We've been working on the "Explode the Code" and Singapore math books here and there. Dh had the chance to work with both kids over the holiday, just so he could get an idea of what they are doing. So far, they still love workbooks and get upset when we put them away. But T is resisting the writing portion of his "Explode the Code" book. Based on his age, we're letting him skip those sections. With B, we encourage him to do them simply because his pen grip and letter formation is not typical (and he's much older). T has a great pen grip, but I can't convince B to change his.

Dh was surprised at what T did with his workbook. There was an assisted spelling activity. A drawing is shown (e.g. hat) and for each of the 3 letter places, several letters are given. The child has to choose the "h" from a few other letters and then choose an "a" from a selection of letters and then choose the "t". T did it very quickly; dh was surprised at how well he did. Because T wants to do everything that B does and because he's doing some things that are a bit unusual for his age, it's hard to remember that he's not even 4 1/2 and that we should back off him. If he doesn't want to write, it doesn't matter. It only matters that he enjoys himself. Of course, it's the same for B, but since B is 6 1/2, I'd really like to try to correct some of his penmanship issues before it becomes even more of an ingrained habit.

For B's math, because he thinks he's not good at it, we decided to just start from the beginning in workbooks, so he could develop confidence. I figure it didn't hurt to give him some easy math so he might feel more confident. So, he's doing Singapore Math from the beginning, but dh works with him on other math topics on his own. B is good at calculating sums in his head, but I've noticed that he often calculates for simple sums. I think that once he memorizes those and has to calculate less, it should be easier for him. So, we play the quiz show game with the Magnadoodle, in which I fire off quick and easy math questions, in addition to sight words. He enjoys it and it seems to help him.

From the math quiz show game, I've learned that he knows addition doubles (e.g. 2+2, 4+4) up to at least 20. I've also learned that if we ask him in progression (first 2, then 3s, then 4s) that he automatically just gives the number that is 2 up, i.e. you simply skip count by 2s to 20.

The other night, dh used the Magnadoodle to do some extra math with B. He asked him what 3+3+3 is, to which B immediately replied, "9". Dh showed him that he could write it as 3*3. They did the same with 2s. I think B answered "5" for 3 2s, before correcting himself. They practiced writing these in multiplication formats. Dh gave him the trick question of "3", to which the answer he was looking for was "3*1". It all seemed to go well.

B also did some "Explode the Code" workbook work. I'm using a similar approach of starting him on an easier level, not only for confidence but to see if there are any gaps.

We don't have a regular time when we do these. We just do them when the kids feel like them, at this point. I'm not sure if we'll develop a routine or not.