STEM=Science Technology Engineering Math
STEAM= Science Technology Engineering Art Math
When Lego Kid was touring local high school (more on that later!) we ran into an old acquaintance touring it with her daughter. We've since been conversing about what middle school seems to do to smart girls, especially smart techy girls. Her daughter, who had previously been good at math and excited about science and tech, has come to believe that it's not cool for a girl to be into those things. This isn't the only mom I've heard this from, just the most recent.
So, putting the hive brain to use (best use of FB ever!) we've come up with some resources that might help encourage girls to embrace their power and brains, to stay engaged with math and science, and to kick those cultural expectations into the dust. (and I could blather on about that too. GRRRR)
We found a list of girl empowering movies, a list of math fiction, and non-fiction books by Danica McKellar, like Kiss My Math and Hot X. PBS has a youtube series called Math Club, it works to be inclusive and break down stereotypes. Vi Hart is always brilliant, combining math and performance art into amazing videos.
Then there are organizations that encourage girls in STEM and organizations that work to teach empowerment like Girls on Ice. Locally CSU has Pretty Brainy which has a workshop coming up this Feb. (deadline soon, scholarships available).
I discovered Rejected Princesses a while back, and while it's not generally about math or tech, it is about women so powerful (and sometimes so grim) that Disney wouldn't touch them.
And really, isn't that what this is about? Powerful women are threatening to the current power structure. We're conditioned to suppress our own power so that no one else needs to bother.
Tell you what, if we're going to be suppressed, let's at least make the suppressors do the work, eh?
Damn. I adore my boys, but sometimes I really want a daughter. I've spent their lives teaching my sons to be thoughtful, gentle, and kind.
I want a girl to teach to kick some
ass.
Showing posts with label math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label math. Show all posts
Monday, January 19, 2015
Monday, October 14, 2013
Searching
I'd like to say we're zipping along like a sprinter, but that would be a bald faced lie. We are still searching for our balance. In reality we're not even on a casual hike. We're more like a slosh-faced drunk trying to stagger out the barroom door.
This year we've taken on a more academic approach to our homeschool. In the past we mostly unschooled, and last year was catch as catch can. With Bit Boy in high school/college, and Lego Kid making noises about wanting to follow in his footsteps, Hot Dog has requested academics so he can do what his brothers do.
As I write I have Lego Kid and Hot Dog at the public library "working" on their math while Bit Boy is in town getting some testing done. I'm sure we're annoying every patron within earshot, since apparently they are incapable of doing their work silently. Lego Kid is doing pre-algebra, using Art of Problem Solving. Hot Dog is working on multiplication using Beast Academy 3B. Lego Kid's goal is to be finished with algebra by next fall so that he can join Bit Boy at CEC. Hot Dog wants to finish with 4th grade math by next fall so that he can be a "5th grader" a year early and do the Library Pals program earlier. (Given that he has late fall birthday, skipping him a grade isn't too crazy, he'd be only a month younger than the youngest students of that grade - a month younger, and 2 heads shorter... sigh...)
Lego Kid has really been struggling. He chose to do a rigorous online Latin class. It moves fairly quickly, being designed for high-achieving high schoolers. Lego kid is only 12, but he really, really, wants to learn Latin, and wanted to take this class because he has enjoyed working with the instructor in an earlier class. We both know he's capable of the work, but his work ethic, speed of processing, and organizational skills are not such that this is an easy task. He wants to do the work, but spends literally hours avoiding it, then another hour sitting in front of it in despair. Finally, with much gnashing of teeth it will get done, but only after we're both frazzled to the bone, having accomplished nothing else all day.
I'm realizing more and more that while my kids learn so much more, and so much easier at home, it's not in a way that translates well into a traditionally organized class like this Latin class. If they were in school they would have already learned to sit down and do what was expected of them without complaining (much, out loud, etc.). Being home/un-schooled they've enjoyed learning as an organic process that flows naturally out of their own curiosity and energy. Doing "school" is just so different from what has worked for us.
The difference is not a good thing or a bad thing, just something I noticed.
I'm still baffled by Lego Kid's desire to become a classical scholar, especially given how challenging it is for him. Given that he is determined, we'll keep plugging away at it, I'm just wondering if this is really the "best" way for him.
This year we've taken on a more academic approach to our homeschool. In the past we mostly unschooled, and last year was catch as catch can. With Bit Boy in high school/college, and Lego Kid making noises about wanting to follow in his footsteps, Hot Dog has requested academics so he can do what his brothers do.
As I write I have Lego Kid and Hot Dog at the public library "working" on their math while Bit Boy is in town getting some testing done. I'm sure we're annoying every patron within earshot, since apparently they are incapable of doing their work silently. Lego Kid is doing pre-algebra, using Art of Problem Solving. Hot Dog is working on multiplication using Beast Academy 3B. Lego Kid's goal is to be finished with algebra by next fall so that he can join Bit Boy at CEC. Hot Dog wants to finish with 4th grade math by next fall so that he can be a "5th grader" a year early and do the Library Pals program earlier. (Given that he has late fall birthday, skipping him a grade isn't too crazy, he'd be only a month younger than the youngest students of that grade - a month younger, and 2 heads shorter... sigh...)
Lego Kid has really been struggling. He chose to do a rigorous online Latin class. It moves fairly quickly, being designed for high-achieving high schoolers. Lego kid is only 12, but he really, really, wants to learn Latin, and wanted to take this class because he has enjoyed working with the instructor in an earlier class. We both know he's capable of the work, but his work ethic, speed of processing, and organizational skills are not such that this is an easy task. He wants to do the work, but spends literally hours avoiding it, then another hour sitting in front of it in despair. Finally, with much gnashing of teeth it will get done, but only after we're both frazzled to the bone, having accomplished nothing else all day.
