Ray's Arithmetic vs. Everyday Arithmetic?

Vanessa, I’ve not heard of the first book you listed but I know that Richelle, author of Mathematics An Instrument for Living Teaching, recommends using Ray’s if you don’t want to come up with your own problems. I have not used Ray’s but, we are currently using Staryer Upton practical arithmetic along with the book mentioned above and our math lessons have been more peaceful and productive. Anyway, this is just a bump in hopes that Richelle will see it and respond!

The SCM Mathematics DVD and book are very helpful and stick very close to CM’s teachings.  Richelle uses the first Rays book (Primary), then switches to Strayer Upton’s Practical Arithmetic.  I prefer the layout of SU, but we’ve only actually used it for a few lessons.  I’m not familiar with the Hoyt book, so I can’t compare it to the others.

We actually use MUS, but I’ve incorporated many of the SCM Mathematics ideas into their lessons.  I’m hoping to continue with this, adding in Rays and SU for some “mental math” practice, which is a weakness of MUS.

I really like Everyday Arithmetic, and it has a wonderful (free) guide to go with it, that IMO is superior to the one for Rays. The guide makes it very easy to use.

Rebekah,

We aren’t following the Mathematics DVD to a “t”, but here are some things we do in my attempt to make MUS more CM-friendly:

• Easier problems are done orally, more difficult ones on whiteboard or graph paper (or lined paper turned on it’s side to make columns)
• Using the manipulatives for new concepts.  Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten together the buttons or pennies, but I’d like to do this at some point and rotate them with the MUS blocks!
• Keep the lessons short.  When they get to things like long division or multiple-digit multiplication, we may only do 4-6 problems for the day.  I try to keep their lessons to the time recommended by CM.
• My 6yo has been doing the “numbers lessons” as recommended, so we’ve only recently started MUS’s Alpha.  I’m thinking of going back to the numbers lessons, because she seems to enjoy them more!

This year I have a “math extra” scheduled each day.  Monday & Tuesday have “mental math” which I’m pulling from the Ray’s & SU books.  Wednesday will be a logic puzzle of some sort, maybe a logic worksheet, logic card or board game, or tangram puzzle.  Thursday will be a flashcard drill (I turn these into a game), and Friday will be a game from Rightstart’s Math Games book.  I may add extra mental math questions on days when we get through their lessons a bit quicker.

I just received SU books 1 & 2, which I’m using with my older two (my younger two are going through Ray’s).  They are starting at the beginning of the first book, and I imagine will skip through fairly quickly, since it’s all review at this point.   I just flip through until I find something interesting, we do a few problems, then I move my book marker up.  I’m not very systematic about it.  I’m aiming for 5-10 minutes of mental math here.

I’d love to follow the Mathematics DVD more closely and just use the older texts, but I know myself, and I really need an truly open-and-go program (like MUS) for our more busy days.  I need to be able to pop in a DVD and pull off the next worksheet.