A cool unschooling experience
christy_imnotred
Logan's first experience with Cuisenaire rods
Last week we went to the "learning store", which is the local teacher
supply store. I try not to use the word teach or teacher around
Logan. I don't want him thinking he needs to be taught stuff, I want
him thinking he can learn stuff. This store has a lot of stuff for
homeschoolers also, including Cuisenaire rods. I've been wanting to
get these for awhile and have just been waiting for Logan to get old
enough, he is 4 and a half now. If you aren't familiar with
Cuisenaire rods, they are plastic rods of different lengths and
colors. The smallest one is white and is 1 cube long, the next one
is 2 cubes long and a different color, and so on up to 10 cubes
long. They are great for playing with math concepts in a very visual
manner. I got the ones that snap together since I thought these
would be easier for Logan to handle. When we got home I put the rods
away and forgot about them. About an hour later Logan asked me to
get out the sticks I got at the learning store. I got them out and
gave them to him to play with. I didn't direct his play in anyway.
The first thing he did with them was build skyscrapers, this didn't
surprise me because he had watched a video on how they build
skyscrapers earlier that day.
After building skyscrapers for awhile he noticed that the different
color rods were different sizes. He took the 10 rod, placed it on
the ground and then started snapping together 1 rods until they were
as tall as the 10 rod. He then counted how many 1 rods he used and
told me that the big rod was 10 long. I said really? He then did
this with each rod working his way down from 10. When he got to 4 he
didn't need to use the 1 rods anymore, he could tell by looking at it
that it was 4 long, he did the same for 3 and 2. After doing this he
noticed that the rods had lines on one side that were spaced out the
same as the 1 rod, so that you could count how long a rod was without
putting the 1 rods next to it. He counted how long each rod was
using this method and discovered he came up with the same answers.
He then decided he wanted to put the rods in order from biggest to
smallest. Instead of using a trial and error method he figured out
he could use the number long they are to put them in order. Problem
was he was starting at 10 and working his way down, he's never
counted backwards from 10. He knew 10 would be first so he put the
10 down. He wasn't sure what came next, but instead of asking me, he
checked his number chart that is hanging on the wall. It has all the
numbers from 1-100 and has been hanging on the wall for almost a
year. Using this chart he was able to put all the rods in order from
10 to 1. He then practiced counting backwards from 10 while touching
the appropriate rod. Then he counted backwards from 10 without
touching the rods. After doing this he started experimenting with
putting different rods together and discovered that he could put the
6 and 4 rods together and they were the same length as the 10 rod.
He only did this a few times before he got tired of playing with the
rods and I put them away. He played with them for a little over a
half hour and discovered many things in that time. He did all this
with no coaching from me. To me, this is the beauty of unschooling.
Last week we went to the "learning store", which is the local teacher
supply store. I try not to use the word teach or teacher around
Logan. I don't want him thinking he needs to be taught stuff, I want
him thinking he can learn stuff. This store has a lot of stuff for
homeschoolers also, including Cuisenaire rods. I've been wanting to
get these for awhile and have just been waiting for Logan to get old
enough, he is 4 and a half now. If you aren't familiar with
Cuisenaire rods, they are plastic rods of different lengths and
colors. The smallest one is white and is 1 cube long, the next one
is 2 cubes long and a different color, and so on up to 10 cubes
long. They are great for playing with math concepts in a very visual
manner. I got the ones that snap together since I thought these
would be easier for Logan to handle. When we got home I put the rods
away and forgot about them. About an hour later Logan asked me to
get out the sticks I got at the learning store. I got them out and
gave them to him to play with. I didn't direct his play in anyway.
The first thing he did with them was build skyscrapers, this didn't
surprise me because he had watched a video on how they build
skyscrapers earlier that day.
After building skyscrapers for awhile he noticed that the different
color rods were different sizes. He took the 10 rod, placed it on
the ground and then started snapping together 1 rods until they were
as tall as the 10 rod. He then counted how many 1 rods he used and
told me that the big rod was 10 long. I said really? He then did
this with each rod working his way down from 10. When he got to 4 he
didn't need to use the 1 rods anymore, he could tell by looking at it
that it was 4 long, he did the same for 3 and 2. After doing this he
noticed that the rods had lines on one side that were spaced out the
same as the 1 rod, so that you could count how long a rod was without
putting the 1 rods next to it. He counted how long each rod was
using this method and discovered he came up with the same answers.
He then decided he wanted to put the rods in order from biggest to
smallest. Instead of using a trial and error method he figured out
he could use the number long they are to put them in order. Problem
was he was starting at 10 and working his way down, he's never
counted backwards from 10. He knew 10 would be first so he put the
10 down. He wasn't sure what came next, but instead of asking me, he
checked his number chart that is hanging on the wall. It has all the
numbers from 1-100 and has been hanging on the wall for almost a
year. Using this chart he was able to put all the rods in order from
10 to 1. He then practiced counting backwards from 10 while touching
the appropriate rod. Then he counted backwards from 10 without
touching the rods. After doing this he started experimenting with
putting different rods together and discovered that he could put the
6 and 4 rods together and they were the same length as the 10 rod.