I'm realizing more and more that while my kids learn so much more, and so much easier at home, it's not in a way that translates well into a traditionally organized class like this Latin class. If they were in school they would have already learned to sit down and do what was expected of them without complaining (much, out loud, etc.). Being home/un-schooled they've enjoyed learning as an organic process that flows naturally out of their own curiosity and energy. Doing "school" is just so different from what has worked for us.
The difference is not a good thing or a bad thing, just something I noticed.
I'm still baffled by Lego Kid's desire to become a classical scholar, especially given how challenging it is for him. Given that he is determined, we'll keep plugging away at it, I'm just wondering if this is really the "best" way for him.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Opposite of brain fart is....
I just had a flash of inspiration - instead of a math camp, or an art camp, for kids, what about having a math night or art night for parents?
I've been toying with the idea of a math camp for kids, and/or an art camp for kids (not unrelated you know, math and art). The trouble is that it is such a short time. Even a week of meetings isn't enough to really let knowledge sink it. It's just enough to set off a spark. Too many parents have told me they have a "math phobia" or "don't know what to do for art". Maybe what we need to do is to inspire the parents.
I know for myself that if I'm really focused on something there is no way the kids will leave me alone. If I want them to do something and stay on task, I need to be right there. What if we used that to our advantage? If we can inspire the parents to experiment and play with these cool concepts, how could the kids resist budding in?
What do you think? Ideas? Cons?
I've been toying with the idea of a math camp for kids, and/or an art camp for kids (not unrelated you know, math and art). The trouble is that it is such a short time. Even a week of meetings isn't enough to really let knowledge sink it. It's just enough to set off a spark. Too many parents have told me they have a "math phobia" or "don't know what to do for art". Maybe what we need to do is to inspire the parents.
I know for myself that if I'm really focused on something there is no way the kids will leave me alone. If I want them to do something and stay on task, I need to be right there. What if we used that to our advantage? If we can inspire the parents to experiment and play with these cool concepts, how could the kids resist budding in?
What do you think? Ideas? Cons?
Thursday, September 20, 2012
It's a Not so Bad
I thought I'd catch you all up on the math drama. Although, it's not actually that dramatic. What I posted was a moment, a slice, of our homeschooling life - a not perfect slice. I think those are perhaps more valuable than the Christmas Letter posts that talk about how wonderful everything is. Don't get me wrong, I love having those days. But reading about them nonstop can make me feel inadequate, so I tend to post nearly as often about the not-so-perfect days, just so you know you're not alone. :-) You're welcome.
It all sorted itself out in time. We put the work aside for that day and came back to it later. With more rest, and a change of attitude, Bit Boy regained his memory and not only finished his work, but had some nice insights about it. I realized that we need more review. While he has a good theoretical understanding of what he's done, he hasn't practiced enough for it to become second nature.
Actually this has been an ongoing theme in my kids learning math. They're very good at mental math and math concepts. They're not so good at showing their work and other "drudgery". While they were young I let them off the hook with regards to doing much written work. They're getting older though, so now it's time to face the music. As Lego Kid is learning, some problems are too big to hold in your head. With Bit-Boy prepping for college now, being able to show his work has become much more important. I'm realizing that they both need practice not only with showing their work, but with the resilience and skills needed to face a tough problem, break it down into it's parts, be willing to make mistakes and come back to try again. This is good for all of us to practice, yes?
Also, many friends have called or emailed to let me know that at 14, many boys seem to loose their minds. Their focus shifts, their hormones rage, and they are working hard to separate even while they still need the love and support of their parents and family. I'm trying to remember that as my teen turns into a push-me-pull-you.
I have found that in parenting, and homeschooling, there are times when we just hit a wall. It can be with behavior, skills, academics, just about anything. That wall can seem insurmountable in the moment. It can be infuriating. I often feel like the child is putting up this wall just to Piss.Me.Off. and it worked.
But really? It's just as frustrating to the child as it is to the parent. Sometimes to the child it's even frightening, they have so much less control and experience than adults, they don't realize that this too shall pass.
I'm trying to get better at seeing those moments as an opportunity to explore what's really happening and to model how we deal with challenges and conflict. I'm not always succeeding, but I'm still trying. I'm also telling myself that that in itself is good modeling.:-)
It all sorted itself out in time. We put the work aside for that day and came back to it later. With more rest, and a change of attitude, Bit Boy regained his memory and not only finished his work, but had some nice insights about it. I realized that we need more review. While he has a good theoretical understanding of what he's done, he hasn't practiced enough for it to become second nature.
Actually this has been an ongoing theme in my kids learning math. They're very good at mental math and math concepts. They're not so good at showing their work and other "drudgery". While they were young I let them off the hook with regards to doing much written work. They're getting older though, so now it's time to face the music. As Lego Kid is learning, some problems are too big to hold in your head. With Bit-Boy prepping for college now, being able to show his work has become much more important. I'm realizing that they both need practice not only with showing their work, but with the resilience and skills needed to face a tough problem, break it down into it's parts, be willing to make mistakes and come back to try again. This is good for all of us to practice, yes?
Also, many friends have called or emailed to let me know that at 14, many boys seem to loose their minds. Their focus shifts, their hormones rage, and they are working hard to separate even while they still need the love and support of their parents and family. I'm trying to remember that as my teen turns into a push-me-pull-you.
I have found that in parenting, and homeschooling, there are times when we just hit a wall. It can be with behavior, skills, academics, just about anything. That wall can seem insurmountable in the moment. It can be infuriating. I often feel like the child is putting up this wall just to Piss.Me.Off. and it worked.
But really? It's just as frustrating to the child as it is to the parent. Sometimes to the child it's even frightening, they have so much less control and experience than adults, they don't realize that this too shall pass.
I'm trying to get better at seeing those moments as an opportunity to explore what's really happening and to model how we deal with challenges and conflict. I'm not always succeeding, but I'm still trying. I'm also telling myself that that in itself is good modeling.:-)
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Grrr...
