girls and Math

I have one son, Adam, who's REALLY good at Math.
Freaky good.
And his sister, Micaela, age 8 (almost 9)...not so much.
She has fragile x, full mutation. (If you are the curious sort, you can look at the Fragile X Syndrome Checklist for more info...) But long story short, it makes math VERY tough for Micaela.
Especially when she sits beside the Math Wizard...

So I often split them up. And spend some one-on-one time with her, gently hammering away at the Math Facts. That's why she loves the interactive nature of

Online Math Curriculum - Time4Learning

It's completely non-threatening.....and colorful. (Color matters a great deal to my budding fashionista....so it engages her mind, and I'm all for that!)

And sometimes, I'll admit, I push Math more for Adam than I do for Micaela. He's just so darn comfortable with it and she's not. But then I ask myself, "Am I cheating her? Am I short-changing her by NOT offering it more often?"

So our compromise is to tackle Math with

Time4Learning.com and a whole bucket loads of freebie sites that offer a wide range of ideas and fun for her.

Because Math SHOULD BE FUN, shouldn't it? Next week, we're doing CAMPING MATH. (Don't ask me what that REALLY means, I'm totally wingin' it.....)

almost July

Anyone have goals for Summer Math?
I do. Adam was SUPPOSED to be done with all of his 2nd grade work but the summer sun is distracting him...greatly. Since he's more than a year ahead of his peers, I probably shouldn't hassle him too much, but he's lollygaggi'g. And I don't care for lollygaggin'.......

So our new goal is to knock out the remaining Units before the 4th of July.

It has been action packed around our house. Adam took a flying leap off the top bunk on Sunday night and had a nice trip to the ER. During whole drive in, my husband (smartly) was asking him math questions.....he knew as long as he was cognizant enough to do basic math, he probably would be okay. He escaped with a concussion and is presently resisting the doctor's order to lay low. My son doesn't DO laying low very well.

So our laying low includes Living Room Floor math. With many, many, many rounds of Math Bingo. My kids LOVE Math Bingo. And it's a FUN way to reinforce basic math skills. My kids detest flashcards but they BEG for Math Bingo. There are a million different sites where you can print off Math Bingo sheets. Give it a try for your kids and I bet they'll love it.

is Math music to your ears??

While most of you are loading up for trips to the Beach, we are getting ready to kick off The Summer of Science!! (which is such a misnomer, because it's HEAVILY involved with MATH, too...)

I have been busy combing the 'Net for the coolest project, funnest worksheets, and yes, the most memorable songs. One the things that Adam and Micaela dig about the

Time4Learning.com site is the cool music. (He still sings that song about logging....)

So I was thrilled to discover this site:

Math Songs: Teaching Math Facts & Concepts (Addition, Subtraction ...

For my daughter, information is FIRMLY implanted in her memory if she associates it with music. I think most of all of us are wired that way. I mean, look at commercials and jingles! I'd love to hear from other parents how you taught multiplication songs.....that's where we are headed. I don't know....maybe Math Drills would be more fun if it had a beat and you could dance to it...

Music could help you get your kids over math anxiety, too...