Are your children fluent in both the metric system and the US/Imperial system?

[Jumping In Puddles]

If so how did you do it?

 

I've thought about teaching ONLY the metric system and introducing the US system much later as a way of getting the kids to think in the metric system.

[creekland]

Mine are better with metric except for:

 

cooking (we don't weigh things, we use measuring cups and spoons)

 

temperature (F is the only one regularly used around here, so using C is tougher. They can convert, but don't "know" C.)

 

traveling (miles vs kilometers - again - a "what's really used here" deal)

 

I grew up fluent in both except for cooking, but I lived on the border with Canada, so saw both regularly. Here in PA, it's totally different. I voted yes to both, but there are these limited exceptions. (They can easily measure in c and km, but traveling to, say, Florida, they understand miles better. They know we live 1km from the school bus stop (or nearest more major road) though.

Edited January 13, 2011 by creekland

[Heather in Neverland]

Yes they are. How did we do it? Well honestly, we moved to a country that only uses the metric system. We ALL had to learn REALLY fast. The good news is you CAN learn really fast. :D

[Caroline]

My kids are fluent in both. I am a scientist and DH is an engineer, so I speak SI and he speaks Imperial. It has been interesting during this snow to listen to them talk temperature in F,C, and K and accumulation in cm and in.

[dm379]

Yes they are. How did we do it? Well honestly, we moved to a country that only uses the metric system. We ALL had to learn REALLY fast. The good news is you CAN learn really fast. :D

 

 

This. Even I think in metric now and have to convert back to the US system. Except for temps, none of us really got the hang of that one.

[DawnM]

Mine are not.

 

I grew up in a country that only used metric so I am familiar with it and had to do a lot of "converting" the other way once I moved to the States, but I haven't taught it to my kids to the point of them knowing what things are.

 

Dawn

[elegantlion]

My ds understands both. We used Singapore for math which helped. My ds is science oriented and I wanted to make sure he understand metric well. However, my dh is a carpenter and ds is learning the trade (slowly introducing). Carpentry uses both, but for planning supplies it's mostly yards, square feet, cubic feet, etc.

 

I like the metric system better.

[Vanna]

We are in the US and therefore we are "saturated" in the imperial system, but I've sought to bring some awareness of the metric system by doing Math Sound Off by David Kohl (Logos School Publication).

 

Here is a sample PDF (but it doesn't show the chants we're working on because those are towards the end of the booklet).

 

Here is the catalog p.10 - it's available for $6.

[Miss Marple]

If so how did you do it?

 

I've thought about teaching ONLY the metric system and introducing the US system much later as a way of getting the kids to think in the metric system.

 

I would have a hard time saying they were fluent in any type of measurement, but the reality is that they knew more metric earlier in their education than they did US measurements. When speaking in terms of metric they think metric; the same can be said for US. The area that proves most difficult for my kids is relating the 2 systems (i.e., how many pounds in a kg, etc.). Those conversions are not automatic. They usually need to look at the cheat sheets.

 

We used Singapore math from the start (Standards version, not US) and that taught them metric. We also used Singapore's science for elementary which compounded the metric teaching. At one point I had to take time to teach the US system because they had to take the ITBS and didn't have a clue about ounces, miles, hectacres, etc.

[SquirrellyMama]

My children are not fluent in the metric system but we are using Singapore's Challenging Word Problems which gets them thinking about the metric system. They have always had access to rulers and tape measures and I've tried to point out the metric side since they started measuring stuff.

 

Kelly

[Desert Rat]

Singapore math uses both systems interchageably. My boys are better at metric than I am!

[knit247]

If so how did you do it?

 

We moved to Germany :tongue_smilie:

 

In all honesty, by the time we move back to the US DDs will probably be more familiar with the metric system, because that is what we use in everyday life. They were also exposed to the metric system briefly while in the US (we use Singapore and Miquon).