My oldest appears to have brain damage. Two days ago he knew x^1/2= sq.rt x, and now he doesn't. He knew this months ago - what's up with that?
(sorry, I need to figure out how to do math equations when blogging - suggestions anyone?)
Also, he will come to me with a blank sheet of paper saying "I need help with my math" before he has looked at his problems, or even dated his paper. He gets mad when I tell him that he should at least copy the original problem before he comes to me for help.
This morning he came to me to ask for help doing the review (REVIEW!) problems at the end of a chapter that in itself is supposed to be review. I was asking what I thought was a simple rhetorical question to talk him through the solution.
His answer? "I don't know"
Another simple question from me.
Not even pausing to think a moment, "I don't know".
Really? OK. "Have you read the chapter?"
"No."
Aghhh!
My final response was "Go re-read the chapter. Find a similar problem. Work through it. Try the original problem again. Come to me if you still don't understand."
I am finally empathizing with all those irritating people who tell me "I could never do that" when they learn we homeschool. Usually I just smile and say, "It's not for everyone" when what I really mean is "If you wanted to homeschool you could, but it's fine that you don't want to." Yes. I'm that awful and pompous, but hopefully only in my head.
It's kind of like when I had only one child. He was a sweet quiet child. He had a mellow temperament and made friends easily. He never bit anyone (but me), didn't pick fights, didn't scratch his privates in public, you know... he appeared to be a near perfect child. I thought to myself, "If everyone parented like me, they too could have a child as lovely as this." (To all those who had to stand next to me when I was thinking these pretentious thoughts, I'm sorry. Really, really, sorry)
Then I had a second child. Oh. My. God. From the beginning this child was different. He was colicky. He was intense. He was not mellow. He was not easy. He hit and bit and cried - a lot. Nothing I did changed his temperament. I learned something I would have never known had I had only one child. My first child was easy. My second child was not. It was that simple.
Now they've both grown. My second child is 11. He is still intense, and the most intorverted person I know (and that's saying something). He is also sweet, kind, and sensitive. He is empathetic and insightful enough that, to the gullible, he seems psychic. He is now almost an "easy" child.
My oldest is 14. He is moody, withdrawn, and not all that interested in pleasing anyone who isn't a teen. Little I do pleases him. My existence is, honestly, an embarrassment. There are so many things wrong with his life right now. He is furious that we would take family holidays but not spend $300 to buy him a program he wants. (We have given him the option of working for pay to get it, but that's not appealing apparently.) His brothers breath near him. Right now, he's not an easy child, and I need bonus points for letting him live some days.
Sometimes you have an easy child, sometimes you don't. Sometimes homeschooling is easy, sometimes it isn't. It's that simple.
Also - we've created a new acronym - SYW.
Really.
Show Your Work.
I say this everyday. Everyday. But does he do it?
No...sigh.. no he doesn't. "I don't need to, the answer is obvious."
Riiight... how did you get the wrong answer then?
See me not strangling him? Good on me.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Monday, August 29, 2011
Math Quickies
No. I have no time. But I wanted to share these finds:
Math Candy
Math Monday (from Make Magazine)
Now, how cool is that?
Of course I gave up on using food (especially candy) as manipulatives early on. Some how the kids always had sticky hands and the numbers never came out right.
Math Candy
Math Monday (from Make Magazine)
Now, how cool is that?
Of course I gave up on using food (especially candy) as manipulatives early on. Some how the kids always had sticky hands and the numbers never came out right.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Math Day
I am getting excited about planning a Math Fun Fest Day for our local homeschool group. We were calling it "Math Salon" but that just didn't capture the feeling I have about it.
I am envisioning a place with different stations set up, manned by parents and older students, like at a children's hands on museum. All the stations would have some fun math related activities to do.
Here are some ideas I had:
3D spacial table - w/ things like perplexus and tetraxis
Game table w/ games, there's so many of these we'd have to break them up into themes - Set, Quirkle, Rush Hour, ...
Tiling activities - like fractiles, blokus, pentomino,
Puzzle table -
Oragami table with instruction books and some folded inspiration
History table(s) - with Babylonian, Egyptian, Roman and Arabic examples and puzzles
Chess table with sets set up to play, chess puzzles, etc...
Story table with selections from Living Math reading list - this could be one where a host read to kids, kids read to themselves, or parents read with their kids
Family math table with math games from the book
Music table(s) - pitch and rhythm are both very mathematical, but what exactly to put out?
A friend suggested Bucky balls and Zome Tools.
And here are some a friend emailed to me:
And here is some inspiration for the web:
Constructing the Universal Classroom
What ideas do you have?
I am envisioning a place with different stations set up, manned by parents and older students, like at a children's hands on museum. All the stations would have some fun math related activities to do.
Here are some ideas I had:
3D spacial table - w/ things like perplexus and tetraxis
Game table w/ games, there's so many of these we'd have to break them up into themes - Set, Quirkle, Rush Hour, ...
Tiling activities - like fractiles, blokus, pentomino,
Puzzle table -
Oragami table with instruction books and some folded inspiration
History table(s) - with Babylonian, Egyptian, Roman and Arabic examples and puzzles
Chess table with sets set up to play, chess puzzles, etc...
Story table with selections from Living Math reading list - this could be one where a host read to kids, kids read to themselves, or parents read with their kids
Family math table with math games from the book
Music table(s) - pitch and rhythm are both very mathematical, but what exactly to put out?
A friend suggested Bucky balls and Zome Tools.
And here are some a friend emailed to me:
Vi Hart's videos are full of interesting ideas.
I got really excited about stars for a while, and wrote a Logo program to space N ticks evenly around a circle, so that I could print them out as templates for star doodling. Her other stuff is neat too.
Calculating pi by measuring various round objects and doing the division is
pretty fun and really helps kids understand the meaning of pi.
