unmath
Lee-Ann and Robert Storer
Hi all,
thought I'd chip in here with a bit of a story about my Emma (11) <g>
DH, Emma and I were doing the dishes and Emma asked us to quiz her on the times tables. I hate doing that. I think it's boring. Robert (dh) hates doing that, too, so in a joking voice he said "Why don't you figure out how many times I've had to tell you to turn the shower off properly?"
Emma's face lit up and she dropped her tea towel and grabbed pencil and paper. She sat at the table and worked out how many years she's been having showers, how many times a week etc. We just cracked up laughing about it and she thought it was great fun.
When we were doing school at home (before their stint at public school), it was like pulling teeth to get Emma to sit and do math. She does it now when it means something to her and it's fun because it's not forced.
My three are getting plenty of math just by playing 'Harvest Moon' on the playstation, fiddling around with their pocket money and gosh just about everything they do during the day has some kind of math in it.
You know this is the first time I've even really thought about math since we finished up with school a year and a half ago. Wow, I love unmath.
It's hard to 'chill' and let the learning happen but things are way happier if parents can do that.
Lee-Ann in Australia :)
up to Return of the Jedi in the video connection game
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
thought I'd chip in here with a bit of a story about my Emma (11) <g>
DH, Emma and I were doing the dishes and Emma asked us to quiz her on the times tables. I hate doing that. I think it's boring. Robert (dh) hates doing that, too, so in a joking voice he said "Why don't you figure out how many times I've had to tell you to turn the shower off properly?"
Emma's face lit up and she dropped her tea towel and grabbed pencil and paper. She sat at the table and worked out how many years she's been having showers, how many times a week etc. We just cracked up laughing about it and she thought it was great fun.
When we were doing school at home (before their stint at public school), it was like pulling teeth to get Emma to sit and do math. She does it now when it means something to her and it's fun because it's not forced.
My three are getting plenty of math just by playing 'Harvest Moon' on the playstation, fiddling around with their pocket money and gosh just about everything they do during the day has some kind of math in it.
You know this is the first time I've even really thought about math since we finished up with school a year and a half ago. Wow, I love unmath.
It's hard to 'chill' and let the learning happen but things are way happier if parents can do that.
Lee-Ann in Australia :)
up to Return of the Jedi in the video connection game
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/4/03 07:14:31 PM Central Daylight Time,
lrjem1@... writes:
Hi all,
thought I'd chip in here with a bit of a story about my Emma (11) <g>
DH, Emma and I were doing the dishes and Emma asked us to quiz her on the
times tables. I hate doing that. I think it's boring. Robert (dh) hates doing
that, too, so in a joking voice he said "Why don't you figure out how many
times I've had to tell you to turn the shower off properly?"
Emma's face lit up and she dropped her tea towel and grabbed pencil and
paper. She sat at the table and worked out how many years she's been having
showers, how many times a week etc. We just cracked up laughing about it and she
thought it was great fun.
*****************************************************************
I love this story! That and with everyone discussing teens wanting "more" and
questions about what it is exactly that they have learned; I have been
thinking about a situation here in our own home.
Darin brings home his profit and loss statements and other things that
require him to add up long columns of numbers and other math chores I hate.
Recently, the kids have taken to sitting by him at the table and he will call out
numbers for them to put into the calculator. Sometimes, if the numbers are smaller
and more manageable, they will write them out and figure in their heads.
Often when the kids are doing that, they will ask things like *what does such and
such equal?* I always just tell them, but Darin makes them figure it out. He
gets, not mad really, but always says that I need to stop telling them. This
happens other times as well. One will ask me something about, (example here) how
fast is the speed of light. I will tell them if I know or look it up if I
don't and then tell them. Darin again, will say *Don't do that, let them look it
up themselves.* He thinks that is more unschooling. I think that if I MAKE
them look everything up or ALWAYS figure out what 67+85 is, or shove the
dictionary at them every time they ask how to spell something or what a word means,
that I will quash their enthusiasm. I think that if they see that sometimes I
don't know and that I use the dictionary, encyclopedia, Google, someone else who
knows better than I, then they eventually will too. I have always responded
that IF he doesn't know how to spell something or what a word means that I tell
him, I don't say *look it up yourself.* I say that the kids need to be
afforded the same respect. He says the kids are different, that the need to LEARN
how to do these things themselves. I think that they will learn by observing me.
