This post was originally sent as an email to Milestone Maths subscribers and has been archived here for reference. Some formatting may differ from standard blog posts.
This month we begin by taking a look at a common homeschool fear: math phobia. We hope you have fun learning about giant macaroni with the kids and we have some more exciting event news.
The Surprising Truth Behind Math Phobia
If one hundred homeschooling parents were asked what subject they most dreaded, feared, or felt least qualified to teach, the vast majority would probably reply, “maths.” It’s a sad truth that one of the most fundamentally important skill-based subjects is also often the most feared, least understood, and poorly taught of all school subjects. But it just doesn’t have to be so! Read our post “The Surprising Truth Behind the Math Phobia” to learn why.
The Mystery of the Giant Macaroni
Hey kids! I have a dark, and somewhat embarrassing secret to share with you this month. You’ll have to read the post to find out what it is but you can guess from the title that it has something to do with one of those simple comfort foods: macaroni and cheese. Read “The Mystery of the Giant Macaroni” to discover my secret and to solve the mystery!
New Homeschool Resource
Milestone Maths became a founding member of the Homeschool Resource Finder this month. Homeschool Resource Finder aims to be your go-to guide for all things homeschool.Click the button below to visit our listing on HRF. While you’re there, have a look around to see what’s on offer and check out our guest article: Homeschool Maths – Is There A Better Way Than Rote Learning?
Workshop news
Unfortunately we had to cancel our Agnes Water workshops that were supposed to take place earlier this month for personal reasons. But we’re not gone for good. Milestone Maths plans to get close to real home schoolers like you in lots of exciting ways. Watch this space!
Puzzle Corner
I need to say sorry. The puzzle for levels C and D last month was not doable because I made a little typo. Alas, even I am a mere human. Being good at maths doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them! So, if you felt disappointed by last month’s puzzle, I’ve repeated it below this month’s puzzles: just above the answers. Now, for this month’s puzzles.
Level A
Can you continue the pattern? What should the next three shapes be?
Level B
Can you continue the pattern? What should the next three numbers be?
Level C
Can you continue the pattern? What should the next three numbers be?
Level D
What are the missing numbers in the grid below? Hint: there are patterns in both the rows and the columns.
Last month’s puzzle fixed
This is the puzzle that should have appeared in last month’s newsletter. Sorry to those who spent the last four weeks scratching their heads! Be sure to email me if you ever find an error here (or in my books)!
Answers to June Puzzles
Ask Kathy Anything…
This regular feature is powered by YOU: our readers! This month I have a frequently asked question.
A common concern… Q: My child is really struggling with maths and seems to be developing a strong dislike for it. What’s one practical thing I can do at home to help them turn this around and encourage them to enjoy maths, even if they find it hard?
Firstly, we need to face facts: no one likes doing something that feels like it’s too hard. Challenges can be motivating but overwhelm is a completely different affair! So the first thing you need to do is identify where the difficulty lies and help your child to overcome that difficulty. That may seem difficult if you don’t have a background in maths education yourself but, having seen countless children in the same boat, I can tell you that nine times out of ten, the problem will be that your child didn’t pick up the basics when they should have.
Not everyone learns at the same rate. Unfortunately, the ‘grade level’ thinking that most of us had engrained in school doesn’t respect that fact. So, while you may have been working through a curriculum at the ‘intended’ pace, you might have inadvertently left your child behind. Or, the same may have happened if they attended school before you started home schooling.
So, the fix is almost always the same. You need to do basic drills on the basic number facts. If your child is very math phobic: these will have to start right at the beginning of addition and work slowly towards 12 × 12 on the times table. Drills don’t have to be a chore. If you make them just long enough for your child to complete in 1 minute (which may mean very few questions at first), it can be a very simple and painless process for both of you. Most kids are happy to co-operate once it has been explained to them that these drills are intended to be short and that they will give them math super powers.
You can also use games and flashcards to learn the basic facts: an internet search will quickly reveal heaps of these for you. For busy mums, though, I find the one minute pencil and paper drill is the most efficient and sustainable in the long run.
But you want to go beyond rote memorisation and help your child to see the patterns in the tables. For this you will probably want a resource like Milestone Maths to help.
Have a burning question?Hit reply to this email and send me your most perplexing maths (or anything!) questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Milestone Maths is a home-grown, print-based Australian homeschool maths curriculum written by an Australian homeschooler, specifically for the Australian homeschool community. Our mission is to make maths simple, relevant, and engaging for Australian homeschool families.