Playdough for fractions? Make a ball, cut it into wedges like an orange,
talk fractions.
Laminated hundreds charts are fun for coloring patterns on.
Older kids could make paper slide rules and learn how they work.
Roll 2 dice and graph the rolls to see if we could generate a bell curve.
Build paper models of platonic solids (printable templates @ Wolfram)
And here is some inspiration for the web:
Constructing the Universal Classroom
What ideas do you have?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Math for readers ( and math geeks)
Math is fun. Learning arithmetic sometimes isn't. One way to make it more fun is to understand the point of math.
My oldest (12 at the moment) is using Math-U-See to learn and practice computation. Math-U-See is great for that. We also use Life of Fred for more of an over view of the subject, but it still doesn't help understand the real fun and beauty of mathematics. That's where these books can come in.
Here are a few books by Isaac Asimov about math that my then 11 year old enjoyed reading.
Realm of Numbers
Realm of Algebra
Asimov on Numbers
For more books and ideas to help discover math check out the reading lists at Living Math too.
Also, just recently recommended to me was the essay "Piece of Pi" in the book "Adding a Dimension", I'll try to remember to post about it when it comes in from the library.
Read any good math books recently?
My oldest (12 at the moment) is using Math-U-See to learn and practice computation. Math-U-See is great for that. We also use Life of Fred for more of an over view of the subject, but it still doesn't help understand the real fun and beauty of mathematics. That's where these books can come in.
Here are a few books by Isaac Asimov about math that my then 11 year old enjoyed reading.
Realm of Numbers
Realm of Algebra
Asimov on Numbers
For more books and ideas to help discover math check out the reading lists at Living Math too.
Also, just recently recommended to me was the essay "Piece of Pi" in the book "Adding a Dimension", I'll try to remember to post about it when it comes in from the library.
Read any good math books recently?
Friday, December 3, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
How to find books
It used to be easy to find a good book. We'd just wonder the stacks at our local library until something caught our eye. That's changing. Our library seems to be moving away from the printed page. It's all about meeting space, video games, and computers now. The children's stacks are being reduced to almost 50% of what they where. The emphasis in the stacks seems be on newer books, best sellers, and media tie-ins. We could find all that at the local chain book store. The library is not about bibliophiles anymore.
So where do we go to find good books? How to we find those favorites and classics that we don't know about yet? Well, librarians are still a good source. So far our local library hasn't done away with them completely. (Bitter? Me? Ha!)
There are the meta-books, books about books, like Jim Trelease's "Read Aloud Handbook", and Esme Raji Codell's "How to Get Your Child to Love Reading". There are books with great reading lists like Susan Wise Bauer's "The Well Trained Mind" and Oliver DeMille's "A Thomas Jefferson Education". There are also websites that can help you search out books similar to those you already like. I know about the Literature Map and Scholastic's Book Wizard. After that I just pick the brains of my favorite people.
I look in many places and then try to put the books on hold, either at the local library (which is becoming harder, what with the stacks being reduced and all) or through Prospector or through Inter-Library-Loan (ILL). If I can't get what I want that way, I have to consider buying it. If I want it bad enough I will. That's what I did to get Isaac Asimov's arithmetic books "Asimov on Numbers", "Quick and Easy Math", and "Realm of Algebra". I've used Alibris for out of print titles.
How about you? How do you find your next favorite book? Where do you go to get it?
So where do we go to find good books? How to we find those favorites and classics that we don't know about yet? Well, librarians are still a good source. So far our local library hasn't done away with them completely. (Bitter? Me? Ha!)
There are the meta-books, books about books, like Jim Trelease's "Read Aloud Handbook", and Esme Raji Codell's "How to Get Your Child to Love Reading". There are books with great reading lists like Susan Wise Bauer's "The Well Trained Mind" and Oliver DeMille's "A Thomas Jefferson Education". There are also websites that can help you search out books similar to those you already like. I know about the Literature Map and Scholastic's Book Wizard. After that I just pick the brains of my favorite people.
I look in many places and then try to put the books on hold, either at the local library (which is becoming harder, what with the stacks being reduced and all) or through Prospector or through Inter-Library-Loan (ILL). If I can't get what I want that way, I have to consider buying it. If I want it bad enough I will. That's what I did to get Isaac Asimov's arithmetic books "Asimov on Numbers", "Quick and Easy Math", and "Realm of Algebra". I've used Alibris for out of print titles.
How about you? How do you find your next favorite book? Where do you go to get it?
Friday, April 23, 2010
Quickie - new finds
You know how I like audio lectures and books, right? I'm discovering podcasts. I've already posted about Grammar Girl, well, look what I found - The Math Dude!
These are great to down load and play while driving around town. It's amazing how much even my little ones pick up. They absorb some of it, and we have great discussions about what they don't.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Tonight we played Snow Tails. Very fun, quick, playable by anyone who can add and subtract, and good for getting faster at that. I still didn't win though. Hmph.
And check this out
Math is not linear
My favorite bit? "Be less helpful" :-) Think about it.
These are great to down load and play while driving around town. It's amazing how much even my little ones pick up. They absorb some of it, and we have great discussions about what they don't.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Tonight we played Snow Tails. Very fun, quick, playable by anyone who can add and subtract, and good for getting faster at that. I still didn't win though. Hmph.
And check this out
Math is not linear
My favorite bit? "Be less helpful" :-) Think about it.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
For the Math-Phobic
Get over it.
There. Didn't that help?
No? Oh. Dang.
When I hear people say "I don't like math" it's almost as if they said "I don't like eating". I just don't get it. You need it, it's good, what's not to like?
Hmm.. Perhaps motivation is an issue. If you're homeschooling your kids you know that your own attitudes have a huge influence. You can't afford to pass on your math-phobia to your children. And why would you want to? Math is everywhere, it's necessary, and if it's fun too, what's not to like?
