I've been focusing on improving calcultation skills this term. To "perform" well in maths, you really need to be able to calculate easily and effortlessly. And there are lots of things that you can do while driving in the car, in the bath, brushing teeth, etc. to improve your child's mental maths. Such as:
1. number partners to 10, 20, 50 and 100. You say 3, she says 7. You say 6, she says 4. You say 17, she says 3, etc.
2. Doubles. Just basic stuff like 6+6 and then moving onto 23+23 and then moving on to 38+38. You say 6, she says 12. You say 42, she says 84.
3. Near doubles. Recognising the doubling process and then adding of subtracting 1. 6+6 and then 6+7, etc.
4. Multiplication games like
www.multiplication.com to get instant recal for timestables. Where Miss 7 has had difficulties really mastering these, I've used visual spatial stories like tree times tree is line to help.
5. And good ol' mathletics.
With Miss 4, I try to make things more concrete. Counting buttons, making number lines, adding/subtracting pasta, and playing with dice (roll 2 dice - what's the biggest number you can make, what's the smallest number you can make, adding the numbers together, subtracting them, etc.) Mathletics is good and it helps to have mobile wireless so I can whip it out while big sister is doing gymnastics or other lessons.
Perhaps this might spark some inspiration? jojo
I really love girls loving math!
You might want to swap with someone that lives in the northern states. I do find your school system fascinating. They get 56 holiday home-days. Around here we get 2 to 2 1/2 weeks off. If I worked, I wouldn't know what to do with the kids for that long.