The other evening, Moly and I were watching the movie We Were Soldiers. The
Mel Gibson character made a comment about how his platoon had the same number
as Custer's, and then wondered aloud if Custer knew he was sending his men into
a slaughter. Moly wanted to know who Custer was, and what the guy was talking
about. So I told her about Custer and how he and his men went to fight the
Sioux and what all happened. Then I said, well maybe it was Pawnee, bring me
that book over there. She kind of got huffy with me and asked if I was going to
be giving her a history lesson like Daddy. I laughed and said, no I just wanted
to make sure I was giving her the correct information, and that now I was
curious myself. I was right the first time, it was the Sioux. But I got a glimpse
of what it is like for her when Darin insists that she do for herself all the
time, and what it is like for kids in school, or school-at-home. I wonder how
I can help him, and sometimes I wonder if maybe he is more right in how he
does things with the kids than I am. (the next day, I found Moly on the porch
swing with that same book reading all about Custer.)
Any insight?
~Nancy
Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
Elbert Hubbard
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
lrjem1@... writes:
Hi all,
thought I'd chip in here with a bit of a story about my Emma (11) <g>
DH, Emma and I were doing the dishes and Emma asked us to quiz her on the
times tables. I hate doing that. I think it's boring. Robert (dh) hates doing
that, too, so in a joking voice he said "Why don't you figure out how many
times I've had to tell you to turn the shower off properly?"
Emma's face lit up and she dropped her tea towel and grabbed pencil and
paper. She sat at the table and worked out how many years she's been having
showers, how many times a week etc. We just cracked up laughing about it and she
thought it was great fun.
*****************************************************************
I love this story! That and with everyone discussing teens wanting "more" and
questions about what it is exactly that they have learned; I have been
thinking about a situation here in our own home.
Darin brings home his profit and loss statements and other things that
require him to add up long columns of numbers and other math chores I hate.
Recently, the kids have taken to sitting by him at the table and he will call out
numbers for them to put into the calculator. Sometimes, if the numbers are smaller
and more manageable, they will write them out and figure in their heads.
Often when the kids are doing that, they will ask things like *what does such and
such equal?* I always just tell them, but Darin makes them figure it out. He
gets, not mad really, but always says that I need to stop telling them. This
happens other times as well. One will ask me something about, (example here) how
fast is the speed of light. I will tell them if I know or look it up if I
don't and then tell them. Darin again, will say *Don't do that, let them look it
up themselves.* He thinks that is more unschooling. I think that if I MAKE
them look everything up or ALWAYS figure out what 67+85 is, or shove the
dictionary at them every time they ask how to spell something or what a word means,
that I will quash their enthusiasm. I think that if they see that sometimes I
don't know and that I use the dictionary, encyclopedia, Google, someone else who
knows better than I, then they eventually will too. I have always responded
that IF he doesn't know how to spell something or what a word means that I tell
him, I don't say *look it up yourself.* I say that the kids need to be
afforded the same respect. He says the kids are different, that the need to LEARN
how to do these things themselves. I think that they will learn by observing me.
The other evening, Moly and I were watching the movie We Were Soldiers. The
Mel Gibson character made a comment about how his platoon had the same number
as Custer's, and then wondered aloud if Custer knew he was sending his men into
a slaughter. Moly wanted to know who Custer was, and what the guy was talking
about. So I told her about Custer and how he and his men went to fight the
Sioux and what all happened. Then I said, well maybe it was Pawnee, bring me
that book over there. She kind of got huffy with me and asked if I was going to
be giving her a history lesson like Daddy. I laughed and said, no I just wanted
to make sure I was giving her the correct information, and that now I was
curious myself. I was right the first time, it was the Sioux. But I got a glimpse
of what it is like for her when Darin insists that she do for herself all the
time, and what it is like for kids in school, or school-at-home. I wonder how
I can help him, and sometimes I wonder if maybe he is more right in how he
does things with the kids than I am. (the next day, I found Moly on the porch
swing with that same book reading all about Custer.)
Any insight?
~Nancy
Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
Elbert Hubbard
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/4/03 7:15:18 PM, Dnowens@... writes:
<< I think that if they see that sometimes I
don't know and that I use the dictionary, encyclopedia, Google, someone else
who
knows better than I, then they eventually will too. I have always responded
that IF he doesn't know how to spell something or what a word means that I
tell
him, I don't say *look it up yourself.* I say that the kids need to be
afforded the same respect. >>
I agree with you.
For anyone undecided, here's another link. I've sent more links today than
any other day in my life so far! <g>
How Not to use Reference Materials , which is actually in favor of using
reference materials, just not in favor of abusing kids with them.
http://SandraDodd.com/aradicalthought
Sandra
<< I think that if they see that sometimes I
don't know and that I use the dictionary, encyclopedia, Google, someone else
who
knows better than I, then they eventually will too. I have always responded
that IF he doesn't know how to spell something or what a word means that I
tell
him, I don't say *look it up yourself.* I say that the kids need to be
afforded the same respect. >>
I agree with you.
For anyone undecided, here's another link. I've sent more links today than
any other day in my life so far! <g>
How Not to use Reference Materials , which is actually in favor of using
reference materials, just not in favor of abusing kids with them.
http://SandraDodd.com/aradicalthought
Sandra