So, guys, I spent some time with math while attending my local 3 day parent practicum. Have you been to your practicum yet? Well, if not, prepare to spend some quality time with math. One feature of the 3 morning sessions was a series of conversations between CC’s Leigh Bortins and Lisa Bailey. They said that I could learn to love math through knowing it. That makes sense to me. That’s how I’ve learned to love lots of things. I just never wanted to love math before.
So, now how does one get to know math to love math?
Spend some time with math.
Don’t just work numbers, but play with numbers.
Learn a new math concept and then rest in it.
Struggle, practice, practice some more, and take a break!
Use math everyday inside and outside of the classroom.
Will I love math then? Probably. But, guess what? Even if I never love math, I do still love my children and I love God. And that love should propel me to give them a love for math (& all subjects) as it is yet another way to “know God and to make Him known.”
At the end of the practicum, I was encouraged, as I was last year with the study of Latin, to know that when it’s time for me to know more math, I’ll be able to learn it. And I’m inspired to learn math. For now, I’m happily keeping up with my oldest little and his second grade math. In the meantime, before math becomes more challenging for my little scholars and me, here are some small changes I’m going to make right now. In just a little time, they should become habits.
1) Make an effort to use real math language when teaching math inside and outside of our “classroom.”
2) Look for math in creation – it’s amazingly evident everywhere! (like in the mushroom pictured above that we found in our backyard earlier today!)
3) Be excited during math time. That’ll include slowing down and talking math through more to ensure understanding.
4) Read more living math books.
How about you? How do you encourage math learning in your home? What did you learn at practicum? Please share! I’d love to hear!
My kiddos are starting K this year and we do alot of cooking. I am able to talk about fractions, multiplication (“let’s make a double recipe”), bigger v smaller, volume, etc. It helps make math real and accessible to them.
I love that, Karen! It’s a great way to use real math language outside of the “classroom!” Sometimes I rush around getting things done in the kitchen and I just need to slow down to allow them to help. : )