 

I try so hard to think in metric, but I tend to convert a lot. For example, I know that Celsius is "double + 30" (give or take) and that kph is "times 6, take off the last no." I will say, though, that I just know what 30 or 70 or 100 kph "feels like" in the car and rarely think of the fact that I am going 18 or 42 or 60 mph. Does that make sense?

 

Oh, and a "funny". My DD loves German salami, and we regularly walk down to the Metzgerei (like a butcher shop) and buy 100g. That's just enough for her to snack on for several days. Well, we were in the Commissary one day (where they use imperial) and I had no idea what 100g was in oz! I had to whip out my iPod Touch to figure it out :lol:

[flyingiguana]

We just have a lot of measuring instruments in both systems.

 

The only one that brought about any resistance was when I reset our indoor/outdoor thermometer to Celsius. The kids kept asking what temperature it really was -- but that only lasted a few weeks. Years later, though, my husband is still asking.

 

Unfortunately, our bathroom scale that measured in kilograms didn't last very long, so I'm not sure anyone in the house has a real sense as to what a kilogram weighs -- but they probably don't have much sense as to what a pound weighs either.

[Ellie]

Nope. They can use metric when necessary, but it is almost never necessary. And there's never a need for them to convert anything. Either what they're doing is in metrics so they use a metric ruler or whatnot, or it's Imperial and they use the other. No biggie.

[Parrothead]

Oh, funny and timely. We ditched math this week because metrics is the focus this week. I really can't do it. I've about decided that I'll just give dd the answers so we don't drive each other mad trying to get her to understand it.

[FaithManor]

Dd is fluent. We knew she would be going into the medical field so not being fluent in metric is going to kill someone.

 

But, I've used Singapore math as a supplement to US based math so there were far more problems using the metric system...very close to a 50/50 proposition here and I'm trying to do the same with the boys. The oldest ds is still a little awkward but he's getting there. The next youngest is really comfortable with metric. The youngest, a 5th grader, isn't old enough to really make a judgment call yet.

 

We do a lot of math based science in the high school years and that means lots of metric system as well. So, I think they will all be quite comfortable in the metric system by the time they graduate from homeschooling.

 

Faith

[Daisy]

I said other because although they won't know the EXACT equivalents unless converting, they do a good job of approximating. The only thing I can say is that the time we spent on Singapore math must have helped. I use a lot of foreign recipes and we talk frequently about the temperatures in other parts of the world. I don't know. We just talk about it a lot and I make sure to tell them the American measurement whenever we see something in metric or Celsius.

[Pretty in Pink]

When they are younger and doing their math lessons I have them do all measurements using both sides of the ruler. So, if the problem asks the student to measure the line in inches we also measure it in centimeters. If we are measuring cups of liquid for a science lesson (or when cooking), we spin the measuring cup around and see how many mL of liquid we have. When we read a thermometer or work a temperature problem we give the answer in both farenheit and centigrade.

[Lolly]

I chose other. Mine can use both systems. However, they are not what I consider to be fluent in metric. It is not how they think. If picturing an amount in a metric quantity (other than 2L), they will have to pause a little longer to think.

[SonshineLearner]

I'm trying for both.. as just "normal" without acting like the metric system is beyond him. I know that many children his age understand the metric system, and because he loves and understands math patterns... think he'll be able to grasp it fine. I'm using Singapore.. with some metrics in it.... so.. I try to act like it totally makes sense to me :)

[mims]

Singapore

[Audrey]

Yep. We use both systems frequently, depending on the situation.

 

We use Saxon Math which covers both, but really -- the applicability comes from real life in Canada. We use Imperial for cooking, land measure and on many packages. We use metric for everything else.

 

For temperature, we kind of use both. To me, Celsius makes more sense when it's cold (ex. it's -23°C right now -- that just "makes sense" to me). Fahrenheit makes more sense when it's hot. When you say "geez it's 40° out... I'm sorry but that's just not a "hot" number. That equals 104°F -- now THAT is a hot number!

