Cookies, Crayons, Classes, & Chaos: math

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Unschooling and Math

Can math really be fun?

Will kids really learn math if you don't force them to learn it?

Here are some resources to answer those questions about how kids' learn math in a self-directed way as "unschoolers."

First hand experiences

Real families describe how they learn math in their everyday unschooling environments:

Summarizing the Unschooling Math Experience

Research professor of psychology, Peter Gray, summarizes different approaches to learning math and determines that Kids Learn Math Easily When They Control Their Own Learning. Dr. Gray describes these types of math and how they are learned.

Playful math - Discovering and creating patterns and doing math for the sheer beauty and joy of it. It's how young children and math scholars alike approach math in a playful and joyful manner. This can be learned through self-discovery.

Instrumental Math - Math can be used as a tool in daily life to solve a problem. It is learned naturally in the course of living, handling money, cooking, reading recipes, playing cards, reading maps, recording batting averages, etc. It is learned in the context of community with a more advanced learner providing some mentoring in the self-discovery process. There is no curriculum involved.

Didactic Math - This is the traditional model of math instruction in schools. A math expert teaches math to a student with the expectation that the student does not already possess knowledge. Often the assumption is that the the process will be difficult, that math is necessary rather than fun. Formal curriculum is typically involved. Didactic math, in the sense that curriculum is used, can be found in unschooling settings but with some differences. Students are allowed to access math curricula online or in workbooks on their own schedules and when they are desired. Parents are available as a resource person when the child needs them.

College Admissions Math - This is the math parents often worry about. This math is studied for the purpose of college entrance exams regardless of its connection to a student's chosen area of study. The math needed to do well on ACT and SAT tests can be learned in a relatively short period of time through tutoring. And that this point, students are often motivated to learn the math for that purpose so it can be learned more quickly.

"The best evidence I know that math is not hard comes from the experiences of people involved in the unschooling movement and the Sudbury "nonschool" school movement. I have written about these movements in previous posts." See Children Educate Themselves IV: Lessons from Sudbury Valley. "The Sudbury Valley School has, for the past forty years, been the best-kept secret in American education."

Self-Directed Math Resources for Unschoolers

Here are some resources that students can use in their self-directed interest in learning more about math

Khan Academy
Teaching Textbooks
Leaping from the box: Summary of math, algebra, and geometry resources

Free Home School: Online math games, hands-on activities, worksheets
Ways to memorize multiplication tables

Learning about the Circus

The kids are getting excited about going to their first circus. Me? Not so much knowing that sometimes animals aren't treated so well in some operations. In preparation we're learning some things about the circus.

What's it like to be in the circus today?

PBS Circus explores what it is like to own, operate, and work in a circus

What concerns do some people have about animal treatment in circuses?

Peta
Animal Aid (UK)

Writing about the circus

Circus Drawing

Step by step drawing guides for animals and performers

Circus Math

What is the history of the circus?

What were the different types of jobs in the circus?

P. T. Barnum's Great Traveling Exposition & World's Fair Season of 1872

How many miles did they travel between shows?

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, 1960 Route
Using google maps recreate their route and calculate miles for one month

What scientific principles are used by circus performers?

Learning how to do things like circus performers:

How to Make a Clown Face

In this activity students can learn to paint faces from a real clown.

How to Juggle

Jake LaSalle demonstrates how to get started learning how to juggle.

How to Do a Handstand

Doing handstands takes a lot of practice, but students can learn the basics with this short activity.

How to Train a Dog at Home

In this at-home activity, students with pet dogs can learn to teach them a few tricks.

How to Walk a Tightrope

With a bit of focus and practice, students can learn the basics of walking the tightrope.

Math and Science Resources

A couple of quick finds today...

The Scientific Homeschool Blog with lots of resources, lessons, and ideas.

Expert and user-created database of math and science activities at How To Smile. Look up ideas or contribute your own!

Free Algebra and Geometry Lessons online for the summer!

Even if your kids attend public or private school during the school year, you are still a home educator!

Parents are always teaching their kids, informally if not formally.

And if you are trying to keep your kids from being bored or losing their math skills during the summer, here is a fabulous FREE resource.

(Or perhaps you want to brush up your math skills to be able to help your student with his/her homework!!)

