It was the last day of Fall Break for my 7 year old and she still had 7
pages of subtraction to finish. SEVEN PAGES OF SUBTRACTION! Seven pages
is the equivalent to a gazillion! One page of subtraction comes with
moans and groans. Three pages come with whining, rolling around on the
floor, and general comments about math being the "stupidest ever".
Getting her to complete seven pages of math was going to take every
ounce of my patience. EVERY. OUNCE.
I decided the first thing necessary was to change the environment. Maybe she would be less likely to roll around on the floor if we were at a local restaurant? I didn't have any "second thing" planned.
We headed to a local coffee house where I could get hyped up on caffeine and she could be treated to a cinnamon roll. Yes, I bribed her with sweet, doughy goodness. Anything to get her in a good mood and ready to bare down on SEVEN PAGES OF SUBTRACTION!
It worked. Mostly. I drank my sweet hazelnut latte and, low and behold, she worked on her math. We took breaks now and then to people watch or make funny faces at each other, but then got right back into the meat of things until we were done. Yes, she did still whine and moan, but it was minimal. But the good news is, no, she didn't roll on the floor. NOT. EVEN. ONCE. It was great!
After the last problem was answered (17 - 9 = 8 by the way) we packed up our stuff and decided to go do some Halloween shopping. Which brings me to this weeks Disses and Kisses:
DISSES
- Subtraction. However, you can always bring your kiddos to the Library for tutoring - all ages! Homework Helpers are at Troke for you!
KISSES
- Parenting Books at the Library! One of the latest books that has helped so many parents is "The Five Love Languages of Children" by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell.
- Coffeehouses! And to the books that recognize the fun that can be had at your local cafe: "A Cup of Friendship" by Deborah Rodriguez
- Cinnamon rolls! They are one of the oldest pastries and yet one of the best pastries ever. Maybe on another Sunday, instead of subtraction, my daughter and I can make cinnamon rolls thanks to this book: "Teens Cook Dessert" by Megan Carle
Great idea to try a change of environment!
ReplyDeleteYou made me recall an experience with one of my own sons. He was a kindergartener, doing some arithmetic. He really had trouble focusing, and kept squirming around in his chair.
"UGH!" he finally whined,"This is worse than...(very long pause)something I think is REALLY boring!"