| Author | |
hereinantwerp
Forum Pro
Joined: Dec 17 2005
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 322
|
| Posted: March 22 2006 at 1:21pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I am considering doing something here--
Just going really light on math instruction, not working through a formal "program", until after 3rd grade or so.
Reason 1, my little guy (6 1/2) is just not getting reading yet, so I just want to focus on that with what attention span he has (not much) until he's on his way. (I do have the "Spectrum" workbook and we do a page now and then, we count things and talk about math as it comes up, etc. Learning to tell time at the moment. But I am NOT diligent to plan any of these hands on sorts of things, just do them if they naturally come up.)
Reason 2, my big guy (just turned 11), is "out" of elementary level math curriculum already, is not really ready to move on to algebra, and got "turned off" over the years to math after enjoying it as a youngster. And it just seems to me like the math concepts could be covered in a lot less time starting when a child is older, and maybe not get so boring over the years??
I was reading about this on the "trivium pursuit" website, also on another Classical website, and starting thinking that it sounded like a good idea. Has anyone done this?
__________________
Angela Nelson
Mother to Simon (13), Calvin (9), and Lyddie Rose (3)
my blog: live and learn
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Rachel May
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 24 2005
Location: Kansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2057
|
| Posted: March 22 2006 at 1:42pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
This thread might be interesting to you.
__________________
Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ALmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 18 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3299
|
| Posted: March 22 2006 at 4:58pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We did delay math with some of ours - for various reasons. I generally do not do anything formal with any of them until the state requires some reporting (in our state this is at age 7 and because of fortunate birthdays most of ours are practically 8 before this is required of us). Some of ours got very little formal training early simply because mom/teacher was stressed over someone else - eye therapy, high schooler that was struggling, etc. Our 8 yo learned everything on his own while I was sidetracked - he is still very inquisitive and I have CHC just so I feel good and he has time to keep learning.
We keep things light until middle school - try to keep the stress off. They learn a lot of basic skills from woodworking, cooking, and playing board games. My boys loved all kinds of dice games and learned to add from that more than from any text book. I have a lot of manipulatives as well that they play with - I got these when we were struggling to find out why our 2nd child had so much trouble learning anything written. They also like playing Battleships which teaches coordinates - at younger ages we had to help them figure out where they were, but were happy to since they were the ones initiating the game.
With our one daughter (she is 14 now), we simply could not do much with her until she was about 11 or so. She had a severe vision problem where she was alternately suppressing her eyes, was not learning to read, had all the symptoms of ADD, etc. Once we finally got a diagnosis of the problem, we began therapy and made the conscious decision that we were not playing tug-of-war with her eyes as we payed mega bucks to a therapist to work with us to get us to train her to use both eyes together and then be able to point the eyes, etc., etc.. I was doing daily therapy at home with her and going to the therapist 2 days per week in addition so, to be quite honest, there also simply wasn't time. As it was, I had an older child that needed me too and it was hard enough to get the therapy done. She wasn't reading hardly at all at 9 and I really couldn't see fighting over academics too. We read aloud to her, did some oral type math or math games (marshmellows under the cup type stuff) or maybe 5 addition problems on a page that I handwrote very large just so I could say we did math and satisfy the state's requirement of 3 academic subjects for a school day. I counted her therapy as her reading along with the read-alouds, we discussed religion/went to Mass, and then I had math. I was really stretching the legal rules in our state, and we did it with fear and trembling as we had no paper trail for our own defense, and our daughter would not have tested well due to vision problems and I had no idea what would happen in a few years when, hopefully, her vision was corrected and we could resume more "acceptable" schooling.
After her therapy was over, we jumped back in where she had left off - it was too easy now. We bumbled around for a while finding where to start - but in math we did one year of Math-U-See (starting at about 12) and then we went to Math 5/4 which was very easy but gave her the vocabulary and copy skills practice. After that I got smarter and did a placement test - she tested for Math 8/7 and that is practically done. She is very ready for Algebra which we will begin by next year.
She is the most independent learner in my house. She is the one I can simply trust to tell me if she is not learning - or if she is. She is never one to rush through to be done with it - when she learns something, it is forever learning. She recently took a standardized test (no preparation at all other than our regular work) and scored at the 99% in most areas. I did the test just as one more piece to figure out if there were gaps we needed to fill as we had had such an odd approach with this child. I've often wondered if the delay in formal academics was part of the blessing that came from her vision problem (which is now 100% corrected). It certainly hasn't put her behind in any way.
Janet
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary G
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5790
|
| Posted: March 22 2006 at 6:40pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I think this is a wonderful idea to hold-off until they're 8, maybe 10 or so. We do a bit of workbook type math, but otherwise Thomas and Maggie do cooking math (our favorite), read living math books (Anno's books are the best) and constantly TALK about math concepts without making itseem like a subject o be feared or disliked or whatever. We practice mental math and calendar -- all the stuff that the programs do without the expense of the programs.
It's worked so far, but Maggie is "kindergarten" and Thomas is "1st" so I may regret it but it SEEMS to work.....this is what CM would have adviced anyway.
__________________
MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Willa
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Location: California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3881
|
| Posted: March 22 2006 at 9:29pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Two articles from Teaching the Trivium blog:
Delaying Formal Math
Delaying Formal Math Continued
It's interesting; I got Ray's Primary Arithmetic on CD a couple of years ago and almost all of it is based on concrete experience and manipulative-based thinking, much like Ruth Beechick's Easy Start in Arithmetic. Since Ray's is a 19th century book, it made me wonder if some traditional wisdom has been lost in this rush for children to start abstractifying their math experience.
That said, I have such a hard time personally persisting with a completely informal program for ANYTHING -- whether reading, or writing. My loosest approach is taking some book like Miquon Math or Ray's and then just skipping through, doing a few problems here and there. .... like you are doing with your little boy, Angela. That's STILL how I'm working with my 4th grader,this year.
__________________
AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Living and Loving Numbers
Topic: has anyone tried delaying math?
