math mammoth and clocks

[reign]

My oldest has just started telling time section of MM. It starts with half past. I have never said half past or quarter past. I remember watching the polka dot door (which taught this) and thinking it was a Canadian thing. Do people tell time like this still? Is it worth teaching? Thanks.

[boscopup]

I grew up hearing it, and I'm in Alabama. :)

 

It's not used a lot, but I think it's useful to know. Now if she struggles with it at her current age, I'd set it aside and not worry about it until she matures. It will be hit again at the next level.

[Mandylubug]

GA gal here. We say quarter past; half past; quarter till.... My kids tell time that way too LOL

 

eta: if they can tell time that way, it also assists with understanding fractions

[grace'smom]

We did that section and I think it was really helpful for DD to get the "half past" part first. People do understand when you use the term, even if they don't use it themselves, and it's so easy for a child to pick up on half past by the way she teaches it. It was a great first start to telling time for DD.

[Pen]

West Coast reporting: I hear it from Calif to Washington. The quarter-till and quarter-past I hear even more than half-past.

[fraidycat]

My oldest has just started telling time section of MM. It starts with half past. I have never said half past or quarter past. I remember watching the polka dot door (which taught this) and thinking it was a Canadian thing. Do people tell time like this still? Is it worth teaching? Thanks.

 

:lol::lol: I always thought it was an "American thing", being Canadian and all. :tongue_smilie:

 

I have never used "past", "'til", "of", or "half", and I've never heard anybody back home tell time in that way. We said quarter AFTER or quarter TO (insert hour here). For 30 we just said ____ thirty.

[Kathryn]

I NEVER use them and it always annoyed me when my (Boston-born) mother did. But I will still make sure my children learn them.

[Pen]

"after" and "to" are often used here too, along with "till" and "past" (but I don't think I've heard "of" with a time. I thought point was whether the "quarter" and "half" are being used rather than just ____:30, ____:15, ____:45. The really big change I am aware of is that with digital clocks and watches more prevalent I now often hear things like, "it is 7:13"--whereas it used to be that anything more or less from 7:10 to 7:20 was a quarter-past or a quarter-after 7. It seemed to signify that the precise accuracy of the time being given was not absolute. 7:13 sounds very precise, but may be off by a good bit depending on how the particular watch has been calibrated and set.

[awisha.]

We have "quarter past" and "quarter to" over here and also _:30 too.

[In the Rain]

I learned the terms, and use them. I guess I've never noticed other people using or not using them. One term I've seen in books, but not heard used often is "of". "It is 10 of 6", meaning it is 10 minutes until 6.

[GingerPoppy]

:lol::lol: I always thought it was an "American thing", being Canadian and all. :tongue_smilie:

 

I have never used "past", "'til", "of", or "half", and I've never heard anybody back home tell time in that way. We said quarter AFTER or quarter TO (insert hour here). For 30 we just said ____ thirty.

 

Yes, exactly. Me, too:

- a quarter after five

- five thirty

- a quarter to six

[3peasinapod]

I don't use them at all. DD7 wasn't getting it, so I figured she would catch on quickly at an older age. It's not something that's tricky to learn, especially when you learn fractions. I skipped it. :blush:

[Iucounu]

I'd teach "past" and "'til" times, and second the idea that they can be a good introduction to fractions. People tell time like this often in MA, NH and CT.

 

On a related tangent, we like this series of time teaching watches. We bought DS6 this one, now repurposed for his little brother's use.