Scratching my head. Is 7yr multplying same as lego play?

[homefree3]

I run into my 7yr olds public school enrichment counselor today and she ask how things are going at home. I tell her that DS got me up early so he could have an hour of multiplication practice before school. His public school third grade just introduced 2 digit addition without carryng.

 

The enrichment counselor tells me that is normal just like other boys getting up to play with legos. I am really wondering if I am way off base that my child is dying of knowledge thirst and trying to learn new things or if she is way of base comparing legos to volunteer math fact practice.

 

Any opinions?

 

Thanks

[Dmmetler]

I actually think it's pretty comparable. My DD will happily spend hours at a time working on math problems or logic-and hours at a time building with legos. In both cases, it's a self-selected interest that's fun to her, even though it doesn't always appear "fun" to me, and it's a similar problem solving process.

 

I don't think it's a sign that your DS doesn't need additional enrichment DURING the school day or that his current program is adequate, but at the same time, I don't think it's necessarily a sign that the current program is inadequate, either. If anything, I've found that DD tends to explore more on her own when the program is introducing her to new topics and ideas that she wants to investigate, and less when it's just plain "easy".

[Arcadia]

His public school third grade just introduced 2 digit addition without carryng.

 

I am wondering if that is a typing error because 2 digit addition without carrying is taught in 1st grade term one here. For 3rd grade term one the school here would have been almost done with multiplication and started with division. My school district is now in term two (we have three terms for K-5).

 

 

if she is way of base comparing legos to volunteer math fact practice.

 

My just turn 7 year old builds simple machines with his Lego Technic pieces and calculates gear ratios for efficiency. Basically his Legos serve as part of his Math and Science enrichment. Lego Mindstorm is what he is getting for his Christmas present so that would be their IT/technology enrichment.

 

Math and Legos both use Logic. Legos are great for understanding simple geometry and spatial/3-D view too. Besides my kids use their Legos as math manipulatives.

[MomatHWTK]

My oldest makes endless lists and charts for games (that never come to be). He calculates stats, characteristics, etc. for hours. My DD draws non-stop and takes history-themed quizzes online for fun. My middle DS- building with magnet sets. My youngest hours on Starfall doing the reading and math lessons. When I was a child I devoured every book fiction and non-fiction in our children's section.

 

Yes, it would be nice for the school to provide things that are level appropriate, but there are limited resources and teachers. Kids will find what they are drawn to and practice it as long as the resources are available for them to do so. I would probably seek out the Khan Academy or HotMath videos for your DS. Also, several educational publishers provide companion sites for their textbooks. Many of these sites don't require a password. So if you wanted, you could have him start watching pre-algebra or geometry tutorials through one of the textbook providers' sites.

 

You might also want to go ahead and invest in the Teaching Company DVD called the Joy of Mathematics- TC is having a sale right now. I've not bought it yet, but the reviews looked very positive.

 

Oh- and take a look at Coursera. My 11 y.o. was able to follow the Computer Science 101 class better than I!

 

ETA: I do understand the "starving" for input notion. My youngest often will not go to sleep unless he's done a certain amount of what I would consider "school" for the day. He just needs input. My oldest is the same (though he doesn't like to admit it). They need brain food. I do consider it similar to Legos in that I purchase educational items (and online subscriptions) in the same way I would building sets or games. We do homeschool so the educational items are dual function, but even if we did not I can't imagine not having those items around for enrichment. KWIM?