? about math
Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive July-December 2004:
? about math
I am so glad to see that there are alot of teachers on the board! 
Are there any good ways to get your dk back into "math mode" when school starts?
I just got the end of week papers from Gabe's 1st week of school and he made a 54 on addition review. Simple addition. I know his brain is still sleepy from the summer. He was a math whiz last year. Can I do anything to help?
I thought of flash cards, but do you have any other fun ideas? I don't want to pressure him, because I know it will come soon enough. I just want to know if I can spur his thoughts in any fun ways.
Thanks so much!
I bought some math and phonics cd's, and my kids love listening to them. They sing and dance along with the music, and don't realize they are learning.
You could also play some dice games. Throw 2 dice and you have to add them up.
I bought a beach ball that has multiplication facts on it. When you catch it, you have to answer the questions your hands hit. They have the beach balls for all different skills, and have them teacher stores. I'm sure you could just write numbers on a dollar store ball with a permanent marker.
Hope these help a bit.
How old is he? Ug, I hate flash cards myself. Bad childhood memories. LOL! Does he like to play cards? Each player takes turns drawing 2 cards and adding the sum. Tally all the sums. The first player to reach a predetermined score wins. Start out simple with a low winning score and go from there. You can customize the Jacks, Kings and Queens to equal whatever numbers you want. For example, at first take out the Kings and Queens and make Jokers = 10. Eventually add Queens = 11 and Kings = 12. You can do this with multiplication as well.
That's all I can think of right now off the top of my head. If I think of anything else I'll post. My kids don't go back to school until Sept. 7th. I'll be in your shoes soon!
Teach him how to play Blackjack. I got that tip from a Kindergarten teacher several years ago, and my boys really enjoy it!
Great ideas, Marcia! Your dice suggestion reminded me of dominoes. There are also fun computer games that reinforce math skills.
COOKING!!!
I taught a class about two years ago based on a book called, "A Taste of Math" it was not very expensive, in case you struggle finding it (I don't know where the one I bought is....) it used cooking and food to help children's interest in math.
Pizzas can be cut into slices for fractions.
Take celery sticks, put peanut butter inside and raisins on top, then ask the child, "what happens if you eat one raisin off? how many are left?"etc.
M&Ms and Fruit Loops are great for sorting and adding and subtracting....let's put all the green ones together and all the yellow ones together...how many yellow ones compared to how many green ones???
You could work it with toys or cars or blocks, too. But there is something exciting to a child when there is the possibility he may be called upon to eat the number of M&M's we are subtracting!!! They pay attention!
Take a very, very, long string and string Fruit Loops, Cheerios, etc. into a necklace. Talk about "how many?" I let the kids wear the edible necklaces home and many of them will eat two Cheerios off the necklace or something and I hear, "I ate two more, how many are left?" "I have five, how many do you have?" "I have ten but I ate three? how many is that?"
I don't know....there's something about using food that really gets their attention......
Now, I have also used Matchbox Cars, different colors and styles and a racetrack. "Okay, if I have two yellow cars and a red car and you have a blue car and we want to race one of each color, how many cars would race?" Then, let the child race the car....or...."If we have a blue car and a green car and they crash into the red car and take the red car off the track how many cars are left?"
Different color blocks can work too. Same ideas.
But there is just something about sitting a child down in the kitchen and allowing them to measure and eat some of the sweets and create "food art" that holds their attention. Raisins, M&Ms, Cheerios, Fruit Loops, Anything small and edible. It helps if it comes in different colors too. The colors can be sorted and combined, changed around, etc. "If the set of red Fruit Loops has 5, and the set of yellow Fruit Loops has 3, how many Fruit Loops would be in a set of red and yellow?" And be sure to "work in" some equations that require eating. I usually have a "eat one" equation every third problem. "Okay, I have five green M&Ms and two yellow M&Ms, if you eat one green M&M and one yellow M&M how many are left, all together?" The kid's eyes just light up....and they answer the question!!! Hope that helps. AJ
Great ideas!!!
Trina, he is 8 (3rd Grade).
Same age as my DS. He'll be turning 8 this week (8/12) and will be starting Gr. 3 next month.
Here is a link to my website:
http://khs.westport.k12.ct.us/lfm. The server seems to be down at the moment- so check back later. It's a little "sloppy" (the site) because I've held so many positions in the past 3 years (second grade teacher, kindergarten teacher, gifted teacher and next year is math support teacher). What I'm trying to say- is there's a little for everyone on there! I have to clean it up when I get a chance!
If he likes the computer this might help. My math support kids love to play on it as a "treat." The AAA math link has timed math tests that are kind of fun- you can pick addition, subtraction, etc....
Here are tow other great sites to tide you over until the server is working!
http://www.coolmath4kids.com/
http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/Lessons/
I taught Algebra II for two years, 11th grade, so I don't know what to tell you for a 3rd grader. The only thing I could tell you maybe is to review some of the stuff that was easy for him last year so that he'll be reminded that all math isn't impossible and that might give him the incentive he needs.
www.mathcats.com
Since this thread has revived itself, I thought I would update you. He is doing great. I got worried about nothing. He just needed to wake up his sleepy summer brain.
I do use some of the websites you suggested for extra activities and let him play the games for fun.
|
Members
