1940s Textbook Collection: Math, Science, and Health

On to the last installment of the textbooks of the 1940s.

Something that used to be common in school curricula was 'health and safety'.  There's a ton of these health-and-safety readers dating to the 1920s/1930s and through about the 1950s or so.  This selection was published by the state of California in 1940.

Highlights include 'how to avoid injury on the playground', 'the history of bathing', and 'how boys and girls grow'. 

These science books were the last three books of a larger set from 1st-6th grade.  These are the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade books.  Science books for earlier grades focused on observing nature, categorizing objects, and the basics of how to study how the physical world works.

The later grades start focusing on details.  Part of that whole 'learn to read' vs 'read to learn' that happens around 3rd/4th grade.

The upper elementary books start going into ecology, and the basics of physics and chemistry.

Finally, one of those things that you don't get so often with doll accessories:  math books.  And for dolls that are supposed to be in 3rd/4th grade, advanced math books.  Because some girls get to skip grade levels in math, and that is a good thing that should be encouraged.

There's a lot more of a focus on mental math and word problems and far far less on 'how did you get this answer'.  The human has some concerns about modern elementary school math education (deriving answers is all well and good, but basic arithmetic is really just rote memorization.  And if you don't have it memorized, advanced stuff is going to be a pain.)

So that's it for the 1940s textbooks.  Coming soon:  the 1930s Alice-and-Jerry readers, a precursor to the Dick-and-Jane books.