long division..
zenmomma *
>>When Roxana wanted to go to New York City to see Cats on Broadway, sheday - she wanted to figure out how many days it would take to drive there
>>asked me how far it was and how far we could drive in a
and back.>>
Okay, this answers my question. Thanks. I think I've been too quick to pull
out the calculator on these questions. LOL! Although I *am* completely aware
of naturally flowing into all the other math that has come up so far. We've
also covered multiplcation because it would be faster for one of the kids. I
think maybe we use estimating a lot more in a long division situation. If an
exact answer is needed, I pull out the calculator.
I love your posts BTW Pam. They're always very helpful for me as I head out
into the teen years with my oldest. :o)
~Mary
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In a message dated 3/22/2002 8:15:21 AM Pacific Standard Time,
zenmomma@... writes:
don't get the impression that everything here always looks like eager
learning and that my kids go around saying, "Oh - I can't WAIT to read that
calculus book" or anything like that.
I'm satisfied with unschooling. It has fallen into place for me and makes
sense and feels totally just fine.
But to FEEL fine about that means that I have to feel fine about them NOT
learning things that I deep down DO wish they would be interested in
learning. NOW!!! <BEG> I have to learn patience and have confidence.
The way to feel fine about that is to accept it that there are going to be
gaps and delays and times when the kids don't appear to "measure up" to
school standards, etc., and know that there are times you might become more
aware of that as an issue and to, AT THE SAME TIME, be totally aware of and
amazed and wrapped up in the cool things they ARE learning and doing and
support and facilitate those.
So - when the kids were littler - it helped me to watch what they were doing
and think about what they were getting out of it. They do everything for a
purpose, even if they appear to be "just vegging" I've discovered that those
times are very very important for "centering" or "integrating" or whatever
you want to call it. I learned that after we did something that involved a
lot of new input -- going to a cool museum or a show or reading a fairly
intense book, for example, that they needed plenty of relaxed free play time
to really have the chance to reflect on what they'd experienced and to put it
together with what they already knew and to just think about the way that new
knowledge or experience changed other things already in their head, etc.
I just want to make it clear that those learning moments that look that
"academic" as the long division example, can be few and far between, it isn't
like that is how our lives are every minute of every day. But they do happen.
I was alerted to look for the value of what the kids chose to do on their
own, a long time ago, when my sister's son was standing, a dazed look on his
face, with his finger poked into a little hole in an old junky piece of
furniture. He was "feeling" the padding inside - pulling it out - poking it
in - rubbing it between his fingers. My sister and I were ready to go
somewhere and she saw what he was doing and stopped and said, "Wait - let
Alex finish." I had no kids yet and was sort of dumbfounded - wait for him to
finish what? He didn't appear to be DOING anything. My sister pointed out
that he was experiencing the texture of that padding - and experimenting with
how it felt and how he could shape and reshape it and so on -- anyway - she
was very sensitive to the fact that he was mesmerized by the whole thing - it
was a very sensual experience for him. He was 3 or 4 years old. I was SO
impressed and from that moment on I watched children and realized that
whatever they do, there is a reason, and that, whenever possible, adults
would be well advised to respect it.
--pamS
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
zenmomma@... writes:
> I love your posts BTW Pam. They're always very helpful for me as I head outWell - I've been trying to post more "reality of life" posts - so that people
> into the teen years with my oldest. :o)
don't get the impression that everything here always looks like eager
learning and that my kids go around saying, "Oh - I can't WAIT to read that
calculus book" or anything like that.
I'm satisfied with unschooling. It has fallen into place for me and makes
sense and feels totally just fine.
But to FEEL fine about that means that I have to feel fine about them NOT
learning things that I deep down DO wish they would be interested in
learning. NOW!!! <BEG> I have to learn patience and have confidence.
The way to feel fine about that is to accept it that there are going to be
gaps and delays and times when the kids don't appear to "measure up" to
school standards, etc., and know that there are times you might become more
aware of that as an issue and to, AT THE SAME TIME, be totally aware of and
amazed and wrapped up in the cool things they ARE learning and doing and
support and facilitate those.
So - when the kids were littler - it helped me to watch what they were doing
and think about what they were getting out of it. They do everything for a
purpose, even if they appear to be "just vegging" I've discovered that those
times are very very important for "centering" or "integrating" or whatever
you want to call it. I learned that after we did something that involved a
lot of new input -- going to a cool museum or a show or reading a fairly
intense book, for example, that they needed plenty of relaxed free play time
to really have the chance to reflect on what they'd experienced and to put it
together with what they already knew and to just think about the way that new
knowledge or experience changed other things already in their head, etc.
I just want to make it clear that those learning moments that look that
"academic" as the long division example, can be few and far between, it isn't
like that is how our lives are every minute of every day. But they do happen.
I was alerted to look for the value of what the kids chose to do on their
own, a long time ago, when my sister's son was standing, a dazed look on his
face, with his finger poked into a little hole in an old junky piece of
furniture. He was "feeling" the padding inside - pulling it out - poking it
in - rubbing it between his fingers. My sister and I were ready to go
somewhere and she saw what he was doing and stopped and said, "Wait - let
Alex finish." I had no kids yet and was sort of dumbfounded - wait for him to
finish what? He didn't appear to be DOING anything. My sister pointed out
that he was experiencing the texture of that padding - and experimenting with
how it felt and how he could shape and reshape it and so on -- anyway - she
was very sensitive to the fact that he was mesmerized by the whole thing - it
was a very sensual experience for him. He was 3 or 4 years old. I was SO
impressed and from that moment on I watched children and realized that
whatever they do, there is a reason, and that, whenever possible, adults
would be well advised to respect it.
--pamS
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
zenmomma *
>>I watched children and realized that whatever they do, there is a reason,I so agree. :o) I had a similar moment as that in your story. It involved my
>>and that, whenever possible, adults would be well advised to respect it.>>
daughter, my sister-in-law and a bottle of glue. My Casey learned more
squeezing out that bottle of glue than she ever could have by gluing things
down like she was "supposed to".
Life is good.
~Mary
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