Jimmie's Collage

Living Math Dropout

Jimmie — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:15:49 +0000

I feel like something of a “living math dropout” to admit that Sprite is using Teaching Textbooks now. It’s a computer based program, and she really likes it. Better yet, it’s developing some basic skills that we missed along the way and filling in some of those gaps that we always fear as homeschooling moms.

I’m not too terribly afraid of gaps in general, but with math a gap can really affect a lot of conceptual learning later on. So I’m working to fill in the chinks before we move on towards more algebraic thinking.

A second factor for using this approach is because of a big mistake I made. I had Sprite tested (standardized test — Iowa) early this year. Although her math scores were not bad, she translated the results into, “I am not good at math.” (She tested at low average for her grade level.) It’s been a huge problem for her confidence to be shattered with that test. I regret it terribly.

I guess that my own confidence was shaken a bit as well.

When I met with the consultant to discuss the results, she asked me what curriculum we use for math. I don’t think she’d ever heard of a living math approach. No matter how I tried to explain, she just looked at with confusion and not a small amount of concern. I started feeling very unsure of myself in that moment. Was I messing up with math? I admit that after the consultation, I bought some math test prep books at the Scholastic display. I wouldn’t have even considered a need for that before.

So back to Teaching Textbooks. I bought a level based on the TT placement tests, and Sprite is whizzing through it, doing two lessons a day and scoring well. This is working well to build up her confidence, but sometimes I still hear her express that anything less than 100% is “not good.” (What?! I can only guess that her contact with local kids who are intensely competitive for perfect test scores is creating this delusion.)

So we haven’t done any math games in a long time. No hands-on activities for math. Like I said, I feel like a living math dropout. For now it’s just TT lessons on the computer and in the spiral bound textbook.

We are still doing math history lessons from Livingmath.net’s curriculum, though. That’s the one bright side. And we both really enjoy those lessons.

Of course, I actually am not a living math dropout. I have every intention to get back into my preferred style of hands-on living math exploration. But for a season, TT is working. And in the big picture, TT can be part of our overall living math approach.

My plan is for Sprite to complete Life of Fred Fractions after working through TT. From there I’m not too sure. But I have lots of resources on my shelf to choose from at that point.

One, Two, A Lot

Jimmie — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:09:15 +0000

We read about different counting methods through history in the book Number Stories of Long Ago. And I think I have a modern day revelation about counting here in China.

After living in China for eight years, I’ve finally discovered how to count objects. It’s not what you might expect –one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.

tissues, shopping bag, eggplant

No, it’s much simpler than that.

It’s just one, two, a lot.

And that’s the end of it. It stops at a lot. No need to count on. Three or more are a lot or sometimes expressed as “so much!” That should be said in a shocked voice as if you’ve never seen such a quantity of something before.

Situations when I hear this counting system:

Always when I’m shopping. I would estimate 75% of the people who walk past me in the store feel a need to comment on the amount of food in my cart. And the statement is always either “a lot” or “so much!” especially if I buy more than two of any one item or more than 1/2 pound of meat.
Carrying bags back home from the store. My dear security guard has obviously tired of saying “so much” because he never says it anymore. But the other residents who are sitting about the neighborhood give me the “so much!” when they see me carrying my more than two bags. Remember, you count one, two, a lot. So I’m carrying a lot.

I used to feel a need to explain that four bags is not a lot. It’s four.

I would explain how we have three people in our home, plus we often have guests at mealtime.
I would share that we cook at home a lot instead of eating out.
I would joke about being fat Americans who love to eat a lot.
I would try to reason with them about the benefit of buying enough for two days of meals versus just a single meal.
I would explain that I was having company that night or the next.

Nothing seemed to work. But now I understand why. I couldn’t count.

To count objects in China, you count one, two, a lot. So now when they exclaim, “you bought a lot!” I nod and agree. Yes, I bought “a lot.”

See, I may be a slow learner, but I do learn.

one, two, a lot

Note, this counting method does not apply to people. Dozens of people, hundreds of people, even thousands of people is never A LOT in China.

