Bedtime Math

Most parents read to their children at bedtime, but why not consider bedtime math?  I recently came across a great article on Scholastic.com.  The writer, Laura Overdeck, challenges parents to incorporate math into their bedtime routines.  She didn’t suggest anything overly complicated, just a few word problems that will push your child to think critically and do some mental math.

For example, let ‘s say you just read a book about a mischeivious dog?  You could pose some questions about that dog to your child.

Overdeck suggested some questions like these:

Wee ones (counting on fingers): Hannah’s dog Harley eats pretty much anything.  If Harley eats 3 pens, 2 crayons, and 4 washable markers, how many writing implements does he eat?

Little kids: If Harley eats 24 pages of your math book, and 13 pages of your history book, how many pages does Harley eat?  Bonus:  How many more pages of math than history does he eat?

Big kids: You’ve just written an 80-page paper.  If Harley eats 1/4th of it, how many pages does he eat?  Bonus: What if he eats 1/5th of what’s left – how many pages do you still have?

I love the idea of bedtime math, because we do tend to neglect math in the evenings.  We should teach our children how math is applicable in any situation, even after our bedtime stories.

For the full article, click here.

Parenting Strong, Brave, and Courageous Children

 

Last year, a colleague shared a New YorkTimes article with me called, “What if the Secret to Success is Failure”.  I instantly connected to it, as I have learned from my mistakes and use those experience to improve my character.  However, it got me thinking, do we allow our children to fail?  Do we actually teach them to learn from their actions?  Or, do we scare them so they never try something again?  I’m not talking about playing with fire, but trying something new and uncharted!

As a teacher, I noticed a lack of resilience in the children.  Most kids wouldn’t even try because they were afraid to fail.  Now that I have my own children, I want to teach them to be courageous and not to see failure as a bad thing.  But how?  My husband and I have done  volunteer work with Special Olympics, and I have always loved the SO oath: ” Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt”. I want this to be our family mantra!  Besides being a role model for my children,  maybe I could start through introducing book characters who possess bravery, courage, and strength.  Thus, began my research and here’s what I found.

Here is a blog post that introduces you to book characters with great character, but these books are geared towards girls.  From Pinkalicious to Madeline, the writer gives you a quick read on each literary series. Check it Out!

Here is a listing of books specifically about courage

Here is a listing of books for older children

Don’t stop with reading, but ask your child how he/she can be brave just like the character.  Talk about what’s scary for them and how they can cultivate strength like the character.  Also, talk about failure: what it is, what it means, and why its scary sometimes.  Most importantly, talk about the good things that come from failure: resilience, bravery, strength, work ethic, and pride.