including poverty and substance abuse) all an integral part of these educational books. But when dealing with the gravest issues of life, the child's mind was always redirected to the higher things, the better way of living by looking exclusively to God's divine mercy and goodness.