He only did this a few times before he got tired of playing with the
rods and I put them away. He played with them for a little over a
half hour and discovered many things in that time. He did all this
with no coaching from me. To me, this is the beauty of unschooling.
[email protected]
Small world, this unschooling -- not on purpose particularly, but we
coined this same phrase with our kids, who for a couple of years would lobby
for a stop at the "learning store" anytime we went out. I figured it was just us
<g> JJ
christy_imnotred@... writes:
coined this same phrase with our kids, who for a couple of years would lobby
for a stop at the "learning store" anytime we went out. I figured it was just us
<g> JJ
christy_imnotred@... writes:
> Last week we went to the "learning store", which is the local teacher[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> supply store. I try not to use the word teach or teacher around
> Logan. I don't want him thinking he needs to be taught stuff, I want
> him thinking he can learn stuff.
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/3/04 11:39:44 AM, jrossedd@... writes:
<< Small world, this unschooling -- not on purpose particularly, but we
coined this same phrase with our kids, who for a couple of years would lobby
for a stop at the "learning store" anytime we went out. I figured it was just
us
<g> JJ >>
There's a real chain of stores called that, though.
We had a really great store here for years and years called Colborn's, a
teachers' supply store. The family that owned it sold it to The Learning Store
and it went out of business soon after. Partly things were more easily
available by catalog and online than they once had been, but partly because it had
been run as a local family business, and the chain was very "whatever" about the
particulars of having just another store in a podunk state (it seemed, the
attitude).
I really like teachers' supply stores. Some things I like for the
interesting fact of their being so unnecessary and over-priced, but some things really
are cool.
Sandra
<< Small world, this unschooling -- not on purpose particularly, but we
coined this same phrase with our kids, who for a couple of years would lobby
for a stop at the "learning store" anytime we went out. I figured it was just
us
<g> JJ >>
There's a real chain of stores called that, though.
We had a really great store here for years and years called Colborn's, a
teachers' supply store. The family that owned it sold it to The Learning Store
and it went out of business soon after. Partly things were more easily
available by catalog and online than they once had been, but partly because it had
been run as a local family business, and the chain was very "whatever" about the
particulars of having just another store in a podunk state (it seemed, the
attitude).
I really like teachers' supply stores. Some things I like for the
interesting fact of their being so unnecessary and over-priced, but some things really
are cool.
Sandra
[email protected]
Which reminds me, there were videogames for young children made by The
Learning Company (maybe still are?) We had several the kids really liked,
and that I liked for them. JJ
Learning Company (maybe still are?) We had several the kids really liked,
and that I liked for them. JJ
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> << Small world, this unschooling -- not on purpose particularly, but we
> coined this same phrase with our kids, who for a couple of years would lobby
>
> for a stop at the "learning store" anytime we went out. I figured it was
> just
> us
> <g> JJ >>
>
> There's a real chain of stores called that, though.
>
> We had a really great store here for years and years called Colborn's, a
> teachers' supply store. The family that owned it sold it to The Learning
> Store
> and it went out of business soon after.
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/3/04 12:55:41 PM, jrossedd@... writes:
<< Which reminds me, there were videogames for young children made by
The
Learning Company (maybe still are?) We had several the kids really liked,
and that I liked for them. JJ
Treasure Math Storm? Those?
We can still play those.
Ther was one about a TV station and a bad guy and I don't remember what the
puzzles were to get the clues and get out. Something about earning fire power
to blast robots who would ask you a question and give you a clue or something.
Sandra
<< Which reminds me, there were videogames for young children made by
The
Learning Company (maybe still are?) We had several the kids really liked,
and that I liked for them. JJ
>>Treasure Mountain
Treasure Math Storm? Those?
We can still play those.
Ther was one about a TV station and a bad guy and I don't remember what the
puzzles were to get the clues and get out. Something about earning fire power
to blast robots who would ask you a question and give you a clue or something.
Sandra
Diane
>Last week we went to the "learning store", which is the local teacherBoy, I wish we had a great teacher supply store! I went to the one here
>supply store.
>
and couldn't find anything I wanted. I really expected SOME strictly
classroom stuff, but more neat stuff like balances, Cuisinaire rods,
etc., but was disappointed.
Meanwhile we had our own neat math adventure last night. My 4-year-old
was playing with the calculator, and I showed her how to use the "+"
key. She had a ball checking the things she knows (2+2 IS four, mom!)
and finding out some new ones she wasn't so sure about, checking with me
to see if the calculator was right. (Mom, what's 9+7? Yeah, 16, look!)
:-) Diane
pam sorooshian
On Feb 3, 2004, at 12:31 PM, SandraDodd@... wrote:
Geometry and AstroAlgebra.
Very cool - fun and interesting good math.
-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.
> << Which reminds me, there were videogames for young childrenMight Math series -- Carnival Countdown, Zoo Zillions, up to Cosmic
> made by
> The
> Learning Company (maybe still are?) We had several the kids really
> liked,
> and that I liked for them. JJ
>>>
>
> Treasure Mountain
> Treasure Math Storm? Those?
> We can still play those.
Geometry and AstroAlgebra.
Very cool - fun and interesting good math.
-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.