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Dollar Homeschool (TOS Crew Review)

Okay, prepare to be amazed!


I received a set of downloads (generally purchased as e-books on CD) from Dollar Homeschool to use and review as a member of the 2009-2010 The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew.  The downloads were from the Eclectic Education Series, and the name thrilled me all by itself!  If ever there was an eclectic homeschooling family, we would be it!

The Eclectic Education Series (EES) by Dollar Homeschool is a collection of electronic copies of books dating back over 100 years.  The books make up the educational texts used in most of the one-room schoolhouses across the country in the late 1800s and early 1900s. 

Okay, so the Complete Set includes Ray's Arithmetic, Science, History, Grammar, and  McGuffey's Readers

*There is a plethora of mathematics topics included in Ray's Arithmetic, so do not let the simple name fool you!  You can start with kindergarten and progress until college from what I can tell of the topics: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, astronomy, logic, even surveying. The beauty of this program is that it teaches math with words, numbers, sentences, and real-life application rather than just numbers in an equation on a page, so no one should be at a loss for completing word problems when finished with Ray's! [being in 1st and 4th grade, my children didn't get past some of the simple arithmetic topics]

*There is a ridiculously complete set of science topics included in the Science portion, from nature and health to physics and philosophy, with logic, botany, and more thrown in the mix.  What a resource for this family of budding scientists!

*The History included in the EES is actually lots more than just history: there are reading, speaking, and phonetic teachings, as well as health topics included with the ancient history, Medieval history, history of the United States, and more.

*In the EES, Grammar appears to be all-inclusive, but once again, this material is what was taught in the late 1800s to the early 1900s, so it may seem odd to teach it that way.  We did not try to use the Grammar since we are currently enmeshed in another language arts curriculum that we are going to review.

*McGuffey's Readers are a collection of alphabet, grammar, reading, spelling, poetry, and composition lessons.  They begin simply and progress as needed through what appears to be 4th grade (although the website indicates it now goes through 6th - not sure if I am missing something or if this changed recently).

Okay, now I am officially overwhelmed by all that I can possibly teach my children with this amazing resource, and I am in need of some coffee and chocolate to soothe my "unschooling soul."  If you want to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about Dollar Homeschool's Eclectic Education Series, click here.

*Disclaimer: I received an electronic copy of these resources for free with the intention of using and reviewing them.  This review is my own opinion, and no compensation has been received.

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