[This post is somewhat tongue in check. What I've written is true as far as the tendency to exclaim "so much!" with any quantity over two. But I trust you realize that Chinese people can count above two. My problem lies in my Western "stocking up" mentality that people here do not have. Compared to them, I do have/buy/carry a lot.]

Funny Signs

Jimmie — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:45:14 +0000

This was at a cute shop selling clothing for babies and toddlers. I did a double take at this sign though!

I think they sell maternity clothes as well. I’m absolutely sure there is nothing in there for pregnant babies.

These two are from directory signs at a department store. Moveclothes are athletic clothes. (It’s a literal translation from Chinese.)

And the never politically correct “middle age women’s dress.” I guess it’s better than some shops catering to older women that are called “Fat Wife,” the only equivalent to a plus-sized shop in China. I think I’d wear rags rather than shop at “Fat Wife.”

This is a tea shop with a very odd name.

And I found this at the papershop.

I can assure you that I do not use this ATM.

(It’s actually an ATM and a deposit box, thus the odd name. But with all the counterfeit money in China, I prefer to use an ATM that only puts out money instead of taking it in.)

Size 39

Jimmie — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:51:23 +0000

It has happened. Sprite is eleven years old, and she is now wearing the largest ladies size shoe we can buy in our province — size 39. That translates into a size 8 ladies shoe.

Sprite's New Shoes

I came to China with my size 9 1/2 feet, and I’ve never been able to find ladies shoes that fit, of course. I should need a size 42, but the shoe store ladies just laugh at me and exclaim that my feet are too big. (Try that a few times and you learn to never even go into a shoe store.)

In south China, ladies are very petite. At 5’8″, I usually tower a full head over my friends. I often forget I’m so much taller than them until I look at a group photo. There I am, the tallest one, looking like an Amazon.

So back to Sprite. I doubt that her feet are finished growing. So when she outgrows these size 39s, we have only two options — put her in men’s shoes or try to find larger ladies’ sizes on Taobao. (People in the north of China are taller and broader than those in the south. So maybe we can find larger sizes online.)

I wonder if Onlineshoes.com ships to China?

Daddy Homeschool

Jimmie — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:05:51 +0000

My husband has always been supportive of homeschooling.

We started on this adventure out of necessity (living abroad) more than from choice, but it’s been a great experience for us.

He has never questioned my curriculum or method choices. He even encourages me to spend the big bucks on fancy materials. (Thanks, hon!) He patiently looks at notebook pages or lapbooks with interest.

But Daddy is getting more homeschool time, and I think he really likes it.

I bought Winter Promise’s chess curriculum for dad to use with Sprite. Although he has taught her some things informally, I thought a more structured outline would help motivate both of them to keep moving forward.

Dad also teaches Sprite drumming on a set of electronic drums in our apartment.

And finally there is a long list of books that they can select from. Most every night, my husband reads aloud to Sprite before bed. They have some really great conversations during that time.

Some of their recent reads by Lee Strobel (all available in Kindle format too)

Other winners:

Some of the books on the shelf, yet to read:

I guess you can see a theme here. Dad likes apologetics and church history as well as science. I’m thrilled that Sprite can learn from her dad. And I know their time together is very precious to both of them. It wouldn’t be fair for me to hog all the fun homeschool memories, now would it?

Do any of you have “Daddy Homeschool?” And do you have any good “Daddy Homeschool” book recommendations for us?

Symmetry Sketches

Jimmie — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:45:13 +0000

One of the sketching tasks in Drawing With Children is to complete the other half of a symmetrical drawing. Mona Brookes calls this mirror imaging, and she includes some of these activities in her warm-ups (see page 67).

As surprising as it may be, the Remembering God’s Awesome Acts curriculum includes several drawing activities. (I need to blog about this amazing book. I love it.)

We did a lantern symmetry project from that resource, and then moved on to the wolf which I got from Art Projects for Kids. (That site says it’s a grade three activity, but of course anyone of any age can use it. I did! Mine is below.)

I thought that the activity was a fabulous practice for both symmetry and for shading, so I created some more of these types of images.

Help yourself! Here is Sprite’s pig sketch.

Here are my symmetry sketches.

