So it finally happened, my maths ability ran out right in front of a daughter. I’ve been politely tolerated ever since, but actually unraveling it together today has been fun. I don’t think there is anything wrong with a nearly 10 year old seeing that mummy is not in fact full of answers but that a bit of effort together worked it out. When we did, it was very pleasing and regardless of what she learned, i’ve discovered another part of maths that was previously unfathomable to me!
We abandoned the maths book to actually do this and used brains, paper, maths, rods and much talk of cakes on plates to do so. In the end, Michelle’s explanation the other day was the one that got me there (i’m keeping the piece of paper!) after Max flummoxed me and Alison threatened to charge me! 😉 We did a bit of work on the concept of a whole number still being the same if it was written 10/1 (oneths!) and then got on with the dividing by fractions bit. She got it instantly (phew) and then we made up real life scenarios to imagine how we would use this piece of maths. I think this is the thing that really floored me at school; by the time i got to this level i had lost all grip of why i needed to be able to do these things and i’m really a very visual person, i need to be able to visualise what i am doing and why. Fran and i spent some time establishing a pattern to the sum and then working out which bit of the life problem fitted where. It was fun.
The rest of the week has been good too. Max was away from Sunday lunch time so once i had the girls back from the grandparents we paced ourselves to get through. We worked fairly hard on Monday morning at things and then in the afternoon we got out some of the new 3D aqua bead packs and played with them. I was very impressed with the quality of them; too often a pack opened isn’t as nice as the box makes it seem, but the fold out scenes in these are really lovely. Makes me proud to be selling them. That kept us all occupied for ages and was suitably quiet and uneventful, a good thing given they were all shattered and Amelie was definitely rather unwell.
Tuesday we had a visit from Michelle and Chloe and aside from feeding them and occasional visitations, we didn’t see a lot of the children. I was glad to see Max back by midnight though; it’s been a long time since i was regularly home alone with kids. Max being part time and the presence of MF here up till Xmas means i’m rarely the only adult. Still i managed 72 hours of only eating mainly only fruit and nuts, which i was pleased about and feel much better for.
Yesterday i worked 9.30-6.30, my first full day there and got lots done. It is beginning to feel like a workplace now. Max and the kids did various Narnia related activities (mainly Narnia Risk and the film i think!) and when i got home i read the first Chapter of Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh to them. They seemed to like it.
Today we are Happy Streeting, mathsing, storying and about to start some sewing craft stuff. Amelie was up half the night with earache and i’ve got it too, so i don’t think it is going to be a very taxing day.
Tags: maths, Fran, craft, sewing, aqua beads, Narnia, work, stories
I was exactly the same at school – I ran out of patience with maths after they stopped equating it with slices of cake….! I was like ‘well if I don’t need it for sharing pudding then what *do* I need it for??’
= switch off in maths lessons 😆
= c in gcse…. which *actually* I didn’t think was that bad – not sure the parents were impressed though…
I got c too, though i did manage to do it on the higher paper, not quite sure why i bothered with that though! I don’t suppose the parents minded, i’m not sure anyone could have been worse than me!