Making math memories with your children is easier than you think.
One of my favorite memories of my grandmother is all about math, but not the way you think.
I spent a couple of summers with her in the beautiful piney woods of East Texas. The first summer my mother sent geography flashcards with me. My grandmother used them to teach me the countries of the world and their capitals. That was my happy geography memory from third grade.
Between 6th and 7th grade, I spent the summer again. She did not drive so trips to the grocery store were dependent on walking or having someone else drive her. Nana had very bad osteoporosis and walking several blocks with groceries was very difficult for her. Hence, it became the twice-weekly job of yours truly. It was the makings of my math memory with her.
Each week her small town newspaper had a flyer for the local grocery store. She read it with me and pointed out the best prices. Together we made a list with all the bargains and planned our meals around it. If there were any coupons—rare back then—she found them! It was my job to walk to the store and buy the groceries on our list. My reward for my work was a quarter to spend as I pleased.
With my hard-earned quarter, I usually bought an ice cream sandwich, which always melted before I made it home—unlike the ones you might have read about recently. Walking in the hot Texas sun, it’s hard to eat an ice cream sandwich and carry a bag of groceries at the same time. Occasionally, I splurged on one of those bigger comic books: Superman or Archie.
The homeschool style math lessons/memories served me well. Later after I learned to drive, I grocery shopped for my mom. Even now, I usually buy mostly the foods on sale. I mentally keep track of how much I am spending–probably to make sure I have enough to have my precious quarter left over. :-) It was my job to make sure I had 25 cents leftover from the five dollar bill my grandmother gave me for the groceries.
It’s Easy to Make a Math Memory
Here are some quick and easy tips to help you create a math memory with your children.
- Choose a math activity you can do together with your children without a math textbook by:
- Checking your math teacher’s guides for ideas
- Looking for Hands-on Math Activity books at your local library
- Brainstorming ideas with your children to create something special for your family
- Searching the internet for family math activities
- Ask the children to mark your calendar with the time and place
- Before the event, be sure to gather the supplies you need
- Repeat if desired or start over and create another math memory
Are you making happy math memories with your children? I’d love to hear some ideas from you.
Blessings,
Harriet
Math Courses at Lamp Post Homeschool
BJU Press Curriculum
Grades K-12