Math for the Reluctant Artist

My daughter, currently eleven years old, believes she is "bad at math" because computation steps don't stick in her head. We've gone over long division and adding fractions repeatedly, and it just doesn't stick. It doesn't make sense to her, and she's the kind of learner who wants to understand the Why of something before she'll understand the How or What.

In most areas of our homeschooling journey, we unschool. This means I keep a gentle pulse on what my children are learning through experience and play. But like many unschooling mamas, I wonder about math. How much is "enough"? When we sit down to "do a little math," it often ends (at least with my daughter) in tears, anger, and frustration. It doesn't matter that I explain that she actually is skilled at math - her numeracy skills are fabulous and her ability to see patterns and relationships is quite advanced. It doesn't matter that I point out the math she uses in Minecraft. It doesn't matter if we use Kahn Academy or Brain POP or Brainquest workbook pages or just go over stuff on a piece of paper. Her perfectionism and anxiety take over. I start wondering how much math she actually needs to learn if she will never go to normal school and will likely pursue a career in art. She needs to know money skills, shopping, and cooking. She needs to be able to either file her taxes and figure out a mortgage or make enough to pay someone else to do so. But does she really need to know long division and multiplying fractions? Does she need to know how to FOIL a complex equation? I don't know.

Her dad and I enjoyed math. We were good at it. And since her brain works a lot like ours do, I suspect she could also enjoy math - again, she likes patterns and relationships and number games. So I did a search for Math for Artists for some ideas for how to teach math to a creative soul. Here are some links I discovered plus a few we've used over the years.

Riches on Pinterest
The fabulous Vi Hart (videos to watch together or let her watch on her own)
She plays a lot of the Cool Math Games - these don't teach computation, but do exercise math skills int he brain
This series looks interesting
Visual-Spatial Resources, with and article specifically about algebra
Some ideas for teaching math with art
Natural Math - a huge site full of resources for visual and kinesthetic learners as well as more traditional math-types



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


For more ideas on natural parenting, 
check out my book! 

Comments

  1. saraOctober 5, 2016 at 7:55 PM

    Thanks for the resources Clea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Clea DanaanOctober 6, 2016 at 5:04 PM

    This might appeal to visual learners, too: https://www.google.com/amp/s/mathlesstraveled.com/2007/11/08/geometric-multiplication/amp/?client=ms-android-sprint-us

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Autism Community Store Review

Image
We visited the Autism Community Store today. It's just east of Iliff and Quebec. They do a good job of creating a calm, not overwhelming environment despite being jam packed with all manner of resources. My son especially enjoyed the hanging swing and the "sensory cave," a closet-sized space with soft cushions, soothing lights, weighted blankets, and a lava lamp filled with bubbles and (plastic) fish. I perused the book shelves, which includes a lending library as well as titles for sale,  and spent a good long time gathering cards and flyers for local resources to support my hive of homeschooling families. Looks like they make their own weighted blankets, beanbag animals, and weighted vests. We picked out a blue swirly chewelry and a stand for our exercise ball to replace our broken office chair. As I helped my son put his shoes back on before we headed out the door, I giggled at a sign right in front of us: "No shoes, no shirt, no skirt, no problem." He
Read more

Family Learning: Exploring and Riding and Discovering Our Own Selves

Image
My daughter's riding lesson wasn't until 2, and it was a gorgeous spring day. 62 and sunny. We decided to pack a picnic and go to the lake just north of where our riding instructor lives. This took some doing, as I am not eating any sugar, starch (like white rice), gluten, or dairy. I made brown rice balls rolled in sesame and a little salt, and a kale salad with apples, raisins, and grated carrots. I threw in the gluten free banana pancakes left over from breakfast (they have potato starch and white rice flour in them so I didn't eat any) and some fruit. We were ready to go. When we arrived at the lake, it was WINDY. The kind that takes your breath away. We hadn't dressed for the wind, which can make a warm day really chilly in dry Colorado. So we hiked down the hill, over horse prints pressed into the dry mud, and discovered a little hollow with a pond just off the main beach area. To the kids it was a secret haven to play in, but the first things I noticed after
Read more

I Am in Charge

My meditation of late is to remind myself that I am in charge. When my daughter starts to freak out (she has massive melt downs, usually from a low frustration tolerance), or the kids are fighting, or everyone is moving as fast as snails to get out of the house, my blood pressure rises, and I silently say to myself - "I am in charge." My blood pressure lowers. I relax a little. I am able to see how best to respond, rather than reacting in anger. This anger, which can flare so fast and big, usually stems from my feeling powerless. When I remind myself that I am in charge - not my daughter's anger or the clock or my toddler's need to wear that one filthy outfit - then I regain just enough sense of power within to settle down. And that's the key - it's not "in charge" in a "power over" another person kinds of way. While I do have a certain level of power over the children and the day and whatever, ultimately I don't - I can't control t
Read more