20 May 2011

Math is not so foreign anymore

Before the summer really gets started, I want to make sure we cover a great deal of stuff. So lately, I have Coqui work a little extra each day. Also trying to prepare him for next fall when it gets a bit more serious.
I started even with handwriting - something that I had seen on other homeschooling blogs and curriculum that are for Kindergartners. Bible study has come back with a new vengeance from Mami who found a great website with LOTS of free coloring pages and studies for preschoolers. In biology, we did something that I thought would interest him most: the human body. But besides all the body parts, he doesn't seem to be too much into the details about bones and blood. Geography is one of my favorites, and it seems to me that Coqui must have inherited that! We do the states and Europe, of course, and he has such a good memory. When I asked him what states he knows, he could come up with eight states all on his own. Eight out of fifty is not bad for under five years old, I think. So I am a little proud.Once, we tried to build a volcano, but Mami must have done something wrong, so it broke and didn't work. Lesson learned? Sure, don't let Mami teach physics!!! (actually, I am still looking for a co-op for him for that specific subject!)

But we also do other not-so-school stuff like cooking and baking (that includes measuring). He watches me saw and comes up with creative ideas of what he wants me to saw for him. He actually came up with the train pillows and his train bag, and with his soccer shirt (with a number on it!). He helps cleaning up the backyard and watering all the plants -especially the ones Oma bought! (inside joke, because I don't have a green thumb and my mom's hobby is gardening!) He cleans my kitchen floors - no, no child labor, he actually wants to do it. I mean the list is endless..... he does alot.

So here is what we have been working on the last couple of days. He knows all the numbers until 20 without mistakes; he usually knows them up to 29. We talked about counting by twos and fives and tens and so on... but that concept still seems to be hard to understand.

Here, I mean you only see the end result, but there is alot of explaining, counting with fingers and markers, and repeating by him, to do before we got to the results. Nonetheless, I am so amazed that he gets it now! Say three months ago, he could care less about Math, about adding, and subtracting - I just never mentioned it. So I let it go and figured we will come back to it later - you know the good thing about homeschooling is that I don't have to force it if it is not his strength right now.

I am sure you can tell that I am thrilled.... and proud and blessed with this little guy! I love you Coqui.

2 comments:

C. Beth said...

He is a very smart kiddo with an awesome Mami!

Anonymous said...

You two are a one resourceful pair! Big applause... xoxo