I have on clear memory of learning math as a child. And it was when I had failed my first math test. It wasn’t actually even a test, it was an assessment to get into the gifted program that I was already in. But we had to retest every six weeks. I hadn’t just failed…
“One-ty one, one-ty two, one-ty three”. Yes, we renamed the teen numbers to be more in line with the rest of the numbers. And it sounds so weird. But it makes so much more sense. I could see the frustration all over Logi-Bear’s face. His eyes would well up with tears and he would clench…
We threw out our first pumpkin today. Arizona weather is not kind to any living thing, including pumpkins. I was so excited for the holiday season that I bought a pumpkin the second I saw them out. And as a result, we’ve already had to throw out our first pumpkin. It reminded me of how…
Do you ever feel like your kids need a small review of previous lessons? I was reading with Royal the other day and he just plain forgot what sound -sh makes. He’s a great reader so I was a bit confused. I think he might have been having a brain fart, if you will, but…
Years and years ago, Baloo asked me to make addition with candy corn so I did, and he loved it. Its one of those things that we pull out every single year and enjoy. Royal and Logi-Bear love it now too, but Baloo is well beyond that. But he still loves Candy Corn (he’s crazy, although I…
We have a tradition on Thanksgiving where I print out activities (like this Thanksgiving Addition Game) and the boys have something to entertain them for that hectic 15 minutes while we are finishing the food and putting it on the table. The challenge for me is to create something that is entertaining enough that they…
I am excited for Thanksgiving this year. Honestly, holidays can be really hard for me, as they are for many people. I’ve found that by focusing on the kids and new traditions, the holidays seem easier. They are so full of wonder at this age and I find it easy to get enraptured in their…
When learning to read, it’s all about the tricks. They’re not really tricks, of course, more like little chunks of information to build upon. Digraphs are a chunk of their own, and quite an important chunk! After all, if you don’t learn that ‘sh’ doesn’t say sss-ha, you’ll never be able to figured out that…
What do you do with a child who thinks reading is amazing, pretends to read constantly, yet isn’t quite ready for sounding out words? You teach them sight words! I’m pretty much on board with teaching phonics and that’s how we taught both Royal and Baloo, primarily. We limit sight words and push through with…
Sometimes I feel so stuck with learning math facts – or the boys learning math facts that is. They’re not highly motivated so the idea just falls flat on them. So I’m continually trying to find new, fun, and novel ways to get them to practice! I knew I wanted a train doubles plus 1…
I love puzzles and I was always one of those people who loved having a puzzle on the table to work on little by little. Somehow over the years, we’ve gotten out of the habit of puzzle solving. We don’t even really do many puzzles with the kids, which makes me sad. I think there…
What do you do when you want to get your young kids excited about math? You find a theme that resonates with them and find a way to incorporate math into that theme! Last week we did dinosaurs, which was wildly popular at my house. Transportation themes come in a close second. And I just…