Using the Intelligence Sticks

Josh decided that he was going to learn his multiplication with Alex. Josh is really motivated and smart! I admire those qualities in him. I'm excited to see how he'll use them as he grows up. 

The boys are practising math facts with a homemade version of memory. Josh is currently loosing. Cue the sad face:

Last week I was talking to a neighbor (who is a school teacher) about how Ava just isn't grasping math. I was saying that it is interesting to me that Ava was having a hard time because she is so smart. She caught on so easily to reading. She understands things that we learn about in science. I was marveling at the complexities of Ava's brain that has such a huge capacity for loving animals, anything small or pretty, loves to read, etc. but just can't grasp addition. 

It had gotten to the point that I had put away Ava's math books a couple times because I didn't want her to get frustrated trying to understand something that she just isn't developmentally ready for. But, when her brothers get out their books she wanted hers, every time. I looked on pinterest for ideas. We did a couple little math crafts. We used crackers as manipulatives. We used her fingers to try and grasp the concept.  She used my fingers. Her brothers tried to explain it to her. We switched math books to one with pictures to add. She just wasn't getting it!

I'm tempted to say that this was frustrating, however, that isn't correct. There is a quote by Estrada that states, "if children don't learn the way we teach then we should teach the way they learn." The frustration wasn't in the fact that Ava just plain ol' didn't get it. The frustration was in my inability to be creative and find a way for her to learn.

Enter that helpful neighbor. She gave Ava these intelligence sticks. Ava's problem with addition is that she didn't understand the idea that the number "2" was the same as the spoken word "two" which was the same as two of any given object. The intelligence sticks totally helped with that! She was able to create the problem with the wooden numbers, say the problem then count out the sticks to get the correct answer. It's been about a month since the neighbor gave us this gift. Ava is doing better in math. She just needed time and a different explanation. 

Thank you God for all of the helpful people you send our way.