Announcing The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series

Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Book 1

For many years we have longed for a truly Charlotte Mason math curriculum. But since none was available, we settled for finding programs that at least included some CM components.

So you can imagine how excited we are to announce The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series!

The name holds much history and significance.

The—Author Richele Baburina has invested years of research and study to uncover exactly what math concepts Charlotte taught, when she taught them, and how she taught them. This is the real deal. No more searching for a somewhat-Charlotte-Mason-style math program. This is the one that is Charlotte Mason through and through!

Charlotte Mason—You can rest assured that this curriculum is true to Charlotte’s methods and philosophy. The atmosphere is set through short, carefully graduated lessons using common objects. The discipline of good habits is focused on concentrated attention, neatness, and accuracy. Math concepts are presented as living ideas that the child is guided to discover for herself.

Elementary Arithmetic—This series focuses on the elementary years, teaching arithmetic in a straightforward and engaging manner that leads to a solid understanding and helps the student to think mathematically.

Series—Several books are planned and in the works. Book 1 is the premiere publication. It is accompanied by two supporting resources to help keep things simple: the gridded math notebook and an everything-you-need kit.

The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series, Book 1

Book 1 contains short, engaging, interactive lessons that guide your young student to a solid understanding of addition and subtraction through 100.

In Book 1 you will find

  • Day-by-day lessons, so you can guide your student with confidence;
  • Straightforward instructions, so you (or any other teacher) can open and go with no prep time;
  • End-of-term exams that can be customized according to where your child is in the lessons;
  • Helpful reminders and teaching tips, so you can be sure you’re teaching math in a Charlotte Mason way;
  • A beautiful and durable hard cover that will stand up well to many years of enjoyable math lessons;
  • Cross-references to Charlotte Mason’s Living Math: A Guided Journey DVD set, so you can see the methods demonstrated and be prepared for upcoming lessons;
  • A full year of math for students in grade 1 or excellent review lessons for older students who need to strengthen their understanding of math concepts;
  • A non-consumable resource that will make a wonderful addition to your home library and can be used with all of your children.

Gridded Math Notebooks

Math Grid Notebooks

Charlotte Mason recommended that each student use a gridded notebook during math lessons. Gridded notebooks are a wonderfully simple yet effective resource for math. They keep numerals neat and legible by allotting one number per grid square. They encourage a habit of precision and accuracy by keeping the numerals aligned, so place value can easily be seen and checked.

Our gridded math notebooks

  • Contain 50 pages of grid paper, so you have plenty to work with but they don’t look overwhelming;
  • Lie flat for easy use whether your student is left-handed or right-handed;
  • Come in three sizes of grid square—3/4″, 1/2″, and 1/4″—so you can select the size that best fits your student’s writing.

You will need one gridded math notebook per student.

Book 1 Kit

Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Kit 1 Box

Your student will enjoy exploring numbers with this convenient collection of objects designed to go with the hands-on lessons in The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series, Book 1. Everything you need is organized and at your fingertips, even the materials for the optional no-sew coin bag handcraft. (Just add coins.)

The Book 1 Kit contains

  • 1 Dry-erase board (one side blank, one side printed with 1/2″ grid)
  • 1 Long-lasting dry-erase marker
  • Number cards (3 sets of 1–9)
  • 125 Beads
  • 125 Buttons
  • 110 Craft sticks
  • 110 Mini pencils
  • 25 Elastic bands
  • 25 Chenille stems
  • 11 Metal rings
  • 1 Felt sheet (9″ x 12″)
  • 1 Lacing cord (36″)

In Home Education, Charlotte Mason tells us “there is no subject in which the teacher has a more delightful consciousness of drawing out from day to day new power in the child” (p. 261). We hope you enjoy the same as you guide your child in discovery through The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series.

15 Comments

  1. This sounds fantastic! Do you have any idea about when more books will be released? I want to know if I will be able to use this with my older elementary school children?

  2. I am loving everything about this math series. Now I have to figure out what to do with the unused math curriculum that I have from another publisher.

  3. A quick question – do you recommend specifically memorizing addition facts or just gaining speed through mentally/physically adding them over time? I am currently using Professor B/Mathematics Power Learning but I am considering switching to this next year! Thank you!

    • Book 1 is all about exploring the math concepts. It does not emphasize memorization of the math facts. Some children may memorize some of the facts through the review and repetition that is sprinkled throughout the year, but it is not required. Book 2 will teach the addition tables and focus on memorizing math facts once the students have a solid understanding of the concepts behind the facts from Book 1.

    • Yes and no. While the work in the books can most likely be done by many children in five school years, we highly recommend that each parent go at the individual child’s pace. The other variable is that the material covered in each book does not necessarily align with the math concepts that may be typically covered at certain grades. So one can’t assume that since a child has already completed, say, grade 2 of a different math curriculum, he will automatically be ready to jump into Book 3 of this series. (We do plan to have placement guides to help as the subsequent books are released.)

      How’s that for a round-about answer? 🙂

      • Thank you! I think I understand. So is concepts like: telling time, calendar, lengths/weights/measurements, etc. covered (or will be covered) in this series?

        • Weights and measurements will be covered. Time and calendars will not.

          Correction: Time will be covered in Book 3. Calendars will not be covered in the math books.

  4. I am VERY excited about this new curriculum. I purchased Richele Baburino’s book and DVD combo a couple of years ago and we used it for first grade. We loved it, but I never completely felt confident that I was doing it correctly. In reviewing the sample, I am pleased that it looks like I did do a fairly good job :-), but I also love seeing the lesson plans laid out in easy to follow steps. So I will be purchasing this for my younger one. I would love to use this for my older one as well, but she is finishing up 2nd grade right now, and I am thinking that she will always be a year ahead of where your release dates might be for the next levels?? But thank you to Richele for all of your hard work on these materials! They are truly a blessing!

Comments are closed.