FUN. Yup that's what I said. What makes math fun? It's pretty. It's puzzling. There are math tricks. You can play jokes on people with it. It's used in playing games.
Math is useful. You use it to cook. And sew. You need it to tell you how long it is to your birthday, and how many presents you got. How many thank you cards you need to write and how much it's going to cost to send them all. :-D
OK. Maybe you're convinced you want to learn to like math, or at least become less phobic. How would you do it? I think you need to back up. If you're math phobic, it's probably because someone somewhere pushed you too fast, or was rude to you, or mean to you with regards to your math skills. So, first, don't do that to someone else. Certainly don't do it to your own children. Take a brake from whatever curriculum you're using if you need to. Don't pass this phobia on. Remember that our emotions color our learning. If you or your child is not liking what you're doing, then you're probably not going to reach your true goals, regardless of the time and energy you put in it. In fact the extra push needed to overcome the negative emotions is likely to do just the opposite of what you intend.
Second, give yourself a math hug. Play. Find something fun and recognize the math in it. Do you like to cook? garden? read? play computer games? Just about everything has math and numbers in it. Look around with new eyes and see where you use math. Give yourself a chance to realize you don't hate all of math. Sure, maybe balancing the checkbook isn't much fun, but how about doubling a cookie recipe?
Next, try something that sounds fun to you. You could play some games, read a book, do a puzzle, plan a project, read some poetry... something. Just for fun. Not to learn anything, or beat anyone, just something enjoyable, noticing how math is interwoven with your something.
Now do it all over again. And again.
That's it. Cut yourself some slack and build some positive emotions around math.
Remember "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy". Get happy about math!
There. Didn't that help?
No? Oh. Dang.
When I hear people say "I don't like math" it's almost as if they said "I don't like eating". I just don't get it. You need it, it's good, what's not to like?
Hmm.. Perhaps motivation is an issue. If you're homeschooling your kids you know that your own attitudes have a huge influence. You can't afford to pass on your math-phobia to your children. And why would you want to? Math is everywhere, it's necessary, and if it's fun too, what's not to like?
FUN. Yup that's what I said. What makes math fun? It's pretty. It's puzzling. There are math tricks. You can play jokes on people with it. It's used in playing games.
Math is useful. You use it to cook. And sew. You need it to tell you how long it is to your birthday, and how many presents you got. How many thank you cards you need to write and how much it's going to cost to send them all. :-D
OK. Maybe you're convinced you want to learn to like math, or at least become less phobic. How would you do it? I think you need to back up. If you're math phobic, it's probably because someone somewhere pushed you too fast, or was rude to you, or mean to you with regards to your math skills. So, first, don't do that to someone else. Certainly don't do it to your own children. Take a brake from whatever curriculum you're using if you need to. Don't pass this phobia on. Remember that our emotions color our learning. If you or your child is not liking what you're doing, then you're probably not going to reach your true goals, regardless of the time and energy you put in it. In fact the extra push needed to overcome the negative emotions is likely to do just the opposite of what you intend.
Second, give yourself a math hug. Play. Find something fun and recognize the math in it. Do you like to cook? garden? read? play computer games? Just about everything has math and numbers in it. Look around with new eyes and see where you use math. Give yourself a chance to realize you don't hate all of math. Sure, maybe balancing the checkbook isn't much fun, but how about doubling a cookie recipe?
Next, try something that sounds fun to you. You could play some games, read a book, do a puzzle, plan a project, read some poetry... something. Just for fun. Not to learn anything, or beat anyone, just something enjoyable, noticing how math is interwoven with your something.
Now do it all over again. And again.
That's it. Cut yourself some slack and build some positive emotions around math.
Remember "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy". Get happy about math!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
New Find
I usually have more to say, but tonight I just want you to notice I listed a new blog on my blog roll. This gal is just cool beyond words!
MathMamaWrites
Check it out!
MathMamaWrites
Check it out!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Math struggles
A friend on a list posted something like this:
"My 7yo struggles with math every single day. It takes us at least an hour and a half every day with her crying and we're still getting nowhere. I struggled the same way as a kid, and I'm not enjoying this."
Here's my response:
The great thing about homeschooling is that if what you're doing isn't working, you can do something else! Here are some of my thoughts. This is a subject I really care about. Math is really lots of fun! So if I get too passionate, forgive me. Take anything that works, and toss the rest. You know your family best.
I get that you're expecting a baby soon, and that keeping up with everything is starting to get overwhelming. Honestly, it's ok to just take a break, or at least relax your approach, until the baby is older and you're starting to come out of the baby fog. You could call it "extended spring break" or "unschooling" if you need to explain it to anyone (yourself included!)
7 is so young! I promise, you have plenty of time for her to learn what she'll need as an adult.
There's a fair bit of research that shows that emotional content affects learning. If what you're doing is hard on both of you, you're probably suffering needlessly. Things that have a positive emotional context tend to be remembered, with the positive emotions reinforcing the material. Negative emotions tend to be remembered too, associated with the material, and the material itself isn't remembered.
You say you struggled with math and still don't like it. I bet she picks up on this. She's a smart one. I think finding something you both enjoy, at least a little bit, could really help.
I have a B.S. in Engineering and a minor in mathematics. I loved math after about age 10. Before age 10/11 I was considered "remedial" but after I was "gifted". Both of these labels are wrong, made up to describe a child who doesn't meet the expectation of "average". Honestly, some kids just take longer to grow into themselves, and that is perfectly normal. She just might not be ready. Sometimes we get into our heads that we are "bad" at something, when really we just didn't meet another's arbitrary expectations. Unfortunately we can grow up believing someone else's inaccurate judgment of us.
So with all that in mind here are a few quick ideas to consider:
Set your curriculum aside for a bit. Take a break or try something else.
