Seeing things click
Olga
I have been having the usual frets lately about unschooling. Not so
much about if my kids will learn but more about am I providing
enough experiences, time, etc. with them so that they have the
opportunity to learn. That is one thing I am working on.
Anyway, in the midst of all my angst I got to see my sons true
brightness that occurs when left to his own devices. Me and the
boys went to the bookstore today. As I was looking for something,
my 5yo saw a science book and said "Look, maybe we can study
science." I named a few areas in science to explain that science
was a general word for many different fields of science. One I
mentioned was magnets and he grasps at that one. I said okay but
not thinking it would go past that because he usually doesn't. He
goes to Thomas the Train and says "Look Mom, Thomas has magnets. I
am going to study magnets over here." So, her played for about 1/2
hour and learned some rudimentary magnet facts along the way. That
two sides stick and the other sides don't go together and "when you
hold these like this (a bit apart) they pop together". Talk about
hating my input and just enjoying his own process! I just sit and
watch because he pretty much is at that "I know" stage.
Later, he was playing a game on his computer and wanted me to join
him. He was collecting scarrabs and had 7. I casually asked how
many more he needed to get 10, "Oh, that's easy Mom". He starts
counting on his fingers from 1. At this point I think he is going
to get confused because by the time he gets to 7 and than to 10 he
will probably lose count somewhere. He count" 1, 2, 3" and says "3
more". I am still trying to figure out how he got the answer! Was
he counting from 7 to 10 in his head while counting 1-3 on his
fingers? He did the same thing at the doctor's office a few months
back when I was giving him really easy problems while we were bored
and waiting. He was answering basic math problems with no fingers,
all in his head. I have found if he is relaxed and we are just
hanging out playing, he can answer math problems easily. If we are
busy and he is distracted, he just answers with "I 'don't know"
It was a great day to see that he is doing fine!! It got me
thinking about how we teach kids to do math a certain way and that
might not work for them. I do not know how he figured the answer
out but it sure wasn't with the standard ways taught in school!!
Olga :)
much about if my kids will learn but more about am I providing
enough experiences, time, etc. with them so that they have the
opportunity to learn. That is one thing I am working on.
Anyway, in the midst of all my angst I got to see my sons true
brightness that occurs when left to his own devices. Me and the
boys went to the bookstore today. As I was looking for something,
my 5yo saw a science book and said "Look, maybe we can study
science." I named a few areas in science to explain that science
was a general word for many different fields of science. One I
mentioned was magnets and he grasps at that one. I said okay but
not thinking it would go past that because he usually doesn't. He
goes to Thomas the Train and says "Look Mom, Thomas has magnets. I
am going to study magnets over here." So, her played for about 1/2
hour and learned some rudimentary magnet facts along the way. That
two sides stick and the other sides don't go together and "when you
hold these like this (a bit apart) they pop together". Talk about
hating my input and just enjoying his own process! I just sit and
watch because he pretty much is at that "I know" stage.
Later, he was playing a game on his computer and wanted me to join
him. He was collecting scarrabs and had 7. I casually asked how
many more he needed to get 10, "Oh, that's easy Mom". He starts
counting on his fingers from 1. At this point I think he is going
to get confused because by the time he gets to 7 and than to 10 he
will probably lose count somewhere. He count" 1, 2, 3" and says "3
more". I am still trying to figure out how he got the answer! Was
he counting from 7 to 10 in his head while counting 1-3 on his
fingers? He did the same thing at the doctor's office a few months
back when I was giving him really easy problems while we were bored
and waiting. He was answering basic math problems with no fingers,
all in his head. I have found if he is relaxed and we are just
hanging out playing, he can answer math problems easily. If we are
busy and he is distracted, he just answers with "I 'don't know"
It was a great day to see that he is doing fine!! It got me
thinking about how we teach kids to do math a certain way and that
might not work for them. I do not know how he figured the answer
out but it sure wasn't with the standard ways taught in school!!
Olga :)
Lee-Ann and Robert Storer
Olga said:-
He count" 1, 2, 3" and says "3
more". I am still trying to figure out how he got the answer! Was
he counting from 7 to 10 in his head while counting 1-3 on his
fingers?
I do math like that! I would have said '7' in my head and then '8 - 9 - 10' on my fingers to get 3 as the answer.
Lee-Ann in Australia
aka Dances With Goats
aka Stands With a Mop
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
He count" 1, 2, 3" and says "3
more". I am still trying to figure out how he got the answer! Was
he counting from 7 to 10 in his head while counting 1-3 on his
fingers?
I do math like that! I would have said '7' in my head and then '8 - 9 - 10' on my fingers to get 3 as the answer.
Lee-Ann in Australia
aka Dances With Goats
aka Stands With a Mop
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Olga
I would have done the same thing Lee-Ann, but he didn't count
8,9,10. He actually counted 1,2,3. So I am thrown but impressed!
Olga :)
--- In [email protected], "Lee-Ann and Robert
Storer" <lrjem1@d...> wrote:
8,9,10. He actually counted 1,2,3. So I am thrown but impressed!
Olga :)
--- In [email protected], "Lee-Ann and Robert
Storer" <lrjem1@d...> wrote:
> Olga said:-Was
> He count" 1, 2, 3" and says "3
> more". I am still trying to figure out how he got the answer!
> he counting from 7 to 10 in his head while counting 1-3 on histhen '8 - 9 - 10' on my fingers to get 3 as the answer.
> fingers?
>
> I do math like that! I would have said '7' in my head and
>
> Lee-Ann in Australia
> aka Dances With Goats
> aka Stands With a Mop
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Lee-Ann and Robert Storer
lol olga - go figure - now I want to know how he did it <g>
Lee-Ann in Australia
aka Dances With Goats
aka Stands With a Mop
Lee-Ann in Australia
aka Dances With Goats
aka Stands With a Mop
----- Original Message -----
From: Olga
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 9:28 AM
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Re: Seeing things click
I would have done the same thing Lee-Ann, but he didn't count
8,9,10. He actually counted 1,2,3. So I am thrown but impressed!
Olga :)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Heidi
Loveit, Olga!!! veddy good
I saw some similar action, day before yesterday. The kids were
craving their math books, so we got them out and they both sat down
to do some problems. Robby did about two and a half probs LOL but
Katie got through two entire lessons.
This is the interesting thing. When we were playing rummikub the
other night, she was adding up her tiles in her head, completely
accurately. When she sat down with paper to do it, she was getting
things wrong...wow.
blessings, HeidiC who also doesn't know what process her kids use to
arrive at their answers.
--- In [email protected], "Olga"
<mccluskieo@b...> wrote:
I saw some similar action, day before yesterday. The kids were
craving their math books, so we got them out and they both sat down
to do some problems. Robby did about two and a half probs LOL but
Katie got through two entire lessons.
This is the interesting thing. When we were playing rummikub the
other night, she was adding up her tiles in her head, completely
accurately. When she sat down with paper to do it, she was getting
things wrong...wow.
blessings, HeidiC who also doesn't know what process her kids use to
arrive at their answers.
--- In [email protected], "Olga"
<mccluskieo@b...> wrote:
> I have been having the usual frets lately about unschooling. Notso
> much about if my kids will learn but more about am I providing
> enough experiences, time, etc. with them so that they have the
> opportunity to learn. That is one thing I am working on.
>
> It was a great day to see that he is doing fine!! It got me
> thinking about how we teach kids to do math a certain way and that
> might not work for them. I do not know how he figured the answer
> out but it sure wasn't with the standard ways taught in school!!
>
> Olga :)