For older kids, try counting your kisses by 2s, 3s, 5s, or ask your child to figure out how many kisses he will get by solving the expression you give him (I'm going to give you 4 kisses plus 2 kisses...how many kisses is that?)
Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Pucker Up, We're Counting Kisses
For older kids, try counting your kisses by 2s, 3s, 5s, or ask your child to figure out how many kisses he will get by solving the expression you give him (I'm going to give you 4 kisses plus 2 kisses...how many kisses is that?)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Sing (and Type) the ABCs
If you're reading this blog, chances are you've got a computer. Great! Have you thought about using it to help your child learn her ABCs? I'm not talking about video games or YouTube videos (though there are some really great, albeit additive, ones out there), I'm suggesting a more interactive "game" between you and your child (and your keyboard.
Simply open up a blank Word doc, enlarge the font and start asking your child to type the different letters. Katie, my 2-year-old, absolutely LOVES this "game". She sees me typing away and this gives her the feeling that she's doing the same thing. I have her sit on my lap with my laptop on a lap board on top and ask her to type "B, for baby" or "C, for Charlie". She really gets a kick out of seeing the letters she's typed appear on the screen and again, she's having so much fun that she has no idea that she's learning. We stick with "caps lock" on as she's just beginning to identify letters, but soon enough I'll have her type in lowercase letters as well.
We play this splendid game with numbers, too. Again, there's no reason you couldn't extend this activity to include spelling practice (type in the word, "bat") rhyming words (type in a word that rhymes with "bat", sums (type in the sum of 3 and 9) and differences (type in the answer to 10 minus 8), and so on.
Keep kids laughing and enjoying themselves, and you'll keep them open to learning endless amounts of things!
We play this splendid game with numbers, too. Again, there's no reason you couldn't extend this activity to include spelling practice (type in the word, "bat") rhyming words (type in a word that rhymes with "bat", sums (type in the sum of 3 and 9) and differences (type in the answer to 10 minus 8), and so on.
Keep kids laughing and enjoying themselves, and you'll keep them open to learning endless amounts of things!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Math? Hop to It!
I got to thinking that this could easily be extended to kids of all ages. The youngest kiddos, like mine, should just stick to basic identification. Kids who need a bit more of a challenge, though, could be asked to find sums or differences, or products and quotients. For instance, if you wrote a 6, 10, 12, 16, 18, and 20, you could ask your child to find and jump on:
- the sum of 4 and 2
- the difference between 12 and 2
- the product of 3 times 4
- the quotient of 40 divided by 2, and so on.
You can cater this to kids of all ages and abilities. Again, the possibilities are endless, and kids have a blast because they think it's a game more than anything else. The physical part of running and jumping on the letters and numbers make it more fun than seeing the numbers written on paper and chalkboards. What do you think?
Friday, January 27, 2012
Homemade Number Cards
I was at Target earlier this morning and was so close to buying a pack of "Number Cards" for my 2 year old, since she is really getting into number identification and counting. Luckily, before I checked out, I realized that I could save myself a few bucks and make math so much more meaningful just by making my own. Do I really think she is going to know/care about the difference between factory-made and mom-made? I think not. Rather than spend the $4.99 on the pre-made cards, I got a pack of blank 3 x 5" index cards. All I need now is a Sharpie. The nice thing about making these homemade cards is that I can:
1. go up to whatever value I want (we're at 30 right now),
2. decide if I want to write only numerals, or words and numerals, or even add pictures (see #3)
3. draw pictures of things that I know she will love! (right now she's in love with Max and Ruby, so I can draw 10 bunnies or 15 carrots or whatever) The fact that the pictures will relate to something she loves will make the cards a positive thing that she really enjoys, as opposed to an isolated math threat.
The possibilities of these cards are truly endless. We'll start with identifying and ordering from least to greatest, but from there, we could do so many different FUN (and educational) things with these cards -- all for the cost of a pack of index cards!
Remember, kids need to make connections to really make learning meaningful. What does your child love? Find out and use that as the base for any learning opportunity!
Happy Educating!
1. go up to whatever value I want (we're at 30 right now),
2. decide if I want to write only numerals, or words and numerals, or even add pictures (see #3)
3. draw pictures of things that I know she will love! (right now she's in love with Max and Ruby, so I can draw 10 bunnies or 15 carrots or whatever) The fact that the pictures will relate to something she loves will make the cards a positive thing that she really enjoys, as opposed to an isolated math threat.
