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Greetings!

Deborah Wuehler  and family

Hey there! This is Hannah Wuehler! My mom's parents are coming this week and seeing as I don't mind writing as much as I do cleaning house, I am writing while she cleans. :) Good deal, huh? Let's see, making math fun . . . SKITTLES! What kid doesn't like M&M's, Skittles, and chocolate chips? (Or raisins if you want to be a tad bit healthier.) If you have a little person who doesn't like the idea of math, nothing works better than having him add and subtract bright objects that he gets to eat! If your little guy is too big for simple math, have him multiply or even divide those M&M's before he can eat them. If you have a child who is learning fractions, do some baking with him; this was my favorite thing to do with my mom. Baking will help your child in double checking their work, following directions, adding fractions, teamwork, and also spending quality time with mom or an older sibling. Though it will take longer to get the baking done (I realized just how much time my mom spent with me when I started helping my little siblings work on fractions while baking), it will be worth it later--trust me.

For your older kids, going shopping is one big math problem. Have them find the cheapest price for eggs; figure out if the cereal is 15% off, how much does it cost? Does that make it cheaper than the off-brand cereal? Skip the math book next time you go shopping and have them help you find the cheapest price per ounce on yogurt. Not only will they be learning math in ways that they will actually use later in life, but they will feel good that they helped mom with the shopping today!

One last thing, life isn't always fun. Sometimes, you will need to explain to your older children that they just need to buck up and do hard things. All this coming from someone who hated math--I think your kid will be okay. Now, I am off to make dinner and watch siblings while my mom picks up my brother from piano lessons.

Note from mom (Deborah Wuehler): "See how keeping them home where they belong pays off? Don't give up!"

Hannah Wuehler is a 17-year-old homeschool high school graduate with 7 siblings. She recently received her certification in Equine Massage Therapy and is looking forward to what God has planned next.

Diana Waring

Relational Homeschooling

www.DianaWaring.com 

Dear Friends,

I imagine that you are wondering how on earth we're each going to respond to this topic. I must admit, I, too, am eager to read Todd's, Deborah's, Hal and Melanie's articles, because making math FUN is one of those-"Really? That's even possible?"-kind of topics.

Now, I don't claim to be a math whiz, nor a math teacher whiz. But, I've got experiences just waiting to be told . . . ways of finding fun right when math became a crushing burden.

First of all, are you familiar with M&M's? You know the chocolate covered candy that supposedly melts in your mouth, not in your hands? Well, it's a little known secret that M&M actually stands for "Math Manipulative!" Of course, the company doesn't call it that, but wily homeschoolers have learned through the years that using math manipulatives-especially ones you can eat-make this subject much more interesting and even delectable. Disclaimer: M&M's are better for subtraction . . . and division. Less is more, if you know what I mean.

Secondly, who says that kids have to sit down when they memorize their multiplication tables? I know, I know, sitting quietly at your desk is the educational norm. However, when you have a kid who is a mover and a shaker, one who fidgets and twitches and is constantly in motion, try letting him practice multiplication facts while doing jumping jacks (as my son, Michael did), hopping up and down stairs (as many moms have told me they did), or finding some other way to bounce, dance, trot, or spin! It's amazing how much kids can learn when they are allowed to do it in the way they learn best.

Then, there is the "sing your math tables" approach. Years ago, we found the Skip Count Kid songs to help our children learn multiplication. They're a little corny, but corny can be fun!

Last, but not least, don't ignore the fun that erupts when kids get to compete against mom or dad-especially when ice cream is involved! My daughter found math computation to be difficult and uninteresting. Though she grasped math concepts easily, and was quite adept at using a calculator, I thought it was important that she become more comfortable with rapid mental calculations. So, to lift it out of the tedium and to add a bit of zest, I told her that when she could do a certain set of computations more quickly than I could, she would be treated to ice cream. The task took only three days! And, believe me, it was as much fun as playing any game you can name.

So, adding fun is not as difficult as you might think. Food, movement, songs, and games make learning a delightful experience, even with a subject like math!

Remember, stay relational.

Diana

Raising Real Men

www.RaisingRealMen.com 

Hal & Melanie Young

One of our sons loved math so much that he was intrigued to find out about sports statistics. He picked a team and began keeping a notebook for the stats of that football team and his favorite players. That led to his interest in football, and before we knew it, he'd gotten his brothers sold on football, too. They spent the next several weeks earning the money they needed to sign up with the Homeschool Football League and they've been playing for years now. The cool thing is that it can work the other way, too.

Find real world applications for math. Boys are especially motivated by knowing what they are doing makes a difference in the real world. A boy who doesn't give a rip about similar triangles might be intrigued to find out that was how Eratosthenes figured out the circumference of the earth, back when most folks didn't even realize it was a sphere. Even simple things like finding the area of a rectangle seem much more worthwhile when you explain how to find how much paint you'll need for a room by figuring out the area of each wall and then subtracting each door and window.

Watch for opportunities to teach why they're doing math. Just now, while I was writing this, one of our children was whining, "Why do I have to do this old math, anyway?" Well, great, now I feel like a hypocrite telling you how to teach your children a love of math and failing with mine. So I decided to put this away for a bit and asked him what the lesson was about. He said, "Multiplying two and three digit decimal numbers."

Hmmm . . . I thought about how frustrated he's been lately at not being really old enough to be as involved in the family business as his brothers are. I said, "Cool. Did you know that's how Daddy figured out if we could afford to accept that new speaking invitation the other day? He took the number of miles we'd have to drive, divided by the miles per gallon we get, then multiplied times the current price of gas. Let's try it ourselves!" Soon we were bent over paper, calculating it out. I showed him how mistaking the decimal point would have made Dad make the wrong decision. Now, he's working happily--understanding the why made all the difference--and I'm back to writing.

Really, we've all got to remember to put their lessons in the context of real life instead of just saying, "Hush and get back to work." They'll work a lot better when we do. It sure worked here. :)

Yours in the battle,

Hal & Melanie

Our book, Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys, has tons more about how to not just get your sons to do school, but how to help all of you enjoy it more. It was the Christian Small Publishers Book of the Year in 2011, too! Click here to find out more at our site.  

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