Play store, use play money to pay and make change. (My kids made up a game on their own where they cut pictures out of catalogs and then "sell" them to each other from their individual "store" and set up their own "house" or "town" using what they've purchased. )
Pennies are great manipulatives. Get some paper change rolls and roll the coins in your change jar. Give them to your favorite charity or use for a family treat.
Check out some books with math puzzles or math games from the library. We have math because it's useful and fun, work together to find out how it's useful and fun in your life.
Games - most games have an element of math in them, just play them! Have some fun! Try anything that uses dice, adds up points, has shapes, etc... Yatzee and Scrabble both use math. Legos, tiles, blocks, etc... all have innate mathematical relationships that help build math intuition.
Take a look at the book "Family Math" it has lots of games at different levels.
Check out Living Math for more ideas of how to "do" math, w/o boring work sheets.
http://www.livingmath.net/
There are so many ways to approach math, don't get stuck in something that isn't working for you.
"My 7yo struggles with math every single day. It takes us at least an hour and a half every day with her crying and we're still getting nowhere. I struggled the same way as a kid, and I'm not enjoying this."
Here's my response:
The great thing about homeschooling is that if what you're doing isn't working, you can do something else! Here are some of my thoughts. This is a subject I really care about. Math is really lots of fun! So if I get too passionate, forgive me. Take anything that works, and toss the rest. You know your family best.
I get that you're expecting a baby soon, and that keeping up with everything is starting to get overwhelming. Honestly, it's ok to just take a break, or at least relax your approach, until the baby is older and you're starting to come out of the baby fog. You could call it "extended spring break" or "unschooling" if you need to explain it to anyone (yourself included!)
7 is so young! I promise, you have plenty of time for her to learn what she'll need as an adult.
There's a fair bit of research that shows that emotional content affects learning. If what you're doing is hard on both of you, you're probably suffering needlessly. Things that have a positive emotional context tend to be remembered, with the positive emotions reinforcing the material. Negative emotions tend to be remembered too, associated with the material, and the material itself isn't remembered.
You say you struggled with math and still don't like it. I bet she picks up on this. She's a smart one. I think finding something you both enjoy, at least a little bit, could really help.
I have a B.S. in Engineering and a minor in mathematics. I loved math after about age 10. Before age 10/11 I was considered "remedial" but after I was "gifted". Both of these labels are wrong, made up to describe a child who doesn't meet the expectation of "average". Honestly, some kids just take longer to grow into themselves, and that is perfectly normal. She just might not be ready. Sometimes we get into our heads that we are "bad" at something, when really we just didn't meet another's arbitrary expectations. Unfortunately we can grow up believing someone else's inaccurate judgment of us.
So with all that in mind here are a few quick ideas to consider:
Set your curriculum aside for a bit. Take a break or try something else.
Play store, use play money to pay and make change. (My kids made up a game on their own where they cut pictures out of catalogs and then "sell" them to each other from their individual "store" and set up their own "house" or "town" using what they've purchased. )
Pennies are great manipulatives. Get some paper change rolls and roll the coins in your change jar. Give them to your favorite charity or use for a family treat.
Check out some books with math puzzles or math games from the library. We have math because it's useful and fun, work together to find out how it's useful and fun in your life.
Games - most games have an element of math in them, just play them! Have some fun! Try anything that uses dice, adds up points, has shapes, etc... Yatzee and Scrabble both use math. Legos, tiles, blocks, etc... all have innate mathematical relationships that help build math intuition.
Take a look at the book "Family Math" it has lots of games at different levels.
Check out Living Math for more ideas of how to "do" math, w/o boring work sheets.
http://www.livingmath.net/
There are so many ways to approach math, don't get stuck in something that isn't working for you.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Common struggles
On two entirely separate lists a similar topic came up. They went something like this (paraphrasing):
"My son is currently 6yo and in the 1st grade. He fights doing his school work. He's much more interested in playing with his LEGOs. He really hates writing, but I'm afraid to not make him do it. I am so stressed out."
or this
"My 7yo struggles with math every single day. It takes us at least an hour and a half every day with her crying and we're still getting nowhere. I struggled the same way as a kid, and I'm not enjoying this."
I posted about "language arts" earlier, and posted my response to the math here.
I hear the very real pain in these parent's voices. When both the parent and the child are struggling with homeschooling, it's time to change something.
When I write back (sympathetically I hope) I have to start with "They're still so little!" This is an age when they should still be playing. Play is a child's work. Play is how they learn. If you feel the need to guide their learning, then play with them! Don't make the learning process painful for either of you.
What's the Heinlein quote? "Never try to teach a pig to sing. It frustrates you and irritates the pig."
Unlike the pig, your child will learn, I promise. They might not learn the way you want or expect them too. By forcing something in a way that is contrary to their learning style, or too early, you run the very real risk of turning them away from something that presented differently, or just a little later, would be very natural and satisfying to them.
Folks, don't irritate the pig.
"My son is currently 6yo and in the 1st grade. He fights doing his school work. He's much more interested in playing with his LEGOs. He really hates writing, but I'm afraid to not make him do it. I am so stressed out."
or this
"My 7yo struggles with math every single day. It takes us at least an hour and a half every day with her crying and we're still getting nowhere. I struggled the same way as a kid, and I'm not enjoying this."
I posted about "language arts" earlier, and posted my response to the math here.
I hear the very real pain in these parent's voices. When both the parent and the child are struggling with homeschooling, it's time to change something.
When I write back (sympathetically I hope) I have to start with "They're still so little!" This is an age when they should still be playing. Play is a child's work. Play is how they learn. If you feel the need to guide their learning, then play with them! Don't make the learning process painful for either of you.
What's the Heinlein quote? "Never try to teach a pig to sing. It frustrates you and irritates the pig."
Unlike the pig, your child will learn, I promise. They might not learn the way you want or expect them too. By forcing something in a way that is contrary to their learning style, or too early, you run the very real risk of turning them away from something that presented differently, or just a little later, would be very natural and satisfying to them.
