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Okay, we don't actually unschool - we haven't quite managed to let go of the rules/adult in control mindset - but we don't follow set curriculums or schedule lesson plans, etc. We do a lot of reading and using math skills to figure tips, change, amount due (like $60.00 = 3 twenties or... = what you need to pay for $56.24 worth of stuff, etc.) and science/art projects, etc. Ds' reading and language arts skills are wonderful and not forced in the least - he loves reading and does crossword puzzles, etc., albeit with help sometimes... but I still get concerned about his math sometimes. I don't push him on it (unless you count asking him to pay for something or figure how many blocks he needs to build a wall, etc.) but I usually end up asking him to come play a game or cards or figure his "piggy bank" contents, etc., to try to make using numbers a bigger part of his day. It never fails to surprise me (happily, of course) when he pops off an answer to something I had no idea he even knew about, let alone how to do!

For example, we were "practicing" his basic addition (at his request!) - I asked 3+3=? He wasn't even looking at me, so I thought he was getting bored and about to stop... Hello? He looks up at me and says, "Oh, that's easy! It's the same as 3x2=? It's 6!" I thought my jaw was going to fall off since we hadn't really even touched on multiplication - just a short 30-second explanation several weeks earlier when he decided he didn't want to work on that yet! Ds is 7 (almost 8) so I didn't really worry too much since he has plenty of time yet, but wow!!! I was so excited that I called everyone I knew to brag!!! (I know, most kids learn how to do math, but I was really proud of him for figuring the concept out on his own and to see his excitement reflected in my own was a real prize for him.)

Then this weekend I showed him the sudoku game online (at the grandparents' house.) I hesitated to show him, since I thought it might be a little hard for him, but I sat with him and we finished the game several times. The next night... he came running asking to play it again!!! He still gets stuck and I tend to point out a box or row that has fewer unknowns to work with, trying to avoid him getting too frustrated, but he is really picking the strattegy up quickly! (Did I mention that this is the kid who learned chess last summer from grandpa and now beats the pants off me at it? <g>)
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Pamela Sorooshian

My kids are all hooked on Sudoku puzzles, too.

Try them here: <http://www.websudoku.com/>

-pam


On Oct 17, 2005, at 5:02 PM, leobellalace@... wrote:

> Then this weekend I showed him the sudoku game online (at the
> grandparents' house.) I hesitated to show him, since I thought it
> might be a little hard for him, but I sat with him and we finished
> the game several times. The next night... he came running asking
> to play it again!!! He still gets stuck and I tend to point out a
> box or row that has fewer unknowns to work with, trying to avoid
> him getting too frustrated, but he is really picking the strattegy
> up quickly! (Did I mention that this is the kid who learned chess
> last summer from grandpa and now beats the pants off me at it? <g>)
> _________________



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