A related activity is the Vase/Faces sketch at Betty Edward’s website. She is the author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I’m not sure how this can be, but I happened upon the book in txt or pdf format for free at Scribd. Although I have a copy of this book, I plan to put the PDF on my Kindle for reading while on the go.

Charlotte Mason Carnival

Jimmie — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:15:47 +0000

Welcome to the Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Carnival, a list of excellent Charlotte Mason posts at blogs all over the Internet. If you’d like to submit an entry to the next carnival, click here. (Go ahead and do it before you forget.)

Living Books

Becky at Golden Acorn Homeschool gives a good answer to the question What are living books?
Robin Phillips lists some great authors atHistory, Nature, Geography, Reading: Rediscover Four Author-Illustrators – Crack the Egg.

High School

Barb-Harmony Art Mom- shares her Charlotte Mason High School Daily Schedule.

History

Mama Squirrel from Dewey’s Treehouse gives a defense of AO curriculum against the complaint that it has too much British history. Read her post Ambleside Online…isn’t that too much British history?

Narration

Nadene shares how young students can use written narration with help. If you’ve got younger children, Mom ~ The Narration Scribe is a must-read.
Melissa presents Narration in every subject posted at Bugs, Knights, and Turkeys In the Yard. She says, “I want to make certain that this ‘mental process’ of real thinking, digesting, and provocation of the imagination is taking place in every area!”

Artist Study

Dawn shares her plans for a Study of Leonardo da Vinci posted at my4sweetums. She’s got lots of books and activities outline. But my favorite part of her post is when she says “I tried to leave some room for rabbit trails that are sure to happen.”
Lizzie at A Dusty Frame had the special opportunity to see a Raphael painting in person. She blogged the experience at La Donna Velata The Woman with the Veil~Raphael . Her enthusiasm is obvious:

Then we stepped into the room where La Donna Velata hung. WOW! It was amazing. We were the only people in the room for quite awhile. It was fascinating to stand inches away from a painting done by Raphael in 1516.

Language Arts

Looking for a spelling curriculum? Jeanne gives a CM review of Spelling Wisdom at A peaceful day. Here’s an excerpt to whet your interest:

To me, Spelling Wisdom is CM dictation the easy way. Today’s 6000 most frequently used words are presented in the words or great writers, and many are from books or authors Jemimah has studied: Robert Louis Stephenson’s poems; The Bible; Shakespeare; Hans Christian Anderson; Robinson Crusoe; Sherlock Holmes; Wind in the Willows; and more. Many of them, in fact, are the very same passages I would select myself if I were preparing dictation myself.

Nature Study

Barb-Harmony Art Mom presents “From Cruelty to Kindness” posted at Handbook of Nature Study.
Pamela takes a Slow Water Float Trip at Blah, Blah, Blog. Ahhh.. just looking at her photos is relaxing.
Laura Grace Weldon who blogs atRelentless Optimist offers an almost poetic post How to Make Spiders Your Teachers, Trees Your Guides.

It’s easier to think of nature as “out there” in the pristine wilderness. But we’re a part of nature every moment. It is air we breathe, plants we eat, birdsong we hear, weather slowing this morning’s traffic, our very cells dividing and yes, that high pitched whine signifying a mosquito is hovering nearby.

Handicrafts

Keri delivers a beautiful post, as always, at Handicrafts. Don’t let the simplicity of this post fool you. Her four simple statements and a CM quote accompanied by gorgeous collages teach more than a complete essay.

Habits, Organization, and Mother Culture

Nak at Sage Parnassus presents The PMEU? She is part of a group that “could be likened to the PNEU (Parents’ National Education Union) of Mason’s day in that we were all there to grapple with her philosophy, to grow and to learn how to offer our students the best that there is available.”
Jennifer Lavender at The Princess Momma Chronicles presents the first post in a series of Home School Answers – Home School Answers – Isn’t Home School Expensive?
Anna at Sacred Appetite discusses parenting and habit training in Feeding Children Made Easy: Parenting Sun-Style Instead of North Wind-Style.

At the dinner table, are you more like the North Wind or more like the Sun?
Don’t battle your child’s appetites and feelings, like the North Wind, but put them to work for you, like the Sun.