Folks, don't irritate the pig.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Some days are like this, and some are like that
Yesterday at park day a friend said she wanted to "pick my brain". She had a not so wee baby wrapped on her, as well as a 5 year old and 7 year old running around.
"How do you do it?" she asked. She seemed tired and frazzled. "What do your days look like?"
So, here it is. What our days look like.
Some look like today. It's spring break in our local school district, so my oldest has a public schooled friend over. They're playing Magic the Gathering, safe from little brothers in the sanctuary of his bedroom. The two brothers across the street are off school too, so my younger two are outside playing with them, drawing a village on the side walk with chalk. When I'm done typing, maybe I'll go do some spring cleaning in the garden and spread some brown gold around. These are golden days.
Some days look like last Tuesday. We were home all day. My 11 year old did his piano practice and math before he got on the computer. My 8 year old decided HE wanted to do math too and picked up the first Life of Fred, doing the first test. Later in the day he asked if he could start Math-U-See and proceeded to do the first beta test. When our piano teacher got here I had to tell him to stop doing math so he could have his piano lesson. My 5 year old felt left out so got out markers and a write-on/wipe-off mat and practiced his numbers. Just before bed time the younger two were doing dot-to-dots, and the oldest was working on The Python Challenge. Wow! With the kids begging for more math, I tell you, I felt like a brilliant homeschooling mom.
Then there are other days. There are days when we have to do laundry, and the children are fighting, and it seems like every set of toys with small parts has been out on the floor for eons. There are days when we are running around doing errands and picking up and dropping off from classes, just to come home exhausted and grumpy.
The days I notice that the spoodge around the toilet is beginning to look back at me, the weeds are as tall as the children, my energy is falling and my temper is rising -these are real homeschooling days too. I don't write about them too often, I figure any parent would know those days are to be expected. I realized talking to my friend at the park, maybe you don't know. Maybe you think my days are really all golden magic math days. They're not. Still, I'm here to tell you it's O.K. The golden days will come, the hard days will pass. What your focus on is your own choice.
I could tell my friend was "doing" more than enough. This stage in our parenting lives, with little ones and babies, is a great time to explore unschooling and relaxed eclectic homeschooling. I'm not suggesting unparenting, nor am I suggesting letting the children run the house hold. I'm suggesting that we think about what is really important to us and then choose where we'll spend our energy.
"How do you do it?" she asked. She seemed tired and frazzled. "What do your days look like?"
So, here it is. What our days look like.
Some look like today. It's spring break in our local school district, so my oldest has a public schooled friend over. They're playing Magic the Gathering, safe from little brothers in the sanctuary of his bedroom. The two brothers across the street are off school too, so my younger two are outside playing with them, drawing a village on the side walk with chalk. When I'm done typing, maybe I'll go do some spring cleaning in the garden and spread some brown gold around. These are golden days.
Some days look like last Tuesday. We were home all day. My 11 year old did his piano practice and math before he got on the computer. My 8 year old decided HE wanted to do math too and picked up the first Life of Fred, doing the first test. Later in the day he asked if he could start Math-U-See and proceeded to do the first beta test. When our piano teacher got here I had to tell him to stop doing math so he could have his piano lesson. My 5 year old felt left out so got out markers and a write-on/wipe-off mat and practiced his numbers. Just before bed time the younger two were doing dot-to-dots, and the oldest was working on The Python Challenge. Wow! With the kids begging for more math, I tell you, I felt like a brilliant homeschooling mom.
Then there are other days. There are days when we have to do laundry, and the children are fighting, and it seems like every set of toys with small parts has been out on the floor for eons. There are days when we are running around doing errands and picking up and dropping off from classes, just to come home exhausted and grumpy.
The days I notice that the spoodge around the toilet is beginning to look back at me, the weeds are as tall as the children, my energy is falling and my temper is rising -these are real homeschooling days too. I don't write about them too often, I figure any parent would know those days are to be expected. I realized talking to my friend at the park, maybe you don't know. Maybe you think my days are really all golden magic math days. They're not. Still, I'm here to tell you it's O.K. The golden days will come, the hard days will pass. What your focus on is your own choice.
I could tell my friend was "doing" more than enough. This stage in our parenting lives, with little ones and babies, is a great time to explore unschooling and relaxed eclectic homeschooling. I'm not suggesting unparenting, nor am I suggesting letting the children run the house hold. I'm suggesting that we think about what is really important to us and then choose where we'll spend our energy.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
games for the younger set
Games have snuck into our family and homeschooling from the beginning. First unintentionally, and then, bowing to the inevitable, intentionally. In one way or another all games are educational. Some teach math concepts, some logic, some language concepts. All give opportunities to practice turn taking, good sportsmanship, and other social graces.
When the kids were little (2-4yo) we started out with stuff like "Hi-Ho Cherrio", "Chutes and Ladders", and "Candy Land". Just a year or two (4+yo) after that we moved onto "Uno" and "Set" that are enjoyable at any age. I found Boggle Jr. and Mastermind at local thrift shops. Boggle Jr. doesn't get used as intended, but who cares? We enjoyed Mastermind until we figured out the algorithm to always win.
This last year we've found some games that the whole family (ages 5-90) can play together and enjoy. (As opposed to "Candyland", which makes my eyeballs bleed. Shudder.) So, if you're looking for games for the very youngest that are actually enjoyable for you too, here are some to try.
Qwirkle Use shapes and colors on foam blocks to form a "qwirkle", a line of six blocks that has all the same or all different of a given aspect. (similar to Set)
The Yoga Garden Game This is a cooperative game that uses/teaches simple yoga positions and also gives players the opportunity to make up their own. It's pretty fun to see what positions the kids make up. Of course, then you have to do the pose - given how flexible kids are this can be challenging, and amusing. :-D
Apples to Apples Jr. This uses storybook knowledge (as opposed to the pop culture knowledge of the original) to make funny associations.