The possibilities of these cards are truly endless. We'll start with identifying and ordering from least to greatest, but from there, we could do so many different FUN (and educational) things with these cards -- all for the cost of a pack of index cards!
Remember, kids need to make connections to really make learning meaningful. What does your child love? Find out and use that as the base for any learning opportunity!
Happy Educating!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Not A Whole [N]other Story
"I've had such a rough day!"
"What happened?"
"Well, my tough week actually started on Monday, but that's a whole nother story..."
Let's just set the record straight. There is no such thing "a whole nother" story, at least not in the world of correct English grammar.
Think I'm crazy for bringing this up? Stop and listen for a few minutes and sooner or later, you're going to hear (or say), "...but that's a whole nother story." What's they've/you've done with this little phrase is actually splice the word "another" and stick the word "whole" right in there. "Another" is happy being all together; leave it alone! Instead, try saying, "...that's a whole other story" OR "that's another story" (without the 'whole').
Monday, September 12, 2011
Make Math (Even) More Magical!
We all know kids learn more when they're having fun (I feel like a broken record saying that over and over and over again), so let your little Einsteins go hog-wild with this fun math game!
Write each digit 0-9 on its own scrap of paper and have your kids crumple them up.
Depending on the age/math proficiency of your kids, have them choose between 2-5 scraps from the pile. Tell them their job is to use each of the numbers they have randomly chosen in a math expression, working toward some goal (largest sum, an even number, a multiple of 12) that you set.
So, for example, if you have a 5th grader, you may say to him, "Pick 4 scraps of paper. Make (two) 2-digit numbers that, when added together, give you the largest sum possible." If your child pulls a 2, 4, 1 and 5, let him play around with the numbers realizing that it doesn't make sense to make the numbers 24 and 15 (sum of 39), when he could make 51 and 42 and get a sum of 93. Would changing the numbers to 52 and 41 change the sum? Why or why not?
If you have a 1st grader, change the game to something like, "Pick 3 scraps of paper and add all of the numbers together". While this may not seems exceptionally fun to adults, most kids will like the novelty of moving the papers around and the fact that they're written on pieces of paper instead of a math worksheet.
Other ways you can change this up:
- use a die or 2,3,4, dice to get your random numbers (kids automatically think "game" when dice are involved!)
- have your kids play against one another to get the largest sum and have them explain their thinking ("I made 42 instead of 24 because 42 is a larger number. A large number plus another large number will get me a larger sum than 2 small numbers added together....")
- add more pieces of paper and have repeated digits
- let your kids set their own goals for the math expression
- have your kids pick 3 pieces of paper randomly and then have the option to choose which number they'd like to have for the 4th digit, depending on that round's goal
What else can you think of to make this math game even more fun!?
Depending on the age/math proficiency of your kids, have them choose between 2-5 scraps from the pile. Tell them their job is to use each of the numbers they have randomly chosen in a math expression, working toward some goal (largest sum, an even number, a multiple of 12) that you set.
So, for example, if you have a 5th grader, you may say to him, "Pick 4 scraps of paper. Make (two) 2-digit numbers that, when added together, give you the largest sum possible." If your child pulls a 2, 4, 1 and 5, let him play around with the numbers realizing that it doesn't make sense to make the numbers 24 and 15 (sum of 39), when he could make 51 and 42 and get a sum of 93. Would changing the numbers to 52 and 41 change the sum? Why or why not?
If you have a 1st grader, change the game to something like, "Pick 3 scraps of paper and add all of the numbers together". While this may not seems exceptionally fun to adults, most kids will like the novelty of moving the papers around and the fact that they're written on pieces of paper instead of a math worksheet.
Other ways you can change this up:
- use a die or 2,3,4, dice to get your random numbers (kids automatically think "game" when dice are involved!)
- have your kids play against one another to get the largest sum and have them explain their thinking ("I made 42 instead of 24 because 42 is a larger number. A large number plus another large number will get me a larger sum than 2 small numbers added together....")
- add more pieces of paper and have repeated digits
- let your kids set their own goals for the math expression
- have your kids pick 3 pieces of paper randomly and then have the option to choose which number they'd like to have for the 4th digit, depending on that round's goal
What else can you think of to make this math game even more fun!?
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Choices make the world go 'round (and get stuff done!)