Want to get to know another homeschooling mom and have a peek into her schedule? Amy in Peru gives you the opportunity in Fisher Academy: About Us.
Laura Grace Weldon presents If Jane Goodall Were An Alien posted at Relentless Optimist.

Imagine someone with Jane Goodall’s observational powers coming from outer space to observe us for a few days. Let’s narrow this alien’s study down to something relatively simple. Childhood.

Pancake Vendor

Jimmie — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:39:07 +0000

One of the things I love about China is the street food. Whenever you need a little snack, you can usually find a vendor making homemade snacks for a very cheap price. This pancake stall was near the fabric market.

These tiny pancakes are not sweet; can you see the green onions?

Vegetable Vendor

Buying Paper

Jimmie — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:12:23 +0000

Sprite at the Paper Store

One of the things that is so convenient about living in America is how you can go to one huge store and buy such a wide variety of things. I miss that. Already.

Imagine you have a list like this –

cardstock paper
dish detergent
pain killer (like Tylenol)
spray paint
glue
pillowcases
telephone

In America, you pop down to Walmart or Target and get everything on this list at one convenient stop. And more than likely, there are dozens of choices for each item on your list.

Not the same here. In China, there are generally not stores that carry such variety.( One exception would be Metro which, of course, is a foreign store and isn’t in my city.)

If I have a list like the one above, each item requires a different shop. I can get dish detergent when I buy food at my grocery store. But none of the other items are there. I have to go to a drug store for pain killer, a phone shop for the phone, a department store for the pillowcases, a stationery store for the glue, an automotive shop for the spray paint, and a computer market for the paper.

Can you see why shopping takes up so much time? And remember I’m traveling on foot or by bus. So if I buy more than I can easily carry, I’ve got to go home, drop off my things and start over.

This is our paper store. It’s inside the computer market and is the only place I know of where I can buy 80 gram paper.

My Paper Store

Most stores sell an inferior 70 gram paper that I won’t use. Call me a paper snob. I want quality paper. Even though she is my supplier, she had to call someone to bring some over from the warehouse. You can tell that the 80 gram paper is not a big seller.

I usually buy four reams at a time so I don’t have to go back so often. (That stocking up mentality at work!) But since we really needed to do other errands, we could only manage one ream.

Fabric Market

Jimmie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:11:40 +0000

My mom gave Sprite a small electric sewing machine while we were in America. We brought it back to China and found a power converter for it. (The power in China is 220.) She’s enjoyed learning some basic sewing techniques and making things for her dolls. When the upholstery lady was here, she pulled her sewing machine out and sewed alongside her.

Her first finished project was an apron which we began in America and finished here in China. After it was done, she put it on and said, “I need to get in the kitchen and make something wearing my new apron!” There’s nothing like the pride of a completed project.

For her second project, she wanted to make a stuffed animal. Fortunately among some patterns that we found at thrift stores was one with pigs and ducks. A pig it is!

The weather has cooled off significantly, so it was a good time to finally go to the fabric market to buy our supplies. As you can see, it’s no fancy air conditioned Hancock’s or Joann’s. It’s just a few blocks of shops open to the street in a very noisy and crowded part of the city.

Sprite chose a black corduroy with a bright floral pattern from the “table” you see above. We paid 15 RMB per meter. That’s approx $2 per yard. The man used a wooden meter stick to measure the fabric.

She chose stuffing from a huge sack outside another shop. The shop keeper uses a scale to measure it; it costs 10 RMB ($1.50) per pound.

Then we walked over to the notions shops for thread of all colors (only 2 RMB for the ultra big spools). We bought almost one of each color we could find. I believe in stocking up rather than making dozens of trips for every little need.

This “stocking up” mindset is very Western, I think, because I constantly get comments about how much I buy. (That’s going to be another post soon.)

We contemplated zippers and buttons but decided we didn’t need any.

So far Sprite has only cut out the pieces of her pig. Her friends are back from their summer travels but have not yet started school, so they often have time to play. Of course, we are flexible to their schedule, so the pig is on the back burner until her friends have no more free time to spend with her.