The Homeschool Buyers Co-op has launched a Group Buy for online video math lessons from YourTeacher.com.

Go to http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/yourteacher-freebie/ for more information.

The offer expires 8/31/2010.

Free online resources for learning math in alternative methods

Photo: by Paul Bourke, Swinburne University AU featured on website "An Introduction to the fascinating patterns of Visual Math"

Free online games, ideas, tools for learning and teaching math

Learning math through visual patterns at Right Brain Math -- Great help with learning mutiplication and times tables.

Find lots of ideas and exercises at Visual Math Learning and Visual Fractions -- Google "visual math" for many more resources!

Watch youtube math tutorials (and other subjects elementary through college+) at Khan Academy -- Yes, it sounds sketchy but this site is a winner of a 2009 Tech Award in Education.

Multisensory lessons for Math Education and learning Fact Families

Fact families are numbers that are related. For example: 3, 5, and 8 form a fact family because they are related through addition and subtraction. There are four sentences or "facts" that go with these related numbers: 3+5=8; 5+3=8; 8-3=5; 8-5=3

Here are some ideas for learning addition fact families with games and manipulatives.

Use giggle facts learning manipulatives (pictured)
Play online game for practicing a range of fact families
Make hexagon cards for practicing a range of fact families
Build fact family houses (or ones with windows) for practicing a range of fact families
Use dominoes to practice fact families
Use stuffed animals to arrange fact families
Use gym equipment and relay race to collect objects equalling designated sum

Specific fact family "partners". I like to work with all the fact families of one sum at one time. ( E.g. all the fact families with 3 as a sum are these: 0+3=3, 1+2=3, 2+1=3, 3+0=3, 3-0=3, 3-1=2, 3-2=1)

Here are games that focus on the pairs of numbers that equal one constant sum:

0 through 12 fact families - Domino parking lot
10 fact families - block ten solitaire or tens solitaire (or solitaire pyramid modified where cards equal ten instead of thirteen. All face cards equal ten.)
12 fact families - Dividing two different types of objects in different ways into the spaces in a dozen-sized egg carton, e.g. 2 candy corn + 10 jelly beans = full carton (12)
13 fact families - solitaire pyramid
14 fact families - re-arranging balls (can be used for fact families of any sum)
5 to 18 fact families - uses "partner pair" tubs

Personal note of caution: I would avoid using many of the fact "family" descriptions suggested. Many of the explanations I have seen describe the fact families as having a daddy (big number), mother (medium number) and baby (small number) with the daddy always going first or last in the equation to protect the family. This would seem to me to be a potentially emotionally charged situation and learning barrier for children whose family does not fit this pattern. Children of single parents, living with grandparents or guardians, with gay or lesbian parents, children with mother and disabled father, etc.

Mammoth Math Curriculum

After reading so many frustrating reviews with many of the more expensive math homeschool curricula, I decided that Mammoth Math would be worth a try, especially since it was so inexpensive by comparison and appeared to have a very clear comprehensive approach.

But considering our own teaching/learning styles and the learning styles of our kids, it seems wise to investigate a number of options and check the reviews for whatever materials you are considering.

Mammoth Math Reviews
http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/reviews/curriculum/reviews.aspx?id=561
http://www.homeschoolmath.net/curriculum_reviews/math_mammoth.php

Learning the Natural Way with Math Games

Games for Learning Math, Logic and Strategy - This website has links to board games, internet games, books, and more for learning math in fun and naturally integrated ways

Games for teaching math with TLC - Here is a circles and stars game with dice to help practice addition and multiplication

Multiplication concept and tables games - A variety of math games, though many are for assessment/testing of the skill rather than acquiring the skill and would not be useful to the learner who is already frustrated.

Let's Play Math - This blog is about learning, teaching, and playing around with K-12 mathematics.

Digital technology for boys and other distracted learners

Here is a math website for kids in pre-K through 6th grade.

We have been enjoying using this website for tracking mastery of state standards for math curriculum at http://www.ixl.com/.

It's interactive and self-correcting which is great for the "distracted learner." As educators are discovering, computer-based learning can be very useful for a wide range of learning styles.

It provides immediate reinforcement and virtual rewardsfor completing tasks -- much like the popular "Club Penguin" or "Build-a-Bearville."

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