Lesson 4: Insider Secrets
Once you learn the ropes, homeschooling is more fun than fear. Learn some insider secrets from veteran homeschoolers, who share over thirty years combined experience. See how they have successfully crossed the line from fear to fun for them and their children.
Math
Math. One of the two subjects that will put fear into even the most veteran homeschooler. (Science, which we will talk about later, is the other.) And why shouldn`t it? "What do you do for math and science?" is the second question (right behind "How do they socialize?") people ask when they find out you homeschool. Is teaching math that hard? Is it something we should fear? Do we have to be an engineer, or an engineering/math/physics professor to teach math to our children? No! But... I have picked the brain of someone who happens to be all of those ... and so much more! Her name is JoAnn, and I think if you ask her, she will tell you the job title she is most proud of is Homeschooling Mom to Katie.
After reading JoAnn’s ideas, we are all excited to teach math! We can’t wait for all of our books to come in from the book store, so we can unschool math, right? Well, not exactly. Some people need structure, and that’s ok. Really, it is! So where does that leave you? Well, this week, we will look at just about as opposite as you can get from unschooling... >drum roll please< Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...
Deciding which curriculum to use can be a pretty overwhelming thought. There are just so many to choose from. Pop into a homeschooling bulletin board and do a search for "math." There will be as many differences of opinions as there are posts. My recent question "what math curriculum do you recommend" on a bulletin board just confirmed this. So what are you supposed to do? How do you decide which is best for you?
- Ask around
It’s true that this may seem counter productive. Everyone has an opinion on math! But if you ask people that you know you can trust, they can add valuable insight. "We use XYZ and my 3rd grader hates it!" or "My 9th grader loved ABC." - Sit down and evaluate what you want your child to accomplish that year
Do you want them to simply recognize numbers or be able to recite the times tables? - Are they going to college?
If they are 5, this isn’t something to be concerned with. If they are 17, and have no math skills, this is definitely something to look at. - If they are going to college, what kind of math will they need?
My major in college was Architecture. Obviously, I needed more of a math background then if I were majoring in something else. Be aware that some schools, especially Liberal Arts Colleges have a specific course of study, no matter what your major. - What is your math ability?
This may not seem important at first, but if you don’t have a basic understanding of math, you will need a curriculum that will walk you through the steps, and not just assume you already know.
- Allowance
I guarantee kids will learn how to add and subtract when they are keeping track of their money! We have what we call "quarter chores" which are simply short, easy chores (taking out the trash, for example) that any of the kids can do to earn a quarter. At the end of the week, they come to us with what they think is the amount they have earned, and we compare it to the amount we think they have earned. This opens up the opportunity for such questions as "If Alex earned $4.00 and Ethan earned $5.50, how many more chores did Ethan do?" and "How many more chores do you need to do to have enough to buy that $5.00 widget you want?" - Organize a Math Fair
When I first read this in "Growing Without Schooling" I thought "Gee, a bunch of kids sitting around adding and subtracting. How fun can that be?" And then I read it. David Mantell organized a Math fair (after successful History and Science fairs) for his local homeschooling support group. Here are some of the projects the kids came up with: Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Ratio; Math in Art: Scale and Proportion; Hexaflexigons; and even Everyday Math, where a family produced a pamphlet with pictures and examples showing how they use math everyday. No boring adding and subtracting here, thank you! - Bake a batch of cookies
Every so often, we bake a huge batch of cookies and deliver them to people we haven’t seen in awhile. I would love to report that it happens weekly, which was my original intent, but it doesn`t. Now of course, we could just use the recipe in the cookbook, but that isn`t much fun! We double, triple, halve, and quarter the recipe. We pick a number of cookies we would like to make, and adjust the recipe based on the yield. If we over estimate (something that I am sure happens on purpose!) we can always eat the difference! - Math Olympiad
Math Olympiad was Created in 1977, to (among other things) "foster Mathematical creativity and ingenuity." Students compete in teams, and every participant receives a certificate. You can win up to a Bronze Medallion. Last year 120,000 students from 5,000 teams worldwide participated. All 50 states and 25 other countries were represented. Each team can be up to 35 kids, so if the $85 fee is shared, it is very reasonable! - Math Games
Give a kid a deck of cards, and they will *invent* math games. Oh course, they won`t call them math games, and we will never tell! Some of our favorite math games (card and board) are: Addition and Subtraction Go Fish "Do you have a 7+2?" "Do you have a 10-4+2?", UNO, and even Monopoly. - Mathcounts
Mathcounts is the nationwide math coaching and competition program for middle school students. Students compete in one of 500 local competitions, and the top teams and individuals progress to state competitions, where the top four individuals advance to the National Competition. To get started, you request a free school kit. (There is a fee to register a team.)Just remember that no matter what you choose, if it just isn’t working, you can always move on, and try again.
