Homeschool Math Part One

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In this section of Homeschool Math I will introduce you to the specific math approach I use and then introduce manipulatives, arts and crafts, ideas for adding variety to your math program, modification and motivation techniques, and ways to incorporate fun and other subjects into math.

The Math Approach We Use

My son Andy keeps a notebook for math. We do several new concept problems together in his notebook, while sitting side-by-side on the couch, then Andy does a few practice problems while I observe, next I assign certain problems, which I will explain in further detail in the "modification" section of "Homeschool Math."

The spiral notebook is an excellent resource for flipping back to view how previous problems were solved and an effective way for me to keep a portfolio of Andy's math work. By the end of the year he has completed four notebooks. Sometimes I keep a multiplication chart glued to the inside flap and other quick reference tools such as: measurement conversions and names of shapes.

I also have a small bulletin board where I post basic math facts which I always keep on the dining room table, for Andy's use, if he ever needs a quick reference. The bulletin board has reference charts about math topics we are studying. Besides the math charts, I have a list of sensory/O.T. activities my son can choose from, since he tends to get particularly fidgety and preoccupied during math. Go figure.

Some of the facts displayed on the bulletin board I cut out of old textbooks and workbooks, and others I hand wrote. This year, the facts include: metric conversion, polygons, fraction rules, multiplication table, etc.

Manipulatives

Common counting manipulatives found in teachers' supply stores and catalogs include: small plastic animals or fruits, patten blocks, plastic links, cubes, rods, and the such. There are many manipulatives you can use from your own home such as: cotton balls, toothpicks, marshmallows, sticks, buttons, and coins. Jelly beans and Skittles are commonly used for making graphs.

Manipulatives are important in the early years of schooling, when a child is still trying to understand concepts like addition and multiplication. Manipulatives are also useful in the higher grade learning, for instance when learning fractions and probability.

Paper makes a great manipulative. You can use paper to make circles and demonstrate fractions, as strips for measuring, hole-punched paper is fun for estimating, etc. Don't overlook common everyday objects. Dice and spinners from board games are fun for learning probability. A stop watch added to sprinting is good for estimation. Rope, string, dental floss, socks, and jump ropes are good for measuring.

The use of manipulatives is endless.

Try adding a manipulative to a textbook lesson at least once a week for older grades. And keep manipulative on hand daily for the primary-aged children. A good rule of thumb I learned as a teacher is to let the children play with the manipulatives on the first day and do not require them to do anything but explore. After a day of exploring, the children will more easily focus on the lesson at hand.

Arts and Crafts in Mathematics

1. Water color patterns: red, blue, blue, red, blue, blue

2. Roll clays into balls and practice counting and making patterns.

3. Glue dried peas on paper in the outline of number.

4. Glue popcorn kernels on a paper plate.

5. Cut out triangles, squares, rectangles, and other shapes. Make patterns. Measure. Find perimeter.

6. Glue plastic eyes, fuzzy balls, and other fun materials to encourage counting and pattern making.

7. Write 3,000 on one strip of orange paper, 200 on a strip of blue, 50 on a strip of yellow, 2 on a strip of red - stack papers on top of each other for place value.

8. Cut out ten paper trees; hole punch red dots (apples); write a number on each tree and have child match dots to tree.

9. Make a pattern caterpillar with colored circles.

10. Use 100 pieces of rice for a snowman, 100 shells for a beach picture, 100 "o" shaped cereal for the scales on a fish, 100 paperclips for the armor of a knight.

11. Have an estimation jar. Fill the jar with different objects each week. Children can take turns being in charge of collecting, counting, and filling the jar.

12. Use ink stamps to make patterns.

Add Variety

One way to add variety is to teach the same concept in different ways.

Choose a subject your child is having difficulty with or has less interest in than other subjects and come up with different ways to review the concepts.

Here is an example of what I did when my son was learning the multiplication tables:

Spread out flash cards on the table and take turns picking a card and saying the answer.

Make a path on the floor with flash cards. For every problem that is answered correctly, pick up the card. For every problem that is incorrect say "road block" and start from the beginning of the path again.

Take a walk outdoors and bring a stack of flash cards. State a math problem, such as "8 times 4." The child has to run or walk 24 steps or to the count of 24. (This worked great for my son)

Practice multiplication facts while you are in the car.

Glue rows of beans to represent 8 x 3, 3 x 8, 6 x 4, 4 x 6 (My son could not remember the product of these problems, but after he glued beans, he could.)

Another way to add variety is to alter the learning environment.

Sometimes a change of scenery does wonders. Here are a few ways I change the learning environment in our homeschool program:

Read lessons and do practice questions on the couch.

Read independently on the chair, couch, or in bed.

Do projects, coloring, and other activities on the floor.

Use the computer for spelling lists.

Study in the car. (-if your child doesn't get car sick. I can't read in the car without getting sick, but my son enjoys reading while I drive.)

Go outdoors and read or do a project.

Go to the library for the day and bring your school work.

Do homeschool at a relatives house.

Have a "Books in Bed" day. Place all the materials required for that days' learning in a stack at the foot of the bed. Place Post-its on each book, notebook, binder, etc. with instructions.(My son loves this.)

There are many ways to add variety. Another fun way is to alter the writing utensils, substituting pencils for crayons, markers, highlighters, etc. These are just a few of my ideas. Can you think of some? Contact us and we'll add some more.

