[a first grader and math work.]

My first post---I think---can't remember.

 

I found that math is the one subject that requires quite a bit of teacher involvement. My son (3rd grade--8 yrs old) has just started this year sitting down with an assignment and completing the work on his own. I usually have a 20 min or so "lesson"--especially if we're starting something new-- and then I let him do practice sets on his own. We do skills review and word problems together. Some days he's working on his own and I'm just checking and re-teaching if corrections are needed. Some days we're doing math together.

 

We also take the time during the week to do math "games" or to explore hands-on type concepts---measurement for example--and to "read" math.

 

When he was 1st grade age he didn't have independent work. I guided him through every math lesson, every day.

[Preschool and Kindergarten Must-have Resources]

Lots and lots of good books, Peak With Books is great, lacing cards, blocks and building toys of every imaginable sort, poker chips, beads to string, lots of art things (pom pom, beads, sequins, pipe cleaners, paper, scissors, glue etc), Kumon my first books are fun, those inexpensive wkbks from WalMart, the Mommy and Me website, Starfall.com, KinderArt.com, EnchantedLearning.com, Waldorf inspired books have a lot of sweet ideas, the Kids Can books (the multicultural art book is wonderful), homemade sandpaper letters, a garden and a place to dig and play outside, sports stuff (balls of all sorts etc), a few of the Baby Einstein videos are really good (Meet the Orchestra or Baby Monet...they aren't just for infants --or at all really), a calandar to learn the days of the week and daily weather checks, chunky triangular pencils, tangrams pattern blocks and cards, letter tiles, counting bears, puppets, Out of Sync Child Has Fun would be wonderful for any child-----oh I could go on. I think this is my favorite age to homeschool!!!!

[Still having troubles with math...]

My son (8) diagnosed with PDD/SPD/OCD (sigh) has also struggled with math. There are times when he really gets it and is at a 2nd grade level, but then we find we have to start over and review almost endlessly. It's two steps forward, five steps back.

 

I just try to teach him little tricks to get the answer faster instead of asking him to memorize. Memorize those doubles (2+2=4, 3+3=6, etc) and then problems like 7+8 becomes a breeze. "I know 7+7=14 and 8 is 1 more than 7 so 7+8 should be 15." After talking through it like this so many times I've noticed him getting faster. I worked hard at getting him to understand 10s and 1s so he can quickly do 13+9 in his head by "pretending" that 9 is a ten and then take one away, (or add 1 if subtracting) so he can quickly get to 22 this way. I teach 2 and 3 digit add/subt with the ten and one rods as well.

 

This has taken a long time for him to internalize and lots of work with Cuisinaire rods and a lot of reading on my part (since I never claimed to be a math teacher). Subtraction is still really hard for him to do mentally---we still rely on the rods or fingers, BUT we will get there!!! As long as they understand or show they are beginning to understand how math works, I think it would be doing them a larger favor than straight memorization.

 

I wish in my own public schooling someone had let me "play" with math and really understand the puzzle of it than just expecting me to memorize and finish a timed test. :)

 

Math is really an abstract concept, and I think our children (especially ASD kiddos) can really struggle with it, or excel so well that they can't use their math knowledge in realistic day to day settings.