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    Joined: Aug 2008
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    DS4 is a PG kid that has an insatiable desire to learn things, as I would assume that most of our children that we post about on this board do. I would like to challenge him as he always wants to learn more, but I do not want to teach things that I shouldn't be teaching him that school will be teaching him. In fact I am afraid if I got certain books on math that I may teach him the wrong way and that then he will get in trouble for doing it "wrong" Maybe I shouldn't worry about that at all, I don't know. DS4 already does multiplication, division, has concepts of fractions, etc (I could go on and on but it would really bore you)...he has learned all this pretty much on his own. I have never sat down to teach him anything really (except manners and social skills..I will take credit for that). So now I feel like he needs more and am not sure what my limits are. He is so into Math and the psych that tested him mentioned that I should expose him to more things in Math since he really gets it and loves it. But would getting workbooks and things like that be a good or bad idea. He does play lots of math games and things on-line and does lots of different puzzles (like Soduko), etc.

    Any thoughts on this, any suggestions?

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    I am not sure about the advisability of avoiding some things, but I understand when you are feeling unsure of how to approach a subject. The only thing that came to mind were the very cool books on math that are more about sitting down and reading a book about infinity, square numbers, etc. and getting into the fun of math with out 'workbooks'. A couple I can think of are 'The Number Devil', 'Penrose the Mathematical Cat'.

    If he's not into reading them himself, the Number Devil is actually a fun one for a bedtime story.

    (My ds is not pg, he just enjoyed hearing about the story and the ideas about numbers, maybe around 6 or so)

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    This reminds me of DS8 when he was 4 years old... No need to use workbooks, in my opinion. But I would think it's a good idea to let the kid think about math, or you can think with him about math. I loved math myself when I was a kid (still do), and I took it seriously to nurture mathematical thinking and deep understanding of math concepts. DS ponders about math facts and comes up with insights. For example when he was 4 he got to know the words "even" and "odd" numbers. He thought for a short while and said to me: I figured something out, an odd number plus another odd number always gives you an even number, and an odd number plus an even number always gives an odd number. This is the kind of thinking that I encourage him, and I always have time to listen and discuss when he wants to tell me about his new math "theorem" (and he has lots). I think there is less of a need to teach these kids math facts because they "get it" so fast.

    But on the other hand I don't think you should worry about teaching him things in advance. If he wants to learn, let him learn. These mathy kids will not be challenged by regular classroom math anyway. They may be 2 years ahead of their classmates, or 4 years, parents trying to "hold off" really won't make their days at school easier, at least in my experience. I also tried a bit to "hold off" DS and now feel that I shouldn't have.

    Last edited by playandlearn; 04/03/09 09:45 AM.
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    I don't think you can stop his progress. You may keep him 2 years ahead instead of 4 but it still will be an issue. KWIM? I say if he likes it right now go for it. The Number Devil and Penrose are both great books. They are not workbooks but fun books about math. Get him workbooks IF that what he wants. We used to talk a lot about math at that age with DS6 (our math kid).

    Get him logic puzzles, Sudoku, Mastermind. You may want to look into Critical Thinking materials. Let him watch Cyberchase. You may also look into math manipulatives if that's something he likes.

    Have fun and don't worry about him being ahead. It's too late for that anyway wink


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    Keeping in this same vein, this website has a long list of math fiction:

    http://kasmana.people.cofc.edu/MATHFICT/browse.php


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    Hi Shellymos,
    I know what you mean w/not wanting to teach him the wrong way.
    I know for sure when my DS6 switches to public in Sept they teachers will not know what the hell he is doing when he does borrowing. I know that for sure! So I hear it is good to teach different methods. Although I don't want to confuse him so I havent taught him the way I learned it. I guess the school will teach it anyway and then I will see if it confuses him.
    I think since they are smart they will have no problem learning different ways to do math problems.

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    Thanks Chris for those 2 books we will definitely check those out. I got him a fun book about roman numerals the other day since he has been into them forever. We have pieces of paper and post-its all over our house with numbers on them. It's pretty crazy. I just saw one last night that said "vis1/2ofx" Again, his roman numeral obsession. And we have lots of equation and "numbers of the day" that he gets off of wheel of fortune of from his head. I find it funny when the number of the day is like 7 digits long.

    Playandlearn - that's pretty amazing to figure that out about even and odd numbers. DS4 would like that, I frankly never thought about it. Lately he has been interested in prime and composite numbers. I do enjoy math as well...but not quite as obsessed as he is.

    Thank you all for the other suggestions, and the website..I will check that out soon...but my lunch break is almost over. I am defintely not trying to hold him back, just don't want to teach him the wrong way. He does enjoy workbooks thoroughly, and I have thought of getting him some fun ones that are less based on teaching...but more exploring.

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    I'm going to tell you what my DD's teacher told me. Don't be afraid to teach her things she wants to learn, remember there are always more ways than one to do things. Since he's already doing advance math, (and I'm sure in other areas too) he's going to be way ahead of his class anyway, so why stop him?

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    Shelly,

    My DS was very much the same way. He used to nag me about math and numbers. It got to the point that in order to maintain my sanity I had to give him something. I signed him up for Time4Learning. He could go at his own pace, do a lot or a little and skip around to subjects he enjoyed. When DS entered K, he tested into 5th grade in math. I'm sure T4L had a lot to do with it. But on the other hand, had I not done it he would have still tested significantly higher than K so in my mind it doesn't matter.

    I've been asked on several occasions to recommend curriculum to friends. I've always been sort of disinclined to do so for one reason. I don't know if the curriculum is really good or if it's just the fact that DS has an inate sense of all things math and he can figure it out whether it's a good book or a bad one. It will be the same way for your DS when he starts school. He'll have to be accelerated and he'll figure alot of things out for himself. New methods for things he already knows etc.

    If he really is as much like my DS as I think he is, you can't slow him down. Trying will just frustrate him and drive you crazy.


    Shari
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    My mathy kids love pattern blocks, plastic or wooden shapes in a big bucket. Here's an example:

    http://www.didax.com/shop/productde...c/StartRow/1/ShowAll/No/ItemNo/2-483.cfm

    They're obviously good for geometry and fractals, but they are also good for arithmetic practice, (especially multiplication), fractions...and art!

    I'm sure there are many other uses. And they're more exploratory and hands-on than much of in-school math. (At least what we experienced.)

    Also in the geometry area, we liked "Painless Geometry," by Lynette Long. It's simplified without being dumbed down. It is more of a real curriculum though, so it may not work for you.

    There are also some hands-on algebra sets, though we haven't used the one I bought yet so I can't vouch for them as I can the pattern blocks. Something like this:

    http://www.didax.com/shop/productde...c/StartRow/1/ShowAll/No/ItemNo/2-487.cfm

    (Though you might just search "algebra" on the Didax or similar site and find other things you might prefer. I just linked to the first one I saw!)

    I like the idea of teaching math concepts in hands-on, experiential ways that are very child-led. I think it cuts down on the risk of doing it "wrong," since you're doing it completely differently. Plus it's more fun for the child and should help connections to be made as they mature.

    FWIW...


    Kriston
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