Edited January 13, 2011 by Audrey

[Dana]

I so wish the US would just move to metric entirely.

Most of the students I teach at the cc don't know the US system. :glare:

Metric is SO much easier.

 

I almost didn't teach imperial to my son, but I've caved and we are doing some and I'm having him memorize the relations. I am doing my best to warp him though and I'm pleased seeing him say "Yuck," when we do work with the US system.

[Jumping In Puddles]

I so wish the US would just move to metric entirely.

Most of the students I teach at the cc don't know the US system. :glare:

Metric is SO much easier.

 

Do you mean most of the kids at the CC don't know the metric system?

[Dana]

Do you mean most of the kids at the CC don't know the metric system?

 

No, almost none of them know the metric system.

 

I mean that also almost none of them know how many feet are in a mile, ounces in a pound, pounds in a ton, cups to pints to quarts to gallons.

 

Of course, I've also found that a significant number of my students also don't know how many states there are in the US. I teach lower-level math (although I did have a calculus student argue with me about the number of states. :glare:)

 

With the metric system - learn the prefixes and base amounts - and you've got the whole system.

 

I also love that there's a relationship between length, mass, and volume in the metric system. It's so neat.

[2cents]

They are very familiar and can use both. :)

[Jumping In Puddles]

I mean that also almost none of them know how many feet are in a mile, ounces in a pound, pounds in a ton, cups to pints to quarts to gallons.

 

 

 

:eek: I was afraid that is what you meant!

[zaichiki]

If so how did you do it?

 

 

We use Singapore Primary Math, U.S. edition. It teaches measurement in distance, length, weight, volume, mass, etc. in metric first. The kids are very comfortable in both metric and U.S. measurements. It's funny (to American me) to see oldest naturally grativate towards estimating in metric!

 

ETA: They don't do much with Celsius, though, and prefer Fahrenheit.

[Penguin]

Six months ago, we moved our 5th grader to a country that uses the metric system. He had previously had only minimal exposure to it.

 

We are working through Math Mammoth's Metric Measuring worktext, and he is picking it up very quickly.

 

Now my concern is helping him to remember the US/Imperial system. That and US money!

[Canadianmumof5]

They are learning both.

We live in Canada and we use Saxon Math.

I am OK with both - I think Canada made the switch when I was in grade 3 (?) so I've grown up with metric.

 

I prefer F to C

I prefer feet to metres

I prefer cups/oz to mL

BUT.....I prefer KM to miles

:D

[chiguirre]

Dd knows both from doing Singapore Math US Edition. In fact, right now she's adding and subtracting cups, pints, quarts and gallons and whining about how weird they are compared to liters and mls. OTOH, I now know how many pints are in a quart. We'll see how long that factoid sticks in my brain.

[TammyinTN]

Yep...we can do them both thanks to living in Germany for 6 1/2 years. :D

[Punks in Ontario]

I couldn't say my guys are fluent, but they are competent. I'm primarily concerned that they know metric, but are familiar with imperial. Of course even I struggle with quarts, pints and of course the different size of American and imperial gallons. LOL.

[Ester Maria]

Yes, they are fluent in both. We use the metric system as our default system and we have always used almost exclusively the metric system for their science education, however, it is impossible NOT get fluent in the standard system as well if one spends one's formative years in a country that uses it, in spite of being educated in the metric system - because when everyone around you estimates things in feet, miles, pounds and alike, you learn to "think" the standard way too.

 

I am however having difficulties "thinking" in the standard system. I know it, but I cannot always make rapid estimations the way that I can in the metric system, as I find myself "calculating" in my head. I have become decent, but I am not really fluent as my children are. They can not only work with both, but also make those rapid estimates in both.

[Embassy]

They know both, but are not yet fluent. We currently live in a country that mostly uses the metric system and we previously lived in the USA.