I caught myself asking my 21 month old, "Katie, do you want to help Mama clean up your toys?" I realized immediately I had made a mistake. She may be less than 2, but she's not crazy. Of course she doesn't want to clean up. Who does? She answered, "No!" and ran away.
I started thinking about I should have and could have phrased the questions differently and better, and was instantly brought back to my teaching days. Kids, like most everyone, like to feel like they're making their own choices about their actions. Few people like to be told what they need to do. Rather than asking a closed, dead-end question like, "Do you want to eat your vegetables?" or "Would you help me clean up this mess?", the better route would be to offer two choices. "Katie, do you want to eat your green beans or carrots first?" or "Katie, would you like to pick up your blocks, or do you want to pick up your puzzle pieces?" That way, the task is getting done, but the child feels like it's on her terms. Either way, the answer she picks still gets the goal accomplished, but she's not responding to a question that makes her feel trapped.
I used to use this all the time with my 5th and 3rd grade students, so I know it works for kids of all ages. The next time you're trying to get your child to perform a task that may be less than desirable, try phrasing it as though he has options. Rather than, "Emma, are you ready to start your homework?", try, "Emma, do you want to do your math homework, or read for 30 minutes first?" Rather than, "Chris, do you mind taking out the trash?", try, "Chris, would you rather take out the trash or clean the bathroom sink?"
So now, dear readers, I ask, "Would you rather leave a comment on this blog entry or the one that I wrote earlier in the week about sending your kids off to school?" The choice, is, of course, yours! :)
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| Offer choice when trying to get your child to complete a task that might be less than desirable. |
I started thinking about I should have and could have phrased the questions differently and better, and was instantly brought back to my teaching days. Kids, like most everyone, like to feel like they're making their own choices about their actions. Few people like to be told what they need to do. Rather than asking a closed, dead-end question like, "Do you want to eat your vegetables?" or "Would you help me clean up this mess?", the better route would be to offer two choices. "Katie, do you want to eat your green beans or carrots first?" or "Katie, would you like to pick up your blocks, or do you want to pick up your puzzle pieces?" That way, the task is getting done, but the child feels like it's on her terms. Either way, the answer she picks still gets the goal accomplished, but she's not responding to a question that makes her feel trapped.
I used to use this all the time with my 5th and 3rd grade students, so I know it works for kids of all ages. The next time you're trying to get your child to perform a task that may be less than desirable, try phrasing it as though he has options. Rather than, "Emma, are you ready to start your homework?", try, "Emma, do you want to do your math homework, or read for 30 minutes first?" Rather than, "Chris, do you mind taking out the trash?", try, "Chris, would you rather take out the trash or clean the bathroom sink?"
So now, dear readers, I ask, "Would you rather leave a comment on this blog entry or the one that I wrote earlier in the week about sending your kids off to school?" The choice, is, of course, yours! :)
Monday, August 15, 2011
Math Phobia - Let's Cure It Together!
I taught 5th and 3rd grade for 7 years and am taking a little time off as I prepare to have my 2nd kiddo. Someone recently asked my opinion about kids' math-phobia, its source and more importantly, its solution. Here's what I think.
As you well know, many kids struggle with math. I'm probably not going to get a whole lot of love from parents or fellow teachers, but one of the biggest disservices we do for our kids is teach them "tricks" to remember math algorithms. As teachers, we are so pressured by making sure our kids do well on state tests that we look for a quick fix, and teach kids tricks that we assume they'll remember long enough to get them through the test-taking period.
For example, when teaching kids long division, I've heard many fellow teachers teach their kids the saying, "Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister", which is supposed to help kids remember the steps, "Multiply (Mom), Divide (Dad), Borrow (Brother) and Subtract (Sister)." It seems like a great system until it's crunch time, the kids are under stress and have no idea if it was Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister or Sister, Dad, Mom, Brother or Uncle Sam, Aunt Patty, Grandpa, Cousin. There's no meaning to which the kids can connect, and therefore, there's little chance the kids will remember the correct steps in the long-term. Summer comes and goes and as the child enters the next grade, he's right back at square one as far as long-division proficiency. So, his next teacher teachers him the saying "McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Sonic" to "help" him remember the steps of long division and here we go again....
Our U.S. educational system is also very flawed (in my opinion) in that we spend small amounts of time on each of 6-7 math strands each year. In Kindergarten, kids get a quick unit on number sense, geometry, patterns and algebra, etc., and then they see each of those units again in 1st-8th grade. The problem with this is that there are so many units that each one is only touched upon for a short time. There is a ton of breadth and not a lot of depth. As compared with many Asian ways of teaching math (which focus on 1-2 strands only for the entire year), our system doesn't allow the investigation needed for kids to truly grasp what they are doing.