Blokus - uses colored tiles to pave areas. We vary the rules to allow the youngest to play.
Pitch Car The basics of physics and patience are learned with this game.
Hey! That's my fish! All out favorite here. Deceptively simple to learn and play, devious strategies can be invented to win.
Buzz Word Jr. This is one I was surprised to find my kids like. They get very.... creative. :-)
The aMAZEing Labyrinth Your opponents change the maze on each turn as you try to find your way through to locate an object. It's a fun and different game every time.
Hullabaloo (borderline, can only play a couple of rounds before the eyeball thing)
What are some of your favorite family games?
When the kids were little (2-4yo) we started out with stuff like "Hi-Ho Cherrio", "Chutes and Ladders", and "Candy Land". Just a year or two (4+yo) after that we moved onto "Uno" and "Set" that are enjoyable at any age. I found Boggle Jr. and Mastermind at local thrift shops. Boggle Jr. doesn't get used as intended, but who cares? We enjoyed Mastermind until we figured out the algorithm to always win.
This last year we've found some games that the whole family (ages 5-90) can play together and enjoy. (As opposed to "Candyland", which makes my eyeballs bleed. Shudder.) So, if you're looking for games for the very youngest that are actually enjoyable for you too, here are some to try.
Qwirkle Use shapes and colors on foam blocks to form a "qwirkle", a line of six blocks that has all the same or all different of a given aspect. (similar to Set)
The Yoga Garden Game This is a cooperative game that uses/teaches simple yoga positions and also gives players the opportunity to make up their own. It's pretty fun to see what positions the kids make up. Of course, then you have to do the pose - given how flexible kids are this can be challenging, and amusing. :-D
Apples to Apples Jr. This uses storybook knowledge (as opposed to the pop culture knowledge of the original) to make funny associations.
Blokus - uses colored tiles to pave areas. We vary the rules to allow the youngest to play.
Pitch Car The basics of physics and patience are learned with this game.
Hey! That's my fish! All out favorite here. Deceptively simple to learn and play, devious strategies can be invented to win.
Buzz Word Jr. This is one I was surprised to find my kids like. They get very.... creative. :-)
The aMAZEing Labyrinth Your opponents change the maze on each turn as you try to find your way through to locate an object. It's a fun and different game every time.
Hullabaloo (borderline, can only play a couple of rounds before the eyeball thing)
What are some of your favorite family games?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Origami Math, take 2
Here's a little more of our process as we follow up our interests. This research and sharing goes during the day, between playing, practicing, laundry, etc... (notice how it's morphed)
Hey! This MIT tenured professor, an origami mathematician, was home schooled. How cool is that?
Following some links we found TreeMaker on Robert Lang's website. If you want to try it yourself, scroll down the Treemaker site to find the free downloads. He gives you access to the source code, if you are interested in playing with/modifying the program itself.
My 11 yo spends a few minutes playing with the newly downloaded TreeMaker while his younger brothers look on. He's intrigued, but the LEGOs call, and he also wants to use GameMaker to program.
Later, my husband and 11yo play with TreeMaker some more. It's neat that my son was learning about "lines of symmetry" in his Life of Fred book and then it comes up again in origami. They print out something to fold. It takes them a while to figure out the meaning of the fold lines, but they end up with something with 5 flaps that could be turned into an animal or person. Cool!
Grr.... The PBS show I wanted isn't showing on the one station we get here. (We don't have cable or satellite TV) The library doesn't have it. .... Ha! I found "Independent Lens, Between the Folds" at Netflix. Yea me!
Random: A fellow homeschooler posted to my local group this link to Box Car and One Eyed Jack games to teach math. Nothing to to with origami, but I bet the kids would enjoy some of these.
I discover Math Mansion and find a couple of videos on line. I let the kids watch them on my lap top while I brush my teeth this morning. 8 and 5 year old love it, 11 yo isn't impressed.
Anyway, you get the idea. One idea leads into another. I share what I find with the kids. Eventually something sparks their interest and they follow that until they're done. The amazing thing to me, after having been the student who promptly forgotten content as soon as the test was done, is that the kids remember this stuff ages later. What they learn having fun, exploring, and investigating for themselves, they remember. They OWN that stuff.
Hey! This MIT tenured professor, an origami mathematician, was home schooled. How cool is that?
Following some links we found TreeMaker on Robert Lang's website. If you want to try it yourself, scroll down the Treemaker site to find the free downloads. He gives you access to the source code, if you are interested in playing with/modifying the program itself.
My 11 yo spends a few minutes playing with the newly downloaded TreeMaker while his younger brothers look on. He's intrigued, but the LEGOs call, and he also wants to use GameMaker to program.
Later, my husband and 11yo play with TreeMaker some more. It's neat that my son was learning about "lines of symmetry" in his Life of Fred book and then it comes up again in origami. They print out something to fold. It takes them a while to figure out the meaning of the fold lines, but they end up with something with 5 flaps that could be turned into an animal or person. Cool!
Grr.... The PBS show I wanted isn't showing on the one station we get here. (We don't have cable or satellite TV) The library doesn't have it. .... Ha! I found "Independent Lens, Between the Folds" at Netflix. Yea me!
Random: A fellow homeschooler posted to my local group this link to Box Car and One Eyed Jack games to teach math. Nothing to to with origami, but I bet the kids would enjoy some of these.
I discover Math Mansion and find a couple of videos on line. I let the kids watch them on my lap top while I brush my teeth this morning. 8 and 5 year old love it, 11 yo isn't impressed.
Anyway, you get the idea. One idea leads into another. I share what I find with the kids. Eventually something sparks their interest and they follow that until they're done. The amazing thing to me, after having been the student who promptly forgotten content as soon as the test was done, is that the kids remember this stuff ages later. What they learn having fun, exploring, and investigating for themselves, they remember. They OWN that stuff.
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