Hated Subjects Need Snuggles
My 11-year-old has yet to be persuaded that a regular study of math is useful. We require him to do it anyway. In fact, since he's not willing to motivate himself, he's getting moved into a workbook-based program (as soon as it arrives in the mail).
He's also getting Language Arts and Science this way for the coming year. We're going to use this as a way to explain the structure and framework of textbook-based learning. One of my five key goals is that the kids know how to gather information from any format, so that they can choose any type of post-secondary training or career they wish.
In the meantime, I sat down with them yesterday, and we read and snuggled. It was quite funny to me, because they weren't there to learn. They listened to the story about ancient calendars, complete with multiplication, division, addition and subtraction equations embedded. It talked about the various ancient calendars and the problems with synchronizing them to the earth's actual orbit of the sun.
They weren't hugely engaged by the end of it, because two of the four are barely school-age. But I had four little leeches pressed into my sides, hanging over my shoulder, etc. They were there for the snuggles.
At the end of the chapter, we looked over the question page. I said, "Let's play a guessing game," and we did some of the questions orally.
Then we moved on to Joanne Stanbridge's Famous Dead Canadians, and a silly version of Samuel de Champlain's biography called "Samuel de Champlain's Underwear." The high point of the story is when he takes on the LaChine rapids to prove himself to the native people. They go buck nekkid. Sam insists on retaining his undershirt. The story has him sailing through the whitewater, scared to death, with his undershirt flapping in the breeze.
At the close of the story is a point-form timeline of the events of Champlain's life, for those who need slightly more serious factology. The story's purpose is to get kids interested in Champlain and history in the first place.
They're interested.
He's also getting Language Arts and Science this way for the coming year. We're going to use this as a way to explain the structure and framework of textbook-based learning. One of my five key goals is that the kids know how to gather information from any format, so that they can choose any type of post-secondary training or career they wish.
In the meantime, I sat down with them yesterday, and we read and snuggled. It was quite funny to me, because they weren't there to learn. They listened to the story about ancient calendars, complete with multiplication, division, addition and subtraction equations embedded. It talked about the various ancient calendars and the problems with synchronizing them to the earth's actual orbit of the sun.
They weren't hugely engaged by the end of it, because two of the four are barely school-age. But I had four little leeches pressed into my sides, hanging over my shoulder, etc. They were there for the snuggles.
At the end of the chapter, we looked over the question page. I said, "Let's play a guessing game," and we did some of the questions orally.
Then we moved on to Joanne Stanbridge's Famous Dead Canadians, and a silly version of Samuel de Champlain's biography called "Samuel de Champlain's Underwear." The high point of the story is when he takes on the LaChine rapids to prove himself to the native people. They go buck nekkid. Sam insists on retaining his undershirt. The story has him sailing through the whitewater, scared to death, with his undershirt flapping in the breeze.
At the close of the story is a point-form timeline of the events of Champlain's life, for those who need slightly more serious factology. The story's purpose is to get kids interested in Champlain and history in the first place.
They're interested.
Labels: Math, SocialStudies
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