Arithmetic, computation or mathematics … no matter what it’s called in school, the subject often adds up in a child’s mind as plain old boring. Kindergarten worksheets display clusters of objects for children to color and count. By third or fourth grade word problems sneak into the curriculum. I don’t know about you, but when I was a child, I remember reading the word problems and thinking, who cares? I also remember spending many happy hours playing board games-several of which teach math skills.
It’s not that the subject of mathematics is boring in and of itself, it’s that worksheets, word problems, multiplication tables and textbooks ignite little (if any) excitement. When your child whines, “This is too hard!”, what he may really mean is, “This is no fun!” Math really can be fun… if you take a less conventional approach to it.
Continue reading this great article, From Boring To Board Games: Math Really Can Be Fun!, by Elise Griffith, from the Jan-Feb, 1998 issue of Home Education Magazine.
Tags: Elise Griffith, Home Education Magazine, homemeade games, homeschool math, homeschool resources, homeschooling, homeschooling families, homeschooling resources, making your own games, math games, teaching math, unschooling
[hat tip Jessica]
Out of Australia
AAP reports : ONE of Australia’s leading early childhood educators [*Emeritus Professor Philip Gammage] has warned the Federal Government’s strategy for young children could see them doing worse at school and not being prepared for later life.
“Children don’t need to be taught curriculum, they need quality relationships, quality attachments and quality boundaries,” he said.
“Zero to six-year-olds should be concentrating on play-based learning, drama and aural learning.”
Professor Gammage said Australia could learn a lot from the wisdom of a saying in Finland, “talk more, write less”.
*Emeritus Professor Philip Gammage is one of the keynote speakers at Playgroup Australia’s Power of Play conference.
Tags: curricula, homeschooling, public school, unschooling
Keith Wilcox is Almighty Dad. His blog says so. Indisputably. And he had me at this sentence: “All the money in the world cannot hold a candle to enjoying time with my kids.”
Keith has a sense of humor and he’s not afraid to brandish it, but he also has a sense of what’s important, and he shares it in abundance with his readers, as in this passage from his 7 Reasons I Home School post:
Kids don’t stay young forever. When they are with me all day I feel like I’m giving them face time and otherwise spending quality time with them. When they finish with their work we can have fun at the park and do all kinds of entertaining things together. Other parents might spend all day at work and only get to see their kids for a few hours at night. Teaching them at home let’s me cherish the time I have with them before they get old and don’t want anything to do with me. I know, it’s selfish; so what.
Keith ‘Almighty Dad’ Wilcox not only writes on homeschooling, but he addresses other family-oriented topics, such as Toys That Don’t Drive You Insane, Sibling Rivalry, and The Cost of Youth Sports.
Click over to Keith’s site and just start reading. You won’t be disappointed.
Tags: Almighty Dad, fathers and homeschooling, homeschool, homeschooling, homeschooling dads, homeschooling families, homeschooling fathers, Keith Wilcox, reasons to homeschool, sibling rivalry
HEM’s Questions & Answers – January-February 2010
We were told that our little girl, age 8, is suffering from ADD by her teacher and guidance counselor. They told us that a doctor can put her on drugs to help her concentrate. My neighbor is the teacher to her children at home and she tells me that we don’t have to use any drugs if we teach at home too. My wife and mother can take turns doing the teaching so that isn’t a problem but we want to know if it’s true that this way means our little girl won’t have ADD any more. -Charlie
About HEM’s Questions & Answers
(The deadline for answers which will appear in the print magazine is Nov. 25.)
Tags: ADD, homeschooling, medication
HEM’s Questions & Answers – January-February 2010
I haven’t found any way to teach grammar that keeps the interest of my ten-year-old son. An experiencing friend of ours says half the battle of good grammar is won because our son loves to read, and chances are he’s intuiting grammar rules while he reads. Still I want some course material. What has worked for you? -Wynette
About HEM’s Questions & Answers
(The deadline for answers which will appear in the print magazine is Nov. 25.)
Tags: grammar, homeschooling, teaching grammar
“Every parent wants the best education for their children. It doesn’t matter if it is in a public school, a private or parochial school, or even at home.
In the past few years, more and more parents have made the decision to teach their children at home. In fact, it is estimated that the number of homeschooled children in the United States has tripled over the past decade.”
From the Maryville, Missouri Daily Forum, article, Embracing the Choice, which also cautioned:
“Even though homeschooling allows parents to tailor learning environments to their children and their family, becoming a homeschooling parent can be challenging.
“Some parents worry about what curriculum they should use and how to implement it. Some may question whether or not their children have enough social contacts. Others may have concerns about their own qualifications for teaching their children.”
The article, however, addressed these concerns and showed how the local homeschoolers work together in supportive and encouraging ways.
Tags: homeschool numbers, homeschool support groups, homeschooling in the news, homeschooling news story, increasing homeschool numbers, Maryville, Missouri Daily Forum, number of homeschooled children, numbers of homeschoolers
