Munchkins_mama Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I love math. Not textbook math, but real world math. I have a sewing business and I use math every day. I love to cook and I use math every day. I love to shop ( :tongue_smilie: ) and I use math every day. I am having a hard time making my 4th grader sit down and do math work in a book with no connection to the real world where it can be real and interesting. Any suggestions? I feel like I really suck at this homeschooling thing. I have so many ideas on how it could be so cooooool, but the need to do bookwork makes it so uninteresting. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Personally, I think bookwork is perfectly interesting. Nothing wrong with explaining fractions while you cut the pizza or figuring up area while you plan to paint a room, but in the end, I could not have taught my children math consistently and well without a logical program that includes sitting down and writing answers on a page. YMMV, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munchkins_mama Posted October 18, 2011 Author Share Posted October 18, 2011 That is what I worry about. THat I won't be able to teach her what she needs to know without a book. But she doesn't think like me. I get math, it just makes sense, even on paper. She has to have it put into practice. Don't take offense if bookwork is your thing. :) We've only been doing this a month and are totally still trying to figure it out. Are there math programs out there that show a person how to do real math or are they all paper work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I recommend Kitchen Table Math and Zaccaro's book. So fun! Also, here we love Penrose and enjoy the Let's Investigate books by Smoothey. Your son might have fun playing Coffee Shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 What does your child absolutely love? Look for ways that math is part of that "thing." My kids love to challenge me by throwing out a topic they think has nothing whatsoever to do with math, and I have to find a way that math is related. Maybe you could try that, but on a larger/deeper scale with your child's passion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 That is what I worry about. THat I won't be able to teach her what she needs to know without a book. But she doesn't think like me. I get math, it just makes sense, even on paper. She has to have it put into practice. Don't take offense if bookwork is your thing. :) We've only been doing this a month and are totally still trying to figure it out. Are there math programs out there that show a person how to do real math or are they all paper work? Why would you need to teach her what she knows without a book? I use Math-U-See. Every lesson starts by demonstrating a given concept with manipulative materials that are similar to lego blocks (or other materials for fractions). The point is to understand what math means and then translate that into 4+6=10 or whatever language of written math. I have sometimes expanded on something on my own, such as playing "store," where they pretend to buy things using only nickels (counting by 5's) or something similar. Overall, though, I could not have come up with a cohesive plan to logically proceed through math if I was trying to do it using only environmental math experiences. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 My ds developed a love for math when he read through Murderous Maths books. I'm so thankful for those books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Your DD might enjoy the "Your Business" math programs from SimplyCharlotteMason. There are pet shop, book store, and sports store versions. Kids get to apply lots of math skills while running their own virtual business, including ordering inventory, pricing items, calculating sales tax, etc. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I recommend Kitchen Table Math and Zaccaro's book. So fun! Also, here we love Penrose and enjoy the Let's Investigate books by Smoothey. Your son might have fun playing Coffee Shop. Thanks for the Coffee Shop link, I haven't seen that one before! Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munchkins_mama Posted October 18, 2011 Author Share Posted October 18, 2011 All those games look great! In the homeschooling world, would those count as actually working on math? or just as fun extra-curricular? She loves to sew, and cook and read. We do math with those but I worry it isn't enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I haven't used them yet (they should be arriving Friday), but the Life of Fred series might be something she would like. It's math taught in story form with real life application. The samples I've read online are funny, and yet teach solid math. From what I understand, many people use them along with another curriculum but some use them as a stand alone. I haven't decided yet how I will use it, but I just know that for my oldest, Saxon is not cutting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Thanks for the Coffee Shop link, I haven't seen that one before! Jackie I'm personally a little obsessed with it <grin>:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We supplement with On the Job Math Mysteries, which shows how different careers use math. It's interesting and gives my dd an idea of how everything she's learning can be applied in the real world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonana Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Math on the Level might be what you are looking for, as it uses real life to teach math concepts. There is a record book to keep track of concepts covered, and you do five review questions a day. There is a yahoo group, and the author is very good about answering questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 For a supplement, there's a math book my mother used that I liked: http://www.amazon.com/When-Ever-Gonna-Have-This/dp/0960481206/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318906162&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 (edited) I love math. Not textbook math, but real world math. I have a sewing business and I use math every day. I love to cook and I use math every day. I love to shop ( :tongue_smilie: ) and I use math every day. I am having a hard time making my 4th grader sit down and do math work in a book with no connection to the real world where it can be real and interesting. Any suggestions? I feel like I really suck at this homeschooling thing. I have so many ideas on how it could be so cooooool, but the need to do bookwork makes it so uninteresting. :( Does your child's math book have word problems in it? Those are an important part of math learning - they are where you put the math you've learned to work. They represent real life. You can also look for math activity books in the library. There are tons of them that have really fun activities to do, in addition to your regular math book program. They make the book concepts come alive. That is what I worry about. THat I won't be able to teach her what she needs to know without a book. Why is that a worry? Edited October 18, 2011 by Colleen in NS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 All those games look great! In the homeschooling world, would those count as actually working on math? or just as fun extra-curricular? She loves to sew, and cook and read. We do math with those but I worry it isn't enough. I'm not sure I understand if you're already using a math curriculum and don't like it or if you don't use a math curriculum, don't want to, but worry that you can't teach math without one. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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