Gnome sums

This morning was, erm, interesting. I got one of the very dry workbooks out that my mum keeps sending to us. This one was Phonics Handwriting! Anyway, I thought Springy may like to have a short go at it. Needless to say she hated it - it was like trying to draw blood from a stone and she wasn't making any effort and kept sliding under the table. We had a nice day yesterday with strawberry picking at the fruit farm and in the afternoon C and Springy made strawberry jam together whilst I did some editorial work.

Back to today, we got the mini chalkboard out this afternoon and did some Gnome Sums. Springy loves doing this and the difference in attitude and energy to the dreadful handwriting workbook was very noticeable. She had 12 sums, along with the stones and the gnomes to help. Penny Plus helped her do the addition sums, Daddy Divide helped with sharing, Minnie Minus didn't exactly help because she's so little she drops stones and Maria Multiply whizzed about making groups of whatever.

I wrote the process sign in the corresponding colours and Springy had both the written equation and the stones as manipulatives (plus the little voices that the gnomes have). She managed every sum and thoroughly enjoyed doing them. She asked for more this evening.

I know that if the gnomes start to write letters then Springy will join in with that, no rush on writing though.

Re: Saxon maths

I found a Saxon maths test thing so Springy and I played a game to do one of the pages together. It was the Primary 1A test:

http://www.sonlight.com/singapore.html

We got out our Maths Gnomes and also our little tumblestones (rose quartz etc) as counters/manipulatives since I dislike worksheets alone at this age and stage. Each question involved telling a little tale - so the ones for addition had Penny Plus gnome going around picking up all the stones, one by one, and Springy worked out the answer. Most of the time I went from the whole to the parts e.g. 3 + 4 = 7 so I would say 7 is 3 plus 4 and then we'd put 7 stones together and arrange the grouping into 3 and 4.

We did the same for any questions with subtraction e.g. 7 - 3 = 4Minnie Minus (the baby blue gnome) was given some stones by her mummy, Penny Plus, and then, because her hands are so small, she dropped a few. So again, we started with the whole (7 stones), made the transfer to baby Minnie and she dropped 4 of the stones. Anyway Springy enjoyed it all. I always say we're going to play maths, rather than use the term "work" as this puts her off.

We received the new Sonlight catalogue a few weeks back and it's been an interesting read. It's a bit offputting to see it as a "Christian" curriculum provider, since we're not but then again I have some good friends who are Christian (even if I think they are a bit loopy for believing in supernatural deities etc - wink) and it's really rather good stuff. I still haven't made any purchases from them but reckon we may well do some of the stuff later on as they have a very broad range of products which can be utilised regardless of belief system. That said, there are some strange (to my way of thinking anyway) books on non-evolutionary science (which to me is a paradox) and lots of testaments from those on missionary work in other countries but I guess to each their own.

Numbers

Springy has wanted to get her numbers the right way around for a few weeks. She's been successfully drawing the number 8 and also lazy 8s for a bit but is still reversing 7s and 9s. It's not something that I would have worked on with her until next year but because the motivation and interest has come from her I found a worksheet thing over at Montessori for Everyone. She filled it all in yesterday morning and can now manage her numbers the right way round and she's really pleased about it.

Our little maths fairies are looking very sweet. Dorothy Harrer has a lot to answer for in terms of I seem to recall that she was the original source of Maths Gnomes. I think they really are a good way of dealing with the four processes though and I have them ready for next year.

We have:

Penny Plus (mother) - moss green - she has to go around picking everything up
Minnie Minus (baby) - pale blue - she's very little and drops things
Maria Multiply (little girl) - yellow with a golden multiplication symbol - is like Springy and likes to somersault all over the place gathering up as much as she can
Daddy Divide (father) - red and has a beard - sorts out all the sharing in the family

Springy does understand the basics of the four processes already and maths is something that I believe can be brought in much earlier without it having to become an 'academic' subject or working in the brain too much. So many nursery rhymes contain mathematical elements e.g. 'One, two, three, four, five
Once I caught a fish alive
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go alone...'

or
'One, two buckle my shoe,
Three, four, knock at the door,
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight,
Nine, ten a big fat hen
Eleven, twelve, dig and delve
Thirteen, fourteen maids a courtin'
Fifteen, sixteen maids in the kitchen
Seventeen, eighteen, maids in waiting
Nineteen, twenty, my plate's empty'

Bedtime tales

Tonight I told little one a story about the gnome who lives in our garden. Today, whilst I was sat outside in the garden I heard a lot of squeaking and twittering noises and thought it was a bird in distress. I went to have a look and instead saw a shrew. They are so tiny but they are so busy and unbelievably noisy. I was stood over them watching - they appear to be living under our shed and don't seem to care that the human neighbours they have know about them.

Anyway, I made up a story tonight (had to be short because I have a sore throat and a sniffly nose) about our resident gnome hearing the twittering sound and going to have a look for what he thought was a baby bird. Instead he finds that he has new neighbours - the very noisy shrew family. He looks, listens and sniffs for the creatures making the noise and finds them. At the end, having said, "Hello" he goes back home and he and his family settle down for the night.

Anyway small person liked it - I got the "Mum did you make that story yourself?" It's nice to be able to improvise and not hold a book but have all the component parts of a kindergarten age story - little adventure then safe return home again - and it lasted all of about 3 minutes (thus saving my voice).

I've always wanted to do a storytelling course or two because I think it's amazing that people can weave together or memorise stories.