Math: Fun-and-easy or advanced-and-challenging?

[TwilightMom]

Originally Posted by seekingmyLord

I read somewhere once that most women dislike math and also the most likely to be homeschooling the children is the woman. I don't have the source or stats, but it seems to be true from my experience. Maybe it is that right-left brain thing...?

Very interesting.

[Jackie]

Originally Posted by seekingmyLord

I read somewhere once that most women dislike math and also the most likely to be homeschooling the children is the woman. I don't have the source or stats, but it seems to be true from my experience. Maybe it is that right-left brain thing...?

I know that's true in my household. Carl's the math/science/computer geek; I LOVE history and language. When we were dating, his son was in 6th grade and had to do a report on the Dred Scott case, and it had to be so many words. So Carl actually TOLD HIM to write "Dred Scott and his master, Dr. John Emerson...." each time, rather than writing THEY, because the first phrase has 7 words, compared to the 1 word THEY. And Michael, of course, followed his dad's advice . The teacher graded him down because he didn't use pronouns properly, lol!

[pamark1]

I was told my whole life that I was bad at math........ and yet, I found Calculus interesting while I was in College. I never finished Calc. though..... I withdrew because I was going full time to two different Colleges and something had to give.

Now I find math really, really fun......... interesting....... logical....... etc. I enjoy it and now that my kids and I have kind of relaxed about it, we are having fun with it and, I think, doing much better with it. Even my oldest, who has NEVER done well with math...inspite of being pretty good at it........ is saying, on a daily basis, "Math is fun!" She loves doing it. Go figure!!!

Math is fun........... and we should make sure we don't get all freaky about it. I go with the idea that math should be relaxed.

[Jackie]

Pamark1, what math are you using that she seems to enjoy so much? (Asking, because my youngest and I just finished our seeminly DAILY math fight...)

[ColoradoMom]

Originally Posted by Jackie

I don't care that the older levels of TT aren't "challenging". It's still material that Rachael doesn't know, and she is able to learn it independently and I know nothing of the subject. When she finishes the highest level of TT, we can put her into something else. Maybe Life of Fred's upper levels...?

I'm with you Jackie. Even though I may not be 100% conformtable with TT as a whole, he loves it and does it without complaining. On Friday I decided to go into work and not tell anyone and when I got home (around 1PM) I was like "Ready for school?" He said "What school, I already did school? Even Math."

Now that is what I like to hear!

[kbabe1968]

I was thinking of doing BOTH Teaching Textbooks AND Life of Fred in the later grades. Too ambitious?

My oldest is using TT 5 right now and is about 20 lessons from the end. I was planning on buying TT6 and having her get started right away and keep doing Math through the summer (in fact, my evaluator told me if we do Math, gymnastics 3 times a week, and Reading, that I can count 1 full day each week during the summer - that would give us about 12 days before we even start fully for the year). She'll be a 6th grader next year, but was hoping to have her done TT 6 & TT 7 by end of 6th grade so she could do the Pre-Algebra and Algebra by end of 7th. Is that too aggressive? I would adjust, of course, if she was struggling.

RIGHT NOW...the lessons are NOT long at all...I don't know how much that changes in upper grades. I just thought the LOF books are fun and that maybe one day a week she'd do a chapter of LOF instead of TT...they're kinda short, right???

[pamark1]

Originally Posted by Jackie

Pamark1, what math are you using that she seems to enjoy so much? (Asking, because my youngest and I just finished our seeminly DAILY math fight...)

Jackie, we have been through just about every math program there is available..... just ask Seeker. We recently went from MUS (which was good for getting the kids "into" the basic functions) and then to Saxon for the girls.....the oldest, who never liked math, it seemed. Just recently we have dropped math for a time and are doing Math-It.

I took Math-It (which is a bingo like game with flashcards and a playing board) and started cycling through the different skills needed per grade level (which is found in the extra guide book by Elmer Brooks). Every day I have the kids do the games at the level they are ready for and then we do just a bit of review of skills and I introduce a new skill every few days. I am, at this time, not having the kids do tons and tons of drill........ instead I am trying to figure out math opportunities in our daily life ......... or come up with for fun. i.e. "How old will you be in 2050?" "How old will I be in 2050?" "When will you be able to drive?" "When will I let you drive?" We also do some measuring of some sort everyday....cooking, etc.

Eventually, we will go back to Saxon......but in good time. When I realized that, according to Elmer Brooks and a few other sources, there are only about 15 or so skills that a kid needs to learn each year.... I thought, gosh! I could teach them those and kind of do my own spiral without having to wear them down with big textbooks and lots of workbook sheets. The kids seem happier and more willing........... and they actually seem to be doing better.

My girls are both doing 4th-5th grade work (although they are a bit older....it has taken them awhile to "get it" with math).

My boy is doing 2nd-3rd grade work in math......

Lately we have started following Ray Moore/Moore Academy ......... we have taken a "Better Late than Early" approach. We are trying to do more unit studies that can include math, also. We have mellowed and stopped trying to keep up with the type-A homeschoolers. We are alot happier.

[seekingmyLord]

Originally Posted by pamark1

Jackie, we have been through just about every math program there is available..... just ask Seeker.

Pam, my personal stalker--Oops, did I write that out loud?--er, friend, actually, I think that you have not done six of them, which would be the six that I have, oddly....

Originally Posted by pamark1

We have mellowed and stopped trying to keep up with the type-A homeschoolers. We are alot happier.

And that would be no one in particular you know well, right?

[TeacherMom]

Originally Posted by kbabe1968

I was thinking of doing BOTH Teaching Textbooks AND Life of Fred in the later grades. Too ambitious?

My oldest is using TT 5 right now and is about 20 lessons from the end. I was planning on buying TT6 and having her get started right away and keep doing Math through the summer (in fact, my evaluator told me if we do Math, gymnastics 3 times a week, and Reading, that I can count 1 full day each week during the summer - that would give us about 12 days before we even start fully for the year). She'll be a 6th grader next year, but was hoping to have her done TT 6 & TT 7 by end of 6th grade so she could do the Pre-Algebra and Algebra by end of 7th. Is that too aggressive? I would adjust, of course, if she was struggling.

RIGHT NOW...the lessons are NOT long at all...I don't know how much that changes in upper grades. I just thought the LOF books are fun and that maybe one day a week she'd do a chapter of LOF instead of TT...they're kinda short, right???

you may find algebra is tougher than that , my dd flew through everything else but algebra ended up taking uas two years with AOP, it would at least ahve taken a year with MUS or TT I am sure... so dont try to push the algebra stuff too hard,make sure she gets it of course and maybe by the end of 8th?