Unrelated as these two points may seem, they actually are very similar to one another. My suggestion to parents and teachers who have math-phobic students is to start back at square one, and really spend time with your kids helping them to truly understand the basics of math. If your child struggles with long division, I'd be willing to be that he doesn't grasp that it's really repeated subtraction. (Have you ever sat down to think about division in that way?) Asking a child to learn division, when he doesn't understand subtraction is like asking a kids to string together a compound sentence when he doesn't know the alphabet. Without the proper foundation, his math tower (upon which more and more is constantly piled) is bound to topple.
This all sounds great in theory, but what about reality? My suggestion is to start small. Kids know more than you (or they) think. Obviously, the younger your child is, the easier it is for her to catch up. If fractions are your child's nemesis, "catch" her talking about sharing half her cookie with her sister, or dividing up the pizza among her 4 friends. Use real-life, meaningful scenarios to get your kids thinking about math. Ask them tough questions and make the commitment to do some research yourself. Do you really understand what it means to "borrow" from the hundreds place when solving a subtraction problem, or do you just cross out the 7, make it a 6 and put 10 on top of the 0 in the tens place?
 |
| Math Monster, be gone! |
As you well know, many kids struggle with math. I'm probably not going to get a whole lot of love from parents or fellow teachers, but one of the biggest disservices we do for our kids is teach them "tricks" to remember math algorithms. As teachers, we are so pressured by making sure our kids do well on state tests that we look for a quick fix, and teach kids tricks that we assume they'll remember long enough to get them through the test-taking period.
For example, when teaching kids long division, I've heard many fellow teachers teach their kids the saying, "Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister", which is supposed to help kids remember the steps, "Multiply (Mom), Divide (Dad), Borrow (Brother) and Subtract (Sister)." It seems like a great system until it's crunch time, the kids are under stress and have no idea if it was Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister or Sister, Dad, Mom, Brother or Uncle Sam, Aunt Patty, Grandpa, Cousin. There's no meaning to which the kids can connect, and therefore, there's little chance the kids will remember the correct steps in the long-term. Summer comes and goes and as the child enters the next grade, he's right back at square one as far as long-division proficiency. So, his next teacher teachers him the saying "McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Sonic" to "help" him remember the steps of long division and here we go again....
Our U.S. educational system is also very flawed (in my opinion) in that we spend small amounts of time on each of 6-7 math strands each year. In Kindergarten, kids get a quick unit on number sense, geometry, patterns and algebra, etc., and then they see each of those units again in 1st-8th grade. The problem with this is that there are so many units that each one is only touched upon for a short time. There is a ton of breadth and not a lot of depth. As compared with many Asian ways of teaching math (which focus on 1-2 strands only for the entire year), our system doesn't allow the investigation needed for kids to truly grasp what they are doing.
Unrelated as these two points may seem, they actually are very similar to one another. My suggestion to parents and teachers who have math-phobic students is to start back at square one, and really spend time with your kids helping them to truly understand the basics of math. If your child struggles with long division, I'd be willing to be that he doesn't grasp that it's really repeated subtraction. (Have you ever sat down to think about division in that way?) Asking a child to learn division, when he doesn't understand subtraction is like asking a kids to string together a compound sentence when he doesn't know the alphabet. Without the proper foundation, his math tower (upon which more and more is constantly piled) is bound to topple.
This all sounds great in theory, but what about reality? My suggestion is to start small. Kids know more than you (or they) think. Obviously, the younger your child is, the easier it is for her to catch up. If fractions are your child's nemesis, "catch" her talking about sharing half her cookie with her sister, or dividing up the pizza among her 4 friends. Use real-life, meaningful scenarios to get your kids thinking about math. Ask them tough questions and make the commitment to do some research yourself. Do you really understand what it means to "borrow" from the hundreds place when solving a subtraction problem, or do you just cross out the 7, make it a 6 and put 10 on top of the 0 in the tens place? Kids are like dogs in that they smell fear. If you grew up eeking by math class and clearly don't get it, I'm willing to bet your kids are going to hate math and try to slip through as well. Maybe it's time for both of you to make the commitment to learn more about math than just the tricks that your teachers taught you years ago.
Just "sum" food for thought!
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