Modifications

I usually don't require my child to do every single problem on a math page or every lesson. I know what he needs to work on because I work with him one-on-one. Most textbooks are made for classroom use and most teachers do not have the opportunity to work with each child on an individual basis. Homeschooling parents do.

I don't believe in continual route practice, especially after a child has mastered a concept.

If the math textbook has four division problems, I might choose two problems for my son to do one day, one problem the next day, zero the next day, and then have him take a division evaluation. The same goes for other concepts. I evaluate my son's understanding of a particular concept and base practice and review on his level of comprehension, retention, and understanding. If he's stuck on a certain concept, such as probability, we will close the textbook and work on probability for the day.

Here are some of the ways we modify the textbook:

1. Do even or odd problems only.

2. Do the first half of the problems together while seated at the couch. Do the second half independently at the table.

3. Choose 20 problems you would like to do today.

4. Redo the problems you missed on yesterday's lesson and do ten problems on this lesson.

5. Do half of the problems on one lesson and half of the problems on the next lesson.

6. Skip this lesson because you already know this concept. Let's play backgammon instead.

7. Choose a review section from the back of the textbook to practice.

Here are some additional ways I modify his math work:

1. Because we use modifications, we are done with the math book by the spring. As we are approaching the end of the math book, for the last lessons, I do the following. This is also a technique I use for review.

I take a large piece of construction paper and fold the paper so I have a total of 10 rectangles, which equals 20 rectangles front and back.

I write a number in each rectangle related to the math problem in the textbook I want him to practice/solve.

Then I say, "By Friday you need to complete all 20 problems."

My son knows he is required to do at least 4 problems a day, but then can decide to do more or less.

This eases his anxiety and gives him a sense of control over his math work. He also knows exactly what to expect for math that week.

After I correct the work in each rectangle he has the option of coloring in the rectangle, which helps get out some of his energy and assists with sensory integration.

2. Sometimes I write out the problems that are difficult for my son to copy. Because of visual processing issues, my son might struggle copying long addition problems and division problems. I can help to relieve my son's stress and frustration by taking 2 - 3 minutes to copy down some of the problems for him.

3. On a review sheet I highlight or circle the problems for review.

4. I cross out some problems with a large x. My son likes to see he doesn't have to do all the work.

5. I cut down the size of worksheets and avoid worksheets that are too visually stimulating and cluttered. Typically avoid worksheets altogether.

6. I provide graphing paper for division at times, draw lines and the "0's" under multiplication problems.

7. I provide extra time, shorten assignments, extend assignments, change assignments midstream, make my own math problems with only a few problems on one page, and provide time for computer games.

8. Andy uses markers, crayons and chalk in math.

Motivation

Here is a list of ideas:

Graph the wealth of different countries. Find out the degrees of your water heater. What is the population of different countries? What is the depth of the deepest ocean and how tall is the highest mountain? What is the weight of an elephant's heart? What is the oldest living creature on earth? What is the oldest living vegetation? What was the smallest baby ever born? What is the length of the whale shark? What is the distance from earth to the moon? What is the tallest tree? What are the percentages of vitamins in our cereal? How much do we each weigh?

Use the facts to extend mathematics. Find the average of your weights. Graph the tallest tress. How much smaller is a great white shark in length when compared to a whale shark?

Here are some fun activities to do:

1. Hide math facts around the house in plastic eggs or on index cards. Retrieve, Solve, and Hide Again.

2. Use masking tape and tape down five, one-foot-long pieces of tape on the floor, making each one a half inch a part. Toss pennies, toothpicks, etc. and figure out probabilities. What is the probability the penny will touch one line? two lines? What is the probability the toothpick will touch no lines.

3. Play games like Uno, chess, backgammon, and cribbage.

4. Cut out the shape of your foot and make several copies. Estimate how long and wide objects in your house are and then measure. (This was a big hit when I was a teacher and just as fun at home.) Then measure each object again with a tape measure for comparison.

5. Estimate how many times you can jump rope and how long to run an obstacle course, etc. Add times to find average. Compare times for ratios.

You can incorporate some of the ideas found in Spectrum's Spelling Ideas into math, also.

6. Use picture books like Caps for Sale for counting and patterns.

There are so many great ways to have fun with mathematics. If you have something you'd like to contribute, please contact us.

Other motivational ideas:

1. I find an egg-timer very useful. I set the timer and tell my son for every minute he has left he can double the time and have free time to color, get a snack, etc. I set the timer and ask my son to beat the clock and give him a reward for beating the clock. I also set the timer as a gentle reminder that he needs to focus. My son might estimate how long he thinks he will take to complete his work.

2. I will place an incentive in my son's view. The incentive might be a star chart, a tally mark page, a bag of jelly beans, a jar of pennies, etc. I will walk over and say, "Great jog. Treat yourself to a penny." Or I will add a star to his reward chart. I try not to use items with sugar very often. The star chart is working towards a goal such as a new Pokemon pack or inviting a friend over. (I know some parents frown upon concrete rewards, but when a parent is working with a child with special needs sometimes a concrete incentive makes a big difference in a child's ability to focus.)

3. We will have a race to see who can solve a problem first.

4. My all time favorite is to propose this challenge: "For every problem you finish correctly today, I will do one of your math problems for you tomorrow." (I can adjust the next day's work so my son is still doing math problems, but I'm doing a few "for him."

There are many ways to make math more challenging, interesting, applicable, easier to understand and fun. I've shared just a few. If you have something to share, contact us.

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